American redstart (first-year male).
The day started out pretty early. Another Friday morning bicycle ride through Camden, Lincolnville, and Hope. Four of us on this morning’s ride, which took us up through low-lying mist into higher sunlight, then back again. As on the last two early Friday mornings, I saw and heard—mostly heard—a lot of birds. Today, most notably: a Canada goose (at Megunticook Lake, where we started), a common loon (calling somewhere along the route), ten warblers, four flycatchers, and three thrushes. Thirty-seven species over the course of eighteen miles.
Chestnut-sided warbler.
Immediately afterward, Jack and I hiked Beech Hill, as usual. Somewhat foggy still, with clouds hanging low over the inland hills and bay islands. Few species at first, although a white-tailed deer loped through the woods about fifty yards in front of us, left to right, causing us both to stop and gape. But then the birds began to sing and fly, and by the end of our hike of the wooded trail, I’d counted thirty (only four not on my bike list). Notably, I kept walking into tiny filaments that some worm or spider had strung across the trail—seemingly always at the level of my face. About the tenth or fifteenth of these, and I broke down and said, “Damn it.” Not proud of that.
This afternoon, the sun emerged, and I took another bike ride. Starling, grackle, herring gull. Then about a quarter to six, I had a call from a fellow birder asking if I’d like to photograph Wilson’s phalaropes at Weskeag Marsh. Turns out I did—so I drove over and got a couple distant shots. I hadn’t been there in several weeks. The pannes were full, the marsh green and lush. Yellowthroats called, a snowy egret flew in, black ducks and mallards dabbled, and there were flyovers by great a blue herons and an osprey.
All in all, a multifarious kind of day.
Early Morning Bike Ride
(Knox and Waldo counties; not in order of sighting.)
1. Canada goose
2. Mallard
3. Ovenbird (voice)
4. American redstart (voice)
5. Chestnut-sided warbler (voice)
6. Yellow warbler (voice)
7. Common yellowthroat (voice)
8. Black-throated green warbler (voice)
9. Black-throated blue warbler (voice)
10. Black-and-white warbler (voice)
11. Blackburnian warbler (voice)
12. Nashville warbler (voice)
13. Red-winged blackbird
14. Common grackle
15. Eastern phoebe
16. Eastern wood-pewee (voice)
17. Alder flycatcher (voice)
18. Eastern kingbird
19. American robin
20. Wood thrush (voice)
21. Veery (voice)
22. American goldfinch
23. Rose-breasted grosbeak (voice)
24. Black-capped chickadee
25. Tufted titmouse (voice)
26. Northern flicker
27. Song sparrow
28. Chipping sparrow (voice)
29. Common loon (voice)
30. American crow
31. Blue jay (voice)
32. Northern cardinal (voice)
33. Cedar waxwing
34. Mourning dove
35. Red-eyed vireo (voice)
36. Tree swallow
37. Gray catbird
American redstart.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:30 a.m., I walked the wooded trails.
Red-eyed vireo
Chestnut-sided warbler
Ovenbird
Black-capped chickadee
American goldfinch
Rose-breasted grosbeak
American redstart
38. Eastern towhee
Cedar waxwing
Gray catbird
39. White-breasted nuthatch (voice)
Alder flycatcher
Black-and-white warbler
Song sparrow
Common yellowthroat
Nashville warbler
Yellow warbler
Mourning dove
Eastern phoebe
Tree swallow
40. Field sparrow
41. Savannah sparrow
American crow
Veery
Tufted titmouse
Black-throated green warbler
American robin
Northern flicker
Black-throated blue warbler
Eastern wood-pewee
Wilson's phalaropes, Weskeag Marsh.
Weskeag Marsh
Mallard
42. Black duck
43. Great blue heron
44. Wilson’s phalarope*
45. Snowy egret*
46. Killdeer
47. Greater yellowlegs (voice)*
48. Osprey
Elsewhere
49. House sparrow
50. European starling
51. Herring gull
*First-of-year bird.
Rockport Harbor mist.
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black duck, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated blue warbler, black-throated green warbler, blackburnian warbler, blue jay, Canada goose, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common grackle, common loon, common yellowthroat, eastern kingbird, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, European starling, field sparrow, gray catbird, great blue heron, greater yellowlegs, herring gull, house sparrow, killdeer, mallard, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, northern flicker, osprey, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, red-winged blackbird, rose-breasted grosbeak, savannah sparrow, snowy egret, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, veery, white-breasted nuthatch, Wilson's phalarope, wood thrush, yellow warbler
