Things seemed a little quieter this morning, despite the light northwest winds and clearing skies overnight. Frankly, I think we’re running out of migrants! Plus, with 4 nights in a row of good conditions, a lot has gone through, so I wouldn’t expect a huge flight – until things get backed up for a couple of nights, which they are about to!

Nevertheless, some movement was noticeable over Florida Lake Park in Freeport this morning. Small flocks of American Robins were moving overhead, and one flock of about 50 Common Grackles passed over as well. I also heard a flock of Eastern Bluebirds – it sounded like a bunch (5-10 maybe), but I never did see them. A number of Dark-eyed Juncos were in the woods, and quite a few Song and Swamp Sparrows were at the edges. I also tallied 5 Hermit Thrushes.

I then dropped by Freeport’s Winslow Park, where I had not been in a while. The geography of this site should make it very productive for migrant passerines. However, I rarely hit numbers of birds in the trees and shrubs here. This morning, there were about a dozen Song Sparrows and only 2 Dark-eyed Juncos, with a handful of the expected resident woodland birds. I have little doubt that the horrendous (mis)management of this park is at fault – the understory in the woods are completely cleared, the grass is mowed right to the edge of the embankments, the brush is chopped down along the shore, and trees are continuously felled and never replaced.

Offshore, however, things are much different – the sheltered coves, mudflats, rocky islets, etc make for very productive waterfowl-watching. The sea- and bay-ducks are just arriving, but I already tallied 71 Bufflehead offshore, along with a single Surf Scoter, as well as 26 Bonaparte’s Gulls.

Tomorrow doesn’t sound very nice – but seawatching may be very productive in the morning before the winds turn from the east to southeast. But, I’ll be down in Joisey for a couple of days – mostly to see the 7-0 (not a typo) Rutgers football team take on UConn Sunday night. Should be a blast! Besides, if they win, they’ll equal the total number of wins that they had in my four years in school there! I am also hoping, weather-permitting, to spend a few hours at the Montclair Hawkwatch. It’s there 50th Anniversary – the second oldest count in North America.

And, it is rarity season after all, so who knows what I may just have to twitch! (Although a friend of mine – a non-birder (for now anyway!) - is along for the ride, so I may have to contain myself.

We’ll have to debate what is more frightening, the New Jersey Turnpike, or the ancient “Terror Bird”

Another great night for migrating! Light northwest winds and clearing skies allowed for migrants to proceed, and amassed them along the coast. I heard 12 calls in 10 minutes last night, most of which seemed to be Dark-eyed Juncos.

Dawn at Sandy Point seemed to confirm this, as a steady flight of Dark-eyed Juncos were passing over than through. I tallied 95 between 7:05 and 8:00. 92 American Robins, 50+ American Goldfinches, and 37 Yellow-rumped Warblers passed by as well. Meanwhile, I tallied a respectable 10 Hermit Thrushes in the bushes, mostly feasting on the sumac near the edge of the parking lot. Two “Yellow” Palm Warblers were getting late, and one Fox Sparrow dropped in as well.

My next stop was Dragon Field where I MAY have picked up my 148th Dragon Field Bird. However, I need to consult my checklist when I get home, but I think the lone Lapland Longspur that passed over may have filled a whole on my Patch List. I certainly can’t remember having one here, but I would be surprised is this is indeed a new bird for me – the habitat is decent for them, and I am certainly here often enough when they are on the move. To the checklist!

Meanwhile, there were LOTS of Song Sparrows in the field, along with smaller numbers of Savannah, Swamp, White-throated, and Dark-eyed Juncos (plus one flock of about 20 that flew overhead). I point-blank view of an immature White-crowned Sparrow was a treat, and a lingering Gray Catbird was nice to see.

My final stop of the morning was Cumberland’s Twin Brook Recreation Area, where I saw more of the same sparrows, plus a tardy Killdeer, and handfuls of Common Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds heading south overhead.

Furthermore, all of my stops this morning also produced a few Golden- and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and Purple Finches - which was nice to see as"PUFIs" have been in short supply so far this fall.

Jeannette and I began the day yesterday at Reid State Park. Reid was very productive this day, with a good mix of migrant landbirds, lingering shorebirds, and newly arriving seabirds.

As we walked down the road to Todd’s Head (closed to vehicles at this time of year), we hit a couple of pockets of migrants. LOTS of Yellow-rumped Warblers and Golden-crowned Kinglets were joined by a few Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and a single Blackpoll Warbler. A smattering of Red-breasted Nuthatches and Hermit Thrushes were mixed in as well. Brushy areas, especially at the edges of the saltmarsh, had good numbers of sparrows: lots of White-throats, Song, and especially Dark-eyed Juncos. We spotted our first Fox Sparrow of the season, and we noted a late Chipping Sparrow as well.

The sandbars and mudflats at the mouth of the Little River held 12 Greater Yellowlegs and 14 Black-bellied Plovers, and at least one Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow was in the spartina. A total of 6 “Ipswich” Savannah Sparrows were in the dunes, a very good count of this uncommon migrant. A large flock of about 175 Sanderling raced the waves along the beach, with one lone Dunlin feeling a touch out-of-place among them.

Meanwhile, the water was getting busier: Horned (our first of the season) and Red-necked Grebes, Common Loons, and three Long-tailed Ducks joined growing numbers of Common Eider and all three scoters. Overhead, a Merlin and an American Kestrel passed by, heading south.

We then headed west to Sabattus Pond. Sabattus Pond is one of the best places in this area to observe waterfowl, especially the cute (scientifically speaking) Ruddy Duck. And, it did not disappoint yesterday. In addition to 227 Ruddy Ducks, we tallied 8 other species: Mallard (68), American Black Duck (17), Greater Scaup (27), Hooded Merganser (10), Red-breasted Mergansers (6), our first three Common Goldeneyes of the season, and one Lesser Scaup. However, a large, distant raft of about 115 scaup may have all been Lessers, but were just too far to be sure.

If the arrival of so many ducks wasn’t enough to convince me winter was closing in, I had loads of Dark-eyed Juncos and my first SNOW Bunting of the season at Hedgehog Mountain Park this morning.

Yesterday, I led an all-day trip for Merrymeeting Audubon, entitled “The Sparrows of Greater Portland.” We began at dawn at Sandy Point Beach in Yarmouth, worked our way down through Cumberland, Portland, and into Scarborough, then back up through South Portland, before ending back in Yarmouth. We had a very good turnout, and we covered a lot of ground, checking a number of great places – and I even gave away a few of my “secret spots.”

We managed to scrounge up 9 ½ species of sparrow: Chipping, Savannah, “Ipswich” Savannah – our ½, Nelson’s Sharp-tailed, Song, Swamp, White-throated, White-crowned, Dark-eyed Junco, and Lapland Longspur.

Some of our “good” birds included a lot of blackbirds (Common Grackle, Red-winged Blackbird, and Brown-headed Cowbird), 30 Black-bellied Plovers at Sandy Point Beach, one Chipping Sparrow and a very late Bobolink at Twin Brook Recreation Area in Cumberland; 4 Hermit Thrushes along Portland’s Eastern Promenade; 1 Lapland Longspur over the Eastern Road Trail through Scarborough Marsh; 16 Bufflehead (my first of the season) at Back Cove; a color-banded “Ipswich” Savannah Sparrow at Back Cove (which I recently learned was banded this summer on its breeding grounds of Sable Island, Nova Scotia; and two Northern Pintail in one of my Yarmouth secret spots.

No rarities were found, but we had a “possible” Orange-crowned Warbler along the Eastern Promenade, and I would have liked to confirm that first plover at Back Cove to have been an American Golden. But, even though we fell short of our goal, we were happy that there were simply a lot of birds in most of the places that we stopped at. It was also a simply beautiful day to be out! (And thanks to the drivers of the carpools – it made the caravan much easier to manage, and much more environmentally-friendly!) By the way, a complete trip list will be up on Merrymeeting Audubon’s webpage shortly.

Today, on the other hand, was simply NOT a beautiful day to be out! But, with an easterly wind, I took shelter under the roof at the Lobster Shack at Dyer Point in Cape Elizabeth (I thank them for allow birders to use the shelter there – I make sure to bring them business in exchange!). While the winds weren’t perfect (northeast is best in the fall), and a little too light, and the flight wasn’t huge, it was a heckuva lot of fun this morning. The flight was very diverse, with 13 species of waterfowl among them. Lots of large, undulating lines of Double-crested Cormorants led the way, but duck numbers are really increasing. I had my first Long-tailed Ducks and Purple Sandpiper of the season as well.

Well, today wasn’t a very nice day was it? In fact, I did something this morning that I rarely do, especially in October – I SLEPT IN! What a concept! Now, if the winds were this strong out of the east, I would have been a happy camper under the porch at the Lobster Shack, but south winds don’t produce a great seabird flight in fall at Dyer Point.

But, rest assured - I absolutely did SOME birding. I visited the sod farms on Mayall Rd in Gray/New Gloucester hoping for a late American Golden-Plover. No plover, but a handful of various sparrows were feeding at the field’s edge. Today was also a good day to bird from inside! The feeders at the store were very active between bouts of heavier rain, and I did not tire of enjoying the Dickcissel that continues here.

Today is also a good day to catch up on some news and notes.

Last fall, I urged you to keep your hummingbird feeders up through early November. While our Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are long gone, October is the time for western vagrants. Keep the feeders hanging, and well-cleaned. I even nurse some flowers to continue to bloom, by either covering them or taking them inside. I still have Scarlet Salvia and Pink Turtlehead blooming in front of the store, waiting for a rarity to wander by. At home, I have been taking in our large pot of Pineapple Sage, and it is now in full bloom. This is a great flower for late-season hummers.

About once a month I thoroughly bird Cape Elizabeth. I park at Kettle Cove, walk through Crescent Beach State Park, over to Two Lights State Park, and back. Then, I check a number of other sites nearby if time permits. Recently, I have been wondering why the heck I’ve been so stubborn about covering this loop. It’s a lot of walking, and my feet (thanks to plantar fasciitis) kill me afterwards. And, forget about rarities, I haven’t even been seeing much of anything at all. A decent bird or two once in a while, but I have been consistently disappointed. The habitat and geography make this place look like it should be bustling with activity.

So, every time I walk the route, I say, “This is the last time.” But something always pulls me back – a good bird, a good flight, or simply the allure of the habitat, and the longing to finally find a “Mega” here.

Well, no “Mega” today, but for once I was not complaining. It was a great day! There were lots of birds, and even a few rarities. I began by walking the beach at Crescent Beach State Park. 5 Semipalmated Plovers were lingering. The weedy field at the park’s southern end always intrigues me, and in late fall, the amount of seed and fruit here makes it look prime. Today, it held two pleasant surprises – a Grasshopper Sparrow (one of only a few of these sprites that I have seen in Maine away from the Kennebunk Plains) and an Orange-crowned Warbler (which I have found on multiple occasions here).

Yesterday, Jeannette and I birded from Kittery through York. We began at Fort Foster, were a few migrants were around, including a single Black-throated Green Warbler and one, singing, Rusty Blackbird. Two Blackpoll Warblers and two “Eastern” or “Yellow” Palm Warblers joined the multitudes of Yellow-rumped Warblers. A Carolina Wren continues there as well.

Three “Ipswich” Savannah Sparrows were at Seapoint Beach, foraging in the dune grass, while thee Black-bellied Plovers foraged along the shore. 69 Red-breasted Mergansers, and a number of White-winged Scoters were offshore, and large flocks of Double-crested Cormorants were passing by overhead, heading south. And, there were at least 20 Common Loons offshore here today.

York Harbor was quite productive, with a feeding frenzy of gulls in the cove containing 75-100 Bonaparte’s Gulls and two late Laughing Gulls among the plethora of Ring-billed, Great Black-backed, and Herring Gulls. The Cliff Walk was suprisingly productive, as we tallied 11 Blackpoll Warblers along its length.

The final stop was the neighborhood near The Nubble Light in Cape Neddick, where we picked up another Carolina Wren, near its usual spot there, and a very small number of the expected seasonal migrants.

Meanwhile, a pleasant surprise was awaiting us here at the store’s feeders – our second Dickcissel of the fall. This bird seems to be an adult female (the last was probably an adult male).

Speaking of Dickcissels, this will be one of the non-sparrow targets for my field trip on Sunday for Merrymeeting Audubon. Our goal will be to see FIFTEEN AND A HALF species of sparrows. Dickcissel, Orange-crowned Warbler, and other late migrants will also be targeted. We will cover a lot of ground, checking many well-known locations as well as a number of "secret spots" as we travel between Yarmouth and Scarborough. Our starting location will be weather-dependent, so we will meet at 7:00 am at the Wild Bird Center at 500 Rte.1 in Yarmouth. This will be an all-day trip, and its free and open to the public.

It was a glorious fall morning as I wandered around Biddeford Pool today. The air was crisp (actually very crisp to start), the sky was blue, and birds were about.

It was a typical mid-October morning, with good numbers of the expected late migrant passerines, lead by Yellow-rumped Warblers. Handfuls of Golden-crowned Kinglets, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and a few Brown Creepers were in the trees. Song and White-throated Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos were in the bushes. Offshore, Northern Gannets were on the move, and an increasing numbers of seaducks were around – today, that included about 30 Red-breasted Mergansers and a few small flocks of White-winged Scoters. On the offshore rocks, Great Cormorants are slowly replacing Double-crested Cormorants, who will head further south for the winter.

5 Red-necked Grebes fished off of Ocean Avenue, and a single Lapland Longspur – my first of the fall in Maine – was at East Point Sanctuary. Three Hermit Thrushes, an immature White-crowned Sparrow, and a Pine Warbler were seen in the neighborhood.

October is a fun month to bird. In fact, it is one of my favorites. Lingering neotropical migrants can make interesting juxtapositions with early wintering birds. A Red-eyed Vireo was foraging within a bush-full of White-throated Sparrows, for example, today. Meanwhile, at Biddeford Pool Beach, a late Laughing Gull was flying around over a group of Red-breasted Mergansers and Red-necked Grebes. And, as you know by now, I am a huge fan of sparrows – and October is the peak of movement of this large and diverse family.

My “best” bird of the day, however, was an October specialty – an Orange-crowned Warbler, a predominately Western warbler that comes through Maine in very small numbers at this time of year. I enjoyed one today, in the same clump of bushes as a lingering Nashville Warbler.

Mid-October also begins the fall “rarity season” (through early November), so you never know what you may find!

Heading to Seal Island, 10/6.

Approaching Seal Island.

The fisherman's bunkhouse, our home for the next 3 days.

OK, back to MAINE birds after this . . . But, I thought I'd share the pictorial highlights from our trip . . . Enjoy . . . .

The Cat, heading to Nova Scotia, 10/3/06

Cape Forchu from the Cat:

Cape Forchu, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia:

With last night’s strong east winds, I would have been out early to seawatch from Dyer Point. However, still catching up from being away, this morning’s birding was limited to an hour in the rain with the dog at Hedgehog Mountain Park. A peppering of the expected October migrants were around, so it was a productive outing before heading in to the store to really be productive.

By the way, there’s still room in my “Making Sense out of Sparrows” Workshop, which begins tonight (the field trip is on Sunday), for Maine Audubon. It’s not too late to join us, call Margi Huber at 207-781-2330 to register.

Nova Scotia, October 3-10, 2006
Trip Report Part II, and Trip List.

Day 4: Seal Island.
This was a truly special experience. Remote Seal Island, 20 miles southwest of Cape Sable Island is not easy to get to. Basically, you have to either know one of the families that own a cabin - mostly fisherman – or join some birders who are going out on an organized trip. Luckily, Jeannette and I scored and invite to join a group of friends on their annual fall excursion to the island. Some of the province’s top birders – including the author of the bird-finding guide we have been relying on - were among the group (a total of 12 folks, including us Yanks), providing us a wealth of local knowledge. A local fishing boat out of Cape Sable Island was chartered, and most of us stayed in the fisherman’s bunkhouse on the island. All supplies, including drinking water had to be carried on, electricity was only available for a few hours each night when the generator was turned on, and the “facilities” were an outhouse. Nothing to do but bird! And chat - as Jeannette and I enjoyed the many conversations with the folks on the trip, heck, we even enjoyed MOST of Don’s jokes and puns!

Nova Scotia, October 3-10, 2006.

Jeannette and I have just returned from a fantastic week of birding in Nova Scotia. It was a most relaxing trip, with little to do but bird and sleep. Although it’s great to be back – we most certainly missed our dog! - I wouldn’t mind still being on vacation! Over the next couple of days, I’ll relive our trip here. I’ll also get some picture up as soon as I can.

Although listing was not a goal of this trip, we did keep a trip list, and totaled a respectable 121 species. Our “best” birds included, in no particular order: Lesser Black-backed Gull, Yellow-breasted Chat, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow and Black-billed Cuckoos, and Prairie Warbler. Highlights for us, however, were probably the quantity of migrant Peregrine Falcons, and the abundance (relatively speaking) of Boreal Chickadees.

The weather was unbeatable – too nice from a birding perspective in fact. Warm days on mostly southerly winds did little to concentrate migrants, but a few more days of birding in a t-shirt was more than welcome! We stayed at many fine B&B’s, which is always a pleasant way to travel (actually, it’s essentially the only option in most of southern Nova Scotia away from Yarmouth we found). I must say however, that I do not need any Mayo for quite some time now.

We focused our attention on the southwestern coast, with emphasis on migrant traps. Our big highlight was a trip out to remote Seal Island. Birding was – of course – our focus of the trip, but we also really enjoyed the bucolic scenery, the lack of crowds, and the unique coastal habitats.

So, Jeannette ran the Maine Marathon today. While she was doing that I was WALKING at the dog, which I find to be significantly less painful. But, my visit to Dragon Field was not too eventful, unfortunately. 20+ Song Sparrows and 15+ Savannah Sparrows, along with 3 Swamp Sparrows and a somewhat tardy Bobolink were the highlights. It is October, and October means sparrow season! I’ll be spending lots of time in weedy fields and brushy patches in the upcoming weeks, that’s for sure.

But, my Maine sparrow searches will just have to wait for a week – on Monday night, Jeannette and I are leaving for a week’s vacation in Nova Scotia. Yippppeeee!!!! We’ll be taking the Cat from Bar Harbor, and exploring the southern part of the peninsula. For three days and two nights, we’ll be visiting Seal Island, in the Outer Tuskets – 20 miles off the coast of Cape Sable. We’ll be in a bunkhouse with a handful of Nova Scotia’s top birders, with no running water, no electricity (unless we turn on a generator), and no vehicles: just three days of birding, reading, and relaxing – we can’t wait!

But, back to the sparrows. Sparrowing will be in full swing by the time we get back. Searching for rarities like Clay-colored and Lark Sparrows, or just enjoying large numbers of common species, like Song Sparrows often produces other fun finds like Orange-crowned Warblers and Dickcissels.

Speaking of Dickcissels, there’s been one hanging out at the store’s feeders since Friday night! It’s actually our store’s second, but the first one (two years ago) only stuck around for a few minutes. It’s being seen on and off, traveling with the flock of resident House Sparrows (“Burger Kinglets”). It’s a spiffy (relatively for fall) adult male, and I have been trying to score the “money” shot. No luck yet – but I’ve come so darn close!

This one would of been great, IF he hadn't turned his head:

It was too dark when I tried to take this one:

And this one doesn't show his colorful front, but is a good shot of then mantle streaking at least:

So, back to sparrows. As many of you know, I love sparrows, and with a little practice, they aren’t as difficult to identify as many folks think. If you have a hankering to learn your “little brown jobs,” join me for a Sparrow Workshop that I will be conducting for Maine Audubon. On Thursday night, the 12th, we’ll be indoors studying slides. Then, we’ll take our “classroom” learning outside on Sunday morning. I'll be focusing on the "generic" approach, breaking down our choices first into genera, then into species, using a combination of field marks and gestalt. Contact Maine Audubon for more information and to register.

Jeannette in the Maine Marathon:
Smiling at the start:

Still able to crack a smile at Mile 19:

Not-so-smiley near the finish line: