Bohemian Waxwings on Brunswick Landing

 Bohemian Waxwings 2-11-15 Life Bird number 480!

Yesterday was my first day out driving by myself since I dislocated my shoulder on January 16th. I drove to my first Physical Therapy appointment on the Bath Road. Thankfully the sun was shining and the roads were finally clear of snow. I still have limited range of motion with my arm and am having to accept that this is going to take a long time to heal. Still, it felt good to be able to drive myself and have a sense of freedom again. On my way home I had to pass the entrance of Brunswick Landing. In the summer I could just drive through this property on my way home, but at the beginning of winter they blocked the south end where the golf course is and one can no longer drive all the way through. Still, you can get onto the property and drive around looking at birds and so, as the turn to the Brunswick Landing neared, I debated about whether I should go straight home or turn in and bird. It was really no debate. I turned my blinker on, got in the left lane, and pulled in.

I drove around the property on snow covered roads with my heat cranking and my window down. I listened and looked but saw and heard no birds other than crows for the first couple of miles, but then, as I turned onto Neptune Drive I saw a robin fly across the road. I slowed down to listen and look, and then I heard waxwings. A high snow bank and a cluster of evergreens blocked my view of the parking lot beyond, but I turned in and followed the sound of the birds. With my foot on the brake I looked through my bins and there they were, in a tree by the Brunswick Recreation Center building and…I could clearly see the cinnamon colored undertail coverts of a Bohemian Waxwing!

I pulled into a parking space facing the building and scrambled out of my car as fast as I could in a tangle of binocular harnesses and camera straps! Not wanting to scare the birds off, I stayed by my car and looked through my bins, then raised my camera for the shot. I could barely believe my eyes or contain my excitement. This was a Life Bird for me! Of course they were mixed in with a flock of cedar waxwings and robins. They all seemed to be feeding from some kind of fruit trees that flanked the entrance to the rec center. Periodically the birds would fly to the rooftop to drink the melting snow, then fly back into the trees to look around. I was surprised at how much bigger the Bohemian Waxwings were than the smaller, paler, Cedar Waxwings. The Bohemian Waxwings were also more colorful and they had a more rounded, potbellied look to them. Cedar Waxwings often look elongated like a cigar to me, but today, every bird was puffed up due to the cold. after awhile, the Bohemian Waxwings flew off into a different tree by themselves.

I kept hoping these birds were turn around but they did not.

I counted three Bohemian Waxwings in all.

These are the trees the birds were feeding in.

 

This is a very puffed up Cedar Waxwing. Notice the white undertail coverts.

I wished the Bohemian Waxwings had posed for me like this.

 

I took one more drive around the parking lot but all I found this time were Cedar Waxwings. I had been there for 30 minutes and it was time to head home. I could not believe I finally got my Lifer Bohemian Waxwings! I have been watching the Maine Birds Facebook page with envy as person after person posted pictures of Bohemian Waxwings. Now I have my own photos to share and what a bird to make species 200 on my Maine Life List!

This morning I awoke to a beautiful blushing sky, but now it has started to snow once again. I am so glad I was able to get out of the house yesterday. I also drove through the boat launch and counted birds there before heading home for good. Today I will stay home and make stew and watch the snow fall once again while I dream of Bohemian Waxwings. You can see my complete checklist here.

Bohemian Waxwings 2-11-15

on

Brunswick Landing 

Notes From My Nest: Life Birds and More

 Sunrise over Mere Point Bay 11-23-2014

November 23, 2014: After days of wind and cold the air warmed overnight and the dawn arrived flushed with pink and gold. Though it is still Autumn, it feels more like winter with a biting northwest wind that blew for days. Yesterday morning was still chilly and cold, but in the afternoon the temperature started to rise so that by nightfall it was warmer than noontime. It should be relatively warm here for the next couple of days, and then another shot of winter weather is headed here for Wednesday. I am looking forward to Thanksgiving this year since my daughter and her husband just moved back to Maine from Colorado! It has been over two years since I have seen her! She and I have been able to spend a little bit of time together since her return and I am so happy to have someone who not only likes nature like I do, but also likes to decorate for Christmas and watch girly movies with me!

 Giving my daughter a hug 11-13-14

On Thursday I drove over Livermore to pick Renee up to spend the day with me. She and her husband only have one car and he needs it to drive to work. Renee was driving as we headed up the steep drive of Waters Hill Road, one of the back roads of Maine near Livermore. I don’t remember who spotted them first, but we saw some small birds alongside the road. There were farm fields on either side and as I looked at the birds it suddenly dawned on me what they were. Since she was driving I screamed at her to STOP THE CAR! STOP THE CAR! She quickly applied the brakes and I couldn’t leap out of the door fast enough, for there in front of me were Snow Buntings! After confirming it with my binoculars, I grabbed for my camera and walked up the road. The road was steep and bumpy. I was walking uphill with the sun directly in front of me, so the birds were backlit, but still, I attempted to get their pictures.

Snow Buntings on Waters Hill Road in Livermore, Maine 11-21-14

It was a small flock of five brown and white birds feeding along the road edge. As I got nearer they walked farther and I kept snapping away. Finally they decided I was too close for comfort and they flew off a short distance into the closely cropped farm field. By now I was freezing as a stiff wind reached inside my jacket and pinched my flesh! I decided I had enough Snow Bunting pictures and got back into the car! My smile was as wide as the Androscoggin River! Though I had seen snow buntings years before in the town of Jay, Maine I had not eBirded them. This made them a Life Bird on my eBird List.

All the boats are gone from Mere Point Bay now 11-13-14

But, Renee must be my good luck charm, for later that day when we were at my cottage I went out to turn the car around in preparation for a trip to town when I heard the cry of a raptor overhead. Though I see Bald Eagles here on a regular basis, and lately I have been seeing Red-tailed Hawks, this cry was different. Fortunately I did have my binoculars with me and I looked up to see a large accipiter hanging on the wind.

With the leaves off the trees I can finally see Maquoit Bay from my living room again!

It was light gray below and its size and shape made me realize I was looking at a Northern Goshawk! I ran to the back door for my camera, which I thought was in the kitchen, but it was not. Renee ran to get it from my office, while I stepped back outside to keep my eyes on that bird. It gave its wailing cry again as it slowly drifted over the treetops down towards Maquoit Bay. Just as Renee got to the back door with my camera, it disappeared from view! Too bad! I was alerted to the fact that a goshawk was hanging around the neighborhood by one of my neighbors who is a registered Maine Guide. So when I heard that strange cry that was not an eagle or a Red-tailed Hawk I looked up and found yet another Life Bird! That made two in one day! I was thrilled!

 Ring-billed gulls and Dunlin at Wharton Point 11-20-2014

But today, on this sunny Maine day, I have more serious things in mind. I am about to leave for Connecticut to be with my mom as she goes through yet another breast cancer surgery. After being cancer free for three years, she has had a new cancer develop in her other breast. They caught this one while it is still quite small and we are hoping that she will have a successful surgery and only need radiation this time around.

 Sunset on Mere Point Bay 11-10-2014

In this new world of cancer I was surprised to learn that there is more than one type of breast cancer. So, this is not the return of her old cancer, but a totally new cancer. Her surgery is first thing tomorrow and I hope to be back in Maine before Thanksgiving. Gus is off, so he is here to take care of the house and pets. Our little dog, Miss Blossom, is nearing the end of her life and needs much more care and attention than she used to. It is an unpredictable life we all live, and ours is a bit tenuous right now, but there are still sunrises and sunsets, and plenty of birds to make me smile. With the spotting of the Goshawk I am now up to 105 Yard Birds here on Mere Point. Recently I have had a female Red-bellied woodpecker hanging around. The American Tree Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos have returned from the boreal forest of the north, and yesterday I observed a Brown Creeper climbing the trunk of the apple tree where one of my bird feeders hangs. Life is good.

My new favorite store in Brunswick, Maine 11-22-14

The Last Day

 Snowy Owl on chimney, Ocean Avenue, Kennebunkport 7-3-2014

July 3, 2014: How can I explain Chris’ “last day?” It would be our last day birding together for a long time, and in some ways it was more meaningful and magical that all the others that came before. We had no set plan. We did not know where we were going, other than the fact that Chris had done some research the night before and discovered that a snowy owl was still being seen down in Kennebunkport. But, I had never been to Kennebunkport. I did not know that way, nor did I know what to expect when we got there. The other place we decided to bird was the Kennebunk Plains. Again, a place I had never heard of or been to. It was all one wildly unknown adventure, but we were up to the task. All the pressure was off. We were just out to have fun. Perhaps that is what made it all so magical.

 

Of course we set out GPS for the route to Ocean Avenue in Kennebunkport. While I had driven through the town on the highway, I had never gotten off the exit to visit Kennebunkport in all the years I have lived in and travelled through Maine. Now we were going. It was the day before the 4^th of July, and I expected there to be crowds of people and long lines of traffic, but there were not. We easily made it almost all the way to town before we encountered any traffic, and then, even though we were travelling towards the ocean, the traffic lessoned as we turned away from the town.

As we neared the coast the fog rolled in until we found ourselves on Ocean Avenue where the owl was reported to have been seen. I let Chris drive so I could navigate. And while I had seen the snowy before, it was a life bird for Chris and Micheal. As we rounded the corner near the location noted on eBird I saw the owl on top of a chimney on a mansion near the water’s edge. Chris pulled the car over to the side and hopped out while I pulled the car up into a better parking location. Chris was already snapping photos while Micheal peered through his new binoculars at the large, white owl perched on the roof.

The funny thing about Snowy owls is the way they look. Unlike other owls, their mouths take on an almost puppet-like expression when open. Snowies have large, round yellow eyes, and this one slowly turned its head and peered down at us, unperturbed by our presence and looking as if it wanted to ask, “What’s all this fuss about?” Chris and I both snapped off photo after photo. A few people ran or drove by, but no one stopped to ask us why we were taking pictures or what we were looking at. Perhaps they were all caught up in their own holiday plans, too busy to notice strangers on the side of the road.

Ocean Avenue is lined with mansions. Some are on the ocean side, and some across the street with the ocean coming right up to the road in places. Fog shrouded the land making everything mysterious and dream-like.

The air was cool and damp and refreshing after some of the recent heat and humidity we had experienced. After looking and gaping and photographing this marvelous bird, I finally tried to take a photo of the two guys in a victory dance. But they surprised me with suddenly becoming shy and self conscious and gave weak impression of their joy.

I chided them for this and they finally complied with big gestures and expressive faces worthy of finding their Lifer Snowy Owl!

We finally tore ourselves away from the owl and drove farther down the street. It turns out we were on the same road as the famous Bush Compound, where the former president resides. To our surprise there was a church across the street with public access to the property. We were able to just drive in and park and count birds in the church yard.

There was an outdoor chapel right on the seawall welcoming all to sit and meditate. The little church itself had open doors where one could walk and pray or gaze at the light coming through gorgeous stained glass windows.

 

We did not see lots of birds here, but we saw some, and it was a pleasant place to be, with pounding surf and ghostly fog.

After awhile our growling tummies pulled us away towards a coffee shop and some semblance of lunch. We saw the most traffic on the main streets of the historic old town, but soon found ourselves on back roads to the Kennebunk Plains. I had never heard of these plains before, but apparently they are well known in the birding world for sparrows and Upland sandpipers. Ever since Chris arrived we had been trying to find this species of birds. It had reportedly been sighted at Brunswick Landing nearby to where I live, but though I had looked for it there several times, I had never spotted a single one, even after Chris arrived to help me.

The Kennebunk Plains are on a back road west of Kennebunk. They are owned by the Nature Conservancy and host a unique variety of plants and animals not found anywhere else in Maine! I was shocked and surprised to discover all of this. We pulled into one of the parking lots and got out. The ground was still wet with recent storms and deep puddles were all about us. Indeed, another storm was heavy on the horizon to the south west with dark gray clouds and rumbles of thunder. A few sprinkles pelted us and we feared we would have to abandon our trek, but we kept out eye on the storm and headed out on one of the trails to see what we could find. Sparrows popped up here and there, and all the sparrows that had eluded us until now were being seen. We quickly racked up Vesper, Grasshopper, Song, Savannah, and Field Sparrows, as well as Eastern Meadowlarks. In this one location I think we all added 6 species or more to our year and/or Life Lists! I know the Field Sparrow was a Life Bird for Chris. Yet, still no Upland Sandpiper.

A quick look on eBird revealed another hotspot on the plains just one road over, so, we hopped back in the car and drove over there. The paved road soon turned to dirt and we slowed the car, rolled down the windows and started counting. In the storm heavy air we soon heard birds, and then, we saw one! An upland sandpiper took to the air with its wild wolf-whistle, flying over our heads about the plains.

I quickly pulled the car over and we all jumped out and tried to contain our excitement as the birds flew over our heads. Yes, birds! First one, then two then three Upland sandpipers took to the air frantically flapping and calling. We did not chase them or try to scare them. Indeed, we did not even see them until they were airborne. We all stood there in awe as the birds circled over our heads, then landed in the tall grasses and disappeared.

After getting our looks and photographs, which were poor to say the least given the lighting conditions; we walked across the street into the parking area and looked around. A few titmice and pine warblers flitted in the trees. A mourning dove flew overhead, then landed in the forest and sang its mournful song. Suddenly a bird with a rusty body and long bill and tail flew by. Oh my! I could not believe it! “Chris, Look! There is a Brown Thrasher,” I called out! He turned and got his lens on the bird and snapped off his photo of this Life Bird (for him). After exploring this parking area, we decided to drive a bit farther east on this dirt road. As we neared the end of the open plains and the area became wooded and residential again, we pulled off to check out the birds we were hearing and seeing.

Upland Sandpiper calling on the Kennebunk Plains-Maguire Road tract

Suddenly a cute little yellow warbler streaked with black sang out its ascending call from the nearby brush. A Prairie Warbler! Yet another Life Bird for Chris and Micheal! I was so thrilled for them! We were going to be happy just to see the Snowy Owl. All the rest of this was an unexpected bonus. We quickly fell in love with the Kennebunk Plains and wished we had more time to explore the area. But, the storm that had threatened us all afternoon was moving off to the southeast. It was late and we were all tired and hungry, so we got back in the car and bid the plains good-bye and headed home. Later we found out that the storm that loomed on the southern horizon was actually a severe thunderstorm that hit York County, Maine with a small tornado! We had just missed it! Thank God it did not catch us out alone on those plains far from any protection!

Chris’s last full day here was probably the best day of all, but the birding was not done yet. Before we left to take him to the airport on July 4^th, he and I were out in the yard first thing in the morning counting birds once again. And what should show up, but another Brown Thrasher in my yard this time, along with a Lincoln’s Sparrow! I think the Lincoln’s was the last new bird Chris added in Maine. Yet, when we arrived at the airport we were surprised to find at least 14 killdeer running around on the grass near the tarmac!

Yes, we did a bird count at the airport in Augusta! We counted birds to the very end. I suppose it was a good way to keep either of us from getting too emotional. Before I knew it, we were saying good-bye, and Gus and I were on our way out the door and headed home. I do not remember if it was the next night or a day after that, all I know is I was driving home in the dark alone, and suddenly it hit me. I would not be birding with Chris again for a long time. This good-bye was more final than the one when I left Tucson and I knew he would be coming to visit me again and bird with me. Now the tears I had held inside flowed like the Kennebec River! I pulled the car off to the side and let myself sob, before heading home again…alone.

Our Big New England Birding Adventure was finally over.

Links:

• Chris Rohrer’s blog
• Hedwig-Chris’ post about the Snowy Owl
• 10,000 Life Birds-Upland Sandpiper
• 10,000 Life Birds-Brown Thrasher
• 10,000 Life Birds-Prairie Warbler
• Las Aventuras-all posts about birding with Chris
• Our Big New England Birding Adventure-all posts on this subject
• Kennebunk Plains-The Nature Conservancy
• Map of Kennebunk Plains Maine WMA
• Kennebunk Plains info-scenic walks
• Kennebunk Plains-eBird Hotspot
• Kennebunk Plains, Maguire Road-eBird Hotspot
• eBird 

In Search of Bicknell’s Thrush and more

 Kathie and Chris 6-30-14

Monday, June 30, 2014: After the fun of Plum Island birding, and the days spent in Connecticut for the Adams Family Road Race, we were finally back in Maine and off on another birding adventure. This one would take us to the western border of Maine and beyond. We got up very early on Monday morning and drove to Dixfield where we met my dear friend, Beth Standard. As soon as she was in the car we were on our way to Mount Washington in Search of the Bicknell’s Thrush. Bicknell's is not a pretty bird or a fancy bird. It is an elusive bird with a very restricted range and, barring a sweaty mosquito ridden hike up a mountain, the only way we were going to see one was to drive the Mt. Washington Auto Road.

While I had hiked Mount Washington as a teen, I had never driven the auto road. We arrived around 7:30 a.m. and started up. Chris had done the research and we knew we had to be at least 3000’ up to find this elusive bird. The road was narrow and windy with few places to pull off or even pass another car. I was doing the driving and we had all the windows open in spite of the early morning chill so we could hear the birds. We started hearing and seeing them right away but with cars behind us and no pull offs, we had to keep going. Finally we found a spot with a place to pull off.

Chris and Micheal looking for birds.

We found a Black-throated green warbler in one location and an American Redstart in another. Every time we found a bird, another car would come by and either we would have to move, or they would scare away the birds! Chris soon got very frustrated. We all needed and wanted this bird, and this would be his only chance! I so wanted to find it for him!

The morning blues of the white mountains.

Finally, at the 3.5 mile marker we heard it! I even saw it on a branch! We tried to pull off to see the bird. I found a spot to park and we all got out. We heard the Bicknell’s down on the slope. It was so near and yes, it did pop out where Micheal and I saw it, but Chris, in his frustration, had gone farther up the road and missed seeing the bird, though we all heard it! Time to move on.

While we were being frustrated, Beth was all calm and peaceful, enjoying the beauty of the day. the road got more and more narrow, and eventually turned to gravel. There were steep drop-off on both sides. I held the wheel steady and continued the drive up. Finally we arrived at the Alpine Garden, another spot where Beth had seen the thrush, and we parked and got out. By now we were above the tree line and the vast openness of the Presidential Range spread before us.

But all we found in the Alpine Garden were juncos, so we moved on.

When we reached the summit Beth took a picture of Chris and I by the summit marker. We could have visited the Mt. Washington Museum, but we were there to see birds, not history, so after a restroom break, we headed back down the mountain. When we passed by the 3.5 mile marker we heard the birds once again, but by now the traffic had really picked up, so we kept going. Farther down the road there was another parking lot by an old trail leading into the woods. We were all ready to get out of the car, and so we pulled off and hiked a short distance down the trail, hoping for some serenity. But it was not to be. Others were on this trail as well. Still, we heard a warbler singing from the top of a tree…

…and Chris got his lifer Blackpoll Warbler!

Then, he noticed another bird in a spruce. He snapped a shot as the bird launched itself into the air. When we all looked at the photo we could not believe it! He got his Bicknell’s Thrush!

By now we were all hot, hungry and tired, so we hiked back to the car and drove down off the mountain and over to Pinkham Notch. There we ate our lunch at a picnic table under a tree with a pair of Eastern Phoebe’s keeping watch over their nest on a nearby building! when lunch was over we headed across the street to hike the Lost pond Trail.

As we started down the trail I looked back to see Tuckerman’s Ravine like a great green bowl trying to scoop up the sky! We crossed a little log bridge with  beaver’s dam alongside.

 Beaver Dam

 Beaver Pond

The Lost Pond Trail is also part of the Appalachian Trail, so I can now say I have hiked a section of the Appalachian trail! After the heat and humidity of the open, and the crowds on Mount Washington, this trail was sweet relief! It was shady and cool with few encounters with other hikers. Everyone felt their sprits lift. And, we started seeing more birds!

The creek alongside the trail flowed along tranquilly.

 

Beth and I both had our wading sandals on and took a walk in the amber water.

 

Happy faces on the Lost Pond Trail

 

We finally got to the lost pond. I did not see any birds close by and the water was so reflective that I did not attempt a photo, but Chris took this one of me as I sat on a nearby rock watching dragon flies! Yes, I was very happy! It had been a very long time since I had gone hiking in the woods. I had birds and I had friends, what more can one ask for?

We all admired this tree and rock growing together along the trail.

After hiking back to our car, we drove back into Maine and turned down a road Beth knew that ran through the national forest on the border of Maine and New Hampshire. Here on this road there were few cars and lots of birds. We pulled off wherever we felt like it. When we pulled into a parking lot to watch some birds a truck suddenly pulled up to tell us of a moose in a pond just a short distance up the road. I must say we quickly forgot the birds and jumped back in the car, then drove slowly on the dirt road so as not to disturb the moose. It was quite exciting because this would be Chris and Micheal’s first moose. As we emerged from the trees and into the open expanse of the water there he was, a young bull moose, just as the man said.

With no other cars in sight, we just parked in the middle of the dirt road and watched! First we photographed from inside the car, then we got out and took photos at our leisure! How different this was from our experience on the Mt. Washington Auto Road!

I don’t know how long we stayed there watching that moose, but soon we were distracted by birds once again when we heard  least flycatcher calling form the nearby woods. Then we were focused again, but though we looked and looked, we just could not get our eyes on that bird and we KNEW it was right there in front of us! We counted 20 species in that short 3.5 mile drive, our highest count of the day so far. But it was late and we had a very long drive back, so we dropped Beth off and headed east. I had one more stop I intended to make before we headed home.

I use to live in Livermore Falls, Maine and I knew there was a great birding spot located near Wilton, Maine called The Foothills land Conservancy. Beth and I submitted the first bird counts there in July of 2008 when I fist met her. Since then someone else has submitted historical data for that location, but we submitted the first checklist and I nominated it for an eBird Hotspot way back then. It is a great place to bird with some sot after species. I saw my first ever Black-billed Cuckoo there with Beth. I was hoping to find one now for Chris Rohrer.

the sun was sinking low and the humidity was high as we parked the car and got out. It had been a very long day and we almost quit our count as the mosquitoes swarmed around us, but we keep on and hiked the trail all around the perimeter of the property. It paid off as we got our highest count in the shortest amount of time for that day with 29 species in an hour and a half! and, just toward the end as shadows lengthen a black-billed cuckoo flew out from the trees and across the open meadow into the next hedgerow! but, this is how I know Chris was really tired; he did not get a shot of it! While he saw the bird, he did not get on it with his camera, and Chris is always so fast to focus! So, he saw the bird but no pic! As we headed back to the car we stopped one more time to spot an Indigo bunting signing from a branch in the deep purple shadows of dusk!

Indigo Bunting, Foothills Land Conservancy, Franklin County, Maine

Links:

• Foothills Land Conservancy-an eBird Hotspot
• A Birder’s Bird-Chris’ Post
• Las Aventuras 
• Our Big New England Birding Adventure

Kathie on the trail at the Foothills Land Conservancy 6-30-2014