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Posts Tagged ‘common eider’
Thursday, March 18th, 2010
 Afternoon at Rockland Harbor. Spring must be upon us. Within minutes of first stepping out this morning—two minutes, tops—I heard or saw (mostly heard) nine species: house finch, black-capped chickadee, northern cardinal, downy woodpecker, American crow, American robin, herring gull, American goldfinch, blue jay. Within another ten or fifteen minutes, I added tufted titmouse and mourning dove to the list. You could tell we’d have another mild, spring-like winter day.
 Northern cardinal, singing. At the noon hour, dog and I walked the open Beech Hill trail again. There was some wind up there—northwest wind, seemed like—but the warmth of the day tempered its effect. I heard a titmouse up there also, and chickadees, and some crows. I had hopes of hawks or bluebirds, but the hopes were unfounded. Or dashed. Or whatever it is hopes get when things don’t pan out.
[Aside: I did find out my newly adopted red heeler is a herder for sure. As we descended, when a woman with pair of short-legged dogs approached from down the trail, he lowered his head, lowered his body, fixed his stare, slowed his pace, and ended up frozen as low to the ground as possible, entirely focused on the dogs. It was thrilling.]
 Harbor seal. A couple hours later, I took to the bike and rode my daily 14 miles—which proved eventful. First, in Rockland, I heard ring-billed gulls and saw rock pigeons wheeling overhead. Then I heard a house finch. Then, up toward Rockport Village, I heard the chew-wink of a red-winged blackbird and the unmistakably shrill whistle of a brown-headed cowbird. At one point, I saw a loose flock of passerines flapping across Route 1 in a southwesterly directly; robins, is what I made them out to be.
And at 5 p.m., I decided to take dog to the breakwater. The temperature was still 60 (F), I bet. Still, with the wind, I wore a hooded sweatshirt.
 Seal and gull. I probably needn’t have. True, there was a stout breeze from the northern edge of the harbor side—but plenty of people had the same idea I’d had, and a few wore far less clothing.
Right away I spotted a pair of mallards at the little beach. Beyond them, a few red-breasted mergansers. And beyond them, a common loon. Then I heard geese and turned to see a small vee descend over in the area of the Samoset Resort golf course. Out toward the islands, I saw a couple of dark shapes in the water, trained my binocs on them, and realized they weren’t water birds but the heads of a pair of seals. And then I saw the full body of another—a light-colored one perched on a rock emerging from the tide. When a herring gull approached, it raised its head as if to challenge the bird.
Farther on were eiders. Then I heard peeping voices and peered down into the bay-side rocks and seaweed—sure enough, a couple spotted sandpipers were hanging around down there. At the end of the breakwater, I saw only a single pair of long-tailed ducks veering around toward the islands.
Driving back home before sunset, I spotted a flock of small birds flying up into the crown of a roadside tree. Stopped the pickup, got out, saw that they were blackbirds. Their voices tipped them off: redwings, grackles, and at least one brown-headed cowbird.
 Mallards. Today’s List
House finch
Black-capped chickadee
Northern cardinal
Downy woodpecker
American crow
American robin
Herring gull
American goldfinch
Blue jay
Tufted titmouse
Mourning dove
Ring-billed gull
Rock pigeon
House sparrow
Red-winged blackbird
Brown-headed cowbird
Mallard
Red-breasted merganser
Common loon
Canada goose
Common eider
Purple sandpiper
Long-tailed duck
Common grackle
Also notable: harbor seal.
 Evening tide.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, brown-headed cowbird, Canada goose, common eider, common grackle, common loon, downy woodpecker, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, long-tailed duck, mallard, mourning dove, northern cardinal, purple sandpiper, red-breasted merganser, red-winged blackbird, ring-billed gull, rock pigeon, tufted titmouse
Posted in Lists, Observations | 1 Comment »
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 »
Saturday, March 13th, 2010
 Red-breasted merganser. Sort of a hazy sun this morning, about the same temperature as yesterday—possible a little cooler. The cardinal sang again early, accompanied by the titmouse and a roving pack of chickadees. For some reason, I felt compelled to bird multiple locations.
 Long-tailed ducks. About midday I headed for Weskeag Marsh. The wind gusted in the open expanse. Saw only Canada geese, mallards, and a herring gull.
Later in the day I headed for the breakwater. Close to low tide. It had gotten cloudier as the day progressed, and the wind blew steadily from the northeast. A couple pairs of red-breasted mergansers hung around the shore of the harbor side, diving. One of the males kept extending its head high in an exaggerated gesture, exposing the white of its neck. Some mating ritual, I gather.
No birds apparent on the choppy island side, but to the west were a number of long-tailed ducks, a pair of loons, and a small group of eiders. Herring gulls poked at urchins. In a nice conversation about the local bird life with a couple out walking, I mentioned it was about time for the long-tails to fly around the end of the breakwater and head out into the bay for the night. Not thirty seconds later, the first large group zipped noisily along—followed in the next several minutes by another half-dozen flocks or more.
 Common loon. On the way back, the wind seemed stronger. Oddly, crows were migrating north to south, perhaps eight or ten of them in small loose groups. One pair flew within about three feet of the chop, which seemed possibly a little risky.
From the breakwater I drove directly to Beech Hill. I was alone on the trail—alone, that is, but for chickadees, robins, and the mourning dove at the summit. The robins were hanging out in the staghorn sumac grove about half-way up, poking around in the fruit. As I passed, all but two rose and fled to the southeast behind me. There must’ve been two or three dozen of them.
This is the third straight Beech Hill hike in which I’ve heard the same four species there: black-capped chickadee, Herring gull (in the distance), American robin, and mourning dove. It’s exciting to know how soon that number will increase.
 Rockland Harbor. Today’s List
Northern cardinal
Tufted titmouse
American crow
Black-capped chickadee
Herring gull
Rock pigeon
Canada goose
Mallard
Mourning dove
Red-breasted merganser
Long-tailed duck
Common loon
Common eider
American robin
 Beech Hill.
Tags: American crow, American robin, black-capped chickadee, Canada goose, common eider, common loon, herring gull, long-tailed duck, mallard, mourning dove, northern cardinal, red-breasted merganser, rock pigeon, tufted titmouse
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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