Autumn Scenes from Mere Point Boat Launch

 Private Dock at Mere Point Boat Launch 10-12-2014

Autumn is an ever changing season and I have had fun watching it happen at the Mere Point Boat Launch. Not only do the seasons change, but so do the birds as I continue to document the species I am seeing here. One of the things I love about New England are the ever changing skies and the ever changing weather. Now is the time of year where I must take advantage of every nice day, for one never knows when the cold wind and rain will be upon them for days on end!

This was my evening view on October 12, when I walked over to count the birds.

Clear, azure skies hung over long, denim shadows with pops of red against the evergreens. In spite of the Autumn chill, I counted 23 species here this afternoon.

The sea was calm and flat, like blue silk draped across a tabletop.

 

I could not believe how clear the water was!

 

In the cove, the water appeared as glass, ringed by gold as the light reflected off the trees.

But this morning was a different story as I crossed the street to the boat ramp. Clouds billowed up in piles of steel wool. There was much human activity as I walked down the road to the parking lot. People were busy pulling boats out of the water before the coming storm. With all the noise and activity, the birds were mostly in hiding. With crows flying darkly overhead, a few little Ruby-crowned Kinglets flitted in the nearby trees. I was surprised to see a flock of robins take wing and fly overhead as they are becoming more scarce and I rarely see them on my lawn anymore.

Footbridge at the boat launch.

I walked my regular route, trying to avoid the people and boats, but finally gave up and headed back towards home. I crossed the footbridge and was surprised to see a lone rose in bloom, the last of the season I am sure!

But, as I neared the top of the parking lot, it seemed as if everyone left at once. Suddenly I was alone with the pregnant air heavy with the threat of rain on the horizon. With all the people, trucks and boats gone, the birds relaxed and emerged from their hiding places. I changed my course and headed back to the dock where the tide was just starting to slip out again, revealing the tops of the formerly submerged rocks.

I zipped my coat up tight around me and walked to the end of the dock where some Common Eiders paddled nearby in the water. Farther out a flock of seagulls wheeled and settled down on some rocks or in the tossing sea. A few cormorants dove and surfaced with their long, snake-like necks emerging like spears from the cold depths. Soon they will be gone and the winter ducks will return to this bay, but for now we are in the overlap, the in-between time, the fading days of this year. As I stood at the end of the dock a pair of Black Ducks flew by with fast beating wings and landed in the cove. I stood at the end of the dock looking back and wondering if this would be my last time out here. I know one of these days I will walk over and the dock with be pulled in and stacked in the parking lot. That’s when I will know we are settling in for the winter for sure. Right now we are in for three days of rain and I will be stuck at home trying to get caught up on all the things I have neglected while I have been out birding and making trips to Connecticut and back! As i crossed the street and walked across my sparrow-covered lawn a few rain drops fell, and I tucked my binoculars inside my coat to protect them form the rain. I had barely closed the door to my house when the skies opened up and rain came down in buckets! It soon subsided, but then came back with a vengeance and it has been raining off and on for the rest of the day. On a bright note, I had my 102nd bird species in the yard this morning when I found a Swamp Sparrow mixed in with all the White-throated Sparrows that have inundated my yard in the past week!

The view from the end of the dock this morning 10-21-14

Androscoggin Riverwalk

 At the bend in the river 9-23-14

The leaves had barely started to turn when I took a walk along the Androscoggin River in Brunswick, Maine on September 23rd. While I had done the Riverwalk twice before, I had always started from the southern end of the trail off Water Street. This time I drove to the northern trailhead on Grove Street and headed south. This part of the trail lies closer to busy Route 1, so I did not see as many birds, but I di see a few. I found the traffic a bit annoying, until I found a little side trail that took me down a step embankment and onto the shore of the Androscoggin River right where it turns Northwest to flow into Merrymeeting Bay! I keep hoping to find lots of migrating ducks here, but so far I have found none. All was quiet as I sat and watched the clear, cold water flow by. With the steep embankment and all the trees, it blocked the noise of the highway and I found this a tranquil place to sit and think. Eventually I was joined by a single migrating Eastern Phoebe and that was just fine with me!

 The trail leading in.

 

 Riverbank Reflections

 

 A tranquil place to sit.

 Eastern Phoebe in the woods.

 

Walking out to main trail.

Ghostly Birds

1. October Ghoul Bird

 2. The Three Witches from MacBeth

 3. Winged Phantom

See more Halloween Birds and play the Spooky Bird Name Game at

Birding is Fun

Halloween Birds

I am posting on Birding is Fun a bit late this month due to my regular day being needed for a different post. It worked out well since I decided to have a little Halloween fun and play with the names of some bird species. There are more birds and names over on BiF. The correct names of these three species are listed below. Before scrolling down for the answers, can you name these birds?

Happy Halloween!

Answers:

1. American Crow (October Ghoul Bird)
2. White-faced Ibis (Three witches from MacBeth)
3. Snowy Egret (Winged Phantom)

I Discover a New Pond at Brunswick Landing

 Autumn is underway in Brunswick Landing 9-22-14

So many times on my way to or from the store I drive through former Brunswick naval air Station which is now know as Brunswick Landing. It is an extensive property and is also an eBird Hotspot! I have been birding here since May of this year when I first learned about it. There are so many places I have not yet explored and so, On September 22nd on my way to the store I drove in form the south and decided to turn onto a new road. the weather was nice enough for me to drive with my windows open and when I heard a bunch of birds calling form an abandoned parking lot, I pulled in and parked and then got out. At first I saw Black-capped chickadees, but I followed them into the woods and discovered a new pond with more birds in the trees and on the water.

I know of a small pond at the north end of the property, and that is where I found some Hooded mergansers previously, but this one was in the middle. I had seen on the eBird reports that others had seen wood ducks and other ducks on Brunswick Landing Property, but I had never found any. Now I did. I used the trees as cover and slowly crept closer. I was hoping for a better look and better photographs, but the sun was behind the birds and the shadows were deep and dark. I only got off 1 or 2 shots before they slowly moved further away, and then some of them took wing and bolted! I decided to stop in my tracks, for I did not want to scare the birds.

Red-breasted Nuthatches were all over the trees in this woodland!

I found them in numerous areas on this day!

I think this is an Eastern Wood Pewee, but I never did get a good shot of the face and head. It was in the trees surrounding the pond. Below you can see a photo of its wing.

This is what you see when you look up in the woods!

 

This is the pond as seen from the eastern end. the sun is setting just beyond the trees at the far end. I could hear an osprey calling but did not see one overhead, but then I looked up in a dead snag near the pond and there was the osprey on a limb with a fish in its talons and a crow on a branch above making a ruckus and trying to annoy the osprey. The osprey was still there with the fish when I left!

Osprey with fish at Brunswick Landing 9-22-14

There are at least 3 to 4 osprey nest on Brunswick Landing and I used to see the birds every single time I drove through, but I have not seen an osprey there since this day. I suspect they are starting to migrate away and soon they will be gone until next spring. Brunswick Landing is an eBird Hotspot and you can see the most current birding information by clicking on the link.

Currently there are some changes taking place on the property. I have noticed they have cut down a large area of trees near the south entrance. They have also mowed the grass surrounding the airfield and have put up some new lights and distance signposts at the end of the runway. It also looks like they are getting ready to develop more of the property near the north end as I have seen more cars and trucks parked on Katahdin Road and near the temporary trailer set up there. Still, there are plenty of places to bird in peace and I will keep going there. I am waiting to see if they keep the south entrance open for the winter, or block it off for the season like they did last year. It will make it much more difficult for me to get in and bird as I will have to drive all the way around to get in the north entrance and then drive all the way back out and around again to get home, whereas now I can just drive through. We shall see!

Here are my most recent Brunswick Landing checklists:

• October 6 eBird checklist
• September 22 eBird checklist
• September 19 eBird Checklist
• September 3 eBird Checklist

Birding Brunswick Town Commons

 

Ever since moving to Brunswick, Maine I have driven past the Brunswick Town Commons. Though it’s name seems to suggest that you would find it in the center of town, it is not. It is on Route 123 heading south towards Harpswell. When I first moved here in February it was covered in snow. Then Spring came and the trails all looked like mud. Then summer came and so did the humidity, ticks, and the mosquitoes. Again, I stayed away. But finally at the beginning of September, I decided to take a walk there one Sunday afternoon while Gus was watching football. I had no idea what I would find or how far I would go, but I was up for the adventure, and so I struck out.

This is the parking lot and entrance to the commons.

 

Information sign with trail map.

 

Tall pines towered over me as I headed down the trail.

At first I could still hear traffic on the road and no birds, but as I got farther in, the traffic noise faded and the birds began to call.

Then I came to a fork in the trail and read this sign.

Interesting stuff!

I found the Maine State Bird-a Black-capped Chickadee!

 

I gave myself warbler neck always looking up trying to identify these small birds!

I did find a few warblers in one area of the trail where there were some saplings in sunlight. But, many areas of the trail were dark and damp and quiet.

I loved this moss covered tree!

 

To walk in the Brunswick Town Commons is to walk in sunlight and shadow.

 

Breakfast in the forest 9-24-14

I had such a good time on September 7th that I went back on September 24th when I had to go to town early for some errands. When I was done I bought myself some breakfast and drove to the commons to dine in the forest with the birds. I remember there were sparrows, chickadees, warblers and nuthatches calling as I ate. When I was done eating I put my trash in the car and headed down the same trail as last time, but when I got to the fork, I went the other way.

Sun dappled moss beside the trail.

 

I came to this marker alongside the trail, but after reading it I saw the trail went further, so I followed it. It went behind some houses and ended at a stone pillar in the woods. Then, to my astonishment, I saw a pair of Winter Wrens in the brush! I froze in my tracks and tried to quietly raise my camera to take a picture, but the birds saw me and disappeared into the thick undergrowth!

This is the view from the spot where I saw the wrens!

The trail did not go on from there, so I turned and headed back. As I rounded the corner on the main trail, I saw something in the middle of the path.

At first I thought it was some dry leaves blowing across the trail…

 

But no…it was a bird!

Actually there were four of them! A whole family of thrushes!

But which kind?

Rufous tail and wings with speckled breast=Hermit Thrush!

The American Robin is really a thrush and you can see the similarity in their eyes and posture. When robins are newly fledged, you can still see their spotted breast for a time until they reach adult plumage. I really liked Brunswick Town Commons and will probably go back to walk here again, at least until the snow flies! While I did not see a lot of species on my walks, I did see some really good birds, and the Winter Wrens were my First of the Year and my first sighting of this species in Maine!

Click the links below to see my ebird checklists for both dates:

• Kathie’s September 7 Checklist
• Kathie’s September 24 Checklist

Brunswick Town Commons is an eBird Hotspot

Eagle’s Nest

 Juvenile Bald Eagle and nest 8-23-14

Ever since moving to Mere Point in February I have been aware of the Bald Eagles which live on my road. In spring I started seeing them fly over the house. Later, I learned about the eagle’s nest in a pine tree overlooking Maquoit Bay. Often I would see the Eagles as I drove to town and back. One day one flew right in front of me and landed on something in the open field beyond. The eagle stayed there on the ground as I drove by. Over the course of the summer I saw one and sometimes two adults in the nest or hunting for food over both Mere Point and Maquoit Bays. Eventually the chicks hatched and fledged until one day I saw four eagles in the tree all at the same time! I did not always have my camera with me when I drove by and often there were cars coming, so I could not stop in the middle of the road, but finally one day in August all the stars aligned and I got a shot of one of the juvenile sitting on a branch near the nest. Since then I have continued to look for the eagles but I have not seen any in this tree again. However, I am still seeing both adults and juveniles flying over my yard on occasion. It will be interesting to discover if they stay for the winter, or move south.

On another note, I was inspired by a friend’s blog post to write a poem about butterflies. Many of you know how pesticides are affecting so many creatures in our environment. Monarch butterflies used to be common in Maine. Now they are rare. My friend, Roy, likes to photograph butterflies in England. His recent post and the comments contained therein revealed that even in England pesticides are having their effect on these fragile creatures. Years ago the choice was made to ban DTT from use as it made the shells of eagles, peregrine falcons and osprey so fragile they would break before the chicks matured and hatched. People all over the world made the right choice and saved these birds from extinction. Now it is time to do the same for butterflies and bees. My Mother happens to love butterflies and they inspired and encouraged her when she was going through chemo for her breast cancer two years ago. I just returned from visiting her for the weekend and she is doing well. Let’s hope there will still be butterflies in her future as well as ours.

Here are the Links to Roy’s blog and my poem I wrote in response to a comment that was made:

• A Fragile Thing With Wings
• Roy’s Nature Longbook-A Butterfly Day
• The Year the Monarch Didn’t Appear-NY Time article
• The Butterfly Effect: Monarchs Continue to vanish from Maine fields-Bangor Daily News
• Monarch Watch.org