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Posts Tagged ‘common eider’
Wednesday, September 29th, 2010
 Blue grosbeak. Curiously, the most noteworthy birds showed up a stone’s-throw from The Trailing Yew this morning. Kristen, Bill, and I had no sooner turned down the main road, when a white-crowned sparrow greeted us from a small blaze-red tree. When the bird flew off behind the fire house, we followed down the boardwalk, and right away Bill (or Kristen, I forget which) spotted a blue grosbeak in its rich chestnut fall plumage. First time I’d ever seen a member of that species. Then we saw, apparently pals with the grosbeak, an indigo bunting. And not long after that, a northern waterthrush was agreeable enough to give me a peak at its white eyebrow. Another “lifer.” [Correction: I’ve since double-checked and it turns out I’d already listed a northern waterthrush—albeit by voice only—on my spring trip to Monhegan this year.]
 Indigo bunting. But the day brought other nice sightings—most dramatic among them likely the peregrine falcon that rose up the cliffs of White Head as we peered down at a cluster of great cormorants near a large group of touring birders. The falcon was riding the wind, nearly motionless, very near us. “Oohs” and “Ahhs” rose from the tour group. In the tangles near the ballfield behind the lighthouse we saw a dickcissel hanging with a group of white-throated sparrows.
The day—forecast to be wet and rain—turned out to be warm, sunny, gorgeous. I didn’t see as many species as my first two days here, but it was no less of a thrill. Later, relaxing back at The Yew, we watched palm warblers and dark-eyed juncos flitting about in the spruces lining the lawn, along with a solitary pine warbler.
 Peregrine falcon. Monhegan List
(Not in order of sighting.)
1. Mallard
2. Common eider
3. Ring-necked pheasant
4. Northern gannet
5. Double-crested cormorant
6. Great cormorant
7. Osprey
8. Sharp-shinned hawk
9. Merlin
10. Peregrine falcon
11. Herring gull
12. Great black-backed gull
13. Mourning dove
14. Yellow-bellied sapsucker
15. Northern flicker
16. Eastern phoebe
17. Red-eyed vireo
18. Blue jay
19. American crow
20. Common raven
21. Black-capped chickadee
22. Red-breasted nuthatch
23. White-breasted nuthatch
24. Brown creeper
25. Carolina wren (voice)
26. Golden-crowned kinglet (voice)
27. Gray catbird
28. Cedar waxwing
29. Yellow-rumped warbler
30. Pine warbler
31. Palm warbler
32. Blackpoll warbler
33. Northern waterthrush
34. Common yellowthroat
35. Song sparrow
36. Swamp sparrow
37. White-throated sparrow
38. White-crowned sparrow
39. Dark-eyed junco
40. Blue grosbeak
41. Indigo bunting
42. Dickcissel
43. Bobolink
44. Rusty blackbird
45. Baltimore oriole
46. Purple finch
47. American goldfinch
 White-throated sparrow.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, Baltimore oriole, black-capped chickadee, blackpoll warbler, blue grosbeak, blue jay, bobolink, brown creeper, Carolina wren, Cedar waxwing, common eider, common raven, common yellowthroat, dark-eyed junco, dickcissel, double-crested cormorant, eastern phoebe, golden-crowned kinglet, gray catbird, great black-backed gull, great cormorant, herring gull, indigo bunting, mallard, merlin, mourning dove, northern flicker, northern gannet, northern waterthrush, osprey, palm warbler, peregrine falcon, pine warbler, purple finch, red-breasted nuthatch, red-eyed vireo, ring-necked pheasant, rusty blackbird, sharp-shinned hawk, song sparrow, swamp sparrow, white-breasted nuthatch, white-crowned sparrow, white-throated sparrow, yellow-bellied sapsucker, yellow-rumped warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 28th, 2010
 Yellow-throated warbler. Ever since I caught sight of my first yellow-throated warbler, I’d had a nagging wish to see it again but nearer and for a longer period—i.e., posing for a photo.
 Yellow-throated vireo. But first thing this morning, Kristen and I set off through rain toward Lobster Cove in hopes of spotting the yell0w-breasted chat everyone’s been talking about. After about five minutes, the sun emerged from behind a ceiling of clouds, and we grew hopeful. No chat, though. Nor any of the common warblers we hadn’t yet seen—black-throated green, black-and-white, black-throated blue. We did, however, see a nice aerial dogfight between a merlin and a peregrine.
Then a few of us trekked to the ballfield and around behind the school house and over to the Ice Pond on our mission for new warblers. Instead, we saw a dickcissel and an exotic sparrow or two.
No black-throated green, no black-throated blue. But we did hear from other birders that the yellow-throated warbler was still hanging around. Not until we were headed back for lunch and ran into Bryan Pfeiffer (of Vermont Bird Tours), did we think to take a little side trip along the harbor road to where we saw the yellow-throated yesterday. Sure enough, a couple noted birding experts had their binoculars trained up into some spruces, and before long we were staring ourselves up into a spruce above the road itself at the lovely little bird as it pecked around in the boughs. It lingered. It gave us some great looks. It didn’t seem to mind the little cluster of humans all observing it from just a few feet below. And I got some photos.
That made my day.
But the day wasn’t done: soon after, a couple hundred yards away, we were gazing up into an apple tree that contained a yell0w-throated vireo—another life bird for me. (Not one, but two yell0w-throated songbirds!) And then we saw a Tennessee warbler.
The weather was fickle, breeze and warm, overcast then sunny, a spattering of rain. Tonight the stars have emerged, and I hear the sound of the ocean out my window. Crazily, I ended up with the same number of species as yesterday.
I love this island.
 Brown creeper. Monhegan List
(Not in order of sighting.)
1. Mallard
2. Blue-winged teal
3. Common eider
4. Ring-necked pheasant
5. Northern gannet
6. Double-crested cormorant
7. Great blue heron
8. Osprey
9. Sharp-shinned hawk
10. Merlin
11. Peregrine falcon
12. Herring gull
13. Great black-backed gull
14. Black guillemot
15. Mourning dove
16. Belted kingfisher
17. Yellow-bellied sapsucker
18. Downy woodpecker
19. Northern flicker
20. Eastern phoebe
21. Yellow-throated vireo
22. Red-eyed vireo
23. Blue jay
24. American crow
25. Common raven
26. Black-capped chickadee
27. Red-breasted nuthatch
28. White-breasted nuthatch
29. Brown creeper
30. Carolina wren
31. House wren
32. Golden-crowned kinglet
33. American robin
34. Gray catbird
35. Brown thrasher
36. Cedar waxwing
37. Tennessee warbler
38. Yellow-rumped warbler
39. Yellow-throated warbler
40. Palm warbler
41. Blackpoll warbler
42. Common yellowthroat
43. Chipping sparrow
44. Clay-colored sparrow
45. Savannah sparrow
46. Song sparrow
47. Swamp sparrow
48. White-throated sparrow
49. Dickcissel
50. Rusty blackbird
51. Baltimore oriole
52. Purple finch
53. American goldfinch
 Tennessee warbler.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, Baltimore oriole, belted kingfisher, black guillemot, black-capped chickadee, blackpoll warbler, blue jay, blue-winged teal, brown creeper, brown thrasher, Carolina wren, Cedar waxwing, chipping sparrow, clay-colored sparrow, common eider, common raven, common yellowthroat, dickcissel, double-crested cormorant, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, golden-crowned kinglet, gray catbird, great black-backed gull, great blue heron, herring gull, mallard, merlin, mourning dove, northern flicker, northern gannet, osprey, palm warbler, peregrine falcon, purple finch, red-breasted nuthatch, red-eyed vireo, ring-necked pheasant, rusty blackbird, savannah sparrow, sharp-shinned hawk, song sparrow, swamp sparrow, Tennessee warbler, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, yellow-bellied sapsucker, yellow-rumped warbler, yellow-throated vireo, yellow-throated warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations | No Comments »
Monday, September 27th, 2010
 Rusty blackbird. Overcast and a bit misty this early morning on Monhegan. Right away, my friend Kristen and I spotted a rusty blackbird in an apple tree in town. One species you can count on finding here in fall is rusty blackbird—I bird I personally don’t see anywhere else. But the most inspiring thing you can count on seeing here at this time of year, at least in my opinion, is the miracle of falcons.
 Merlin. After breakfast, Kristen, Monhegan pal (and birder extraordinaire) Bill, and I headed down to Lobster Cove, on the southwest side of the island. Word had it that, in the thickets along the trail down, we might see a yellow-breasted chat and/or a marsh wren and/or some other crazy songbirds I’d love to see. Instead, we saw beaucoup yellow-rumps, swamp sparrows, white-throated sparrows, song sparrows, a catbird, and northern gannets fishing offshore. And falcons.
Merlins, mostly. These small, speedy, feisty birds-of-prey seem both fearless, pugnacious, and eager to do battle. They’d wiggle their wings in anticipation as they’d dive for flickers, goldfinchs, and herring gulls alike. We even saw a merlin dive at a peregrine falcon—a much larger and (arguably) more fearsome bird—seemingly without a care in the world. And more than once we’d be looking off into a thicket in hopes of spying some tiny warbler or sparrow or wren, when a dark blur would sweep through an overgrown opening in the trail near us: a merlin on the prowl. What sleek, expert flier and killing machine. And fun to watch.
 Palm warbler. We also saw some pint-sized kestrels. And peregrines are a marvel to behold. But there’s just something to love about a merlin. We must’ve seen three or four dozen of them (although of course some could’ve been the same bird). Several peregrines. A couple kestrels. Which leads me to ask: where else can you go at any time of year and be sure to see so many falcons? Maybe somewhere, but nowhere I know. It’s just a miracle. A circus. An incredible show.
Other highlights of this day included my first-ever yellow-throated warbler, my first ever sora, dickcissels, clay-colored sparrows, and a lark sparrow in the rain.
Monhegan List
(Not in order of sighting.)
1. Mallard
2. Commen eider
3. Ring-necked pheasant
4. Northern gannet
5. Double-crested cormorant
6. Osprey
7. Bald eagle
8. Northern harrier
9. Sharp-shinned hawk
10. American kestrel
11. Merlin
12. Peregrine falcon
13. Sora
14. Herring gull
15. Great black-backed gull
16. Mourning dove
17. Belted kingfisher
18. Yellow-bellied sapsucker
19. Northern flicker
20. Eastern phoebe
21. Red-eyed vireo
22. Blue jay
23. American crow
24. Common raven
25. Black-capped chickadee
26. Red-breasted nuthatch
27. Carolina wren (voice)
28. Golden-crowned kinglet
29. American robin
30. Gray catbird
31. Cedar waxwing
32. Yellow-rumped warbler
33. Yellow-throated warbler
34. Palm warbler
35. Blackpoll warbler
36. Common yellowthroat
37. Chipping sparrow
38. Clay-colored sparrow
39. Lark sparrow
40. Savannah sparrow
41. Song sparrow
42. Lincoln’s sparrow
43. Swamp sparrow
44. White-throated sparrow
45. Dark-eyed junco
46. Dickcissel
47. Bobolink (voice)
48. Rusty blackbird
49. Common grackle
50. Baltimore oriole
51. Purple finch
52. Pine siskin
53. American goldfinch
 Lark sparrow.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American kestrel, American robin, bald eagle, Baltimore oriole, belted kingfisher, black-capped chickadee, blackpoll warbler, blue jay, bobolink, Carolina wren, Cedar waxwing, chipping sparrow, clay-colored sparrow, common eider, common grackle, common raven, common yellowthroat, dark-eyed junco, dickcissel, double-crested cormorant, eastern phoebe, golden-crowned kinglet, gray catbird, great black-backed gull, herring gull, lark sparrow, Lincoln's sparrow, mallard, merlin, mourning dove, northern flicker, northern gannet, northern harrier, osprey, palm warbler, peregrine falcon, pine siskin, purple finch, red-breasted nuthatch, red-eyed vireo, ring-necked pheasant, rusty blackbird, sharp-shinned hawk, song sparrow, sora, swamp sparrow, white-throated sparrow, yellow-bellied sapsucker, yellow-rumped warbler, yellow-throated warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations | No Comments »
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| Bird Report is a (sometimes intermittent) record of the birds I encounter while hiking, see while driving, or spy outside my window. —Brian Willson |
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