Oh, the Places I’ve Been!

 View from the Matthews-Reeser Bird Sanctuary in Estes Park, CO

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I recently had the opportunity to fly to Colorado and go birding with my best birding buddy, Chris Rohrer. I had not seen him since last summer when he came to visit me and I was so happy to see him again!

But before I joined him in Estes park, I stopped in Longmont to bird at the Jim Hamm Nature Preserve on the east side of town.

When I got to Estes Park my other birding buddy, Kathryn Kelley was there and she joined us at the cabin where Chris met her for the first time! TWO birding buddies! I couldn’t be happier!

The next day Chris and I went to downtown Estes Park and the Matthews-Reeser Bird Sanctuary where we saw plenty of elk as well as birds!

 

All of these huge boulders were deposited here after the most recent flood of 2013 at the alluvial fan in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Long’s Peak as seen from Many Parks Curve in Rocky Mountain NP 10-20-15

 

 Every morning we had a Murder of over 40 crows around our cabin.

No, we did not kill them. A “murder’ is the collective noun for crows!

 We also had Black-billed Magpies and Stellar’s Jays!

We looked and looked for Gray Jays but never found them.

However, Mule Deer were easily seen within Rocky Mountain National Park!

 

And snow covered elk were seen in the field right next to our cabin!

 

 Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park

We tried to find Gray Jays here, but all we found were a couple of ducks and a chickadee!

 Chris says he loves this weather and he is not cold.

I’m not sure I believe him!

Chris in full birding mode at McIntosh Reservoir in Longmont, CO 

On our last morning in Colorado we managed to find an hour to bird at McIntosh Reservoir in Longmont. We were on our way to the airport with Chris’ family and after filling my rental car with gas we grabbed some sandwiches at Subway and while the rest of the family had a picnic, Chris and I bolted for the shore and started birding. I wanted tog et my Western Grebes and this is where they had been spotted. We saw small dots at the western end of the lake and of course we were at the Eastern end. We walked about halfway down until we could clearly see them. I could not get photos because my camera was broken but Chris got some for me. I could have stayed there all day, or all week or for the rest of my life, but we had to get back. I had a plan to catch and so did the rest of his family. So, we made ourselves turn around and return.

And then I flew away…

Once back in Maine I went birding at Evergreen Cemetery in Portland.

Evergreen was very orange on this particular day! 10-26-15

 

I was looking for an American Widgeon that had been seen in the ponds, but I never found it, though I saw that others did and reported it on eBird.

A couple days later I went birding at the Paper Mill Trail in Lisbon 10-31-15.

Gus came with me and we followed the trail as far as the school and back to the main parking lot, but it was the middle of the day and we did not see many birds. Still, the Autumn foliage was lovely. Maine is a very beautiful state.

The Little Sabattus River runs alongside the Paper Mill Trail.

On November 2nd i headed to Connecticut but stopped in Massachusetts to get new tires on my car. While waiting for them to be changed, Of course I went birding! I walked to a nearby park in Wilmington, Massachusetts where I have counted birds at least one other time when I lived nearby. It is called Rotary Park and it has a small pond with a nature trail around it.

 The pond at Rotary Park in Wilmington, MA

 

 The “open-hearted” Willow Tree!

 The flaming tree along the trail.

 The little creek in the woods.

Once in Connecticut I birded all around Colchester. I was able to bird at Cohen Meadows on two separate days, thus adding to the eBird data for this location. It is such a pretty spot and I saw a wide variety of birds here. I do not know why more people do not come and bird here!

 This is the larger of two ponds on the property.

The first day I stopped here there was a large flock of geese on the pond and more flew in as I watched until there were around 200 Canada Geese! I also saw and heard a Red-shouldered Hawk giving its eerie cry as it flew above the tree line. There was no shortage of woodpeckers here, and I counted Northern Flickers, Downy, Pileated, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers here, as well as a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker!

 The early morning light was glorious!

 

 In this pine tree cathedral I searched for but did not find Red-breasted Nuthatches.

Before Mom’s cataract surgery on November 5th I had time to go birding in the morning, so I took a drive around Lake Hayward. It was a mild, November day and so soft and beautiful under the steel wool skies.

 Lake Hayward as seen from East Shore Drive 11-5-15

 The woods around Lake Hayward.

Then, while Mom was in her surgery I went birding at nearby Harkness Memorial State Park. It was much better than sitting in a waiting room watching boring TV! I did not think I would get the chance to bird near the ocean in Connecticut, but I did! And I was almost back to the surgery center when I got the call that she was done.

 Along the roadside.

 The beach at Harkness 11-5-15

 Picnic Area at Harkness Memorial SP

 Golden Gingko Trees at Harkness Memorial SP

 I ended the day counting birds at Fitchville Pond in Bozrah, CT.

The next day I headed back to Maine after doing a few more errands with my mom. It did not leave me much time, but I managed to stop by Plum Island a hour and a half before the sunset where I finally got my American Widgeons! No photos for now, but I hope to post some later.

Sunset at Sandy Point State Reservation 11-5-15

It was uncommonly warm on Friday with a southerly breeze and temps in the low 70’s! it was so warm that I took off my shoes and walked on the beach in my flip flops!  What a fun time I had, even though it was short and it was dark by the time I left. I had a long two hour drive home in the car, but I was glad I took the chance and went to Plum Island. It only made me want to go back again, for I know that there are place there that I have yet to explore!

Here are my eBird Checklists for all these places I birded:

• Jim Hamm Pond 10-19-15
• Matthews-Reeser Bird Sanctuary 10-20-15
• Evergreen Cemetery 10-26-15
• Paper Mill Trail 10-31-15
• Rotary Pond 11-2-15
• Cohen Meadows 11-3-15
• Cohen Meadows 11-5-15
• Lake Hayward 11-5-15
• Harkness Memorial State Park 11-5-15
• Fitchville Pond 11-5-15
• Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Plum Island 11-6-15
• Sandy Point State Reservation 11-6-15

You can read Chris Rohrer’s Posts by clicking on the links below:

• All With The Family
• Winter Wonderland

Winter at Mere Point Boat Launch

 Buffleheads in Mere Point Bay 12-21-14

On the first day of winter I took a walk to Mere Point Boat Launch. Gray skies predominated the landscape, and though it was cold, I bundled up and enjoyed my walk.

 A tangle of bittersweet vines was visible as I started down the road. I knew that later in the season these would be frequented by robins and waxwings. However, I never would have thought I would see an Eastern Bluebird feeding here on February of this year, my first sighting of that species at this location!

 But for today, I just watched as a female Hairy Woodpecker chipped away at an insect infested tree trunk!

 Below the woodpecker a black-capped chickadee foraged in the brush.

 As I neared the boat launch I sighted a red-tailed hawk!

Though I had seen many hawks fly over my yard, this was the first time I had seen a Red-tail at the boat launch!

 Down in the bay some surf scoters paddled 12-21-14

 And while I was watching birds, the crows were watching me!

I have seen crows at the boat launch almost every time I count here!

 Today the shallow cove was filled with female buffleheads.

 While out in deeper water a Common Loon drifted.

 I heard the whistle of wings as a black duck and a mallard landed in the cove. I counted 24 species of birds here on this winter afternoon. By early January I was back again. I was not here at this time of year last year and I wanted to be sure to get a record of the species that were being seen. I wanted to add some data to the Mere Point Life List on eBird.

January 6th was a gray and dreary day.

 A distant immature bald eagle was little more than a fuzzy speck in the sky as it flew ponderously over the bay! The flat gray light made for lousy photos, but I still enjoyed seeing and counting birds.

 I spotted a couple of Common Goldeneyes paddling by.

 A few of the buffleheads were still around 1-6-15

January 11, 2015

I had barely started down the road when I saw a pair of red foxes crossing the parking lot of the boat launch. I could only get one in the frame as the other was farther ahead and behind a snow bank.

 Sunset on the icy water of Mere Point Bay at 4:27 PM.

All the boats were out of the water by now.

Soon this bay would ice over for good.

 I could see a few ducks in the water near Birch Island.

 A small flock of Greater Scaup rode the waves.

 Other flocks of ducks took to the sky and disappeared towards Simpson’s Point and Middle Bay.

I took my cue from the red fox and headed home.

• Mere Point Boat Launch—all posts on this subject
• eBird Hotspot—Mere Point Boat Launch (click this link to see a complete list of birds from this location)
• Red-tailed Hawk at Mere Point Boat Launch—additional hawk photos
• Autumn at the Boat Launch—previous post
• My eBird Checklist for December 21, 2014
• My eBird Checklist for January 6, 2015
• My eBird Checklist for January 11, 2015

  American Crow at Mere Point Bay 12-21-14