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6 September 2010
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Rockport, Maine, USA
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Posts Tagged ‘great black-backed gull’
Monday, May 31st, 2010
 Dead cedar waxwing. Earlier this month, the Alaotra grebe—a small species from Madagascar—was declared extinct. On Monhegan this morning, I got a look at the preserved remains of a lovely cedar waxwing that’d run into a window and died. (Note: an estimated 100 million or more birds die in the U.S. each year from running into windows.) Then on a hike through Cathedral Woods this afternoon, my friends Kristen and Paul and I came upon a whimsical memorial to a dead wood-warbler.
 Ovenbird memorial. This particular trail in the woods is known for its tiny “fairy houses” made of bark and twigs and lichen and spruce cones. And this particular house had a makeshift cross, a snail shell, and a sort of lean-to holding the corpse of a lovely ovenbird. I can hardly express how touching this was to stumble upon on Memorial Day.
A number of house cats—including an exotic breed or two—stalk the yards of Monhegan, and no doubt a few kill birds. In fall, the island gets by peregrine falcons and other raptors, efficient machines for murder. And, sure, every living thing dies. But it sticks with you when you view the dead bodies of more than one recently living bird in one twenty-four-hour period. It sticks with me, at least.
 White-eyed vireo. So it’s with somewhat deeper appreciation that I counted forty-five living species this warm, summer-like spring day on Monhegan—including plenty of living waxwings (about a hundred). Also including a white-eyed vireo (a lifer for me), a bird Kristen and I tracked down in a thicket off the Burnt Head trail; obligingly, it hopped up onto a dead branch just as I raised my camera. Three individual birds were most discussed this weekend: Saturday’s western kingbird, the white-eyed vireo, and an olive-sided flycatcher reportedly seen in the same area as the vireo. We tried for what one birder called the “all-excited flycatcher” but saw and heard only a bunch of alders. Oh, well.
One interesting aspect of this trip were two thirteen-year-old Maine birders—long-time friends—who really knew their stuff. One of the boys got nice photos of the white-eyed, and the other ended the day with a sighting of a black-billed cuckoo. I believe they both photographed the wayward western kingbird. And this afternoon, on the boat back inshore, they both stood with me in the bow snapping photos of northern gannets.
The northern gannets, by the way, were very much alive.
 Northern oriole. Monhegan List
(Numbered for full trip; not in order of listing.)
55. White-eyed vireo**
56. Northern flicker (voice)
57. Spotted sandpiper*
58. White-throated sparrow (voice)
American robin
Cedar waxwing
Red-breasted nuthatch
House wren
Winter wren (voice)
Carolina wren
Magnolia warbler
Alder flycatcher
Golden-crowned kinglet (voice)
Double-crested cormorant
Herring gull
Great black-backed gull
Laughing gull
Common eider
Black guillemot
Mallard
American goldfinch
White-winged crossbill
Ring-necked pheasant (voice)
American crow
Common grackle
Red-winged blackbird
European starling
Purple finch (voice)
Common yellowthroat
Yellow warbler
American redstart
Black-throated green warbler (voice)
Blackpoll warbler (voice)
Gray catbird
Mourning dove
Black-capped chickadee
Northern oriole
Brown thrasher
Northern cardinal (voice)
Eastern kingbird
Alder flycatcher
Eastern wood-pewee (voice)
Song sparrow
Blue jay (voice)
Osprey (voice)
Elsewhere
Northern gannet
Bald eagle
Tufted titmouse (voice)
*First-of-year bird.
**Life bird.
 Northern gannet, living and breathing.
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blackpoll warbler, blue jay, brown thrasher, Carolina wren, Cedar waxwing, common eider, common grackle, common yellowthroat, double-crested cormorant, European starling, golden-crowned kinglet, gray catbird, great black-backed gull, herring gull, house wren, laughing gull, magnolia warbler, mallard, mourning dove, Northern cardinal, northern flicker, northern oriole, osprey, purple finch, red-breasted nuthatch, red-winged blackbird, Ring-necked pheasant, song sparrow, spotted sandpiper, white-eyed vireo, white-throated sparrow, white-winged crossbill, winter wren, yellow warbler
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Sunday, May 30th, 2010
 Carolina wren. It’s hard to put into words the shift in reality you feel when staying on an island a several miles offshore. A smallish island, with another hundred souls or so, and some leashless dogs, and pickups without license plates driving slowly along windy one-lane gravel roads. Especially at this time of year, when the air smells of the ocean and lilacs and cut grass and roses. And there’s a bird in every tree.
 Cedar waxwing—not an uncommon bird on Monhegan. Another fruitful day on Monhegan. Up at first light (about 5 a.m.). Two hours birding before breakfast. Hazy in the morning, then a spattering of rain. Then clearing into full sun and summer-like warmth. The calendar seems much earlier than the season.
Birders’ excitement yesterday—there’s always some crazy vagrant—was the western kingbird we saw hanging out with the eastern kingbirds at the watery wetland they call The Meadow. We also heard tell of a white-eyed vireo and, today, an olive-sided warbler, but we neither saw nor heard either. However, I personally listed a dozen new island species, including four first-of-year birds (red-breasted nuthatch, winter wren, golden-crowned kinglet, and willet). That’s a good fifty-four species on the trip so far—certainly no record, but not bad for a migration mostly gone by.
 Yellow warbler. I got a couple decent photos but thought I’d lost them all as my camera battery died while downloading. Thankfully, I didn’t—but if I had, it wouldn’t've been nearly as upsetting as if I’d been inshore. The Carolina wren was fairly nice. Also a couple of waxwing shots. (I saw a pair of waxwings, by the way, feeding each other berries—a behavior I’ve witnessed in the past but involving apple blossoms.) But no photo overshadowed the dramatic Heimlich Maneuver rescue of a guest at dinner. Lucky for him he sat near a doctor who, though she acknowledged it was her first Heimlich, expelled the food expertly. (Others of us who had taken CPR classes stood by just in case.) In the end, he finished his meal and had chocolate cake for dessert.
This evening, I watched the sunset over the ocean with Kristen and Paul. Gulls were riding the wind lazily in the gathering darkness, headed somewhere to roost. And on my walk back to my room at the Trailing Yew, I saw the silhouette of a great blue heron in flight.
Such is Monhegan. Such is life.
 Willet. Monhegan List
(Numbered for full trip; not in order of listing.)
43. Brown thrasher
44. Common raven (voice)
45. Chipping sparrow (voice)
46. Northern parula (voice)
47. Red-breasted nuthatch*
48. Magnolia warbler
49. Alder flycatcher
50. Willet*
51. Ruby-throated hummingbird
52. Winter wren* (voice)
53. Golden-crowned kinglet* (voice)
54. Great blue heron
Laughing gull
Common eider
European starling
Ring-necked pheasant
Mourning dove (voice)
Blue jay (voice)
American goldfinch
Common yellowthroat
Northern gannet
Black-throated green warbler (voice)
Blackpoll warbler (voice)
Barn swallow
House wren
Cedar waxwing
American redstart
Carolina wren
Black-capped chickadee
Gray catbird
Eastern kingbird
Double-crested cormorant
Northern oriole
Red-winged blackbird
Common grackle
Song sparrow
Yellow warbler
Herring gull
Mallard
American crow
American robin
Gray catbird
Osprey
Black guillemot
Great black-backed gull
*First-of-year bird.
 White Head, Monhegan, 30 May 2010.
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, barn swallow, black guillemot, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blackpoll warbler, blue jay, brown thrasher, Carolina wren, Cedar waxwing, chipping sparrow, common eider, common grackle, common raven, common yellowthroat, double-crested cormorant, eastern kingbird, European starling, golden-crowned kinglet, gray catbird, great black-backed gull, great blue heron, herring gull, house wren, laughing gull, magnolia warbler, mallard, mourning dove, northern gannet, northern oriole, northern parula, osprey, red-breasted nuthatch, red-winged blackbird, Ring-necked pheasant, ruby throated hummingbird, song sparrow, willet, winter wren, yellow warbler
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Sunday, May 9th, 2010
 Chestnut-sided warbler. One of life’s greatest challenges is overcoming expectations. Yesterday dawned dreary and overcast, and I counted twice as many species as I figured I would (including three first-of-year birds); the sun this morning flooded promisingly across a green spring landscape, and it turned out to be a wicked tough day for birding.
 Chestnut-sided warbler. I knew from the thermometer it’d be a cold one: about 40 degrees (F) when we headed out, dog and I. What I didn’t exactly anticipate was the ferocity of the wind. At the protected wooded Beech Hill trailhead, young trees wagged and whispered, and upper limbs rubbed together with tiny creaks and squeals. I’d worn a hooded sweatshirt and felt prepared. And sure enough I heard the the birdsong I expected at the outset: ovenbird, black-throated green warbler, yellowthroat, chickadee, jay. But it took a while to hear the voices of many other warblers—or even a towhee. Then I noticed the scarcity of black flies and mosquitos, thanks to a gusty understory. Good for me and Jack, not so much for warblers.
Still, I eventually saw and/or heard most of the usual woodland birds—even the quiet, nesting ones, like robins. The rose-breasted grosbeak had hung around, somehow I managed to make out the distant drumming of a partridge, and a few chestnut-sided warblers proved cooperative portrait subjects. But once we reached the summit, a strong, steady northwest wind rushed loudly through the little spruce grove—and against my ears—making it difficult to hear a thing (or I expect, if you’re a bird, to fly.) I did check the phoebe nest and found it occupied. But I saw no birds in the air at all, and the savannah sparrows didn’t even bother singing. Plus, it was colder’n hell up there. Just not overly comfortable at all.
 Mother's Day robin. Coming back up over the open trail, I did finally spot a savannah flitting along the edge of the trail. And at one point, I caught sight of a tree swallow in flight, battling the wind. But it took me a good five minutes of standing, listening, rocking against the gusts, and tipping my head before I heard the three species that’ve been calling dependably down the slope toward South Street: titmouse, yellow warbler, hermit thrush.
We hiked down the lower wooded trail at a brisk pace, hardly bothering to stop to listen for calls. Ovenbird and black-throated green is about all there was down there today. The full circuit took a lot less time than yesterday.
But the list could’ve been a lot worse. And warming up back home was nice. And late this afternoon we took a quick walk to the end of the breakwater and back—an even windier and more bone-chilling experience than our morning hike, by the way—and saw a few nice shoreside birds.
Taking the dog out a minute ago, though, I had probably my nicest thrill of the day when I heard the strange, crazy flight song of a woodcock spiraling down through a black night sky gone relatively, sweetly calm.
 Pair of common eiders. Beech Hill List
At 6:45 a.m., I walked all trails.
1. Black-throated green warbler (voice)
2. Ovenbird (voice)
3. Black-capped chickadee
4. Herring gull (voice)
5. Blue jay (voice)
6. American crow (voice)
7. Common yellowthroat
8. Rose-breasted grosbeak (voice)
9. American robin
10. Common raven (voice)
11. Chestnut-sided warbler
12. White-throated sparrow (voice)
13. Ruffed grouse (booming)
14. Eastern towhee
15. Gray catbird (voice)
16. Nashville warbler
17. Black-and-white warbler
18. American goldfinch
19. Hairy woodpecker
20. Northern parula (voice)
21. Blue-headed vireo (voice)
22. Mourning dove
23. Eastern phoebe
24. Savannah sparrow
25. Tree swallow
26. Tufted titmouse (voice)
27. Yellow warbler (voice)
28. Hermit thrush (voice)
Elsewhere
29. House finch
30. Northern cardinal
31. Common grackle
32. Great black-backed gull
33. Ring-billed gull
34. Common eider
35. Double-crested cormorant
36. American woodcock
 Two islands (from Beech Hill).
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, blue-headed vireo, chestnut-sided warbler, common eider, common grackle, common raven, common yellowthroat, double-crested cormorant, Eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, gray catbird, great black-backed gull, hairy woodpecker, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, Northern cardinal, northern parula, ovenbird, ring-billed gull, rose-breasted grosbeak, ruffed grouse, savannah sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, white-throated sparrow, yellow warbler
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Sunday, May 2nd, 2010
 Savannah sparrow. Old Sam Peabody accompanied us on our hike up Beech Hill this morning, dog and me. That is to say, white-throated sparrows were calling up and down nearly every trail. So were eastern towhees. And wild turkeys kept popping up, as well. But most exciting was the arrival of new wood-warblers. The leading edge of a wave.
 Red squirrel. I wondered if any would show up this morning—especially considering the little weather front that moved in overnight last night. The time of year is right, I knew. And, sure enough, dog and I had walked no farther than about a hundred yards up the wooded trail when I heard the sibilant call of a black-and-white warbler. And soon after, the variable chatter of a Nashville warbler.That was two species more than I heard yesterday.
As we climbed the misty hill, in fact, many birds made their presence known. Like the brown thrasher that appeared directly in the middle of the trail in front of us, only to flit off into the undergrowth, where it scratched at last year’s leaves. Or the turkey we cane upon while rounding the sharp corner at the top of the wooded trail: it surprised all three of us, but the turkey was the only one to cluck and take flight. By the time we reached the summit, I’d already counted as many species as I did in our full two-hour hike yesterday—20. Heard calls of a blue jay, a pileated woodpecker, an osprey overhead. In fact, we also heard the wailing of a young cow from the little Rockville Street farm.
 Double-crested cormorant. Spotted a harrier perched in a tree, a kestrel soaring over the summit. The Beech Nut phoebe family made their presence known. Despite the overnight rain, the dampness didn’t appear to soak in much—things are still relatively dry. Four sparrow species (all but chipping), raven, blue-headed vireo. Plenty of black flies hovering around my face and head.
Which might explain the other two warbler species I also heard today: yellow-rumped and black-throated green. Hope to grab some photos of the little guys soon.
So, thirty species at Beech Hill this morning. This afternoon, we hit the breakwater. Sheep-flock clouds floated over, and the difference between the sea and sky was negligible. But eiders were still hanging around, as were guillemots and common loons.
Just now, nearing midnight: damp and mild, with peepers—and the tseet of a white-throated sparrow.
 Sky, Beech HIll. Beech Hill List
At 7:30 a.m., I walked all trails.
American crow
American robin
American goldfinch
Black-capped chickadee
Hermit thrush (voice)
Herring gull (voice)
Blue jay (voice)
Hairy woodpecker (voice)
Eastern towhee
White-throated sparrow (voice)
Osprey
Black-and-white warbler* (voice)
Nashville warbler* (voice)
Wild turkey
Brown thrasher
Pileated woodpecker (voice)
Field sparrow (voice)
Tree swallow
Mourning dove
Eastern phoebe
Savannah sparrow
Tufted titmouse (voice)
Song sparrow
Yellow-rumped warbler (voice)
Blue-headed vireo (voice)
Northern harrier
Common raven
American kestrel
Black-throated green warbler* (voice)
Red-winged blackbird
*first-of-year bird
Elsewhere
House finch
Downy woodpecker
Peepers
Northern cardinal
European starling
Rock pigeon
House sparrow
Common eider
Great black-backed gull
Common loon
Black guillemot
Mallard
 Gull and cormorant.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American kestrel, American robin, black guillemot, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, blue-headed vireo, brown thrasher, common eider, common loon, common raven, downy woodpecker, Eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, European starling, field sparrow, great black-backed gull, hairy woodpecker, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mallard, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, Northern cardinal, Northern harrier, osprey, peepers, pileated woodpecker, red-winged blackbird, rock pigeon, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titouse, white-throated sparrow, wild turkey, yellow-rumped warbler
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Friday, April 30th, 2010
 Spring wood, Beech Hill. When I first looked out at the sky this morning, I saw that it was cloudless. Wholly cloudless. Not a cloud in the sky. This seemed somehow promising—if somewhat scary—so we took only a few minutes, dog and I, before heading up to Beech Hill. (Although I did take time to make coffee.)
 Mourning dove. No cars in the lot. At first, again, I heard only the commoner birds: chickadee, goldfinch, robin, herring gull down the road. But soon (again) came the voices of towhees. And then, ascending the upper woodland trail, I heard what at first sounded like the song of the catbird I heard the other day. And in just the same place. But again—as the other day—I thought I detected double-phrasing. Like a thrasher. I couldn’t see the bird beyond the tangles along the trail edge, but after passing I couldn’t help asking the dog to accompany back down a ways to take another look.
There it was: brown thrasher. Thus, I’ve gone back and changed my listing of a catbird on 26 April (Monday). None of those just yet. Oh, they’ll be here—but they’ve been beaten by a thrasher.
We came upon a red squirrel hiding just a few feet off the trail. Then just a few paces farther along, I heard the quay note of a hermit thrush—and the bird itself hopped up to a hidden twig (but not that hidden) not twenty feet from us. Good look, no possible photo.
 Chipping sparrow. The air warmed quickly in the sun as we climbed the greening hill. But at the summit a quick wind howled in the little huddle of spruces. A huge wind, racing in from the west or northwest or southwest. I couldn’t listen well for all the wind. But I did hear savannah sparrows. Saw a couple, too, flitting about on the trail in front of us as they are wont to do. Not much else, though, until we reached the base of the open trail on the other side of the hill. The chipping sparrow that’s claimed one particular spruce down there was calling loudly from one of its branches. I caught sight of the bird for a change.
On the trail we met a mother with a young son. She also carried a baby. And a kite. On our return ascent we came upon the little family in a place of sailing wind. Sure enough, she’d managed to get the kite airborne, and the little guy was flying it like a pro. I snapped a couple photos.
There, off in the wind, the field sparrow. Coming back down the wooded trail: a titmouse. And a downy woodpecker. And, rather thrillingly, a blue-headed vireo. As we stopped to listen to the vireo, dog and I were suddenly cloaked in a cloud of black flies. A chickadee flitted in some hardwood branches above us, picking off flies.
I thought I’d be ending up with 17 species today—until I heard the voice of a crow from the parking. Looked up. The crow was chasing a raven.
 Great black-backed gull. I went cycling this afternoon. I spent much of that time working at not getting blown over—but I also came upon a pair of ospreys soaring over a stretch of Route 1 near the Rockville Street farm. Such handsome birds. I’m glad I live among them.
And in late afternoon, dog and I hit the breakwater. Lots of birds today—and still-warm temperatures, and lighter winds. Black-backed gull, eiders, about a half-dozen red-breasted mergansers, a couple guillemots, one in mixed plumage and one in its full summer outfit. From the harbor side, I heard the yodel of a loon.
Yesterday we had sun and drizzle and, in some places, snow and sleet—even what some have called “hail.” Today we had sun and blue sky and wind and warmth. And flies. And an expectancy of warblers.
Beech Hill List
At 7:30 a.m., I walked all trails.
American robin (voice)
Black-capped chickadee
American goldfinch
Herring gull (voice)
Eastern towhee
Brown thrasher
Hermit thrush
White-throated sparrow (voice)
Mourning dove
Eastern phoebe
Common raven
Savannah sparrow
Chipping sparrow
Northern harrier
Field sparrow (voice)
Blue-headed vireo (voice)
Tufted titmouse (voice)
American crow
Elsewhere
House finch
Rock pigeon
Downy woodpecker
Osprey
Common grackle
Great black-backed gull
Common eider
Red-breasted merganser
Black guillemot
Common loon
 Afternoon sky, Rockland Harbor.
Tags: American robin, black guillemot, black-capped chickadee, blue-headed vireo, brown thrasher, chipping sparrow, common eider, common grackle, common loon, common raven, downy woodpecker, Eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, field sparrow, great black-backed gull, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, mourning dove, Northern harrier, osprey, red-breasted merganser, rock pigeon, savannah sparrow, tufted titmouse, white-throated sparrow
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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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