The Summer Birds of Wharton Point

 Song Sparrow 7-9-15

In Summer you can always count on seeing Song Sparrows at Wharton Point in Brunswick, Maine. It is a well known eBird Hotspot with over 200 species of birds seen at this location. I first started birding Wharton Point when I moved here in the winter of 2014. Since then it is a place I regularly visit to watch birds and I usually take all my birding friends here as well.

At high tide the water comes up to the marsh grass and last year I saw and heard Nelson’s Sparrows here on a regular basis. This year, no matter how many times I visited or what time of day it was, I did not see or hear a single Nelson’s Sparrow. I do not know why there was a change. Nelson’s like to nest in this tidal marsh grass between the mudflats and the meadow beyond.

Common Eider’s are reliably seen here year round. In the summer you can see the hens with ducklings swimming into the coves and across the bay.

Here you can see the mothers with the smaller ducklings all in a row.

Do not underestimate the humble Common Eider. One day this summer when I was here I was watching a small flock of mothers with ducklings when a Bald Eagle flew overhead. Suddenly the eagle dropped low over the water and the mother ducks called out. Plop! all the babies disappeared beneath the surface of the water. The eagle made pass after pass over the water. Each time the ducklings disappeared beneath the surface. On its final pass as the ducklings disappeared I was shocked and amazed to see one of the female eiders raise herself up out of the water and lunge at the passing eagle! What a brave mother, I thought! After that the eagle gave up and flew off without a duckling dinner! I wrote about this back in July. You can read the original story here.

Eider’s have a very different flight profile from mallards.

Notice the short necks and the sloping bills.

Though you can’t see much of this bird, this silhouette is unmistakable!

The long, de-curved bill, kinked neck, and medium length trailing legs tells you this is an ibis. And since this is the northeast it is most likely a Glossy Ibis!

In the summer, I love to see the Common Terns fishing in the bay.

They are all gone now and will not return until next summer.

Note the slender red bill tipped in black, the long pointed wings and tail and the black cap. All of this tells you it is not a gull, but a Common Tern instead.

Wharton Point does have its share of gulls, however and this little Ring-billed Gull is just one of the many species I have seen here.

 

More Common Eiders and ducklings cross the bay on July 9th.

The males have done their part and have nothing further to do with them!

So, I guess you could say that Common Eiders are all single moms!

Snowy Egrets are also reliably found at Wharton Point during the summer.

Great Egrets can be found here as well, but they are much taller and have long, yellow bills and black legs and feet. Snowy Egrets have yellow lores in front of their eyes, with a black bill and black legs with yellow feet. In the series of photos below you can clearly see the yellow feet as one egret flew in and chased the first egret off this point of land that stuck out into the bay. It was fun to observe the interaction and see how it all ended.

 

 

 

I’m King of the Bay, he seemed to say!

Click on the links below to see more blogposts or read the eBird info on this Hotspot. It is well worth your stop if you are ever in Brunswick, though timing can be everything when looking for birds. Be sure to check the nearby meadow for bobolinks in the summer and the marshland beyond the parking lot as well.

Links:

• Wharton Point is an eBird Hotspot
• All my Wharton Point blogposts

Ibises on the mudflats of Wharton Point 7-15-15

Excitement at Wharton Point

View from the parking lot last night at Wharton Point 7-27-15

Often when I go to town, I find a way to turn it into a birding expedition. Yesterday afternoon was no exception. After being confined to the house for most of the day by rain showers, I headed to town to buy some eggs and bird seed in mid-afternoon. Gray skies still blanketed the land with water droplets dripping off trees and puddles speckling the road. I accomplished the necessary tasks and headed towards home, but took a brief detour to one of my favorite birding spots in Brunswick, Maine: Wharton Point Landing on Maquoit Bay.

Wharton Point Landing is an eBird Hotspot and a favorite spot for non-birders to watch the sunsets or just watch the tide roll in or out. Situated at the top of Maquoit Bay, one has an expansive view to the south, as well as east and west. Birds seem to love this bay with its shallow mudflats at low tide and deeper water farther out for diving birds and ducks. A pair of Bald Eagles nest along the bay and in the summer one can see osprey and terns as well. Shorebirds line the tide line at times and in the winter the gulls gather on the ice shelves and stand along the open water where the creek runs into the bay.

When I arrived tonight there were three cars there ahead of me. Two were in the parking lot and one was down on the dirt boat ramp area that leads to the cement boat ramp. I decided to pull down onto the dirt road and park a respectful distance from the first car so as not to infringe on their space. I could see the tide coming in but it was still half way out with mud exposed close to the shore. As I rolled down my windows a quick glace through my bins revealed a black-bellied plover and other shore birds picking through the mud right at the tide line. I undid my seatbelt but stayed in the car to observe the birds. With both front windows down a gentle breeze drifted through the car, along with a few flies and mosquitoes. I ignored them and watched the birds. Snowy egrets picked their way through mud and shallow water to the east. Farther out I spotted the plovers as well as a few short-billed dowitchers. Herring and great black-backed gulls stood around various pools, and the flowing creek that cut its way through the exposed mud. Above the deeper water the common terns called and hunted, diving into the deep whenever prey was spotted. In the surrounding brush I was serenaded by song sparrows. All was tranquil and blissfully calm as I sat in my car watching birds.

The ramp at Wharton Point

Eventually the car parked in front of me decided to leave and I pulled forward into their spot. Now I could see the cement boat ramp, and was surprised to see an adult common tern standing on it, along with a juvenile begging for food. At the end of the ramp a large gull was picking at something. At first I thought it was a herring gull, but then something seemed different. Its bill was dark and seemed to have a different shape. As my mind raced I focused in and tried to figure out what I was seeing when suddenly a small white compact car came zipping down the dirt road behind me. It blasted past me and pulled in front of me, slamming on its brakes and sending gravel flying. It now obstructed my view of the boat ramp and the gull. Then, to my shock, it drove onto the boat ramp, scaring the gull and the terns off. I expected to see some obnoxious teenage boys emerge from the car, so you can imagine my even greater surprise when a short gray-haired grandma and her approximately 10 year old grandson stepped out. The boy promptly ran around the car hooting and hollering. Grandma seemed overjoyed at his antics.

In the way of all boys, he was soon chucking rocks out into the mud and watching them land with a splash and a plop! This kid seemed to be everywhere at once and he was in and out of the car several times, at one point opening the driver’s door and tooting the horn several times. I was just about to pack it in and leave when for some reason both he and grandma got back in the car, backed it up in a flash, and zipped away with as much noise as they arrived with! A-a-hh, calm was restored again, but not for long.

By now I had been here at least twenty minutes and as the tide rolled in the birds were being forced ever closer to shore and I was getting even better looks. I did not bring my camera with me, due to the gray and overcast skies and wanting to just relax and watch the birds, but soon another car pulled up next to me. Only this one was quiet and the occupants parked a respectful distance away. Then another car pulled in and parked much closer. Soon a dad with two young daughters emerged. The father talked to the girls in whispers so as not to disturb others or the wildlife. When I saw one little girl with binoculars around her neck I smiled and thought to myself, “Good job, daddy!” But then more cars came down the ramp with more kids, so I started my car and put it into reverse, intending to leave. However, just as I got to the top of the dirt road and was backing around, something caught my eye over the water. An adult bald eagle! I put my car into drive and pulled into the upper parking lot. Turning my car sideways, I was able to position myself so that I could roll down my window and watch the eagle over the water, and I was surprised at what I saw!

Earlier I had spotted a couple of female eiders paddling about in the bay, along with ten eider ducklings. The birds floated placidly and seemed to be enjoying themselves as the tide carried them gently ever closer to shore. But now a winged fury was attacking from above! With talons extended the eagle swooped. I thought the ducks stood little to no chance and braced myself to witness a ducking carried off in yellow feet. But nature is amazing and I marveled as the hens growled a warning to the ducklings. Suddenly, they all disappeared below the surface as if someone had them on strings and pulled them simultaneously down from below! The eagle regained height and swooped again. The ducklings dove again. I saw one mother ducks come partly out of the water with a fierce growl, her bill snapping at the eagle as it drew near! I could not believe what I was seeing!

Time after time the eagle swooped and tried to grab, but came up empty. As I was watching this drama, more and more cars filled the parking area near the boat ramp and kids continued to emerge from cars and gather on the shore. Whether it was the eagle’s lack of success or the gathering crowd, it soon gave up and I watched it fly towards the eastern tree line and disappear into the canopy. With the duck drama over, and the parking lots filling with cars, it was now really time for me to leave. And as I drove home I smiled and marveled at how unexpected and exciting birding can be. With yet another move in my future this brief encounter with nature is what keeps me smiling. It’s what keeps me going and gives me hope.

Note: The first image was photographed last night with my cell phone while I was there observing all the action. All subsequent photos are from previous visits to Wharton Point.

Links:

• Wharton Point, an eBird Hotspot
• Wharton Point-all previous blogposts on this subject

Notes from My Nest: Progress

 Ducks on the ice in the New Meadows River 3-17-15

We are making progress here in Maine as the snow slowly melts and spring fights to take hold. In spite of My Broken Wing and the cold I have still managed to get out and do some birding, even if it is only around town at the local eBird Hotspots and any parking lot I happen to be in!

I stopped by Wharton Point on my way home from town on March 17 and saw some of the first Red-winged Blackbirds of the year in the brush. I had seen my first one in my own yard that very morning. I counted six more here. However, Maquoit Bay was still frozen on this day with only a few gulls gathered on the ice shelf.

 The only open water was the creek that meandered through the marsh. But, the nearby trees were full of birds singing and I even saw a few bluebirds!

 It has been so cold and so snowy that both Mere Point Bay and Maquiot Bay have been frozen solid for over two months, but finally the weather has warmed enough to start them thawing. I photographed this open blue water on Mere Point Bay on March 23rd. This is definitely progress! The frozen bays seemed to enhance that confined feeling that winter was giving me, along with my injury. Seeing the open blue water made me somehow start to feel free again myself!

I count birds at the doctor’s office whenever I go for an appointment for the orthopedist or Physical Therapy. On March 24th the parking lot was alive with birds and I even spotted  a pileated woodpecker in a tree at the edge of the parking lot! I always bring my binoculars with me, and while others are reading magazines or playing with their smart phones in the waiting room, I am looking out the windows watching for and counting birds!

 It was a really nice day on March 24th, so I decided to check out a new birding place I had learned about earlier this year. It is called Bay Bridge Landing and it sits on a bend in the Androscoggin River. 

 I had hoped that maybe the river was starting to thaw, but it was still frozen solid, so I walked down a short trail instead. I saw a few juncos and nuthatches here.

The trail dead ended at a broken bridge, so I turned and went back, but it felt good to be out in the sunshine and fresh air. I couldn’t get enough of it!

 So, on the way home, I stopped at the boat launch as well! The cove was still frozen then, but when I went there tonight it was all open water! There is hope!

 In my own yard things are in transition. I have seen a few spring migrants, like starlings, red-winged blackbirds, and common grackles, but the American Tree Sparrows and the White-throated Sparrows are already moving on. The funny thing is, I have had Common Redpolls here for two months, but as of March 24th they are considered a Rare Bird for this time of year in this location. But they are still here now and this morning I had at least 14 in my yard! Yesterday I had only 1, but on Thursday I counted 26!

As for me, I am making progress as well. When I posted about my arm 2 weeks ago I was so discouraged. But, the things I have been doing have really helped. By the time I finally got in to see the physical therapist I had already made good progress. Then, she did some stretches with me that literally brought me to tears, it hurt so much! The day she did it I came home and slept all afternoon. I drank a ton of water, and by the next day I could move my arm so much further! She and I have continued to work on it and when I saw the orthopedist on Monday she could not believe the improvement in my range of motion! She said she had never seen anyone improve so much so fast! I had my daughter take these photos of me on Wednesday. In this photo I still could not raise my left arm above my head. Today I almost can!

Perhaps I will be able to fly again soon!

I could not do this two weeks ago!

However, I still need to be able to get my left arm behind my back.

 This is as far as it will go for now.

 

But I now have hope!

And I am not the only one making progress!

This was my driveway and patio table on February 21st.

 This is how it looks now!

Yes, mud season is upon us, but spring can’t be far behind…

Because, I can finally see my bird bath once again! 3-28-15

I hope to post more bird photos soon, but for now, here are my latest eBird Stats:

Kathie’s 2015 eBird Stats	Life	Year	Month
Total Species	479	68	53
Total Checklists	7632	255	93
Total Maine Species	199	68	53
Total Mere Point Cottage Yard Birds	111	47	27

 

New species added to my 2015 Year List this month:

61. Song Sparrow 3-4-15 Mere Point Boat Launch

62. Killdeer 3-9-15 Brunswick Landing

63. Red-winged Blackbird 3-17-15 Mere Point Cottage

64. Fish Crow 3-20-15 Brunswick Town Center

65. Turkey Vulture 3-23-15 Woodside Road, Brunswick

66. Common Grackle 3-26-15 Mere Point Cottage

67. Fox Sparrow 3-27-15 Mere Point Boat Launch

68. Brown-headed Cowbird 3-28-15 Mere Point Boat Launch

Notes: For those of you keeping track, I removed Hoary Redpoll from my Life and yard list because I did not feel confident in my sighting and I did not have photo documentation. Thus, my Maine Life List is back down to 199. I am still waiting to see my 200th species for this state!

My Big January Began with a Barred Owl

 Barred Owl on Rossmore Road 1-1-15

January 1, 2015: Ever since I started blogging I have been doing a Big January. I was first challenged to do this by fellow blogger and eBirder, Larry of the Brownstone Birding Blog. He is the one who got me started on eBird all those years ago, and I have never looked back. Now every January I feel the pull to see how many species of birds I can see in one month in my own home state, wherever I happen to be! I have done Big Januarys in Arizona, Massachusetts and now, this would be my first time doing one in Maine. However, I have a huge handicap this time around. It has only been 11 days since I had major abdominal surgery and I cannot drive myself around, or go out walking and risk slipping and falling. I cannot bend over or lift anything over 8 to 10 pounds! While I want to wander far and wide and tramp through field and forest, I must restrain myself. So, I start off counting birds in my own yard on the morning of January 1st. By the end of the day I count 16 species in my yard!

In the afternoon, Gus drives me through the boat launch and I count birds there. Then, as we head north on Mere Point Road a Cooper’s Hawk flies right across the road in front of us! Gus pulls over and I snap a few photos of the bird. I decide to do a bird count on Rossmore and Mere Point Roads, which is an eBird Hotspot. We drive north and then turn west on Rossmore Road. While I did not see or hear many birds on Mere Point Road, it isn’t long before I spot my heart’s desire on Rossmore Road. There across a field perched in a tree is a Barred Owl!

It seems everyone but me had been seeing barred owls around here! I did not have one on my Maine Life List yet and I so wanted one! What a way to start the New Year! This was so exciting for me! Gus pulled the car off to the side of the road and I slowly rolled the window down to snap a few photos. At one point the owl flew down into the field and landed in the long grass.

Can you see it?

 

I could not get over this beautiful bird!

Since January 1st I have seen a Barred Owl many more times, including twice in my own yard! This species is now on my Maine Life List, My Cumberland County List, my Mere Point Yard List, and my 2015 Year List! Score!

I counted birds all the rest of the way across Rossmore Road. Then Gus drove me down to Wharton Point. While there were not a lot of species there, it sure was a pretty sunset!

Part of this shallow bay was frozen and the light shimmered on the frozen sea.

It was very cold and windy at Wharton Point, so we soon left, but as we drove up the road towards home I spotted three Wild Turkeys in someone’s front yard on Maquoit Road! Species number 23 for my 2015 Big January Count!

On the drive home it was as if the sky decided to celebrate with me, for it was aflame with color and I made Gus stop once again so I could take pictures of all this beauty!

Day 1 of Big January ended with 23 species counted and 5 checklists submitted!

Previous Big January Totals:

• Arizona 2008 / 89 species
• Arizona 2009 / 107 species
• Arizona 2010 / 113 species
• Massachusetts 2011 / 55 species
• Massachusetts 2012 / 68 species
• Arizona 2013 / 145 species
• Arizona 2014 / 137 species
• Maine 2015 / 52 species as of 1-30-15

I feel like I could have beaten my Massachusetts totals and even come close to some of my Arizona totals if I could have gotten out to bird more. All of the species I have seen so far were seen within 30 miles or less of my home! I have one day left to bird, but with yet another storm blowing in, I do not think I will be going out birding! So, the birds will have to come to me!

More bird photos and stories to come. I finally offloaded and processed another photo card with my most recent bird photos. Now I just need to organize them and write! See you again soon!

P.S. I have reposted the Red Squirrel story with a couple of updated photos.

Birding the Best that I Can

 The Androscoggin River January 6, 2014

I am slowly healing from my surgery and feeling more like myself everyday. Yesterday my daughter came down to help me out and after cutting my hair, filling my bird feeders and changing the sheets on my bed for me, she drove me into town for errands. Along the way we stopped to count birds on Bowdoin Island in Topsham after I saw a small flock of ducks down in the river as we crossed the iron bridge near the dam and the old Fort Andross Mill. I had never driven into the parking area here, though there is an eBird Hotspot marked as the Seadog Brewing Company. It took us a few minutes to find a place to park that gave us a view of the ducks but we finally found a spot and I got out in the freezing cold weather to count birds!

Down in this little cove created by a bend in the river and just below the dam I counted a dozen Common Mergansers! While I had seen red-breasted mergansers a few days ago down in Harpswell, these were my first Common Mergansers this year. As most avid birders will know, a New Year means a New List! I am so used to doing a Big January ever since I started my first blog, Sycamore Canyon, so it feels weird not to be out there pushing to get as many birds as I can. I still feel the pull of it, and so my husband and now my daughter have helped me find a few birds. I know my list will not be as big as it has been in past years, but I still feel the need to do a Big January as best as I can. I see that many other birders are seeing wonderful birds around the state, but I can only go so far right now. It will be interesting to see what shows up in my yard and at the Boat launch!

Though it is quite cold here as well as across the rest of the nation, I must admit that there is still beauty to be seen here in winter. This view is looking Northeast up down the Androscoggin River toward Merrymeeting Bay.

On January 1st Gus drove me over to Wharton Point to count birds and watch the sunset. I took this picture from the car. Another person was there watching the sunset as well. It must of been cold on those rocks! It was so cold and the cloud shelf was so low that we left, but we should have waited just a few minutes longer, because look what happened to the sky as we were driving south on Mere Point Road on our way home! Scroll down to see the first sunset of 2015 for me!

January 1, 2015 Sunset as seen on Mere Point Road.

While we were out and about i counted my first birds of the New Year at the Mere Point Boat Launch, on Rossmore and Mere Point Roads, and at Wharton Point. On the drive home we also saw 3 Wild turkeys in someone’s yard, but the best bird was the Barred Owl we saw hunting in a field on Rossmore Road! It was my first Barred Owl in Maine as well as my First of the year!

The next day after we did a couple of errands, Gus drove me down to Orr’s and Bailey Island in Harpswell to count birds. I added several species there, including these FoTY Canada Geese! 

I was looking forward to getting out more, but then this snow came on January 3rd! It’s kind of kept me house bound since, as I don’t dare risk going out by myself and falling! My body still has lots of healing to do.

So, I watch birds out the windows instead.

Some days I see all the same birds, but some days something different flies in. Today I had my FoTY Purple Finch! I have not had one here in over a month! She made species Number 41 for this year!

On January 5th the wind was blowing a gale out there, but it did bring a few birds close enough to shore for me to see them from my living room window. Here is a list of my yard birds and my 2015 Year Birds so far:

2015 Bird List

2015 Yard Birds	2015 Big January
1. Red-tailed Hawk/ 1-1-15	1. Red-tailed Hawk
2. Mourning Dove	2. Mourning Dove
3. Red-bellied woodpecker	3. Red-bellied woodpecker
4. Downy Woodpecker	4. Downy Woodpecker
5. Hairy Woodpecker	5. Hairy Woodpecker
6. Blue Jay	6. Blue Jay
7. American Crow	7. American Crow
8. Black-capped Chickadee	8. Black-capped Chickadee
9. Tufted Titmouse	9. Tufted Titmouse
10. White-breasted Nuthatch	10. White-breasted Nuthatch
11. American Tree Sparrow	11. American Tree Sparrow
12. White-throated Sparrow	12. White-throated Sparrow
13. Dark-eyed Junco	13. Dark-eyed Junco (slate colored)
14. Northern Cardinal	14. Northern Cardinal
15. House Finch	15. House Finch
16. American Goldfinch	16. American Goldfinch
17. Bald Eagle/ 1-3-15	17. Common Eider/Mere Point Boat Launch 1-1-15
18. American Robin	18. Black Scoter/Mere Point Boat Launch
19. Pine Siskin	19.  Cooper’s Hawk/ Rossmore and Mere Point Roads 1-1-15
20. Common Eider/ 1-5-15	20. Herring Gull/ Rossmore and Mere Point Roads
21. Herring Gull	21. Barred owl/ Rossmore and Mere Point Roads
22. Purple Finch/ 1-7-15	22. Ring-billed Gull/ Wharton Point 1-1-15
	23. Wild Turkey/ Maquoit Road 1-1-15
	24. Bald Eagle/ Brunswick 1-2-15
	25. Rock Pigeon/ Brunswick 1-2-15
	26. Long-tailed Duck/ Orr’s Island 1-2-15
	27. Bufflehead/ Orr’s Island
	28. Canada Goose/ Bailey Island 1-2-14
	29. Mallard/ Bailey Island 1-2-14
	30. Surf Scoter/ Bailey Island 1-2-14
	31. Red-breasted Merganser/ Bailey Island 1-2-14
	32.  Common Loon/ Bailey Island 1-2-14
	33. Black Quillemot/ Bailey Island 1-2-14
	34. Great Black-backed Gull/Bailey Island 1-2-14
	35. European Starling/Bailey Island 1-2-15
	36. American Robin/ my yard 1-3-15
	37. Pine Siskin/ my yard 1-3-15
	38. Common Merganser/ Seadog Brewing 1-6-15
	39. American Black Duck/ Mere Point Boat Launch 1-6-15
	40. Common Goldeneye/ Mere Point Boat Launch 1-6-15
	41. Purple Finch/ 1-7-14

I see more window birding in my future!