Today I birded the still-fairly-rural western Hunterdon County reservoir area of Joisey with my good friend Bruce. We began the day at Alpha Farms on Oberly Road in Alpha, where 125+ Horned Larks were tallied. A few of the birds were singing, and giving territorial sky-larking display flights. One bird was skylarking with a bill-full of grass that as it began to descend he dropped it all -a behavior that I have never seen before. Two Northern Harriers were engaged in a dogfight in the distance, and an American Kestrel surveyed the corn stubble.

Snow Geese have continued their rapid population explosion in the area. This was a phenomena that wasn't occurring when I lived here. But now, tens of thousands are using the reservoirs to roost and feeding in the cornfields each morning. It's an amazing spectacle. Each morning, the geese leave the reservoir skein by skein. Sometime between late morning and early afternoon, they stream back to the water to drink and roost, arriving in great, waving lines of black-tipped white. While, I've seen many more Snow Geese in the marshlands of Southern NJ or the fields of Nebraska, but around 20,000 rafting together in the middle of Merrill Creek Reservoir - seemingly forming a mat so thick you could walk across it - was quite a show. A Bald Eagle would occasionally cause a blizzard of white as the geese took flight en masse, only to resettle a short distance away. The other half of the Eagle pair kept an eye on matters from the comfort of her nest - Eagles are likely already incubating eggs down here by now. Four Redheads (rather rare locally) joined the more expected ducks at the edges of the reservoir: Common Goldeneye, Common Mergansers, Bufflehead, American Wigeon, Mallards, American Black Ducks, Ring-necked Ducks, two Greater Scaup, and 1 Red-breasted Merganser - along with a couple of hundred Canada Geese.

Spruce Run reservoir was rather uneventful, but we enjoyed great looks at a few Eastern Bluebirds, and I enjoyed the 50+ Common Mergansers in one group. A flock of 15-20 Field Sparrows at our final stop at the Stahl Natural Area in Bedminster was nice to see as well - a species that is not often found in large flocks.

As you know, I find any day of birding to be a good day, but the Snow Goose spectacle of the day, along with catching up with a good friend, and visiting places that I hadn't been to in 5 or more years, made this a most delightful outing.

(By the way, I could not get someone to cover my store's birdwalks for me this Saturday, so I will have to cancel them. I hope to be home by next weekend)

I'm going to be down here in New Jersey for a week or so, spending some time with friends and family. I will also be visiting all the "patches" in my old 'hood, and maybe chase a rarity or two to pad the state list. I'll report back on occasion.

Yesterday, on the way down, a stop at Fort Foster in Kittery produced the first Killdeer of spring. It's early, but not unbelievably so considering the lack of snowcover. I also tallied 26 Red-tailed Hawks along the drive from Pownal to Bridgewater, NJ.

Today, I visited Duke Island Park. It's a strip of ball fields and woodlands sandwiched between the Raritan River and the Delaware-Raritan Canal. It's just a few minutes from my Dad's house, so it's a place I frequent when I visit. Interestingly, I never spent much time birding there when I lived down here, but now it functions as a convenient place to reacquaint myself with the Central NJ avifauna.

Hundreds of the ubiquitous resident Canada Geese grazed in the fields, while dozens of Dark-eyed Juncos foraged at the woodland edges. The woods here have been absolutely ravaged by the overpopulation of White-tailed Deer, but the understory does support enough Japanese Honeysuckle and other invasives that deer ignore to support a healthy population of Carolina Wrens - many of which were singing today. A couple of Yellow-rumped Warblers were in the trees, and a pair of Eastern Bluebirds foraged along the canal. A few Common Mergansers and Common Goldeneyes joined the geese and Mallards in the river. Duke Island Park is certainly a place to get one's Red-bellied Woodpecker fix; they're very common here.

Here's the list from an hour and a half this morning:
Canada Goose
American Black Duck
Mallard
Common Goldeneye
Common Merganser
Great Blue Heron
Ring-billed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Chickadees (I don't bother to identify chickadees in Central NJ due to rampant hybridization between Black-capped and Carolina Chickadees in the area)
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Carolina Wren
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle
House Finch
American Goldfinch

Today I led a field trip for Merrymeeting Audubon. Our primary goal and destination were Barrow’s Goldeneyes at Winslow Park.

And, we were not disappointed! Once again, the weather was not as intolerable as predicted, as the winds were not as strong and - being from a more westerly, rather than northerly direction - not in our face the entire time. 5 drake and 4 female Barrow’s Goldeneyes – our headliner – were present and accounted for. The light was perfect, the birds were fairly close, and a couple of Common Goldeneyes were nearby for good comparison. We spent a while enjoying the 1,000 or so Common Eiders. Among those Eiders was a single female apparently of the East Arctic subspecies borealis.

Walking back from the point, we enjoyed a small flock of 21 Cedar Waxwings that were attempting to feed on Mutiflora Rose – but a Northern Mockingbird was intent on chasing as many of them away as possible. A few Black-capped Chickadees called in the woods, and a Northern Cardinal briefly broke into song.

Another 70 Cedar Waxwings, and one American Robin, were devouring apples in a yard in South Freeport, and at least 15 Pine Siskins were nearby as well as we traveled toward the Town Landing. No more Barrow’s were to be seen here, but we did have much better looks at Long-tailed Ducks, Common Loons, and Common Goldeneye. Our last stop was at Florida Lake – hoping for a repeat of yesterday’s Pine Grosbeak sighting – but we left grosbeak-less (and nearly birdless except for a couple of Black-capped Chickadees)

Our complete birdlist for the morning will be posted on Merrymeeting Audubon’s Website for those who are interested.

As I have mentioned before, we conduct free birdwalks every Saturday morning here at the store. Each week, I post our highlights on our website. However, this morning we had a very successful outing, so I thought I would share the summary here as well:

Location: Florida Lake Park and other Freeport Locales.
Participants: (only) 3.

Summary:
Most people stayed away this morning due to the forecast of below zero windchills. However, due to overnight cloud cover and morning sun, temperatures had only dropped into the low 20's, and the wind had not yet picked up when we began. In otherwords, it was downright pleasant.


Furthermore, the birding this morning was exceptional. From the parking lot here at the store, we enjoyed our continuing FIELD SPARROW at the feeders. 45 CEDAR WAXWINGS were perched in the trees, and a total of 43 AMERICAN ROBINS passed overhead. Furthermore, a pair of HAIRY WOODPECKERS around the feeding station was the first time in over a year that this species has visited the feeders here.

Our first stop was the crabapple trees in front of LL Bean's Corporate offices. There, another 40 CEDAR WAXWINGS and about 30 AMERICAN ROBINS were closely observed in perfect light.

Our main destination for the morning was Freeport's Florida Lake Park. On Thursday, I heard a single PINE GROSBEAK there, and this was our target for the morning. After only a few minutes of walking the trail towards the lake, we saw not one, but 13 PINE GROSBEAKS right along side of the trail. Contently feeding on Highbush Cranberry and Red Spruce buds, we watched them for 15 minutes as close as 25 feet away. A absolutely fantastic sighting! One SONG SPARROW was along the dike (the former mystery birds that did it's usual dissapearing act again this morning), but the woods were quiet except for a handful of BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES.

We slowly drove some Freeport backroads back to the store, where we saw the icing on the cake for the mornings's outing - a NORTHERN SHRIKE that I origininally found on the Christmas Bird Count on New Year's Eve was right where I hoped it would be!

No mysteries today during a relatively slow morning of birding in Cape Elizabeth. I began by seawatching at Dyer Point. I had hoped a few migrant waterfowl and Red-throated Loons might be taking flight in the strong southerly tailwind, but few were. A small number of Black Scoter and Common Eider were heading north, but it is impossible to know if these were migrants or just daily commuting to foraging areas. One Red-necked Grebe looked distinctly northbound, however. A single Black Guillemot was in near-complete breeding plumage just offshore. Without an easterly component to the wind, I had little hope of any pelagic species, but I did spot one Black-legged Kittiwake.

11 Brant grazed at Kettle Cove, and a 2nd cycle Iceland Gull slept on the rocks. The surf was crashing on the rocks at Two Lights State Park, so seaducks had moved farther offshore. One juvenile Northern Gannet made a close pass just offshore. The strawberry fields along Two Lights Road were devoid of birds (except for one loafing Herring Gull) today, likely because of the wind. Village Crossings was also rather quiet.

Dan and I set out to solve two mysteries this morning. The first goal was to finally make a concerted effort to identify the Florida Lake Mystery Sparrow (see yesterday’s blog). We walked the dike, and as expected, the sparrow flushed into the woods about 50 yards ahead. But, since there was two of us, we were able to divide and conquer. Dan headed into the trees, and I sat down on the dike.

It was working, Dan was pushing the sparrow towards the edge. Then, there it was! WAS is the key word. I got my binoculars to my eyes in time to see it fly deeper into the woods – back towards Dan. What I did see however, was that this bird clearly had dark brown streaking below – it was not a Swamp Sparrow as I hypothesized. Plus, those streaks looked thick and very dark – unlike the fine streaking of a Lincoln’s Sparrow. Was this a Song Sparrow afterall? I was still convinced that we were dealing with a Melospiza however.

Then, I heard a fine, high-pitched “seep” call coming from behind us. It did not fly deeper into the woods, it had doubled back, right between the two of us! (This bird was really playing hard to get!). The call note sounded good for Song Sparrow, but it did not eliminate Lincoln’s, as I didn’t hear it well enough (I also have difficulty distinguishing very minor differences between high-pitched calls).

We slowly worked our way back towards the call note. We did not see it. I picked up the call of a Pine Grosbeak overhead, and so we diverted our attention from the forest edge to the sky in hopes of spying the Grosbeak. We did not. But, as I turned around to take one last glance at the edge of the trees, there it was! On the ground, in perfect light, only 25 feet or so away. . . My binoculars seemed to take eons to reach my eyes . . . .Please don’t fly . . . my eyes slowly focused . . . it’s still there. . . it’s a . . .it’s a . . . Song Sparrow. Close observation revealed that the tail feathers were in fact worn, giving the bird the shorter - and less rounded - appearance that I and others, including Dan today, had noted. Well, at least I was right about the genus!

So, with that mystery solved, we set out on our quest to find gulls. Moderately-large numbers of gulls are regularly seen traveling between Casco Bay and the Lewiston-Auburn area. Dan and I both seen them traveling north-northwest over our houses in Freeport and Pownal, respectively, in the morning, and back south-southeast towards the ocean in the evening. They are clearly commuting somewhere inland to feed. But where? Mystery #2.

Way back on the Brunswick-Freeport Christmas Bird Count on New Year’s Eve, Jeannette, Rich, and I visited Florida Lake Park in Freeport. In fading, late afternoon light, we flushed a sparrow from the dike. It flew across the ice, landed in a dense island, and remained absolutely hidden. It did not respond at all to spishing. A little while later, another CBC party – who were hoping to see the Pine Grosbeaks that we also had at Florida Lake – happened upon the same sparrow, and they too were unable to catch more than a glimpse of it before it disappeared.

Whenever an unfamiliar sparrow is encountered, it is best to identify the bird to genus in order to narrow down the amount of field guide pages that have to be turned. The various members of each sparrow genus are usually quite similar in shape and size, and often in plumage as well. If we can narrow our choices, using the gestalt of the bird (the general impression of size and shape) to one or two genuses, we can narrow our potential choices from among the 57 species of the Emberizidae family that have occurred in North America

My impressions of the sparrow at that time, was that is was a darker brown in color (not sandy like a Savannah Sparrow for example), medium sized, and fairly long-tailed. The bulky body and longish tail (not slim-bodied and short, spiky-tailed) ruled out the Ammodramus sparrows (like Grasshopper Sparrow), any of which would be exceptionally rare in Maine in winter. The smaller size, and darker overall coloration, ruled out the large and mostly-unstreaked Zonotrichia sparrows (like White-throated). It was not a Towhee, Junco, Longspur, or Bunting.

The shape seemed bulkier, and larger than the Aimophilia sparrows - none of which have ever occurred even close to Maine. It was much too large and long-tailed than any of the Spizella sparrows (like Chipping), and it was too dark for an American Tree Sparrow. It seemed too small and dark below for a Lark Sparrow (genus Chondestres), and those white tips to the outer tail feathers would probably have been noticeable as it flew away. It was not a Black-throated, Five-striped, or Sage Sparrow (each in a different genus), and all of which are paler in color (gray mostly) and are only found in the Desert Southwest. It was much too small, and too short-tailed for a Fox Sparrow (genus Passerella), and by plumage it was not a Lark Bunting (genus Calamospiza). It was not a Savannah Sparrow (genus Passerculus) as it was much darker in color, bulkier, and longer-tailed, and it was not a Vesper Sparrow (genus Pooecetes) for the same reasons.

Therefore, almost by default, we are left with only three species (much better than 57!) of the genus Melospiza: Song Sparrow,Swamp Sparrow, and Lincoln’s Sparrow. All three are chunky, medium-sized sparrows, dark brown above, and fairly dark below. All three have fairly long, and at least somewhat rounded, tails as well. All three are also common in Maine, at least in some time of the year. (See how nice the system works!).

What a perfect morning! Fresh, fluffy snow. Clear azure sky. Cold – but with almost no breeze not too cold. I set out on my 6-7 mile Pownal walk with the dog to celebrate.

I heard a couple of Brown Creepers; they’re certainly becoming more vociferous now. 27 Wild Turkeys were in the same grove of White Pines at the edge the same pasture that they are always in. Common Ravens are paired up now, and Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers were busy drumming. Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, and White-breasted Nuthatches - in descending order of abundance – were singing throughout the duration of the walk. About 30 American Robins feasted on Common Juniper in an abandoned field. A flock of 21 Blue Jays moved through a yard – early migrants perhaps? One Pine Siskin called as it passed overhead, unseen, but 3 or 4 flyby American Goldfinches were my only other finches of the morning.

Returning home, I followed a few deer trails around the woods – didn’t think we had this many passing through our yard – and a few unidentified rodent tracks were under the feeders. The feeders were much more active than they have been of late, as birds were replenishing their fat reserves after the blustery night. Red-breasted Nuthatches worked the peanut feeder, a Hairy and a Downy Woodpecker sparred on the suet feeder. A few Goldfinches clung to the thistle feeder, Mourning Doves enjoyed millet on a tray feeder, while Chickadees and Titmice came and went from all of the other feeders.

A long-cut on my way to work produced a dozen Cedar Waxwings and a half dozen more American Robins gobbling crabapples by LL Bean’s corporate offices and a the 6 drakes out of the dozen Long-tailed Ducks off of the South Freeport Town Landing were busy calling and displaying for seemingly uninterested hens.

Now, that’s the way February in Maine should be!

I rolled over this morning, glanced out the window, noticed the snow had yet to begin, put on as many layers as I could (and still fit in my car), and headed to Dyer Point in Cape Elizabeth for some pre-Nor’Easter Seawatching. Unfortunately, the very first flakes began to fall as I passed through South Portland, and by the time I reached Dyer Point it was coming down quite steadily. Visibility offshore was, well, inadequate.

So, I shed a layer, and began to nose my way back north, along the Cape Elizabeth and South Portland coasts. I checked sheltered coves, but the onshore winds had not been churning long enough to push anything out of the ordinary closer to shore. 10 Horned Larks were on the grass at Kettle Cove, and a 1st Cycle Iceland Gull was at Mill Creek Cove in South Portland. Not a whole lot else in between!

22 Cedar Waxwings were feasting on Chokeberry in our garden here at the store, but the winds whipping around the side of the building kept the feeding station nearly bird-free.
In more sheltered locations, however, I think feederwatching is the name of the game for today, but sheltered coves along the coast are worth a check, especially as the storm picks up later today.

Ok, now it’s cold. I’m happier. 15 degrees and a northwest breeze off the water this morning was plenty cold as I scanned the bay from Portland’s Eastern Promenade. More Long-tailed Ducks were offshore than I have seen of late, possibly reflecting a seasonal movement. There wasn’t a whole lot else though. But, as I left the Prom, I was extremely happy to see the Peregrine Falcon has once again taken up its roost on the steeple of the church at the corner of Franklin and Cumberland. It’s the first time that I have seen it up there this winter.

February is a great time for gull watching, and since I have seen so few “white-winged gulls “ (Iceland and Glaucous) so far this winter, I decided to poke around the piers of Old Port. I walked around, garnering numerous odd looks from folks, up and down piers, and scanning the water and rooftops. An adult Bald Eagle cruised overhead (there aren’t too many cities where Bald Eagles are routinely observed downtown!), looking for either fish scraps or an unsuspecting gull.

The Eagle cleared a few rooftops of gulls, and I identified an adult Iceland Gull among the swirling masses. Another 1st-cycle (one year old) Iceland Gull was spotted from the Portland Fish Pier.

Ah, yes, good to have winter back . . . and with snowfall on the way . . . wax those cross-country skies and fill those feeders!

February is National Birdfeeding Month. During the month, people “are encouraged to provide food, water, and shelter to help wild birds survive.”

One highlight of National Birdfeeding Month is The Great Backyard Bird Count, a “citizen science” project by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology that take place this year February 17-20.

“Bird enthusiasts of all ages can share their love of birds with a friend, a child, a scout troop, a class, or a co-worker-opening new eyes to the joy of birding and the fun of creating a unique snapshot of winter bird abundance and distribution across the continent. Every pair of eyes is needed and everybirdy counts, whether in a backyard, on a high-rise balcony, in a park, or on any of the 730 million acres of public lands.

In 2005, participants sent in more than 52,000 checklists, with a record-breaking 613 species and more than 6 million birds counted. These millions of sightings generate what would be impossible otherwise-continent-wide information about where the birds are and how their numbers compare with those of previous years. Anyone with Internet access can see the results in maps and charts as the sightings pour in” (Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology)

Personally, Jeannette and I participate by keeping track of the visitors to our yard in Pownal and the feeders here at the store, each day, and we also submit all of the birds seen on our store’s Saturday morning birdwalk that weekend. The Great Backyard Bird Count is a lot of fun, yet it provides a lot of great, and very useful data. You can generate maps and graphs using pervious year’s data via Cornell’s website.

When Jeannette and I decided to open up a Wild Bird Center store, we chose this franchise in part due to the amount of money and effort that they spend on research. A perfect example of this is the lead role that they have taken in a monumental research project: Project Wildbird.

“PROJECT WILDBIRD is a landmark study of seed and feeder preferences of wild birds in the United States and Canada. From September 2005 through August 2008, PROJECT WILDBIRD will scientifically study the feeds and feeders preferred by birds in different eco-regions and seasons. Upon completion, PROJECT WILDBIRD will be the most comprehensive study on bird feeding ever performed. The study results will provide people who feed birds with scientifically-substantiated recommendations on the best feeds and feeders to attract birds.” (Project Wildbird Website)

This is also a great opportunity to participate as a “Citizen Scientist” and help answer some big questions by observing birds in your own backyard. Currently, Project Wildbird is seeking participants in the “Observational Approach” methodology of the study. It doesn’t require a tremendous time commitment, but the data it provides will be invaluable to the research project.

Feel free to email me with any questions about any of these exciting “citizen science” opportunities!

A visit to Popham Beach State Park wasn’t too fruitful yesterday, but it was nice to be out on a sunny, but blustery for a change, morning. Not too many gulls were on the beach, and at low tide most of the ducks, loons, and grebes were rather far out. However, our birding highlight of the day came in the early afternoon at home in Pownal.

We stepped out the door (to go hang up a new Barred Owl nest box; now’s a good time to do this) and a Rough-legged Hawk was circling overhead! It slowly gained altitude on the thermal of warm air that was rising from the hill that we live upon. It was only my second “Roughie” of the season (the first was way back in late October) and it was a most unexpected “Yard Bird” for us.

Many birders speak of the “February Birding Doldrums.” I don’t! I like February birding (when don’t I like birding???) It is certainly true that there is less new stuff to see: rarities have either been found by now or have perished. Few birds are on the move to show up at new locations. And yes, there are just not that many birds in the Maine Woods in winter.

But, now is the time to enjoy the winter denizens. In NORMAL winters, February is a good time to enjoy concentrations of waterfowl and Bald Eagles in areas of open water. Bird feeders are usually quite busy at this time of year. Gull-watching is at its peak. Looking for winter finches and northern owls never gets old for me! By month’s end, as ice breaks up, waterfowl and Bald Eagles begin to move north. Red-throated Loons are flying north and Rough-legged Hawks begin to move as well. Ravens and Great Horned Owls are building nests, woodpeckers are drumming, and birdsong slowly but surely increases. And then, by the last week of February, we usually see our first new arrivals: Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, and Turkey Vultures, along with an increase in waterfowl.

This February is a little different, as you may have noticed. Due to the near-record warm January, waterfowl concentrations have not been as significant. White-winged gulls (Glaucous and Iceland) have been few and far between this winter, and much of our winter finch supply has dried up for some reason. And, I’ve seen both Red-winged Blackbirds and Turkey Vultures already this week! (And I received a report of a Tree Swallow over South Portland!)

However, all is certainly not lost for birding enjoyment in this mild winter. First of all, the temperatures have finally dropped a bit, which may allow for some rivers and bays to freeze to concentrate ducks and gulls. Feeder activity will likely also pick up as well. We have the typical waterbird movements to enjoy and document, we do have some finches and owls around to look at, and since it has been so mild, there are quite a few birds still lingering from fall. Or, we will have the thrill of discovery of yet even more new, and exceptionally early, arrivals.

Speaking of the thrill of discovery, how about the news out of Indonesia in the past couple of days? Dozens of new species, including some fascinating birds were discovered in a remote, isolated jungle in Papua New Guinea.

Meanwhile, was a discovery closer to home really a discovery? A recent article in The Auk, the Journal of the American Ornithologist’s Union critically evaluates the data presented in the “rediscovery” of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Arkansas. This is not simple “nay-saying,” this a scientist evaluating science – that’s the nature of science afterall. The author exams the data that has been presented, and also explores “The interfaces of Science, Conservation, and Politics.” I found it most interesting.

Two Turkey Vultures were soaring high above Portland’s Dragon Field this morning – yet another sign of the mild season. Turkey Vultures are an increasingly early migrant, heading north in warm spells that provide south winds to fuel their journey, and also provides the warmth that makes things like Raccoons, Opossums, skunks, etc more active. When these mid-sized mammals become more active, they begin to cross roads and are commonly killed. Roadkill is the major food source for Turkey Vultures. And, with warmer temperatures and suburbanization species like possums and raccoons are increasing, and so are Turkey Vultures. Good thing to, as scavengers such as Turkey Vultures do us a significant service by cleaning up dead stuff, slowing the spread of disease and the unsightly sights and smells of dead stuff on the side of the road.

If the recent signs of spring (such as migrant Turkey Vultures) are not yet welcome, let’s at least talk about winter – the winter forest to be exact. This Saturday, instead of our regular free birdwalk here at the store, we will be joined by forester Si Balch and Programs Director Roxie Miller, from the New England Forestry Foundation for a Winter Forest Ecology Walk. We will discuss both bird and tree identification, forest ecology, conservation, sustainable forestry, and other winter woods topics as we visit one of NEFF’s Freeport properties. (Hot Coffee and homemade treats will be served when we return). Meet here at the Wild Bird Center of Yarmouth at 8:00am.

Now, if you rather think warm thoughts, I definitely encourage you to see Drew Fulton’s Everglades photography exhibit at Bowdoin College now through the 16th. Jeannette and I went to the opening on Saturday and were most impressed. The female Painted Bunting and the eye of the Double-crested Cormorant were our favorites!

And, if you’re already thinking about summer – and summer vacations to be exact, I welcome you to join me for a few weeks in Alaska! In July, I am co-leading a three week trip with my friends at New Jersey Audubon’s Sandy Hook Bird Observatory from July 8th through the 28th.

“Experience one of the most magnificent wilderness areas in North America in summer and search for Alaskan avian specialties, mammals and other arctic and subarctic flora and fauna. The tour will begin and end in Anchorage and will follow a pre-tour extension to St. Paul on the Pribilof Islands for views of the magnificent nesting alcid and seabird colonies. Locations visited on the tour will include: Nome, Denali National Park, Fairbanks, Valdez and the Kenai Peninsula. An internal Alaska flight to and from Nome will be provided with the package as well as a boat and a ferry ride surveying the marvelous Alaskan coast and its remarkable fjords. This trip of a lifetime will offer spectacular photographic venues and opportunities to experience the grandeur of this spectacularly scenic state. Target Species will include: Pacific Loon, Northern Fulmar, Short-tailed Shearwater, Red-faced Cormorant, Trumpeter Swan, Spruce Grouse, Willow and Rock Ptarmigans, Arctic and Aleutian Terns, Pigeon Guillemot, Marbled and Kittlitz’s Murrelets, Cassin’s, Rhinoceros Auklets, Horned and Tufted Puffins, Northern Hawk-Owl, Three-toed and Black-backed Woodpeckers, Northwestern Crow, Arctic Warbler, Bluethroat, Northern Wheatear, Yellow Wagtail, Golden-crowned Sparrow. The Pribilofs extension will target: Rock Sandpiper, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, Parakeet, Least and Crested Auklets, Red-legged Kittiwakes, Ancient and Marbled Murrelets, Red-faced Cormorants, and possible Asian rarities.” (Read more about the tour)

There is some space available, so contact me or Pete Bacinski at the Sandy Hook Bird Observatory for more info!

I hurried out the door early this morning, excited that I finally had a good amount of time on a morning with some stiff onshore winds to spend seawatching. Or, at least that what the forecast had me expecting when I went to bed last night. But, by the time I got to Dyer Point in Cape Elizabeth this morning, the winds were already dying down and thick fog had rolled in. I couldn’t even see the water from the parking lot! So much for that idea.

So, I slowly wandered – rather aimlessly actually – along the coast, waiting for the fog to lift. 9 Brant at Kettle Cove were good to see, and the congregation of 1000 Common Eider, 40 Common Loons, and 30 Horned Grebes in the Pine Point Narrows was impressive. And, the fog finally lifted as the front came through and the winds shifted to the west. I didn’t see too much – just the usual cast of characters - elsewhere in Scarborough Marsh and Cape Elizabeth, but at Portland’s Capisic Pond Park, I enjoyed close-up views of 28 Cedar Waxwings.

Then, I heard it – the chuck note of a Red-winged Blackbird! And then another. It’s impossible to know if these birds were exceptionally late or extremely early migrants, but since they were both adult males, and they were calling from a cattail marsh (breeding habitat) it is very likely that these were SPRING migrants! Plus, there has been a recent flurry of blackbird reports in Massachusetts, suggesting a northbound movement. My first birds of spring!

But, we haven’t even had winter yet!

For most species migration is not triggered by weather. Most migratory and breeding behavior is triggered by hormonal changes, which have been triggered by photoperiod (the changes in the length of daylight). Good thing too – if a flycatcher migrates to Maine in February and we get a March blizzard, it’s in trouble – no flies to catch in a snowstorm. Plus, since that flycatcher is probably down in Central America it isn’t exactly going to know what the weather is like on its breeding grounds (it’s not like they can read weather reports).

Here are a few photographs from our trip to Texas. Keep in mind most of the bird phots are taken by holding my camera up to my binoculars or spotting scope (hence why they are not very good!)
Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park, 1/25/06:

The view from the Hawk Watching Tower.

The scrubby vegatation typical of much of the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

Collard Peccary (or Javelina).

Jeannette works on our Mexico list from our trip's first view of the Rio Grande.

Anzalduas County Park:

It might not look like much, but it's a major birding hotspot.

The DeWind's feeders in Salineno are a happening place!

Altamira Oriole - as orange as anything I've ever seen in nature!

Another lousy shot by me, but here are two Brown Jays, the headliners of the show at the DeWind's.

Green Jay - the colors look simply ludicrous, but it's amazing how well they can blend in with foliage.

Great Kiskadee. Colorful, loud, and animated.

This Kiskadee got tangled in a House Sparrow detterrent line and Jeannette and I had to spring to its rescue. The bird was fine, but we were provided with a unique opportunity to see it up close and personal. Check out the rarely seen golden central crown stripe.

Our next stop was at a RV park in Chapeno where Brown Jays can be seen as well. This sign shows how many businesses have capitalized on the popularity of birding in the area.

Falcon Dam from Falcon Dam State Park:

Sabal Palm Grove Sanctuary in Brownsville protects the last stand of old growth Sabal Palms in the country:

Turkey Vultures roosting.

A sunning Neotropic Cormorant

No birding trip is complete without a trip to a landfill!

Just a few birds were around there . . .

Although banded, and therefore not "countable" we were still thrilled to see an Endangered Aplomado Falcon along the road to Boca Chica Beach.

Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge:

This stately Crested Caracara posed nicely atop a flowering Yucca.

Laguna Atascosa hosts 80-95% of North America's wintering population of Redheads. Today, that included Jeannette!

Oh, yeah, the other Redheads:

And a few more:

The Laguna Atascosa:

I finally tracked down my life Black-bellied Whistling Ducks at City Lake in Harlingen.

We spent much of our last full day at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge:

Spanish Moss draping trees.

This is one tree you DON'T want to hug!

Black-necked Stilts:

Golden-fronted Woodpecker:

Plain Chacalaca:

It’s nice to be back birding in Maine. Texas was a nice break, but I much prefer it up here! Sure, I won’t see 175 species in the next 5 ½ days either, but I am perfectly satisfied to enjoy Maine’s winter denizens.

How is it that when you’re away from work for a week, you fall TWO weeks behind? I never did understand it, but I am certainly facing that fact now. Therefore, for the last few mornings, I have been content with a short morning walk before arriving at the store early.

This morning, I spent the first couple of hours at the store at one of my favorite winter birding locales – Freeport’s Winslow Park. The volume of waterfowl once again did not fail to disappoint. The Common Eider flock is up to a couple of thousand birds now, and they were quite vocal this morning – the males giving their ghostly “oooooo” –ing sound. Down at the tip, the Barrow’s Goldeneyes were right where I left them: 8 drakes and 5 hens were to be seen this morning.

Non-waterfowl goodies were also to be seen and heard this morning as well. Just after arriving at the park, I heard the call of the Red-bellied Woodpecker that has been hanging out in the area this winter. I spotted a first cycle (less than one year old) Iceland Gull roosting on an offshore rock, and a single Bohemian Waxwing flew over, calling, from within a group of eleven smaller Cedar Waxwings.

By the way, I should have some pictures from our trip sorted and ready to post tomorrow.

PART II:

Instead of driving back to Edinburg, we spent the night in Port Isabel, just across the bridge from South Padre Island. On Saturday morning, we birded Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, where we happened upon a Bobcat, and later, an Armadillo. The volume of waterfowl, wading birds, and shorebirds here is amazing! Our trip list ballooned with Reddish Egrets, Roseate Spoonbills, White Ibis, White-faced Ibis, Little Blue Heron, Royal Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Black Skimmers, shorebirds such as Western Sandpiper and Dunlin, and waterfowl from American Wigeon and Bufflehead to Blue-winged Teal and Mottled Ducks. Two Greater Scaup flew by, and we found two Red Knots, both very rare birds in South Texas in winter. But, the headliners of Laguna Atascosa are the Redheads. Remember when I saw one in Fortunes Rocks Beach in November? Well, up to 95% of North America’s population of Redheads winter at Laguna Atascosa, so we saw tens of thousands! One pond was little wall-to-wall Redheads – no water was visible at all, and the see of gray, black, and chestnut – and brown and white females - was only broken by the occasional American Wigeon or Northern Pintail. It was truly an impressive spectacle!

We followed some back roads as we traveled west on our way to the city of Harlingen, enjoying more raptors. Harlingen was very productive for us, as we checked a few small parks that produced a number of our remaining target birds. Hugh Ramsey Nature Park finally gave Jeannette her life look at a Lesser Goldfinch, and City Lake produced my lifer Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks. From City Lake, we added another raptor to our trip list – a pair of Peregrine Falcons perched on a building. After driving into the downtown to get a closer look at the Peregrines, we were heading back to the highway when Jeannette heard a ruckus – a schoolyard full of kids or a tree full of parrots? As we circled around, it turned out to be the latter – two Live Oaks in the midst of downtown Harlingen were being ravaged by a flock of at least 60 Red-crowned Parrots.

We ended our 5th day at a Walgreen’s parking lot in McAllen – the site of a roost of about 500 Green Parakeets!

A late start Sunday morning (due to some technical difficulties) delayed our arrival at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, and therefore we decided to forgo waiting around for a lingering Red-naped Sapsucker to show and hiked some of the park’s trails instead. Another Gray Hawk – a stunning relative of our familiar Broad-wing – and a rare Golden-crowned Kinglet were highlights. The afternoon was spent with Sean and Nancy NOT BIRDING – as we enjoyed some shopping and eating in Nuevo Progresso, Mexico. Tamales for lunch, frozen margaritas in the streets, and some great tequila to take home – a perfect way to spend our last afternoon in the Rio Grande Valley. And, as dusk fell, we strolled along a narrow lake in Weslaco, producing great looks at yet more American White Pelicans, American Avocets, and many others.

It was not an easy decision on where to go on Monday morning, our last day before flying home. Do we head to the sod farms for near-sure-thing Sprague’s Pipits – a lifer for BOTH of us? Do we walk around Bentsen again for the best chance at a Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet – a small Empidinax flycatcher whose name is much more impressive than it’s plumages? Counting up our trip list so far, we realized we were only 10 birds away from 175 for the trip, a nice milestone, so we tried to figure out what was our best chance to get 10 species, and a couple more lifers. We started at the Edinburg World Birding Center site, which produced two of our three targets: Yellow-crowned Night Heron and Black-chinned Hummingbird (the Rufous Hummingbird seen a couple of days before did not show itself). However, due to thick morning fog, we left the park later than we would of liked (we had to wait for the fog to lift to see across the pond to scan the roosting Night-Herons) but, with only about 2 hours left before we had to be on the plane, we were back at Anzalduas County Park for the second time. A number of birds we wanted to see have been seen here in the past week, but we saw none of these targets in our first try. Since it was only about 15 minutes from the airport, we figured it was worth another go-around.