Showing posts with label shorebirds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shorebirds. Show all posts

Friday, August 14, 2015

A Spring Trip to Scarborough Marsh and Pine Point

DSC_0362 Scarborough Marsh Trail April 26, 2015

April 26, 2015 It was a gray day in April when Gus and I drove to Scarborough marsh. I have only been here a couple of times since our move to Maine. I knew this was a place where I could watch birds while Gus took a walk. He had never been here, so I was happy to show him this place. I hoped to pick up some of the Spring Migrants for the year. Last spring I saw my Lifer Northern Wheatear here. No such luck this time around!

DSC_0363 After the long, snowy winter everyone was eager to be out walking!

 

DSC_0364 I saw my first yellowlegs of the year at the marsh, but it wasn’t very active here, so we moved on to Pine Point. Though it was gray and overcast, with a few sprinkles now and then, the air was mild.

 

DSC_0367 I spotted some lingering Long-tailed Ducks out in the harbor!

 

DSC_0376 And even more yellowlegs!

 

DSC_0379 Gus walked the shoreline while I looked for birds.

 

DSC_0383 Common Eider and a Herring Gull at Pine Point.

 

DSC_0387 Common Eider and a Common Loon at Pine Point

 

DSC_0389 The Pavement Princess! (She does not do dirt roads!)

Our Ride (above)

Someone else’s ride (below)!

DSC_0390 Boat in the harbor

 

DSC_0391 These two gulls look like they are watching and discussing everything!

 

DSC_0394 We checked Pine Point Beach for peeps next, but no luck!

 

DSC_0396 With a storm brewing, we decided to head inland…

 

DSC_0408 …but not before stopping to check out the birding in the swampy area behind the Pelreco building! Birds love this spot behind an industrial building!

 

DSC_0410 Little Blue Heron 4-26-15

 

DSC_0412 Snowy Egret

 

DSC_0413 I love those yellow feet!

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Friday, September 19, 2014

Birding Pine Point with Cynthia

1. juv Great black-backed gull-kab Juvenile Great Black-backed Gull 8-21-14

August 21, 2014: After leaving Scarborough Marsh we drove east down the road to Pine Point where the Scarborough River empties into the Atlantic ocean. Now Cynthia was directing me, as I had never been to this location and she had. We found our way to the mouth of the river and parked in the parking lot. With a fishing wharf and a few restaurants around the first birds we saw were gulls. I loved this checkerboard pattern of the juvenile Great Black-backed Gull. This pattern helps me distinguish it from the similar dull gray juvenile Herring Gulls which we also saw. Notice the pale tip to the extreme end of the bill, another distinguishing characteristic. Below is a juvenile Herring Gull for comparison.

2. juv herring gull-kab Juvenile Herring Gull at Pine Point

Note the all dark bill and the sooty appearance. Both gulls have pink legs.

3. gull with glass-kab Cynthia and I were both alarmed to see this gull picking up pieces of broken glass. We could not get to this bird, but eventually it dropped the glass.

4. bonaparte's gull-kab Down in the estuary we found a elegant Bonaparte’s Gull!

 

5. cormorant-kab Across the inlet on a sandbar an Double-crested Cormorant danced!

 

6. black-bellied plover-kab There we a few Black-bellied Plovers to be seen!

 

7. dowitchers-kab And Short-billed Dowitchers probed in the mudflats!

 

8. dowitcher-kab This was my first sighting of dowitchers in Maine!

 

9. peeps-kab The mudflats were covered in shorebirds!

This flock was mostly Semipalmated Sandpipers and Semipalmated plovers!

There were at least 200 of them!

10. dowitchers-kab And even more Dowitchers!

 

11. willet-kab This juvenile or winter Willet threw me off at first with its dull gray plumage after having seen the more brightly colored breeding plumage all summer.

And then there was this…

12. mystery peep-kab In the midst of all the other sandpipers and plovers I saw a bird that looked different. It was larger than the other peeps and had a different color and posture. I was standing on the shore of the mudflats with a rapidly sinking sun and my time was running out. I could not even imagine what species of sandpiper this was and I did not have time to get out bird guides and compare shorebirds, So, I take a few photos and send a quick text to my eBird buddy and best birding friend in Tucson. I know I can count on him to help me and he does. I ask him to check the eBird records and see what other shorebirds are being seen down here at the Scarborough Marsh, for Pine Point is at the extreme eastern edge of the marsh. He quickly texts me back that there are White-rumped Sandpipers being seen! White-rumped Sandpipers would be a Life Bird for me! I call Cynthia over and ask her to photograph this bird, as her camera has a longer lens than mine.

13. peep sp-kab Unfortunately the sunlight is behind the bird and in front of us! Still, we do our best as we try to figure this out. White-rumped Sandpipers are larger than Semipalmated Sandpipers. They have short dark legs and their wingtips project past their tails. You cannot see their white-rumps except when they are in flight. There are a few other distinguishing characteristics but they are not easily observed in this photograph. However, to me me this looks like the wing tips stick out just a tad farther than the tail does.

14. peep-kab As we turned away from this mud channel to walk towards the wharf, we saw another birder with a scope. We though perhaps he would help as, as most birders would. As we drew nearer, I recognized the person, so I asked him for help. I showed him my photos but the lighting was poor and he could not see well enough to tell. However, he did tell us that there were at least 5 White-rumped sandpipers out there. So, I asked him if he could show us one in his scope so we could see the difference for sure. While I do not recall his exact words, he declined our request and blew us off. I was a bit surprised and taken aback, but we politely walked away and left him to his birding. However, I could not help but thinking how amazing it was that my friend, Chris Rohrer was willing to help me from 3000 miles away, while a birder who was present would not. I do not know if this man thought we were going to tag along and follow him for the rest of the evening or not. We were not going to do that. We just wanted some help. In all other cases when I have met birders in the field and have asked them for help they have always helped me. While I do not know this man well, I do know him, and I was surprised by his reaction. But he need not fear. I will never ask him for help again.

15. yellowlegs-kab Meanwhile, these wading Greater Yellowlegs were enough to make us both smile!

Cynthia and I walked up on the wharf and sat down to watch the Common Terns fishing and flying and feeding their chicks. The adults would perch on the piers and watch the water.

16. common tern-kab Adult Common Tern

Then they would take flight…

17. tern-kab 

When they did, the chicks would take up a pleading cry!

 

18. baby tern-kab There were two tern chicks perched on similar green balls out in the harbor.

For some reason we only saw one getting fed by both parents no matter how many fish they caught! As we sat there the tide started to come in and we decided it was getting late and was time to leave. We walked back towards our car and were about to get in, when we noticed the peeps were all being pushed closer to shore by the incoming tide. Not wanting to risk missing the possible White-rumped Sandpipers, we got out of the car and headed back to the banks to see if we could find one in the hundreds of peeps. It was at this point we saw the birder again and, apparently he may have felt a bit bad about the way he treated us, so he offered us this tip: “The incoming tide will force the birds closer to shore and you should be able to pick out the White-rumped Sandpipers. They are in in there.” Then he left with his spotting scope thrown over his shoulder. Nothing like stating the obvious!

19. boats at Pine Point 8-21-14 The Harbor as seen from the parking lot.

As the tide rolled in and the peeps crowed closer and closer to shore Cynthia and I searched and search for White-rumped Sandpipers. We tried to find a bird that looked different from the others, but to no avail. Finally, as the water squeezed the birds onto an ever narrower strip of land, the whole flock took flight and most flew off leaving just a few stragglers on the shore.

20. shorebirds-kab Semipalmated and Black-bellied plovers on the shore.

 

21. snowy egrets-kab We finally called it quits as a flock of Snowy Egrets flew overhead.

Once back in the car we drove the short distance across the street to Pine Point Beach and the open Atlantic. We were hoping we would see sanderlings or some other shore birds here, but all we found were foot prints, gulls, and a few remaining beach goers.

21. Cindy at Pine Point beach 8-21-14 Cynthia takes aim at something on Pine Point Beach

 

22. footprints 8-21-14 Footprints in soft sand.

 

23. sunset at Pine point beach 8-21-14Oh, and a beautiful Sunset on Pine Point Beach!

It grew dark as we drove home and even darker for Cynthia as she drove back to her cottage on the west side of the state. She must have gotten home well after 11 PM and her drive was all back roads, as there is no East-West highway in Maine. Still, we birded until the day was done and we had so much fun! I am so glad I was able to spend this amazing day birding with Cynthia! And when it was all over, I was quite surprised to realize that we saw the most species of birds right at Wharton Point five miles from my house! However, I would not have gotten a Life Bird or added to my Maine Life List if we had not gone to Scarborough Marsh and Pine Point! In the end we saw 35 species at Wharton Point; 24 species at Scarborough Marsh-Eastern Road; and 22 species at Scarborough Marsh-Pine Point! Thanks for a great day, Cynthia!

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24. plovers-kab

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Birds in the Mist at Scarborough Marsh

1. misty morn-kab 

When you go to the marsh on a misty morn,

1a. trail-kab 

and follow the trail into the rain,

you don’t know what you’ll find

and you know you won’t be the same,

2. shorebirds-kab 

Then the shorebirds fly as you pass by,

thick as fleas against the mud,

as the marsh land grasses winnow and sigh,

3. least sandpiper-kab Least Sandpiper

When shorebirds land under stormy skies,

4. witch of the marsh-kab

and the Witch over the marshland flies

casting her spell over all who dare

enter her land and breath her air

 

5. leaping leasts-kab Least Sandpipers

then birds careen in a wild dance,

in this wild place of sweet romance,

and sandpipers pipe their flute-like songs

6. semipalmated sandpiper-kab Semipalmated sandpiper

Over the mudflats, over the shores,

over the places they’ll leave before long,

piping their sandpiper migration song,

7. hints of autumn-kab 

When Autumn’s touch starts to show,

8. marshland-kab 

that’s your cue; it’s time to go,

8. snowy ghost-kab

 before the ghost birds start to fly,

9. little blue-kab 

before you start to wonder why,

10. little blue and great blue-kab 

Little Blue and Great Egret too

11. ghosts in teh grass-kab 

hiding in wait, looking for you,

 

12. blue and blue-kab 

sneaking around in the tall grass,

 

13. tide goes out-kab 

while the tide rolls out as you walk past,

 

14. dark mysteries-kab

Concealing dark mysteries hidden in mud,

 

15. mudflats-kab 

gray morning waits for the returning flood,

bringing the water that feeds all with wings,

 

16. fisher king-kab under the watchful eye of the Fisher King.

Notes: I had a little fun with this post today. This is the second place that Cynthia and I stopped to bird on August 21st when she came to visit me. We wanted to get near the shore and see all the shorebirds that were migrating through. My biggest surprise was finding the Little Blue Herons in the marsh! I expect them in Florida, I did not know we had them here in Maine! They were new to my Maine Life List and I was glad to add them, though at first they threw me off! We saw at least five of them here, with two full blue adults, two white juveniles, and one in transitional plumage. Juvenile Little Blues hatch white and then molt to their adult blue plumage. You can tell the juveniles are Little Blues and not one of the other white herons/egrets because they have a pale bluish bill tipped in dark bluish gray! We saw flocks of shorebirds here, as well as a few sparrows and other birds, but the shorebirds, egrets, and herons were the highlights, as well as the Belted Kingfisher we saw as we were leaving. We were really here in the afternoon, but I took a little poetic license and set the poem in the morning. Onward to Pine Point Beach next!

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17. in the marsh-kab