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Posts Tagged ‘common eider’
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
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Friday, April 2nd, 2010
 Male common eider in flight. Among the first few birds I saw this morning was a blue jay. Oddly, I hear (or see) jays only about a dozen days a year out back—though I hear hear (or see) them more often than that at nearby Beech Hill. This morning, in the early morning sunlight, I saw a blue jay fly up into the upper branches of one of the big leafless red oaks, so I figured I’d step out onto the deck and take a photo. While out there, I noticed there were two jays—a pair, apparently. Happily taking too-distant pictures of them, I suddenly heard the unmistakable, strident rattle of a pileated woodpecker coming from somewhere north of me.
 Pileated woodpecker (female). The call drew my attention, and right away I saw a second large woodpecker bouncing along among the trunks of the oaks, heading in the direction of the calling bird. Naturally, I swapped subjects. I mean, pileateds are somewhat more uncommon, are far more striking (unless you’re a blue jay, I suppose), and pose a challenge. Didn’t get a great shot, but I did manage a couple photos of the (female) pileated woodpecker when she stopped briefly in my side yard.
A pair of blue jays, a pair of pileated woodpeckers. Soon after, a downy woodpecker. Also a cardinal, a song sparrow, a white-breasted nuthatch, crows. The house finch and a robin called from across the road. Out the kitchen window I saw what looked like a large hawk, a buteo, sailing up over the hill—but I couldn’t ID it. A mystery. Meantime, the sun shone brilliantly, and the sky looked mostly blue. I had hopes of a nice warm day.
Sure enough it turned into a nice day, if not overly warm. Mostly that was because of a stout southwest wind—though temperatures did rise into the 50s (F). We walked Beech Hill, the dog and I. I wore a hooded sweatshirt against the wind, and sweat formed inside my cap brim. Offshore, fog lay low all over the islands and parts of the outer shores clear across the panorama. The sight was pretty thrilling. To the northeast you could see Cadillac Mountain rising out of the fog bank. You could also see the very tip of Isla au Haut.
 Island. Just as we reached the summit, I heard the voice of an eastern phoebe carried by the wind. First phoebe of the year. I also heard a titmouse and a robin and a goldfinch and some chickadees. I also heard, just as we made it back to the parking lot, an unfamiliar call of a small bird in overlight. It sounded finch-like. I have no idea what it was. A mystery.
Out on my bike, I saw plenty of herring gulls, rock pigeons, and a common grackle. Later, dog and I hit the breakwater again. En route I spotted a solitary red-winged blackbird and a solo starling. Out on the granite, I counted red-breasted mergansers, lots of common eiders, a couple black ducks, a couple loons, and some long-tailed ducks. Also a ring-billed gull. Banks of fog still cloaked the islands—the whistle of the light was even sounding when we arrived.
Afterward, we swung by the grocery store. I heard house sparrows.
Tonight, I noticed Orion still hanging around in the oak branches. Before long, daylight will obscure his belt and shoulders. I wondered who first saw the hunter in this constellation. Certainly a single human, or a small group. Of course I’ll never know. Yet another mystery.
Today’s List
Blue jay
Song sparrow
Northern cardinal
Pileated woodpecker
Downy woodpecker
House finch
American robin
Tufted titmouse
Black-capped chickadee
Herring gull
American goldfinch
Eastern phoebe
Common grackle
European starling
Rock pigeon
Red-breasted merganser
Common eider
Ring-billed gull
Common loon
Long-tailed duck
Black duck
House sparrow
 Bay fog.
Tags: American goldfinch, American robin, black duck, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, common eider, common grackle, common loon, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, European starling, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, long-tailed duck, northern cardinal, pileated woodpecker, red-breasted merganser, ring-billed gull, rock pigeon, tufted titmouse
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Thursday, April 1st, 2010
 Penobscot Bay. Looked like it might become a nice day. A crow was saying caw-caw, caw-caw (a phrase I know well but cannot yet translate). And the cardinal sang. And I heard a nuthatch out there beeping. And although an overcast sky greeted us first thing, the sun soon broke through, as the weather folks promised.
 Red squirrel. The neighbor’s song sparrow trilled and chimed. The house finch across the street sang loud and long. I heard the voice of a robin,chickadees, and a titmouse—the titmouse, in fact, was whistling in direct response to the cardinal, whose song began with two long notes that sounded an awful lot like the titmouse’s call. Meanwhile, the nuthatch kept at it, and I noticed a pair of them were clearing out a nesting cavity in one of the big oaks out back. Before long the dog got antsy, and so did I, so about the lunch hour we headed for a quick walk up Beech Hill.
 Northern harrier. Early on, where the trail ran along the stone wall, a red squirrel froze and watched us. The air seemed almost warm, and the sun was bright, and I felt like jogging up the steep stretch of open trail, so that’s what we did. I heard chickadees and a titmouse. Then, suddenly, a hawk appeared—floating up over a grassy bronze rise on slightly tilted wings. I had my camera out and so tried for photos. Didn’t get anything outstanding, but I did confirm it as a northern harrier. It was a nice surprise. Marsh hawks like Beech Hill.
It was a sunny landscape. A bright, happy view. We met no one else up there today, despite lovely weather and the lunch hour.
Rode my bicycle this afternoon. I can’t get enough of that bike, it seems.
 Great black-backed gulls. At about 6 o’clock, my friend Kristen stopped by to join Jack and me in our planned walk along the breakwater. What a pleasant little hike. Hardly any wind—in fact, neither the harbor side nor the island side showed much of a chop at all—and there were no clouds to block the warming sun. We saw mergansers, eiders, loons, long-tailed ducks. We saw black-backed gulls, herring gulls. We heard the cardinal and song sparrow from the shore. At one point, as I was snapping photos of a closeby diver, it rose and spread its wings. A nice surprise.
As we left, I heard the voice of a grackle—the last bird on my list this day.
Tonight, no spring peepers (although I hear they’re in the neighborhood).
 Common loon. Today’s List
American crow
Northern cardinal
Tufted titmouse
Song sparrow
Black-capped chickadee
White-breasted nuthatch
American robin
House finch
Herring gull
Northern harrier
Rock pigeon
Great black-backed gull
Red-breasted merganser
Common eider
Common loon
Long-tailed duck
Common grackle
 Common loon.
Tags: American crow, American robin, black-capped chickadee, common eider, common grackle, common loon, great black-backed gull, herring gull, house finch, long-tailed tuck, northern cardinal, northern harrier, red-breasted merganser, rock pigeon, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch
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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