Harpswell Yard Birds

 Black-capped Chickadee 8-31-2015 Harpswell, Maine

Though we moved into this new house in mid-August, it wasn’t until the end of the month that I started photographing birds, since first I took a trip to Connecticut to help my mom out and to pick up my cats and bring them back with me. My cats are strictly indoor cats so they can watch the birds but they cannot harm them. Here are just some of the 60+ species of birds I have seen since moving into this house. I have been amazed at how quickly the list has grown after a very slow start. Fall migration has helped a lot and I have seen several birds species only once as they passed by on their way through. Of course, since this is Maine, there are always chickadees!

Each species was seen in or from this yard and I have posted their pictures with the date each photo was taken beneath, though this is not necessarily the first date that species was observed. You can see the full list of species at the end of this post.

 Black-capped Chickadee 8-31-15

 Magnolia Warbler 9-1-15

 Red-breasted Nuthatch 9-1-15

 Song Sparrow 9-1-15

 Tufted Titmouse (juvenile) 9-1-15

 Blue Jay 9-1-15

 Ruby-throated Hummingbird 9-1-15

Since moving to Harpswell I have seen several stray cats in this yard hunting my feeders and the little critters that live here. Cats kill millions of songbirds each year and do not belong outdoors. I have noticed that this does affect the number of ground feeding birds in this yard. I photographed this one on September 3rd.

Black-and-White Warbler in the birch tree 9-4-15

 

 Northern Harrier flyover 9-7-15

 American Goldfinches 9-20-15

It is no secret that I love woodpeckers and I have seen several species in this yard. I do not have photos of the Pileated Woodpeckers or Northern Flickers I have seen here, but I was so pleased to have the following species drop by during migration!

 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in the bird tree 9-24-15

 

 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker trying to hide 9-24-15

 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Red-bellied woodpecker 9-24-15

 Two red-bellied woodpeckers and 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 9-24-15

 Tufted Titmouse 9-24-15

 Downy Woodpecker 9-24-15

 White-throated Sparrow 9-25-15

 Male House Finch 9-25-15

It was over a month before I saw a House Finch here. Now there is a pair that shows up sporadically.

 Red-bellied Woodpecker 9-26-15

 Downy Woodpecker 10-10-15

And just last week I had a big surprise when a pair of migrating Baltimore Orioles plopped down into the fruit trees in the front yard. I was sitting in my chair near a downstairs window and I was shocked, especially when I realized my camera was all the way upstairs! I was hoping they would stay there and they did. I managed to take these pictures through the upstairs window before they flew off!

 Baltimore Oriole 10-16-15

 Baltimore Oriole 10-16-15

Baltimore Oriole looking for insects 10-16-15

Harpswell Yard Life List

1. Herring Gull, 7-7-2015
2. Common Tern
3. Northern Flicker
4. Red-eyed Vireo
5. American Crow
6. Gray Catbird
7. Ovenbird
8. Common Yellowthroat
9. Song Sparrow
10. Ruby-throated Hummingbird, 8-14-15
11. American Goldfinch
12. Dobule-crested Cormorant, 8-15-15 (our first full day in this huse)
13. Red-shouldered Hawk
14. downy Woodpecker
15. Blue-headed Vireo
16. Blue Jay
17. Common Raven
18. Black-capped Chickadee
19. White-breasted Nuthatch
20. Tufted Titmouse, 8-16-15
21. Canada Goose, 8-17-15
22. Red-bellied Woodpecker
23. American Robin
24. Cedar Waxwing
25. Black-and-white Warbler
26. Osprey
27. Wilson’s Warbler, 8-18-15
28. Mourning Dove, 8-19-15
29. Belted Kingfisher
30. Eastern Wood Pewee (then I was gone for 9 days)
31. Pileated Woodpecker, 8-28-15
32. Red-breasted Nuthatch
33. American Redstart, 8-30-15
34. Black-throated Green Warbler
35. Great Blue Heron, 9-1-15
36. Magnolia Warbler
37. Hairy Woodpecker
38. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
39. Chestnut-sided Warbler
40. Cooper’s Hawk, 9-2-15
41. Carolina Wren
42. Brown Creeper, 9-3-15
43. Northern Parula
44. Northern Cardinal 9-4-15
45. Philadelphia Vireo
46. Northern Harrier, 9-7-15
47. Peregrine Falcon, 9-15-15
48. Broad-winged hawk, 9-16-15
49. Eastern Phoebe, 9-17-15
50. Nashville Warbler, 9-18-15
51. Bald Eagle, 9-21-15
52. Dark-eyed Junco
53. Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 9-22-15
54. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 9-24-15
55. White-throated Sparrow, 9-25-15
56. House Finch
57. Red-tailed Hawk, 10-1-15
58. Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle), 10-2-15
59. Sharp-shinned Hawk, 10-3-15
60. Palm Warbler (yellow)
61. Yellow-billed Cuckoo, 10-4-15
62. Turkey Vulture, 10-8-15
63. White-crowned Sparrow
64. Common Grackle, 10-12-15
65. Merlin, 10-15-15
66. Baltimore Oriole, 10-16-15

It is interesting to note that in a little over 2 months I have seen almost as many birds in this yard as I did in 18 months in my Tucson Yard, where I saw 69 species of birds before I moved back here to Maine.

Here are how My Yards Lists Compare

Yard	Years	Number of Species
Sycamore Canyon	April 2007 thru August 2010	83
Andover Yard	October 2010 thru August 2012	65
Tucson Yard	September 2012 thru January 2014	69
Mere Point Yard	February 2014 thru August 2015	117
Harpswell Yard	August 2015 to present*	66

*I counted birds for 15 minutes on one day in July when we first looked at this house, but my actual day to day counting did not start until August 14th in the evening.

Spring Yard Birds on Mere Point

 Yellow-rumped Warbler (male, Myrtle) 4-25-2015

During Spring Migration I see many birds in my yard that I do not see the rest of the year. This spring I saw some familiar birds as well as at least one new yard bird. Here are a few of the species I was able to photograph as they passed through, along with the dates they were seen. Some visited several times, or hung around for a few days; some I only saw once and they were gone. And some have stayed to raise their young, which they are now bringing to my feeders! Scroll down to see who came to visit me!

 Eastern Phoebe 4-27-15

I only seem to see this species in my yard when they pass through during migration but, after that they seem to disappear. I have not seen a phoebe in my yard in weeks!

 Pine Warblers 4-27-15

Pine warblers were here for a few weeks in early spring, but have since moved on. They love to eat suet! Still, sometimes I wonder if that is one I hear calling from the tops of the tall pines that surround my yard, but since chipping sparrows have a similar call it can be difficult to tell. I know I have Chipping Sparrows because I see and hear them. I have not seen a Pine Warbler here in weeks.

 Northern Mockingbird 4-28-2015

This was a new Yard Bird for me this year!

 European Starlings 4-29-15

Once the starlings arrived, they never left. They gobble up all my seed and suet. It’s no wonder they have survived and multiplied in this country, they eat everything! I quit putting out meal worms because these greedy birds eat them all in one day!

 Rose-breasted grosbeak 5-5-15

Every now and then this species shows up again, so they must be nesting nearby.

 Great-crested Flycatcher 5-7-15

This species is still hanging around and I often hear its noisy call through my open windows!

 Red-bellied Woodpecker 5-12-15

I had this female Red-bellied hanging around all winter, but I never saw a male. I knew she needed a partner in order to nest and reproduce but one never showed up. She must have moved on, because I have not seen her in a long time. She was always very shy and flew off at the slightest sight of me. I was lucky to get this picture!

 Male Purple finch (left), Male House Finch (right) 5-12-15

Both these species are still being seen in my yard.

 

 Carolina Wren 5-12-15

This was a one day wonder and this was my only chance at a photo through the window. I never saw this species again. Last year I had the same experience where a Carolina Wren passed though the yard one day and then was gone.

 Song Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, and 1 White-crowned Sparrow

All the above sparrows were seen in my yard on May 12, 2015. This was an overlap in seasons with White-throated Sparrows being a winter species here, White-crowned being seen only during spring and fall migration, and Song Sparrows being a returning summer breeder! The Song Sparrows and an occasional Lincoln or Savannah Sparrow are all I see now.

 Indigo Bunting (male) 5-12-15

I have not seen this species in my yard in awhile.

 Northern Parula 5-12-15

I think you can tell that May 12 was a very busy migration day here!

 

 Gray Catbird 5-12-15

There are still plenty of catbirds hanging around!

 

 Baltimore Oriole 5-13-15

I had hoped this species would hang around and I tried to find an Oriole feeder to encourage them, but none of the stores sold them! Rats! Still, it was nice to see them while they were passing through.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (male and female) 5-21-15 

I had at least 4 Ruby-throats in this yard at one time, but then their numbers dropped. For awhile I was only seeing 1 male hummingbird on rare occasions, but just yesterday I finally saw a female again. They are very fussy about the feeder and like fresh nectar. I have to change it every 2 to 3 days to keep them coming and to keep the feeder from growing mold, which is deadly to them.

Hummingbird feeding tips: It is important to remember not to use red dye in making their food, and do not be tricked by companies trying to sell “flower nectar” at ridiculous prices. Hummingbird nectar is easily made from traditional white sugar and water. Just dissolve 1 cup of sugar in 4 cups of water warmed on the stove and stirred until it is dissolved. Cool and refill your feeders. You can store the extra in a glass jar in the refrigerator. Do not try to use honey to make nectar. This could also prove deadly! Wash your feeders in plain water as dish soap leaves a residue. If you find it necessary to use soap, please rinse the feeders in a mixture of white vinegar and water to remove any residue and prevent mold. Never put warm or hot nectar out in your feeders as hummingbirds lap up their nectar with their long tongues which would get burned!

During the peak of migration I was seeing 20 to 30 species of birds in my yard every day. Now that number has dropped back to 14 to 18 species a day. If I get 20 species right now, I feel lucky! I feel lucky anyways because I love to see the birds. it is so nice to hear their calls through the open windows, or see them at the feeders and in the yard! Birds make my yard come alive, and I feel alive then too!

 

Capricious Capisic Pond

 

June 26, 2014: The morning after the Great Puffin Expedition we slept in. Then I had a few errands to do and a dentist appointment. Finally, by afternoon we were ready to bird again, and we headed south towards Portland. We made our first stop at the Freeport Wildbird Supply, where I bought bird seed and Micheal invested in his own pair of binoculars! He had been using my compact Nikon’s for the first few days and decided he liked having his own pair of bins! Then we were on our way to visually capture the elusive Orchard Oriole, which would be a Life Bird for both Chris and Micheal!

A song sparrow serenaded us as we pulled into the parking lot!

Milky clouds filled the sky overhead.

We wandered down the gravel path and within five minutes had our eyes on the prize!

Though I was here earlier in the spring and saw the bird then, I had hoped for a better photo, but it was not to be. The air was heavy with humidity. I felt like I was melting. The hazy light make photographing difficult and the bird just would not turn around to face me! We counted at least 4 Orchard Orioles this day, along with a pair of Baltimore Orioles. We saw a some crows sitting quietly high in a pine, as if trying to hide as they watched the birds of the pond and meadow. Stealthily they hide in the shadows, hugging the trunk of the huge tree. I had never seen crows sit so quietly. What were they up to?

We turned away from the crows, distracted by the other birds flitting around us. Micheal and I spotted a female Scarlet Tanager, but Chris did not get on it in time before it flew off, so he did not count that bird. As we were trying to identify a flycatcher we suddenly heard a ruckus behind us! One of the crows had flown out of its hiding place and swooped down on an orioles nest! All the birds of meadows, woodland and pond rushed fluttering and crying towards the tree with the crow. Everyone was upset as they tried to drive the crow away, but the large black bird of death paid them no more attention that he would a mosquito. Hungrily he raided the nest while the little birds screamed! I could not look. Chris moved closer and tried to see and photograph what was going on, but I don’t know if he succeeded. Nothing he or the birds did scared the crow way until it had its fill. By then we had had our fill as well. We walked disconsolately back to the car, the humidity by now overwhelming. It felt good to get inside and turn on the air-conditioning and drown out the memory of what we had witnessed.

I drove us over to Evergreen Cemetery next, hoping that maybe we could find a Wood Thrush for Chris. When we first pulled up, all we saw were ducks! Someone was feeding them bread and they all came out of the pond for the feast!

Most of them were domestic mallards, but we did find two black ducks in the bunch, along with an opportunistic gull! Off in the tall pines of the surrounding woods we heard a couple of wood pewees calling, and in the trees near the pond we did find a Black-throated Green Warbler, but though we tried hiking into the woods, we did not see or hear a single thrush! The humidity was high, the mosquitoes were thick, and thunder rumbled on the horizon!

We made it back to the car just as the rains started to fall. We had hoped to bird a few more stops but it was not to be. We stopped at a local bistro for a late lunch/earlier supper and while we were there the skies opened up and poured down rain. It was very apparent that our birding for today was over, which was fine with me, because I still felt a bit weak and woozy from yesterday’s expedition, and I knew we had more plans for tomorrow! We just never stop birding!

 

Birds seen on June 25, 2014

Capisic Pond Birds

1. American Black Duck
2. Herring gull
3. great Black-backed Gull
4. Mourning Dove
5. Chimney Swift
6. Hairy woodpecker
7. Northern Flicker
8. Willow Flycatcher
9. Warbling Vireo
10. Blue Jay
11. American Crow
12. Tree swallow
13. American Robin
14. Gray Catbird
15. European Starling
16. Cedar Waxwing
17. Common Yellowthroat
18. Yellow Warbler
19. Song Sparrow
20. Scarlett Tanager
21. Northern Cardinal
22. Red-winged Blackbird
23. Common Grackle
24. Orchard Oriole
25. Baltimore Oriole
26. House Finch
27. American Goldfinch
28. House Sparrow

Evergreen Cemetery Birds

1. Canada Goose
2. American Black duck
3. Mallard
4. Double-crested Cormorant
5. Herring Gull
6. Mourning Dove
7. Downy Woodpecker
8. Eastern Wood Pewee
9. Red-eyed Vireo
10. Blue Jay
11. American Crow
12. Black-capped Chickadee
13. American Robin
14. Gray catbird
15. Ovenbird
16. Black-throated green Warbler
17. Chipping Sparrow
18. Northern Cardinal

Links:

• Birding With KaHolly (my first visit to these locations)
• Las Aventuras (Chris’s Blog)
• Orchard Oriole (Chris’ Photo of this bird from this day)

The Birds in Grammie G’s Yard

 Rose-breasted Grosbeak on the deck 6-10-14

June 10, 2014: Long before Chris Rohrer arrived for Our Big New England Birding Adventure I went to meet and visit a fellow blogger over in Androscoggin County, Maine. I had known Grace from her blog, Grammie’s Ramblings for a few years. Having lived in Androscoggin County before myself, I knew it was an under-birded locale and I always encouraged her in her eBirding. Grace is now one of the top two eBirders in that county! The information she supplies to eBird is invaluable in my opinion since so few people eBird there. I was looking forward to meeting this legendary eBirder and seeing her yard birds!

I walked past fragrant honeysuckle in bloom on my way to the car.

In twenty minutes I was at her house. Or…it would have been 20 minutes if I hadn’t stopped to buy donuts at Tim Horton’s In Topsham! I don’t think Grace had any complaints about that! She put on a pot of coffee and we sat down at her table to chat. And of course, we started talking about birds! Right near the table was a sliding glass door that opened onto her deck. Across the deck she had a wire strung, and from that wire dangled numerous bird feeders. Purple Finches and woodpeckers clung to the feeders. Swallows swooped through the yard. Grace and I watched birds, sipped coffee, and munched on Boston Cream donuts! Yum! While we were chatting about all the birds we were seeing, one of us asked if the other had seen any cuckoos. I was just telling her about seeing the Black-billed cuckoo in my yard when Grace suddenly got up to look out a different window. She called me over to take a look. Right now Grace only has her camera to use, but I had both camera and binoculars. I quickly stood up to look out the window and focused on the arbor in her backyard.

Was it a bird…or a stick?

Looks like a bird to me…

Oh My goodness! it was a Black-billed Cuckoo!

While I had seen the Black-billed cuckoo before, it was a Life Bird for Grace!

It was also a new Yard Bird and a new species in Androscoggin county. For me, this is my first ever photo of one, even though I have seen them a few times before! What a great way to start off the day!

Of course, I could not resist taking another photo of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak! Most of these pictures were shot through the windows of her house. I am amazed at how they came out, since I have had a terrible time photographing through my own wavy windows!

Yes, there is a bird in there somewhere!

It was a lovely cool and gray day.

Then a pair of wild turkey wandered into her yard with courtship on their minds!

 

When a bird shows you its heart you have to take a shot!

Yes, this is the male Rose-breasted Grosbeak again!

Then Grace asked me about seeing an American Tree Sparrow that was still hanging around her yard. Tree sparrows are suppose to be far up in Canada right now breeding in the boreal forest, so what was one still doing here? Finally the bird in question showed up.

First I saw this…

…then this…

Do you know what species of sparrow this is?

It’s not a Tree Sparrow…

 It’s a Field Sparrow!

While both Tree Sparrows and Field Sparrows have a rusty cap like a Chipping sparrow, the Tree Sparrow has a central breast spot and a bi-colored bill. That means it’s top mandible is dark while the lower mandible is lighter. This sparrow has a pinkish bill and no breast spot. Both species have an un-streaked breast. Field Sparrows belong here in summer. American Tree Sparrows belong here in winter. I believe this was a Life Bird for Grace as well! I know is was a new yard bird for her! it was also my first Field Sparrow in Maine and my First of the Year for this species! If you look at the Maine bar charts for this species you will discover they are not found in too many locations. Grace has one of the only records in Androscoggin County! While there are many fields down near the coast where I live, I have yet to see or hear a field sparrow in my neck of the woods! And believe me, i have looked and listened for them!

Of course, it is nesting time and we did see these sweet Eastern Phoebe chicks in their snug nest under the eaves of her garage! We passed them as we went out to take a walk along her county road.

We spotted a fledgling catbird in a hedgerow alongside the road.

 

Across the street a chestnut-sided warbler belted out its spring song!

It sang that it was pleased to met us!

(Some people say the Chestnut-sided warbler’s song sounds like: “Pleased, pleased, pleased to meetcha!”)

In the same area we found a male Common Yellowthroat.

As we walked back up the street I heard and saw a ruckus overhead!

A Red-tailed Hawk was mobbed by some smaller birds, and then a Broad-winged hawk joined the fray before flying off!

I was having such a great time and we were seeing so many birds that I stayed far longer than intended. Thank you so much Grace for having me over to visit. I was so Pleased to Meet You! Hopefully was can do coffee and birds again?

Baltimore Oriole 6-10-14

Birds seen in Grace’s Yard on June 10, 2014

1. Wild Turkey
2. Mourning Dove
3. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
4. Black-billed cuckoo
5. Red-bellied Sapsucker
6. Downy Woodpecker
7. Hairy Woodpecker
8. Eastern Phoebe
9. American Crow
10. Blue Jay
11. Tree Swallow
12. Black-capped Chickadee
13. Tufted Titmouse
14. White-breasted Nuthatch
15. American Robin
16. Eastern Bluebird
17. Northern Mockingbird
18. Gray Catbird
19. European Starling
20. Common Yellowthroat
21. Chestnut-sided Warbler
22. Yellow-rumped Warbler
23. Chipping Sparrow
24. Field Sparrow
25. Song Sparrow
26. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
27. Northern Cardinal
28. Red-winged Blackbird
29. Common Grackle
30. Brown-headed Cowbird
31. Baltimore Oriole
32. Purple Finch
33. American Goldfinch-we also saw these additional species in her neighborhood:
34. Turkey Vulture
35. Red-tailed Hawk
36. Broad-winged Hawk
37. Northern Flicker
38. American Kestrel
39. House Finch
40. Rock Pigeon
41. Cedar Waxwing
42. Yellow Warbler

Check out her blog at Grammie’s Ramblings