Today’s birding took me to lots of places – starting with a stakeout looking for a Lesser Goldfinch in Snohomish County where it is extremely rare.  Not a good look, but unmistakable.  Thank you Ann Marie (again) and David Poortinga who discovered the rarity at a feeder – at his house.

Now where?  I wanted to look for a Short Eared Owl at Eide Road so I headed off to Stanwood and as I usually do I made a quick stop at the Stanwood Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) where there were a few ducks including a Ruddy Duck and some Dunlin.

Eide Road (Legue Island) is a favorite spot – really put on the map by superbirder/lister Michael Williston before he relocated to Omaha.  Over the years I have had many wonderful birds there and it is a reasonably reliable spot for Short Eared Owls – as it was today.  Caution is needed however as it is prime hunting ground and today I was reminded of this by the pick up trucks filling the parking lot and the shots ringing out in the fields.  I remained on the road and in the car and had terrific looks at a single Short Eared Owl before other photographers, not in a car, motivated the owl to fly off its open perch – even though they were not intrusively close.  Lots of spectacular Western Meadowlarks with their black vests on bright yellow chests.  But time to move on again…

My Favorite Eide Road Short Eared Owl Photo

 

Not far from Eide Road is another favorite place – but of an entirely different kind – the “Sparrow Spot” on Norman Road – which is a much more appealing designation than – the “Manure Piles” on Norman Road.  But whatever you want to call it, the place has lots of birds and is especially good for sparrows.  Today was no exception with 9 species of “sparrows”:  White and Golden Crowned, Song, Lincoln’s, White Throated, Fox and House (ok it’s a weaver) Sparrows plus Dark Eyed Junco and Spotted Towhee.  Also seen were Orange Crowned and Yellow Rumped Warblers, Bald Eagle, Trumpeter Swans and the Barn Owl that roosts in the red barn next door.  Not today, but a Harris’s Sparrow has been found there as well.

White Throated Sparrow – Norman Road Manure Piles

It is NOT the most pleasant place and with windows open the stench can be pretty bad.  It is basically a couple of manure piles from the neighboring dairy with some hay often around as well.  The farmers are nice to birders but you do have to stay out of the way of the tractors bringing in “material” to add to the collection so to speak.  It was the combination of that stop and the stop at the Stanwood STP that prompted today’s post.  Not that there is a paucity of evidence to support the proposition anyhow, but the amount of time that birders spend at Sewage Treatment Plants, Landfills, Garbage Dumps, manure piles and sewage lagoons is proof positive that we are – well, at least different.

Today got me wondering about the birds I had seen over the years at such places – so I did a little studying.  In the State of Washington I have seen just under 410 species.  If someone had asked how many I had seen at the aforementioned kinds of places I would have guessed maybe 75 – not even close.  The actual number and I am pretty sure I have missed some spots (like the junkyard at Neah Bay) is 135!!  And not just quantity.  How is this for a list of really good Washington Birds:  American Bittern, Baird’s Sandpiper, Barn Owl, Cattle Egret, Elegant Tern, Franklin’s Gull, Harris’s Sparrow, Lapland Longspur, Little Gull, Merlin, Red Shouldered Hawk, Ruff, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Sharp Tailed Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, Thayer’s Gull, Tricolored Blackbird, Tropical Kingbird and White Throated Sparrow.

Sharp Tailed Sandpiper – Ocean Shores STP

Red Shouldered Hawk – Hoquiam STP

Ruff – Hoquiam STP

On a trip to India we searched for a Painted Snipe, a truly beautiful bird in the most foul sewage lagoon I have ever seen – absolutely disgusting place and no bird.  I questioned our sanity then and admittedly I probably would have reached a different conclusion if the bird had been found.  I also wonder about the ducks that float around for days on end in places like the Everett Sewage Ponds – how does that compare to the experience of their cousins that live in pristine lakes somewhere.  (And do hunters shoot these ducks — and EAT THEM?) I guess it is all about food and safety but they have wings and theoretically have better spots available to them.

Maybe this blog is a response to the urges I have had at times to “write a book”.  I expect many of us have these thoughts and fortunately we never act upon them and face the reality.  One of the subjects that I have had in mind often is “Birds of the STP’s”.  In my dream the book would be light hearted and would be illustrated.  And in this vision the illustrator of course would be Gary Larson – his offbeat take would show the birds with just a little something “off” – a third eye, perhaps a giant bill – the result of living with what must be “bad stuff” in the sewage or garbage.  Then I wonder too if we birders hang around these places too much,  will we become a little “off” as well – or maybe if it has already happened.

See you at the dump… bring your scope!!!

 

 

This is getting to be old hat:  get up early, meet friend(s), cross border into Canada, find exciting rare bird, meet new birders, see old friends.  Get photo. Come home.

Black Headed Gull

Well not quite that easy – but today almost.  Ann Marie Wood, Steve Pink and I left Edmonds at 6:00 a.m. and headed North in search of a Black Headed Gull that was first seen two days ago at Trout Lake in Vancouver, B.C.  The Black Headed Gull  (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) is a small gull that breeds in much of Europe and Asia.  I saw my first one at the Mai Po Nature Reserve outside of Hong Kong on Christmas Day 1979.  I was in the company of James, an ex-pat Brit – how appropriate as now just over 36 years later here I was with Steve Pink – another super ex-pat Brit birder.

Black Headed Gulls have been seen both in Washington State and in B.C. before but they are quite rare in both places – a great attraction for birders.  I had chased one in South Bend, Washington in 2014 and after waiting more than an hour had a very quick and unsatisfying view before it flew off.  When we crossed the Border at Blaine, our border guard was the same personable (I know that is rare in this job category) young woman that greeted us on our quest earlier this month for the even rarer Siberian Accentor in Surrey.  I remembered her; she remembered me and once again she smiled when we told her we were after another bird.  And just as before, “No we were not bringing in any seed/feed or firearms!!”  Maybe this greeting was a good omen.

We found our way to Trout Lake (Jack Hendry Park) without trouble and were optimistic as the lake just before us as we parked was full of gulls and a birder was checking them out with his scope.  Rule 1 when chasing a bird somewhere (pretty sure I have said this earlier in this blog) is to look first for the birders hoping they have already found the target.  No such luck this time.  He had been at the Park for just under an hour and no luck so far.  Our optimism sank a bit.  Then another birder arrived, Sebastian Pardo.  He lived nearby, was extremely knowledgeable about this bird and birds in general and he said not to worry.  “It usually shows up around 10 when most of the off leash dogs (allowed) are gone”.

Some more Canadian birders arrived and the additional eyes were valuable and indeed proved so fairly quickly as the Black Headed Gull arrived out of nowhere at about 9:10 a.m. and landed with the 100 plus other gulls on the Lake.  In the same cooperative spirit it would show throughout the remainder of our stay, it conveniently landed at the extreme left end of the raft – all alone and clearly identifiable by its size, red feet and red bill with a dark tip.  YAY!! we had found our bird. I got a quick photo but not a very good one as the light and distance were not terrific.  Sebastian was off by 50 minutes – we all approved.

Black Headed Gull in Lake with Mew Gulls (first photo)

Very shortly thereafter Tina Klein and Nathaniel Peters showed up.  They had been at the Accentor sighting earlier (as had Ann Marie but not Steve) – well representing the Washington State birding community.  Nathaniel got an immediate look – ABA bird 668 for him.  Tina was a little late getting on it as it was now buried in the flock.  Then CHAOS!!  Every gull took off from the lake – an eagle was overhead and gulls are eagle food.  Where was it?  Where did it go?  Nathaniel had the answer – right over there on the grass – in the open with only one other bird with it.  We raced for better looks and photos.

As I said this was a most cooperative bird as it remained in the open in the grass and pictures were easy.  A favorite for the day was one of the Gull eating a worm which I saw it pull from the grass – a taste that Robins and gulls, at least Black Headed ones apparently share.

Some of its cousins joined it on the grass but with its smaller size and red bill and feet, our friend was easy to find.  Then  CHAOS again – not an eagle just a very energetic young boy running at and scattering the gulls.  As they flew off and landed and he repeated his charge we screamed at him to stop which he fortunately did.  Still cooperating our Black Headed Gull now landed on the even closer gravel playfield.  More birders and photographers arrived and the Gull continued to accommodate us all.  I caught a photo that I guess is what happens when you eat worms (and whatever else gulls eat) – the stream of white coming out of the gull’s bottom as clear and well timed as I have ever photographed.  Please do not take the photo as an editorial comment.

We had been at the lake maybe 30 minutes before the gull arrived.  We enjoyed perhaps 20 minutes watching it and it was now not even 10:00 a.m.  What next?  We considered a trip to Iona Island in search of the Tufted Duck that has been there for a while but instead, driven by the County Birding Madness that consumes both Steve and Ann Marie, we decided to head south to Whatcom County to try to find Mountain Bluebirds that had been reported there this week.  I had seen one at Semiahmoo in Whatcom County last year, but it would be a new county bird for each of them.  I was game – sure let’s go – but first a stop at Semiahmoo – which I always enjoy.

Semiahmoo Spit is immediately across from Canada and is usually a great place for waterfowl and shorebirds.  It delivered again although there were not as many birds as often can be seen there.  Just before getting to Semiahmoo as we drove by Drayton Harbor we spied a Northern Shrike, always a good bird.

As we drove onto the Spit, we were greeted first by a young coyote sauntering across the road without a care.

In Canada we had seen many Bald Eagles – and we would see many more later this day.  This included several on the Spit – a common find there.

Immature Bald Eagle

Ann Marie was particularly interested in seeing some White Winged Scoters.  We found a small group in the bay but from the back seat she was not able to get a good view.  I told her not to worry as I was sure there would be more – and in a few minutes we had 150 plus on the Drayton Harbor side – joined by Surf Scoters as well.  She was also interested in a Long Tailed Duck – another bird often found here. Just as Steve commented that they are more often found out at the end of the spit, one flew right by us – the only one we saw that day.

White Winged and Surf Scoters at Semiahmoo

Other treats from the Spit were Harlequin Ducks, Common and Red Throated Loons, Horned Grebes and 4 species of shorebird – Dunlin, Black Turnstones, Sanderlings and a pair of Black Oystercatchers.

Black Oystercatcher

Now it was off to the spot where the Mountain Bluebirds had been reported by Eric Ellingson.  I keyed the address into the Garmin GPS and followed directions only to arrive at a single house with a brown fence in a large open area.  Within 1 minute (ok 10 seconds) of arriving we saw a blue bird on the fence.  It was indeed our target.  Shortly thereafter a second duller version joined it.  The former a male, the latter the female.  Sometimes it really is easy.

We headed home with a detour through the Samish flats area but by the time we arrived so too had the rain and a lot of wind.  So we cut it short and headed home – very happy for the day.

With today’s Black Headed Gull added to the earlier Redwing and Siberian Accentor, Canada has been VERY good to me this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On January 20th, two days ago I had some business to attend to in the University District.  While I am not a “county lister” per se, Ebird does keep track of my county observations for me and I admit to at least paying attention.  I guess it is a general human trait, but some numbers seem to be more appealing than others and this is especially the case for multiples of 100.

That is all introductory to my decision on the 20th to try to add two birds to my King County list to bring it to 200 species.  Not really much given that I had lived in King County for 40 years and have only lived in Snohomish County for 3 years yet have observed 221 species there.  Back to the story.  I had never seen a Great Egret in King County.  One was reported at the Ballard Locks for quite a while at the end of 2015 but I never felt the need to add it as #199.  However, when many people reported seeing one from Sakuma Viewpoint off Boat Street AND there were also many reports of a feeding flock of Common Redpolls at Greenlake (another bird never seen by me in King County), I figured a little time after my meeting to possibly add both and hit that oh so appealing 200 was an opportunity not to be missed.

The Great Egret was easy and not very satisfying – on a houseboat across the canal from the viewpoint – partially obscured but hard to misidentify a big white wader with a yellow bill.  Was not worried about photos as this year I am looking only for new ones or quality and this bird offered neither.  So then it was on to Greenlake where the Redpoll flock had been reported feeding on Birch catkins “just south of the swimming pool”.  Well just south turned out to be about 1/4 mile but there they were at the tops of some birches paying no attention to the many passersby.  Horrible light but I took a few photos just because they are such neat little birds.  A couple of other birders came by and one, Rich Frank had one of those super telephoto lenses that I covet (500 mm Canon) and was definitely on the birds.  We had a very nice talk and viewing his photos made me want to erase all of mine…a definite case of lens envy.

Common Redpoll – one of 35+ – Greenlake

Greenlake is always fun as it so often provides opportunities to see ducks, gulls and grebes close up and there is usually a Eurasian Widgeon or two mixed in with the myriad American Widgeons as well.  So on the way back to the car I could not resist a couple of other photo ops even with the grey skies.

Pied Billed Grebe – Greenlake

American Widgeon – Greenlake

As I said talking with Rich was great, but even better was sharing the experience with many folks who walked by and asked what we were doing.  All of them thought it very cool when I explained that these were very unusual birds for this location, that they were “northern finches” and that their name came from the red on their “poll” – head.  I showed them various photos from that day or previous observations and also called up the bird on I-Bird to share information.  These kinds of experiences are some of the most enjoyable I have in my birding – interaction with interested non-birders who genuinely appreciate learning and being brought into a new circle.

Indeed my favorite all-time experience was when an older couple (both in their eighties) walked by me on the path just north of Shoveler Pond at Union Bay.  I was down in the muck with my camera and bins and the lady asked what I was doing.  I came up onto the trail and told her I was looking at a Virginia Rail and showed her some photos.  She was very engaged and said she would love to see one some day.  I asked her if that day might be “today” because this rail had been very responsive to the “grunt” call and might be seen if she could come down off the path a bit, but it might be a little wet.  She said a little gunk had never been a problem and she took my arm and we walked carefully down to the edge of the pond.  I played the call and a rail responded immediately.  My new lady friend literally shrieked – joyful.  THEN…it came out into the open for a few seconds and she could see it clearly.  Maybe I was wrong and she was eight instead of eighty because the little girl in her was certainly out in the open.  A beautiful shared moment.

Back to the Redpolls.  No shrieking, but it was cool to share these birds and how wonderful that so many people/birders had gotten to see them in such an accessible place.  I have seen them in many areas in Washington but certainly most commonly in the Okanogan.  From my trips there earlier in the year and to Salmo Mountain I knew this was a great year for “northern finches” and I wondered how the Greenlake Redpolls fit in this pattern.  A little Ebird research and the answer is clear – at least compared to last year this is an extraordinary time for Common Redpolls…extraordinary!

In December 2014/January 2015 Common Redpolls were reported on Ebird in 6 counties in Washington:  Okanogan (many records), Pend Oreille, Walla Walla, Grant, Stevens and King (a single record and I wonder…).  By comparison, and recognizing that there is still more than a week left in January 2016, for the same period December 2015/January 2016, Common Redpolls have been seen in 24 Counties:  the same 6 as the previous winter Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Walla Walla, Grant, Stevens and of course King (both Greenlake and in Bellevue) plus Thurston, Adams, Yakima, Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, Jefferson, Whitman, Douglas, Chelan, Benton, Lincoln, Spokane, Island, Franklin and Clark.  I myself have seen Redpolls in King, Franklin, Clark and Okanogan. Actually in Clark I should say heard and not seen.  After seeing the Beautiful Yellow Throated Warbler at Lake Sacajawea in Longview, Jon Houghton and I headed south to see if we could find the Snowy Egret for him that I had seen earlier in the year near Post Office Lake.  Ryan Merrill and Robert Flores who had also been at the warbler also made the trek.  We never did find the Snowy Egret and we hiked all the way to the end of the trail.  But as is so often the case, Ryan heard something none of the rest of us at first could hear – Common Redpolls flying high overhead.  He was right of course and a little later, I too heard the familiar call.  A very surprising bird in that far south location – another proof that this is definitely a Redpoll Year.

Common Redpoll – Okanogan

It is not just that they have been seen in so many more counties.  There have also been multiple sightings in some of these places compared to single sightings last winter.  I am sure that academic types (or at least birders more serious than I am) have explanations for this irruption – food scarcity further north, better success on breeding grounds, snow, global warming or whatever.  And that would be interesting to know.  But whatever the cause, how nice it is to have these little finches as visitors.  I hope they enjoy their stay.

The Schoodic Institute is an independent 501c3 nonprofit organization committed to guiding present and future generations to greater understanding and appreciation for nature by providing research and learning opportunities through its outstanding Acadia National Park setting, unique coastal Maine facilities, and innovative partnership programs.  I was the beneficiary of one such program in June 2015 when the Schoodic Institute’s Bird Ecology Program offered a birding tour in partnership with the Maine Birding Trail.  It was designed with Bob Duchesne, former Maine State legislator, natural history tour operator, and author of “The Maine Birding Trail”.  It included 4 nights lodging, 5 days of field trips in the northern forest during the height of songbird singing as well as the raucous seabird breeding islands along the Downeast coast.  It was fabulous!!

Although I had gone to school in Boston, I was not a birder then and missed out on such great birding areas as the Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cape Cod and the forests and coasts of Maine.  My daughter lives in Boston and so there is always a good reason to visit this formerly neglected area.  Previous trips had taken me to some of those missed spots, but I never made it to Maine.  The Mountains to Sea program seemed like the perfect combination of highlight areas but was not long enough so I added 4 more days on my own so I could include Machias Seal Island with its breeding colonies and both Scarborough Marsh and the Kennebunk Plains.  I had researched these areas and was excited at the chance to see and hopefully photograph many Eastern birds some of which would be new ABA Life birds.  Ending the trip with a visit to see my daughter would be icing on a very rich cake.

Oh yeah…a lobster or two would also be nice and the folks at Schoodic must have known this as a highlight was a lobster dinner for the group.

First a note of praise.  Bob Duchesne and Seth Benz, the Schoodic leader, were fantastic and the whole program was extremely well done.  I believe the program is being offered again this year and I highly recommend it, especially if you have not birded Maine before.

The program started in Baxter State Park and I will start with a disclosure of disappointment.  One of the key target birds was Spruce Grouse – a can’t miss specialty – but we missed it.  Bob and Seth worked so hard and it just did not happen.  Fortunately I later saw one at Bunchgrass Meadows with Khanh Tran in Washington and got a lovely picture but the miss was made up for with other great birds including many warblers not seen in Washington except as rarities.  These included:

Black Throated Green Warbler

Bay Breasted Warbler

Ovenbird

Chestnut Sided Warbler

Magnolia Warbler (Seen once in Washington at the Gingko SP Ranger Station with George Pagos, Mike Clarke and Kevin Black)

Canada Warbler

Palm Warbler (seen often in Washington but never in breeding plumage)

Northern Parula (also seen as a rarity in Washington at Walla Walla Fort SP)

None of these were life birds as I had seen them in other Eastern locations or in Texas, but many had not been seen for many years, had not been photographed and were beautiful in any event.  I was particularly happy to see the Chestnut Sided Warbler and Ovenbird as they had been chased and missed (more than once) in Washington.

Bob Duchesne was particularly good at finding woodpeckers and we referred to him as the “Woodpecker Whisperer or Conjurer”.  Tromping through marsh and woods he was able to deliver stunning views of both Three Toed and Black Backed Woodpeckers for the group.  Although I had of course seen both in Washington, many of the others in the group had never seen either before.  You can never see too many of these beauties.

Black Backed Woodpecker

Three Toed Woodpecker

Other “special” birds seen in the first part of the trip included Barred Owl, Eastern Phoebe, Bobolink, Boreal Chickadee, Black Duck, Slate Colored form of the Dark Eyed Junco, Olive Sided, Great Crested and Yellow Bellied Flycatchers in addition to many of the more common or familiar birds seen elsewhere including Washington.  Some photos:

Boreal Chickadee (seen in Washington but this was my best ever photo)

Yellow Bellied Flycatcher (a first ever picture)

Great Crested Flycatcher

Barred Owl (seen in Washington and elsewhere but never this soaking wet!!)

Black Duck (again seen elsewhere but somehow my first photo)

Eastern Phoebe (I actually saw and photographed this species in Rosalia, WA in 2012)

Not everything seen at the Park was a bird.  We also had great looks at moose, deer and minks and a very brief sighting of a distant black bear.

Cow Moose and Calf

Baby Mink

We then left the Mountains having seen 86 species and went to the Sea with a planned boat trip to see some of the special alcids etc. that was a major reason for many to participate in this program.  BUT we ran into some trouble.  We were scheduled to go out on a large boat but it had mechanical problems.  Seth performed a miracle and found a smaller boat that would go out for our group only to visit the waters around Petit Manan Island.

I was very pleased with the trip even though some of our views were more distant than I would have liked.  But we saw all of the expected birds except for one – Great Shearwater – again a “never miss” that was missed – perhaps because our smaller boat did not go as far ashore as we might otherwise have done.  (What was most disappointing about this miss was that not only would the Great Shearwater been a life bird for me, while I was in Maine this species was seen as a major rarity on one of the Westport Pelagic trips – so a double downer.)  Eighteen more state birds were added on this last day with the program – a very respectable total of 104 species and our birds that day included Razorbill, Atlantic Puffin, Arctic Tern, Common Eider, Great Black Backed Gull and Black Guillemot among others.

After our day at Sea we had a farewell dinner and bid each other adieu.  I won’t list names here, but it was a terrific group and all enjoyed the company as well as the leadership and of course the birds.  Again, I would highly recommend the program to anyone.  But now I was on my own and my first stop was Cutler, Maine a tiny little harbor where I would board a small boat and visit Machias Seal Island – claimed by both the U.S. and Canada and home to breeding colonies of some of the best birds we had seen the day before.  BUT if the tides and seas cooperated we would be able to go ashore and get up close and personal views.

There was a bit of a panic as the group assembled at the dock as Captain Andy of Bold Coast Charters, our captain, was not to be seen.  Fortunately he arrived a few minutes later.  The Barbara Frost was ready to motor and Andy said that water conditions looked perfect.

I have forgotten how far offshore we traveled but we saw some great birds along the way and arrived uneventfully and disembarked.  There is an operating lighthouse on the island that is “personned” by the Canadians.  Otherwise it is minimal housing and many blinds for visitors.

As we arrived we were welcomed by birds in the sea and in the air and fittingly by an Arctic Tern perched on the sign (bilingual) that was right at the landing.

The procedure is for the group to gather at a welcoming station, get a short introduction and then be escorted two at a time to one of the blinds.  The only “problem” is that while you can stay at your blind as long as you like, once you leave you cannot return and you cannot go to another blind.  This sounded like a major infringement on our freedom and a limitation on viewing opportunities – so of course we blamed the Canadians.  There was no need to worry however as all of the blinds were in prime territory with sufficient viewing area to see all of the birds and as you  will see in the pictures below, they were indeed very up close and personal.

I am not going to include every photo and there were many – please enjoy this selection.  Included will be photos of Arctic Tern, Atlantic Puffin, Razorbill, Northern Gannet, Black Guillemot, Common Murre and Common Eider all of which wither breed on the Island or are found in the waters close at hand.

Razorbill

Atlantic Puffin

Northern Gannet

Arctic Tern

Common Murre

Razorbill

Atlantic Puffin

Arctic Tern Juvenile

Arctic Tern

Common Eider Pair

Common Eider Male

Atlantic Puffin and Razorbills

Black Guillemot

As is evident from the photos the birds were often VERY close to us in the blinds and they were also quite oblivious to our presence.  At times they were literally just a few feet away.  And when we were out of the blinds both Arctic and Common Terns zipped overhead often joined by the alcids returning to their nesting or resting areas.

The visit to Machias Seal Island ranks right near the top of all birding experiences in my life and I cannot recommend anything higher.  It was especially great for photography but it would be impossible not to be exhilarated by the experience. The Northern Gannet was the only new state bird for the day – but including the day before I added three new Life Birds:  Atlantic Puffin, Razorbill and Black Guillemot.  On to southern Maine to continue my trip.

It took the rest of the day to get to my next stop – a pleasant cabin just south of Scarborough Marsh in ____________ Maine.  The next morning I visited the marsh and also the Maine Audubon Center at Gilsland Farms and Popham Beach.  Scarborough Marsh is another not to be missed spot with many waders, shorebirds and both Saltmarsh and Nelson’s Sparrows.

Glossy Ibis

Little Blue Heron

Saltmarsh Sparrow

Nelson’s Sparrow

The Audubon Center at Gilsland Farm is beautiful.  I had stopped by on my way to Scarborough the night before and learned that a Little Egret had been seen there lately.  This is another “mega” for North America – a wader similar to our Snowy Egret but breeding in temperate and tropical areas in Africa, Asia, Europe and Australia.  I had seen it first at the Mai Po Nature Center outside of Hong Kong in 1979, later in Australia and then in Kenya and most recently in South Africa in 2014.  Finding it in North America was “unheard of” yet there it was and I was fortunate to get a glimpse of it at one of the ponds at the Center.  Definitely an ABA Lifer.

Little Egret at Distance at Gilsland Farm

Little Egret Much Closer in South Africa (October 2014)

Next stop was Popham Beach where I was able to get wonderful looks at and photos of both Least Tern and Piping Plover – a delicate little plover similar to the endangered Snowy Plovers found at Grayland Beach in Washington.

Least Tern on Nest

Piping Plover

By day’s end the trip list was up to 122 species and both the Little Egret and Nelson’s Sparrow were new ABA Life birds.  I had a lobster roll for dinner and slept well in the little cabin with a light rain falling that night.

The next morning I headed off to Kennebunk Plains, a very different habitat – sandy plain with very different birds including my main target – Upland Sandpiper.  Birding with Dennis Paulson at the Oyhut Game Range in 2013  we had a very clear but brief sighting of an Upland Sandpiper in Washington where it is extremely uncommon.  It flew directly overhead.  I had also seen one that year at the airport in Dallas but no photo and I really wanted a good look at this long necked shorebird.  I was the only person at the plains and I walked around the loop 2.5 times before finally hearing the Sandpiper’s distinctive call and then finally finding one out in the open on the road.

Upland Sandpiper

Other good birds found here were Prairie Warbler, Brown Thrasher, Eastern Meadowlark, Field, Vesper and Grasshopper Sparrows, Bobolink and Eastern Towhee.

Field Sparrow

Eastern Towhee

Brown Thrasher

Prairie Warbler

Bobolink

Eastern Meadowlark

I returned to Scarborough with the trip list now standing at 132 species and I had added many new photos to my collection.   I picked up a few more trip birds including an Eastern Bluebird posing at my cabin as the rain returned that evening.

Eastern Bluebird

It was now time to head to Boston but there would be a couple more stops along the way including a try for Roseate Tern at Pine Point Beach and then on to Capisic Pond.  The tides were not right at Pine Point but after a solid hour of searching I was finally able to spy a distant Roseate Tern – another ABA Life Bird.  Too far for a photo – lucky to find it at all – but disappointing as I had hoped for one close up.  At Capisic Pond I had both Virginia and Sora Rails and both Orchard and Baltimore Orioles. A last stop at Kennebunkport added a beautiful Green Heron, Tufted Titmouse and Black and White Warbler concluding the trip at 147 species seen in the state – far beyond expectations, but better yet because of the quality and the enjoyment at seeing them.

Green Heron

I hope to get back to Maine again – not to add birds to some list but just to revisit some great spots and see some of these birds again.  And of course another lobster or two would be welcome as well.

 

 

 

 

I posted a message below on Tweeters yesterday (January 20) thinking it a good way to share some photos and mini-stories from what turned into a BIG PHOTO YEAR in Washington.  However when I pulled up the Picasa link I found that the comments did not show on the photos and they were an important part of the message.  Some readers asked if I had thought of a blog and the truth is that I had but rejected it as too difficult for my miserable technical skills.  Turns out it may be something even I can handle so I am trying it here including the photos but with the comments added.  The intent then will be to repost to Tweeters and direct interested parties to the Blog.

(Per the Tweeters Post January 18, 2015)  Although it did not start out that way, 2015 turned into a Big Photo Year for Washington Birds.  I started out to observe 300 species in state and get photos of at least 97%.  As more and more birds were seen, it morphed into a very fun but crazy year where I ended up with observations of 358 species and I got photos of all but 3.  The missed photos were of Boreal Owl, Flammulated Owl and Common Poorwill.  The latter was in my viewfinder but my settings were wrong in the dim light and no photo.