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6 September 2010
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Rockport, Maine, USA
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Posts Tagged ‘bufflehead’
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010
 Palm warbler. If you know me well, you know my love of wood-warblers. Just something about their diminutive size, big voices, colorful plumage, and elusive nature has wholly captivated me since I began birding seriously exactly three decades ago this year. For me, May is the month of warblers. But a few early birds show up on the 44th parallel in April—and today was my first 2010 ID.
 Isolated thundershower. These past two-three days I’ve thought I detected warblers. But the distinctively strident, declarative notes I’ve heard have come from tiny birds in flight, migrating overhead. And I’m none too familiar with early-warbler voices anyway. Perhaps I’ve heard a few yellow-rumps in overflight. And who knows what-all else. But identification has been beyond me—until today.
In fact, as soon as dog and I jumped out of the pickup in the Beech Hill parking lot this late morning, I heard them. Two or three tiny birds flitting about the upper limbs of a conifer. I didn’t know their calls and couldn’t get a fix on ‘em with my fieldglasses. But very shortly thereafter, coming up the trail’s first rise along the road, I got a good look—and a passable photo—of a palm warbler. It had a similar voice to the chipping sparrow calling from the other side of its tree, but I still don’t have it memorized. (I’ve listened to recordings, but recordings don’t register as purely as hearing a bird “in person.”) And right after I spotted the palm, I heard a field sparrow.
 Sky islands. Field sparrows have been nesting on Beech Hill for only a few years. They’re not an uncommon bird, but for a not uncommon bird, they’ve been in somewhat of a decline lately, so it’s been nice to hear their bouncy, musical calls on the hill. Yesterday I heard my first savannah sparrow (a Beech Hill mainstay), and today I heard my first field sparrow. In fact, today was a five-sparrow day: field, savannah, song, chipping, and white-throated. I also saw a raven, a kettle of five turkey vultures, and a pileated woodpecker in flight. I heard phoebes, chickadees, robins, goldfinches, house finches. Low in the bay floated banks of fog. We heard, dog and I, a clap of thunder from a tall cloud to the north. Detected something of a fickle breeze. Felt warmth from the sun.
 Double-crested cormorant. Elsewhere in my travels today I saw or heard: cardinal, starling, cowbird, titmouse, herring gull, ring-billed gull, rock pigeon. Then at about 6 p.m. we took a walk along the breakwater, where the tide was high and I listed eiders, d-c cormorants, r-b mergansers, a greater black-backed gull, napping spotted sandpipers, a couple loons. On the way home, in calm, brimming Clam Cove, floated a pair of buffleheads.
But what I’m remembering tonight (and hoping to see more of tomorrow) are wood-warblers—those jewel-like creatures of the woodland.
Today’s List
 Purple sandpipers. Northern cardinal
House sparrow
Song sparrow
House finch
Mourning dove
Eastern phoebe
American crow
Herring gull
American goldfinch
American robin
Palm warbler
Chipping sparrow
Field sparrow
White-throated sparrow
Savannah sparrow
Common raven
Black-capped chickadee
Turkey vulture
Northern flicker
European starling
Ring-billed gull
Rock pigeon
Common eider
Great black-backed gull
Red-breasted merganser
Purple sandpiper
Common loon
Bufflehead
 Common eider.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, black-capped chickadee, bufflehead, chipping sparrow, common eider, common raven, eastern hoebe, European starling, field sparrow, great black-backed gull, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mourning dove, Northern cardinal, northern flicker, palm warbler, purple sandpiper, red-breasted merganser, ring-billed gull, rock pigeon, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, turkey vulture, white-throated sparrow
Posted in Lists, Observations | No Comments »
Sunday, April 4th, 2010
 The hills (from Beech Hill). This morning, when swimming up out of my dream about my new dog, something about the timbre of the cardinal’s voice out the back window tipped me off to the awesomeness of the day to come. Sun, check. Breeze, calm. Smell of the air, fresh. Aside from the cardinal, I counted ten species calling pretty much simultaneously: eastern phoebe, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, downy woodpecker, American robin, house finch, goldfinch, mourning dove, house sparrow, crow.
 Mourning dove. The cardinal, phoebe, and mourning dove were not shy. The locally dominant individual of each species gave forth from conspicuous perches very near where the dog and I walked. Got a photo of the dove.
On our Beech Hill walk at late morning, I overdressed. Right away, in fact, I ended up wearing both my sweatshirt and loose, long-sleeved T-shirt tied around my waist. The temperature must’ve been about 72 degrees (F). Even the breeze on the summit felt warm. I heard the call of a pileated woodpecker, a phoebe, a titmouse, a robin, chickadees. I saw a female harrier soaring low over the bronze-grassed hill. Song sparrows sun from conspicuous places, and I couldn’t help but wonder when the first savannah sparrow would arrive. (Savannahs own the grassy part of Beech Hill.) No swallows today, nor vultures, nor broad-wings. I did spy a distant hawk, but I couldn’t tell if it was a redtail or perhaps even the marsh hawk I’d seen rising to continue its spring migration.
 Great egret, Weskeag Marsh. Back home, as soon as I got out of the pickup, I spotted another hawk—again, I couldn’t tell if it was a red-tailed or broad-winged or harrier or what. All I could tell for sure is that about a half dozen crows herded it noisily away to the south.
In early afternoon, my friends Kristen and Paul showed up to check out my new iPad. But more fun was our quick trip to Weskeag Marsh on Buttermilk Lane. On the way, I chuckled internally at a few ring-billed gulls perched strategically on a high roof across the road from McDonald’s. Readily evident at the marsh were black ducks and killdeers and gulls and crows. Behind us sang a red-winged blackbird. Facing a suddenly stout (but warm) south wind, we saw in the farthest pond little ducks, green-winged teals no doubt. I happened to spot a solitary adult bald eagle soaring up over the conifers on the far side. But leave it to eagle-eyed Kristen to ID two notable species: blue-winged teal (a pair) and great egret (an individual). Both were first-of-year sightings for me.
 Buoy. I rode my bike again, saw rock pigeons and Canada geese—somewhat fewer—at Aldermere farm. (Aside: I’m up to 160 miles already this year.) Then dog and I headed for the breakwater, spotting a pair of buffleheads in Clam Cove along the way.
It was approaching 6 p.m. I wore sandals and a T-shirt and jeans: the perfect dress. The wind had died down, and the water’s surface on bay side of the breakwater spread calm and smooth and reflective. A slightly choppier surface on the harbor side had nonetheless attracted a few long-tailed ducks, which I heard chatting and gossiping as they took wing on their evening flight back out to sea. But the action was on the island side: loons (several, a couple in breeding plumage), eiders, red-breasted mergansers. Herring gulls and black-backed gulls wheeled and sailed and cried. I could hardly believe the calm in that direction.
Nearing the shore again, a breeze kicked up, roughening the surface again. Cardinals and house finches and robins sang to the waning day.
 Gull. Today’s List
Northern cardinal
Song sparrow
Tufted titmouse
American robin
House finch
Mourning dove
Downy woodpecker
House sparrow
American crow
Eastern phoebe
American goldfinch
Herring gull
Pileated woodpecker
Black-capped chickadee
Northern harrier
Ring-billed gull
Black duck
Red-winged blackbird
Killdeer
Green-winged teal
Bald eagle
Blue-winged teal
Great egret
Rock pigeons
Canada goose
Bufflehead
Common eider
Red-breasted merganser
Common loon
Long-tailed duck
Great black-backed gull
 Calm sea.
Tags: American goldfinch, American robin, bald eagle, black duck, black-capped chickadee, blue-winged teal, bufflehead, Canada goose, common eider, common loon, downy woodpecker, Eastern phoebe, great black-backed gull, great egret, green-winged teal, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, killdeer, long-tailed duck, mourning dove, Northern cardinal, Northern harrier, pileated woodpecker, red-breasted merganser, red-winged blackbird, ring-billed gull, rock pigeons, song sparrow, titmouse, tufted titmouse
Posted in Lists, Observations | No Comments »
Sunday, March 21st, 2010
 The bay. The temperature when first I checked this morning hovered about thirty degrees colder than yesterday’s high—mid- to upper-30s (F). The sky wore gray. But dog and I split for Beech Hill early anyway.
 Old warbler nest. A woman leaving as we arrived saw my camera and told me I would get some lovely photos, because the view was beautiful this morning. She was right about that. Just as we crested the final rise, the sky began to spit snow, and I saw the edge of the squall to the northeast, beyond and to the south of which the morning sun splashed against the far bay. The sky above and the water below the dark lumps of the islands glowed with miraculous striations. The wind was cold.
Heard and/or saw five birds from the hill today: goldfinch, titmouse, crow, chickadee, herring gull. Also noticed a small nest in the brush, likely belonging to one of last year’s common yellowthroat families. On the way home from the hill, many brown sparrows flitted amid roadside brush nearly exactly the same color as their feathers.
Then in afternoon I went with my birding friend Kristen to Weskeag Marsh to see what was up. I asked her what we might see.
“Ducks or herons,” was her reply.
She was right about that. We saw both: black ducks, mallards, a raft of green-winged teals—and a pair of great blue herons stalking the edges. I heard sandpiper sounds.
“Sandpiper sounds,” says I.
“Probably killdeers,” says Kristen.
She was right again: we ended up seeing maybe a half dozen individuals of the species poking around here and there.
 Great blue heron. Then who should drive up but Don Reimer, local birder extraordinaire, and we ended up chatting for a half-hour, at least, while simultaneously scanning the watery expanse. At one point, I spotted a large bird soaring above the far side of the basin—an adult bald eagle—and Don pointed out a couple red-tailed hawks, possibly the marsh’s nesting pair, rising from nowhere to accost it. Kristen kept us posted as the hawks herded the eagle well away from there.
Don had come from Owls Head Harbor, where he reported the winter gulls had left but a wigeon was hanging around. So Kristen and I headed there next, and sure enough found the wigeon. We also found a number of spring yard birds hanging around a nearby feeder—jays, cardinals, and more than one species of blackbird.
And on this partly cloudy night, among the bare oak branches, hung the waxing crescent moon.
 Killdeers. Today’s List
Northern cardinal
American crow
Tufted titmouse
House finch
Mourning dove
American goldfinch
Song sparrow
Black-capped chickadee
Herring gull
Common grackle
Black duck
Mallard
Great blue heron
Killdeer
Green-winged teal
Bald eagle
Red-tailed hawk
Bufflehead
Common loon
American wigeon
Rock dove
Blue jay
Red-winged blackbird
European starling
 Snow squall.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American wigeon, bald eagle, black duck, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, bufflehead, common grackle, common loon, European starling, great blue heron, green-winged teal, herring gull, house finch, killdeer, mallard, mourning dove, Northern cardinal, red-tailed hawk, red-winged blackbird, rock dove, song sparrow, tufted titmouse
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Saturday, March 20th, 2010
 Sky over Rockland. On the last morning of winter, the sun rose and the air got warmer quicker than on any other day so far this year. Out back, I heard a crow, a cardinal, a house finch, a white-breasted nuthatch, a chickadee, a goldfinch—and a first-of-year song sparrow calling from the tangles at the edge of the yard of the neighbor to the south of me. Soon after recognizing the song sparrow’s voice, I heard the distinctive chip note of a white-throated sparrow in nearer tangles. And not long after that, I heard the calls of a downy woodpecker and a good ol’ American blue jay.
 Beech Hill view. Dog and I walked Beech Hill fairly early. Seven species on the hill today: robin, titmouse, crow, goldfinch, herring gull, chickadee, and downy woodpecker. The islands hung off in a blue-gray haze, an almost steamy miasma, as if in summer. There was a wind up there, but I probably didn’t really need that hooded sweatshirt.
Took a midday bike ride. Heard the calls of three separate song sparrows in Rockport Village.
Late in the day, dog and I headed for the breakwater. En route, I noted a robin in the cemetery and saw a small flock of blackbirds—recognizing only a grackle—along the access lane. On our arrival, at nearly high tide, we found that another fifty or sixty spring-feverish folks (and their dogs) had got the same idea.
 Great cormorant. The chop rose on the harbor side this day, thanks to the antic northwest wind. And after a mostly sunny Saturday, clouds had by then begun collecting in the south and west sky, creating a dramatic sunray display over the harbor. But aside from a pair of mallards at the little protected beach, I saw not a single species on that side. On the island side, meantime, floated a couple common eiders. Then I spotted a solitary cormorant winging its way low over the water and thought perhaps this was an early double-crested; later, though, I got near it, and in fact it was a lingering great.
I felt a bit sad not to have seen any long-tailed ducks. And I found interesting the lack of any common loons. I couldn’t remember my loonless last trip out there and figured they’d all headed back to the lakes and ponds, what with (early) ice-out, and all. Then, having nearly reached shore on the return trip, I caught sight of a solo diver in full spring plumage floating off in the northeast lee.
Now that it’s spring, of course, we’re due some cooler temperatures—and precipitation that might even include snow. And you know? I’m not the least surprised.
Meantime, tonight—an implausibly mild-seeming night—up the hill a ways I heard a single spring peeper.
 The Rockland Breakwater. Today’s List
American crow
Northern cardinal
Song sparrow
White-throated sparrow
House finch
White-breasted nuthatch
Black-capped chickadee
American goldfinch
Blue jay
Downy woodpecker
American robin
Tufted titmouse
Mourning dove
Herring gull
Bufflehead
Common grackle
Common eider
Great cormorant
Common loon
Mallard
 Immature herring gull.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, bufflehead, common eider, common grackle, common loon, downy woodpecker, great cormorant, herring gull, house finch, mallard, mourning dove, Northern cardinal, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow
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Tuesday, March 16th, 2010
 Purple sandpiper. Daylight this morning brought direct sunbeams for a change. Bright, warming sun. Outside early, I heard a titmouse, chickadees, mourning dove, downy woodpecker, a house finch—and what sounded to me exactly like a broad-winged hawk. I find it impossible to believe one could arrive so early, though, despite this earlier-than-usual spring, so I chalked it up to some whistling impostor or my ears playing tricks on me.
 Long-tailed duck. I did hear the check, check of a blackbird flying over. A solitary bird. I’m guessing a red-winged blackbird.
In early afternoon I introduced the dog to the breakwater. En route, I noticed a pair of buffleheads in Clam Cove. We arrived to find a number of cars—and a dead high tide. It was the warmest walk out there this year. Calm on the harbor side, blue breakers in the direction of the islands. Common loons showing signs of spring plumage. A black black guillemot (i.e., breeding plumage). And a half-dozen purple sandpipers arrayed above the benign harbor waves. If I got too close, they’d peep and flutter.
Long-tailed ducks, common eiders. Temperatures well into the 50s (F).
So of course I took my first bike ride of the season. Fourteen miles, wind in my ears, crows, chickadees, a goldfinch.
I hear no woodcocks out there tonight—but it’s starry and thrillingly mild.
 Black guillemot. Today’s List
Tufted titmouse
American crow
House finch
Downy woodpecker
Mourning dove
Red-winged blackbird
Black-capped chickadee
Northern cardinal
Herring gull
Bufflehead
Common loon
Black guillemot
Long-tailed duck
Purple sandpiper
Common eider
American goldfinch
Also notable: gray squirrel, red squirrel
 Split tide.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, black-capped chickadee, bufflehead, common eider, common loon, downy woodpecker, herring gull, house finch, long-tailed duck, mourning dove, Northern cardinal, purple sandpiper, red-winged blackbird, tufted titmouse
Posted in Lists, Observations | 2 Comments »
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| Bird Report is an intermittent record of what's outside my window in Rockport, Maine, USA (44°08'N latitude, 69°06'W longitude), and vicinity. —Brian Willson |
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