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York County Audubon Society
Downeast Field Trip -
August 7-8, 2010
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We hit Machias at high tide on Saturday morning,
August 7. Bonaparte’s Gulls were unusually far upriver – all the
way to the Bad Little Falls. A roosting flock of Lesser Yellowlegs
and a distantly foraging flock of Common Terns slowed our rush to
Lubec. At South Lubec Sand Flats, we timed the tide perfectly and
enjoyed scores of Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers, and one White-rumped.
A smattering of Semipalmated Plovers and a flyby of 20 Black-bellied
Plovers contributed to the totals. There were distant views of several
Surf Scoters and at least one White-winged Scoter, and we took just
enough time to view one of the many singing Nelson’s Sparrows. |
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At Quoddy Head, several Black Guillemots and
a single Razorbill were within a short distance of shore. As usual
for this time of year, Sail Rock was covered in Black-legged Kittiwakes
and a few Bonaparte’s Gulls. These were flushed by a Bald Eagle
that crossed the rock on the way to a feeding frenzy offshore. We
could clearly see harbor porpoises rising, and they were surrounded
by kittiwakes, gulls, and Northern Gannets looking to pick the fish
off the surface. We watched the eagle do likewise, frequently hovering
and grasping at the water. Eventually, he returned to Sail Rock
with a meal of at least two fish clasped in his talons. |
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On the way to Boot Head Preserve for our expected
rendezvous with Spruce Grouse (right), we hit the brakes for a Ruffed
Grouse that stepped into the road (left). He and we froze in place,
watching each other for several minutes. Continuing on, our grouse
luck held and, as we pulled into the Boot Head parking lot, we noted
a family of five Spruce Grouse at the trail entrance. (Within a
span of just a few minutes, we had scored both grouse without even
leaving the car!) A couple of Boreal Chickadees sounded off, but
we let them be and set off for downtown Lubec. Along the way, we
checked another beach and notched a foraging Peregrine Falcon. Another,
larger Peregrine was noted later at Mowry Beach. |
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Wood Ducks and American Black Ducks were visible
in the pond opposite Eastland Motel but the highlights were TWO
American Bitterns in plain sight along the shoreline. Both gave
great views and delayed our rush to Calais where dinner awaited.
On Sunday morning, we were out the motel door by 6am and after a
hearty breakfast, we spent a half hour adding waterfowl to the trip
list at Moosehorn NWR in Baring. Then, it was off to Topsfield for
dedicated boreal birding.
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By August, Black-backed Woodpeckers disperse
from their nesting sites and become harder to locate. We had a nibble
but no bites. At Mile 3, a family of three Gray Jays checked us
out. Four more at Mile 5.5 increased the count to seven for the
trip. At least eight Olive-sided Flycatchers (left) were seen or
heard. At the end of the road, an adult male Spruce Grouse stepped
into the road next to us, then flew to a nearby branch. On the return,
a family of four blocked the road at Mile 7, and another male posed
at Mile 3. That’s a total of eleven Spruce Grouse for the weekend,
all of them within easy view. By 4pm, the woods came alive: too
many Palm Warblers to count, along with a smattering of other birds.
Opinions differ on the best bird of the weekend, but seeing a Common
Nighthawk roosting on a tree limb is rare indeed. Kudos to Pat Moynahan
for first noticing it. |
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