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Downeast "Surf & Turf"
August 20-22, 2010
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The summer of 2010 has
gone down in history as one of the warmest, sunniest seasons
ever...and the Penobscot Valley Chapter of Maine Audubon took
full advantage of it with a "Surf & Turf field trip for three
days downeast. Day One featured a stop at the Baring Division of
the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge. Day Two was spent
enjoying the seabirds and shorebirds of Lubec and Campobello.
Day Three lingered in the boreal forest around Baskahegan Lake,
scoring Black-backed Woodpeckers, Boreal Chickadees, Gray Jays,
and Spruce Grouse.. |
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Thousands of shorebirds
settled in around us on the South Lubec Sand Flats, making study
and comparison easy. Semipalmated Sandpipers and Least
Sandpipers (above right) mixed throughout the mudflats. Black-bellied Plovers and Short-billed
Dowitchers (left) posed for photos. A handful of Ruddy
Turnstones and Sanderlings added spice. And whenever the birds
needed a little stirring up, an obliging Peregrine Falcon buzzed
the flock. Occasionally all the gulls would also spring into the
air and it was a simple matter to look for the Bald Eagle surely
flying in. In the channel, Surf and White-winged Scoters were
added to the trip list. |
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The White-rumped
Sandpiper (left) was a lifer for some of the 13 travelers. The
streaky chest and underwing chevrons helped distinguish it from
Baird's Sandpiper (right) even though both show wingtips longer
than the tail. The group also noted two Pectoral Sandpipers.
High tide sends the shorebirds to their
roosts. Conveniently, that roost happens to be on the rocks
below the lighthouse at Quoddy Head State Park, where they
gathered in large numbers. |
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Quoddy Head can also be reliable for
Razorbills and occasional Common Murres. Black-legged Kittiwakes
(right) roost in large numbers on Sail Rock in August, as do
fewer numbers of Bonaparte's Gulls. The same is true at East
Quoddy Head on Campobello, where whales can usually be seen
feeding close to shore - typically Finback and Minke, but also
Humpback and rare Right Whales. We enjoyed uncountable numbers
of Sooty and Great Shearwaters (left) which like to forage among
the whales and Harbor Porpoises that enjoy the abundance of food
in the channel. |
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The Sunday morning trip to the Burn Road
in Topsfield was terrific, as the group scored all four of the
target boreal species. The primary objective was Black-backed
Woodpecker and an obliging pair was found right where they had
spent most of the summer. The female was the first to show up.
After a few minutes, the male came in, too, and both foraged
close to the road for a long while. Having already notched Gray
Jays early in our visit, we had lunch and then went off in
search of Boreal Chickadees and Spruce Grouse. Got 'em. One male
Spruce Grouse hopped up on a branch to get a look at us. Later,
another male skedaddled out of the road as we drove past and
alighted in a tree. Great day! |
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