From: "Linda Woodard" <lwoodard@MAINEAUDUBON.ORG>
To: <BIRDEAST@listserv.arizona.edu>
Subject:      [BIRDEAST] Maine Bird Alert 8/14/02
Date: Friday, August 16, 2002 8:07 PM

Name: Maine Audubon Bird Alert

Date: August 14, 2002

Area: State of Maine

Number: (207) 781-2332

Compilers: Steve Pollock and Kay Gammons

Transcriber: Maine Audubon (birdalert@maineaudubon.org)

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York County

There was a very early male RUDDY DUCK at the Sanford sewage ponds. Also
present were several hundred SWALLOWS about equally mixed with TREE, and
BANK plus a couple of BARN, CLIFF and ROUGH WINGED SWALLOWS.

At the Hills Beach section of Biddeford Pool there were 1 AMERICAN GOLDEN
PLOVER, RUDDY TURNSTONES, SEMIPALMATED and BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS,
YELLOWLEGS, PEEP SANDPIPERS, and COMMON and ROSEATE TERNS.

Scarborough Marsh Area

At Pine Point there was a RED KNOT, GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS, WHIMBREL,
SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS, BLACK-BELLIED and SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, and
SEMIPALMATED and LEAST SANDPIPERS. At low tide there were 2 AMERICAN
OYSTERCATCHERS, 1 immature YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHTHERON, 8 BLACK-CROWNED
NIGHTHERONS, up to 46 GREAT EGRETS and BONAPARTES' GULLS. A TRICOLORED HERON
was behind the Pelreco building. Water levels in the pannes off Eastern Road
have declined considerably over the past week. Much of the area near the
road is now devoid of water, but there were still some +500 PEEPS, including
at least 50 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS. Most of the larger waders appeared to
be way out in the deeper pannes not viewable from Eastern Rd.

Greater Portland and western Maine

Last Thursday there was an adult male WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL singing from
the top of the larch next to a house in Cumberland.

Midcoast

At Westkeag marsh near Thomaston there were 400 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, 50
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, 40 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS, 100 SEMIPALMATED, 50
WHITE-RUMPED and 1 STILT SANDPIPER, and 15 SNOWY and 1 GREAT EGRET.

Out on Monhegan Island there were RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, BLUE-WINGED, PINE
and YELLOW WARBLERS, and CEDAR WAXWINGS.

Central Maine

A LESSER YELLOWLEGS, 4 YELLOW WARBLERS, and a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH were seen
in Turner.

A CAROLINA WREN and EASTERN BLUEBIRDS were in Oakland

A COOPER'S HAWK and a TURKEY VULTURE were in Dixmont.

Eastern Maine

A large PETREL, larger than a Leach's but smaller than a Manx Shearwater was
seen 13 miles northeast of Mt. Desert Rock. This bird was watched for about
5 minutes. It was dark brown with a faded upper surface and had a pointed
tail. All field marks, size, and flight pattern seem to point to BULWER'S
PETREL. It is unlikely that it can be found again but good to make offshore
birders aware of the possibility. On the 9th, 24 miles southeast of Schoodic
Pt., 1000+ mixed RED and RED-NECKED PHALAROPES, 200,000 WILSON'S and LEACH'S
STPRM-PETRELS (mixed flock), 5000 DOUBLE-CREASTED CORMORANTS moving south in
large flocks, 1000 GANNETS, 2500 GREATER SHEARWATER, 200 SOOTY SHEARWARET, 8
MANX, 50+ POMERINE JAEGAR, and 50+ PARASITIC JAEGARS. All but the Cormorants
were in the vicinity of herring boats. There are also large numbers of
Blue-fin Tuna in the area chasing the herring. It was a glassy calm day with
so many fish and birds it was difficult to make accurate counts. August 8th
was the day of the first fall FULMAR seen offshore. And on the 9th large
numbers of RUDDY TURNSTONES arrived on Egg Rock, in Frenchman Bay. Also on
the 9th, a single male BLACK SCOTER was at Egg Rock. The single BRANT
remains at Egg Rock and seems to be romantically attached to a female COMMON
EIDER, which it has been with all summer.

On 8/10 a trip to Petit Manan Island recorded many of the above mentioned
birds, plus 75 PUFFINS, GREAT CROMORANT, GREAT BLUE HERON, LAUGHING GULL,
COMMON and ARCTIC TERN, and BLACK GUILLEMOT. A NORTHERN GOSHAWK was seen
crossing Frenchman Bay. All week we have had HUMMINGBIRDS crossing the bay
from east to west. Large numbers of winter and immature plumaged BLACK
GUILLEMOTS started being seen this week 8/11 to present (8/13).

Northern Maine

At Long Pond about 30 miles from Greenville there were 78 species.
Highlights included 6 BOREAL CHICKADEES, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER,
YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER, 4 BONAPARTE'S GULLS, BROAD-WINGED HAWK, NORTHERN
HARRIER, COMMON MERGANSER, WINTER WREN, HERMIT THRUSH, and 14 species of
WARBLERS.

In Frenchville there were 2 BALD EAGLES, a pair of KESTRELS with young and
RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS.

The list from Fort Kent included 1 SOLITARY SANDPIPER, RED-EYED and
BLUE-HEADED VIREOS, and EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE.

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