From: "Linda Woodard" <lwoodard@MAINEAUDUBON.ORG> To: <BIRDEAST@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU> Subject: [BIRDEAST] Bird alert hotline, Maine, Sept 5, 2001 Date: Friday, September 07, 2001 4:22 PM
Name: Maine Audubon Bird Alert Date: September 5, 2001 Area: State of Maine Number: (207) 781-2332 Compilers: Steve Pollock and Judy Walker Transcriber: Maine Audubon (birdalert@maineaudubon.org) --------------------------------------------------------------------------
A SAY'S PHOEBE was seen on Monhegan Island on Wednesday. The bird was seen sitting on a clothesline behind a house, on the hill approaching the trail to Burnt head. At Pine Point in Scarborough there was a juvenile SABINE'S GULL, which flew in along the sand bar along the river channel. The gull has been relocated several times. A LARK SPARROW and 3 DICKCISSELS were on Appledore Island. The fall migration is well along. WARBLERS, HAWKS and FALCONS were widely reported. Along the coast DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS are moving south. SHOREBIRDS are still fairly common on the beaches and mudflats all along the coast.
York County
Highlights from the joint Maine Audubon and New Hampshire Audubon trip to the Isles of Shoals included: 40-50 WILSON'S STORM-PETREL, NORTHERN GANNETS, 40-50 GREAT CORMORANTS, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, 2 - 3 WHIMBREL, RED KNOT, 3 JAEGERS (SPECIES), 1 BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, LAUGHING GULLS, PHILADELPHIA VIREO, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, 13 species of WARBLERS and an AMERICAN PIPIT.
At Mount Agamenticus there was 1 OSPREY, 2 KESTREL, and 3 SHARP-SHINNED HAWK.
Over Wells marsh there was a first year BALD EAGLE.
At Biddeford Pool the following birds were seen: GREAT BLUE HERON, GREAT EGRET, SNOWY EGRET, LITTLE BLUE HERON, OSPREY, NORTHERN HARRIER, MERLIN, 17 WILLET, 4 WHIMBREL, up to 100 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS, numerous RUDDY TURNSTONE, 2 WESTERN SANDPIPERS, 200-300 SANDERLINGS, 200-300 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, and 1 BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER. Also seen were 2 LAUGHING GULL, 1 LITTLE GULL, and 48 BONAPARTE GULL. Between 500 and 1000 TREE SWALLOWS migrated over Eastern Point on Labor Day morning. A single BARN SWALLOW was along the beach at the pool. A fishing trip 25 miles east of Biddeford had birds in the chum slick all day. The list included 2 NORTHERN FULMARS, GREATER SHEARWATER, NORTHERN GANNET, WILSON'S STORM-PETREL, POMARINE JAEGER, 3 PARASITIC JAEGERS, and a LAUGHING GULL.
Two GREAT HORNED OWLS were calling back and forth to one another in East Limington, in the woods adjacent to the Little Ossipee River.
Scarborough Marsh Area
Between 2 and 4 FORSTER'S TERNS were on the sandbar at Pine Point in Scarborough along with approximately 125 TERNS, most of them were COMMON TERNS. At Eastern Road there were 1 or 2 hunting MERLINS, and 1 WILSON'S PHALAROPE among the regular species. A PEREGRINE FALCON, AMERICAN KESTRAL, and MERLIN were all seen at marsh, along with NORHTERN HARRIER and SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS. An AMERICAN KESTRAL was seen hovering behind the PELRICO Building. Herons on the Marsh included several adult and juvenile LITTLE BLUE HERON, one TRI-COLORED HERON, many SNOWY EGRETS, and two GREAT BLUE HERON. At Pine Point there were several hundreds of SEMI-PALMATED SANDPIPERS AND PLOVERS (both juvenile and adults), a few WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, WILLET, several dozen BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER of which a few were still in good breeding plumage, and a few RUDDY TURNSTONES.
Greater Portland and western Maine
In Bridgeton there were COMMON LOONS, OSPREY and BROAD-WINGED HAWK.
Central Maine
A GOLDEN PLOVER and a BLACKPOLL WARBLER were seen in Turner.
In Dresden there was a PHILADELPHIA VIREO, WOOD THRUSH, VEERY and several species of WARBLERS.
Midcoast
Two BRANT were at the boat landing on Maquoit Bay, in Brunswick.
A BLACK-HEADED GULL was in Georgetown.
Eastern Maine
Two NORTHERN FULMARS were seen 40 miles SE of Bar Harbor. Also, a large shearwater, believed to be a CORY'S was seen off Mt. Desert Rock. GREATER SHEARWATERS and WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS are still seen daily from the whale watch boats out of Bar Harbor. Four LEACH'S STORM-PETRELS were seen 12 miles south of Mt. Desert Rock. GREAT CORMORANT numbers are increasing and are being noted daily at several places around Frenchman Bay. DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS are heading south with V's of 50 to 100 birds. One SNOWY EGRET was seen flying over the harbor in Bar Harbor. Ten to 50 RUDDY TURNSTONES were on Egg Rock along with 25+ SANDERLINGS. Many LAUGHING GULLS are still around, 90% have molted from having black heads. A single BARN SWALLOW passed over the boat 3 miles off Schoodic Pt, on 8/29.
A LITTLE GULL was seen in Machiasport. Also in that vicinity were 125 BONAPARTE'S GULLS, 350 SEMIPALMATED and 55 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, 10 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS, and 1 RED KNOT.
In Indian Township there were 2 GRAY JAYS and a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER.
Two SPRUCE GROUSE were in Beddington.
Several species of WARBLERS were seen at Tunk Lake.
Along the Burn Road in Topsfield there were 8 BOREAL CHICKADEES, 1 adult male SPRUCE GROUSE, 1 juvenile male COOPER'S HAWK, and 2 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS.
Join us for the upcoming Pelagic trip!
Gulf of Maine Pelagic From Bar Harbor Saturday, September 29, 2001; 6:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Cost: members $70, nonmembers: $80 Leaders: Lysle Brinker, Don Mairs, Rich Eakin, Jan Pierson, Bill Sheehan.
The cold, nutrient-rich waters of the Gulf of Maine support a vast array of marine life. Maine Audubon's cruise in a 111-foot power catamaran (ensuring a smooth and stable ride), however, opens exciting new possibilities for pelagic birding. We'll venture by Schoodic Point and Petit Manan before heading some thirty to forty miles offshore. We can hope for sightings of great skuas, pomarine and parasitic jaegers, northern gannets, northern fulmars, greater and sooty shearwaters, red phalaropes, black-legged kittiwakes, and Atlantic puffins. We may also see finback, humpback, and minke whales. The cruise will loop back in toward the waters of Mt. Desert Rock, and we should have spectacular views of the mountains of Acadia. This is an exciting opportunity to fill in some of those empty blanks on your life lists in the unique birding habitat of the Gulf of Maine.
Linda Woodard Maine Audubon Society 20 Gilsland Farm Rd Falmouth, Maine 04105 lwoodard@maineaudubon.org
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