Raven Watcher

The Wonders of Pollination

2011-12-05T16:05:00.016-05:00

Awe-inspiring video records the wonders of pollination. The film begins at 3 minutes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqsXc_aefKI

Thrush Identification

2011-10-27T14:48:00.005-04:00

Here is a thrush that showed up in our yard yesterday in the midst of an enormous wave of diurnal migrants. Robins by the hundreds flew over or settled in our yard to chow down on our banner crop of crabapples. Several Hermit Thrushes fought for a place in the cafeteria line as did this darker thrush which we have identified as either a Gray-cheeked or Bicknell's Thrush.
I am no expert on either of these thrushes but would love your thoughts.

Here are some more photos hastily shot through my Nikon ED spotting scope with my Nikon Powershot camera.

The dark feathers above the left eye are the result of either disease or physical damage. The right eye and face area have no such markings.

Compared to the Hermit Thrushes this thrush is a cooler darker brown. When viewed from the rear the tail is barely distinguishable in color from the dark brown back being only slightly "warmer" in color and decidedly not the "reddish" color of the Hermit Thrush tail.

The face is uniformly grayish and unmarked with a faint if any eye-ring. Some photos above, to my eye, exaggerate the reddish tinge on the wings from what I observed.

Spots on the throat fade to dusky gray smudges which extend along the sides of the breast and belly.

This is not an easy identification. Possibly it is impossible to determine which of the species it is.

To further make that point, when I started birding these species were thought to be one--the Gray-cheeked Thrush. More complex analysis has determined that the Bicknell's Thrush is the more rare thrush found at altitudes of over roughly 3600 feet in the higher mountains of northern New England and New York state. Yes up at those altitudes where the dense Black Spruce is stunted and impassable.

The Gray-cheeked Thrush is a thrush of the far northern boreal forest where Black Spruce often overtakes our more common Red Spruce as the dominant coniferous species.

Either of these two species is rarely seen in migration. This sighting in my yard is highly unusual and lucky product of ten years of landscaping for wildlife.

Paddling the Saco River at Bar Mills

2011-08-05T14:50:00.005-04:00

Last month I finally had the time to explore the Saco River above my survey site in Bar Mills. I put in at the boat launch above the dam and paddled upstream past the supports of the old rail line.

Rough-winged Swallows had nested this spring in the crevices between the granite stones of the pilons but their young had hatched and they had moved out.

Dozens of Barn Swallows however were still foraging over the river as were many, many Cedar Waxwings.

The Saco River is further south than my usual explorations. Having found an American Chestnut on a recent paddle, I had my mind open to the possibility of other unfamiliar trees that might grow along the Saco.

This large-lobed compound leaf with the glossy surface caught my eye. It looked positively tropical compared to the usual Balsam Fir and Beeches that I am more accustomed to.

In the center of the leaves is a fruit growing that may give away the identity to this deciduous tree the lives only in the southwestern part of Maine.

Perhaps a look at the bark will give a better clue to its name:

Ah, yes now I remember--The Shagbark Hickory!

The Shagbark Hickory was not a common tree in Portsmouth, New Hampshire where I grew up but there was one not far from my house. As children we used to collect the nuts, mostly because they were such a rarity. We were told that they were good to eat. Their shells were so hard however that any effort to crack them resulted in a paste of nut meat and shell that was not very appetizing.

Another tree overhanging the water was more familiar:

The Boy Scout manual always suggested using the wood of this tree for carving but I had no idea in my youth of where to find one.

The Basswood favors the warmer micro-climates of Maine. There are a few growing on the south side of the ridge where I live. Of the 16 species of trees on the 3 acres I own there are no Basswoods. I am on the north side of the ridge and over here it is all Balsam, Red Spruce, Red Maple, Yellow Birch, etc. A half-mile walk to the Desert Road takes you into a horticultural zone one notch warmer than my neck of the woods.

A paddle up a small tributary of the Saco brought back fond memories of my youth. Tall Silver Maples made a canopy over the quiet stream.

Silver Maples are common too at Songo Locks on Sebago Lake and along the Dead River in Androscoggin County. When I see them I think Veery, Yellow-throated Vireo, Baltimore Oriole and other birds that favor edges of wet woodlands and river bottoms.

Silver Maples still form a canopy over the street where I grew up. When I was young Baltimore Orioles nested in their arching branches. Baltimore Orioles are famous for nesting in Elms but as they have been killed off by Dutch Elm disease the Silver Maple provides good alternate habitation. Why they are not more widely planted as roadside shade trees in suburban areas I do not know.

Silver Maples have the familiar "palm and fingers" look of the typical maple leaf, however they lobes are more deeply cut toward the center of the "palm".

A couple of my favorite wetland plants grew along the tributary.

The Royal Fern favors wet locations with some direct sunlight. It bears "cinnamon" spores much like the Cinnamon Fern but on a more lacy, delicate and upright plant.

Pickerel Weed is common in the shallow waters of lakes, ponds, marshes and quiet streams. The glossy upright leaves and deep blue plant make it an attractive flower. On this day it was attracting a lot of bees and other pollinators as well.

There must be a pickerel lurking somewhere.

The last "southern" tree on the trip was almost overlooked. It sent me to the field guide for confirmation. I had noticed some rough-barked trees along the bank and had written them off as White Oak which is an uncommon but regularly found tree in Maine. The largest White Oak in the state is just off the road in Vienna and the local people are so proud of it that they have cut a path through the woods so that you can see it from the road.

But when I caught a close look at a branch hanging over the river I noted that the lobes were not deeply cut like those of the White Oak. This was a Swamp White Oak found only locally in southern Maine.

The Swamp White Oak prefers the damp borders of rivers whereas the White Oak definitely likes to keep its feet dry. It is typically found on well-drained ridges and hillsides.

In the last two weeks the Maine outdoors has definitely taken me to school on our native trees. I had never identified the Swamp White Oak before and it had been along time since I had seen an American Chestnut, certainly never the size of the one I found in Poland, Maine (see earlier post).

The avian highlight was a new Maine state bird for me. As I paddled along the shore a brown bird on longish legs was working along the sandy shore of a bank undercut by the river. By the bobbing rear end I initially thought it was a Spotted Sandpiper which are common along rivers and lakes in Maine at this time of year.

A closer look revealed that it was a smaller bird and I had to paddle close to determine exactly what bird species it was.

It was a Louisiana Waterthrush. As the name indicates this species is only common to the south of Maine. In Maine we are more likely to see the Northern Waterthrush which is common in wet, shrubby edges of lakes and marshes.

I have looked for Louisiana Waterthrushes before. In fact the brook on which I found the American Chestnut, I explored years ago searching for Louisiana Waterthrushes and instead found the intriguing canal and millsite. I am still not convinced that Louisiana Waterthrushes are not found there and I will look and listen again next spring.

I have never regretted a day spent in the outdoors. Certainly this day was replete with discoveries.

I guess I was not the only mammal on the river. A mink likely left this scat behind.

Amazing Video of One of Maine's Favorite Birds

2011-08-04T12:28:00.005-04:00

The Osprey is probably one of Maine's favorite birds, taking second place perhaps after the Common Loon.

Here is some amazing video of Ospreys--the Fish Hawk--doing what they do best:

http://www.arkive.org/osprey/pandion-haliaetus/video-00.html

And they have a beautiful latin name too--Pandion haliaetus. Its fun to say.

Photo above by Kirk Rogers.

While Walking in the Woods...

2011-07-18T18:05:00.002-04:00

I found this tree while walking in the woods. What do you notice that is different about this tree?

Superficially it has the leave shape of perhaps a White Ash. Yes, there were white ashes growing nearby. It also has the shiny, smooth toothed leaves of a Beech. There were those nearby also.

Let's take a closer look at the leaf:

Long, tapered sharply toothed leaves are typical of this uncommon tree once abundant in southern Maine.

These leaves are much longer than the nearby Beech leaves.

American Chestnut

This tree is an American Chestnut. And this tree is exceptional in its size.

The largest American Chestnut that I have ever seen in the wild.

American Chestnuts were once one of the most abundant hardwoods of the eastern forest of North America making up to 40% or more of the forest cover. Their nuts were one of the main foods of the extinct Passenger Pigeon. Then the blight hit and within a short time they disappeared from the forests. Almost.

There are still trees sprouting from the stumps of trees now dead for a hundred years or more. By the time they reach about 15 feet and perhaps 2 inches in diameter they are killed by the blight.

I know of several clumps in Brunswick, but I was very, very surprised to find a tree of this size in the woods in Poland. There were also two other clumps that were struggling with the blight and did not come close to this size.

American Chestnut was a very valuable tree. It is very weather resistant. There are still telephone or telegraph poles standing in Maine made from American Chestnut and I believe there are some granite/chestnut fence posts existing in my neighborhood.

It is encouraging to find a tree of this size surviving. There are people who are breeding resistant strains of American Chestnut and it is possible that the American Chestnut will once again regain its status in the eastern forest.

For more information on the restoration efforts in Maine click on the following link:

http://www.me-acf.org/Home.html

"Toto, I've a feeling we are not in Maine any more."

2011-07-06T07:50:00.005-04:00

Here are some photos from our outstanding vacation in Montana. Text to follow:

Ennis Lake, Montana

American White Pelican, Kirk Rogers photo

Ennis Lake, water and wading bird hotspot.

American White Pelicans, Kirk Rogers Photo

American Avocet, Kirk Rogers photo

Axolotl Lakes, Trail Ride

Varney Bridges, Madison River, Montana

Sandhill Crane

Ruby River, Alder, Montana

Ennis Lake Drive

Ennis Lake, Sunset, Dan's Birthday Present--Priceless!

Finally something familiar, Osprey Nest, Ennis Lake

Ennis Lake Drive

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Idaho
Black-necked Stilt, Kirk Rogers photo

Snowy Egrets and White-faced Ibis, Bear River MBA, Utah

More photos from Ennis Lake:

Ennis Lake Drive at Sunset

Horse and Mule, Ennis Lake Drive

Exploring the Rivers of Southern Maine

2011-06-07T05:44:00.008-04:00

I have been dividing my time between river surveys and trying to get the garden planted. And a thousand other things of course.

Beth and I found some time to explore the Little Androscoggin River in Mechanic Falls. According to Cornell University's "Ebird" Androscoggin County is one of the more ornithologically unexplored counties in Maine.

Last year I spent a day with the DeLorme Atlas of Maine looking for interesting habitats in Androscoggin County. On route 11 just upriver from Mechanic Falls was a put in spot in a habitat that I thought might be good for some "southern" birds such as Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Blue or Golden Winged Warblers or Yellow-throated Vireo. I had no idea how far upriver we could paddle in our little Manatee Kayaks.

On a rare sunny Saturday Beth and I headed upstream.

The fog and haze cleared as we headed upstream. This bridge abutment I believe used to support an old rail line. An older friend of mine from Lewiston used to take this rail line with his uncle to fish for bass on the Little Androscoggin.

The first bird of note was an unexpected Black-billed Cuckoo calling its distinctive repeated "cu-cu-cu, cu-cu-cu, cu-cu-cu". Cuckoos are interesting birds that can are not often seen. They move slowly through the foliage. They are specially equipped to eat bristly caterpillars and are most frequently found near outbreaks of tent caterpillars or gypsy moths.

I find cuckoos to be very beautiful with the soft colors and long "droopy" form. The red eye-lining is not visible in this photo from Wikipedia.

We continued upriver in the slow current with trees arching over the river--a beautiful morning and a beautiful paddle. We saw no other people for about an hour. We heard lots of the usual woodland birds like Ovenbirds and Red-eyed Vireo. I had not heard a Veery singing yet this year but their calls were common as expected. They favor wet forested areas along the banks of rivers in Maine.

This Veery photographed by Kirk Rogers is of the Thrush family

We found none of the hoped for birds, however the trip was not without another surprise. As we approached the rapids that ended our paddle upriver we heard the distinct call of a Green Heron. We never did see this bird which prefers wood river banks for its nests. They forage in shallow waters along the banks or backwaters. A few days later Beth and I saw one foraging in the abandonned beaver dam on our Merrill Road walk.

Green Herons are roughly crow-sized and often look dark gray at a distance. They have a distinctive rhythmic wingbeat in flight.

Just before we reached the put in on our return trip we spotted a hen Hooded Merganser in the river. She flushed but circled around as we passed and landed in the river behind us. I am thinking that she had a nest nearby.

Hooded Mergansers often nest in the hollow rotted tops of dead trees in beaver ponds or along waterways. These trees are also the natural nesting areas of Chimney Swifts. Don't be surprised to see Chimney Swifts in the north woods miles from the nearest house. (photo courtesy of Kirk Rogers)

Later in the week I did my river survey at Bar Mills. The water was too high and current too strong for my paddling skills but I took a nice walk along the Saco River.

The Saco drains a much larger area than the Androscoggin and was running with a force much more intimidating for the casual paddler. The river that is a nice float in mid-summer is quite another animal in flood and should be respected accordingly.

Kingbirds, Baltimore Orioles, Yellow Warblers, Northern Rough-winged Swallows and Warbling Vireos were expected breeders along the Saco River.

Rough-winged Swallows lack distinctive field marks--and that makes them distinctive among our native swallows. They nest in holes in sandy riverbanks or, in the case of the Bar Mills "roughies" in crevices between the granite blocks of an old bridge abutment. A pair used to nest in a blocked tile drain in the railroad overpass near the Public Safety building in downtown Freeport--an unusual location far from the nearest body of water. Photo by Kirk Rogers.

The real surprise of the day was the wildflower show. In addition to the Mayflowers I had seen on my previous visit, were these Moccasin Flowers or Pink Lady Slippers.

The Moccasin Flower is our most common native orchid.

Another flower brought back memories of my youth. Bird-on-the-Wing is a low-growing flower that I have not seen in years. Many of these flowers are not so common now that fields have reverted to forests.

Bird-on-the-Wing blooms amid the wild strawberries.

Bird-on-the-wing is one of the first wildflowers that I learned from my mother. It was easy to remember its very appropriate name. My cousin and I used to catch Red-bellied Salamanders under the rotted trees fallen in the pine woods near where these flowers bloomed in York. The Red-bellied Salamander population in Maine is said to outweigh the Moose population. If you go looking for them, please put the rocks or limbs back the way you found them. And leave the flowers where they are. Most of these flowers are protected, becoming increasingly rare and are not easy to transplant.

Plant It and They Will Come

2011-05-18T18:00:00.009-04:00

Beth and I once had a Yorkshire Terrier named Bucky. He did not know that he was small. He weighed five pounds but had an ego the size of Donald Trump's. Bucky attacked the hundred pound Newfoundland dog that lived next door each time the ever friendly Newfie came over for a visit.

Bucky loved people but anything with fur--look out! At least two woodchucks met their demise due to our little dog.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and Bucky have a lot in common. Beth enjoyed watching the hummers duke it out at the feeder this weekend. There were three making high speed runs down the walkway between the hummingbird feeder and the Weeping Peach. I saw one chase a Chipping Sparrow and a White-throated Sparrow out of the feeder area and then pursue a Purple Finch into the top of a large maple. Beth saw one chase a Red Squirrel out of the peach tree. Feisty indeed.

When I moved here eleven years ago I planted a Quince bush to attract the hummingbirds. Each year our neighbor's Quince bush attracted the first Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and Baltimore Orioles of the year. I asked her for a piece of it and transplanted it to a prominent place in our landscape.

The Weeping Peach I found in a blackberry patch at the front of the house. The previous owners apparently did not understand how invasive the blackberries could be. I dug up two of the peaches and transplanted them. They were just about dead and only one survived but it is now a dominant feature of the landscape and provides shade for the greenhouse in the summer.

The Catbirds make their nest in the blackberry vines or in the tight tangle of a hawthorn that has grown up near the blackberry patch.

The Weeping Peach is just coming into bloom and I expect that orioles will be in it any day now.

When we moved here 11 years ago our house sat in a bare clearing in the middle of the woods. From counting growth rings on the Red Maples I know that this "second growth" forest started in the early 1970's. Before that this land was blueberry barrens that extended for nearly a half mile behind the house. Now the barrens are woods that provide nest sites for Barred Owls, Ravens, Broad-winged and Cooper's Hawks.

What I have done in landscaping is to try to create "layers" between the bare cleared area and the adjacent woods. It has taken me ten years but it is working. Many more birds are attracted to the shrubbery around the house and to the fruit-bearing trees and shrubs that I planted. There are more places for birds to hide close to the house and short distances from the feeders.

As a result of all of this landscaping, we have had a parade of stunning visitors in close to the house during this last cold wet week.

A Scarlet Tanager has been coming to the suet blocks. While Cynthia was visiting it perched in the blooming Shadbush just ten feet from our living room window. What a stunning bird to see up so close.

Scarlet Tanagers have a burry song that is a little like a robin with a sore throat. They are often unseen singing from the upper branches of the second growth forest but they will come to feeders for suet and fruit during cold wet spring weather.

An Indigo Bunting--equally stunning--favors the millet and sunflower seed at the hopper feeder mounted on a pole with a squirrel baffle. Beth and I were amused watching a Red Squirrel slide down the pole in its vain attempts to circumvent the baffle.

The Indigo Bunting is a persistent singer from the tops of early second growth forest edges. Its bright blue color is not a pigment but a refraction of light through its feathers. It will look nearly black when backlit or in the deep shade of the treetops.

A Rose-breasted Grosbeak has also been visiting that feeder. I love their long "syrupy" liquid song that is easily heard from a good distance away.

The Rose-breasted Grosbeaks powerful bill is well suited for cracking sunflower seeds.

The ethereal song of the Wood Thrush is heard morning and evening now along with equally welcome songs of Ovenbirds and White-throated Sparrows. These are birds of the forest understory. Their songs are good reminders to avoid "cleaning up" the woods of undergrowth. The imposing of a "suburban" aesthetic on rural areas is increasingly limiting the variety of bird and animal life. A little more thought given to landscaping and care for natural areas could do a lot to encourage diversity even within short distances of our urban areas.

The Wood Thrush favors a singing perch deep within the forest understory. Their ethereal song makes them difficult to locate in their usual habitat.

Bird images generously loaned to Raven Watcher by Kirk Rogers http://www.kiroastro.com
Kirk's site also has photos of astronomical wonders.

Plum's the Word

2011-05-12T11:55:00.000-04:00

I was tying up a climbing rose when a gust of wind filled my nostrils with the most pleasant scent. It was then that I noticed that the plum tree was blooming.

Today two of the plums are blooming, a few more on their way and the "Foley" apple that I am training into an espalier on the front of the house is busting into bloom as well.

Local folklore is that you can plant your tender crops when the apples bloom. I am not going to push it though. These trees are close to the house and bloom a week or more earlier than those at a distance. This side of the house gets the morning sun and then radiates it to the trees forcing them into bloom earlier than they would otherwise. That said I have noticed the the "Foley" apple is the earliest to bloom of all of the trees in this area.

Spring migration has been stalled by strong north and northeast winds that have kept temperatures cool. Portland has yet to break 70 degrees fahrenheit this year. Birds are trickling in. A Catbird was new to the yard this morning. A hummingbird has been coming to the feeder for about a week.

A first of year bird on my walk this morning was a bright colored Veery that was hanging out in a small area of their typical wet, woodsy habitat. Yellowthroats, Ovenbirds, Black-throated Green, Pine, and Chestnut-sided Warblers are all on territory in the neighborhood.

This Veery photographed by Kirk Rogers is a resident of wet woodlands. Its ethereal song is typical of the thrush family.

Should we get a southerly flow of winds over the area this weekend we could get a substantial wave of new migrants.

I did see my first Eastern Towhee in the neighborhood today but I am still awaiting Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Great-crested Flycatcher and Baltimore Oriole--all of which should be hear by now.

Eastern Towhee by Kirk Rogers is most often located by its loud "Drink your tea!" song.

A few early species tulips are still blooming.

Once again I am away for a weekend. I hate to leave the state at this time of year when so much is going on. These daffodils may be gone by by the time I get back.

But more fruit trees should be in bloom when I return!

N is for Nodhead

2011-04-25T07:35:00.007-04:00

Grafting season is upon us. On March 27 I was was at MOFGA headquarters in Unity gathering scions (cuttings) for my spring 2011 grafting of apples and pears. In the above photo apple enthusiasts are sorting through over a hundred varieties of apples to graft onto their existing trees (making more than one variety per tree) or onto rootstock (available for sale by FEDCO trees at the event).

Beth's friend Helen told us about the ancient Nodhead apple at her house. Nodhead is an "heirloom" variety that I have been interested in and doubly interested in having a scion from a local tree. What a great way to preserve history.

This Nodhead Apple was planted by Helen's grandfather over a century ago. It still bears substantial crops.

As you can see below Helen's home goes back to the mid-1800's. There was once a large orchard in the back which is now overgrown with trees. However a few old trees survive. I got scions from an old Snow apple, an unknown pear and this unknown apple which bears large yellow apples.

Apples found near the house were often those that bore early. It was a short trip from the kitchen to pick apples for the first welcome pie of the year.

The FEDCO Trees catalog is a good resource for information on apple varieties old and new.

Back at home I began grafting scions cut from Helen's trees. I mostly grafted them onto a wild tree in the yard. I cut a one inch branch off, making a clean cut with a hack saw, and then graft on a section of last years growth from the Nodhead. I want about a 2-3 inch section with two buds. A clean slice down either side of the stub allows me to peel back the bark and slip the scion, which has been cut at an angle, into the slit made in the host tree. Wrap the whole thing up with graft tape to hold it steady, daub it thoroughly with grafting wax or sealer to hold in the moisture and we are good to go.

Excuse the focus but this shows a new graft, two buds on each scion on either side of the host branch. Only thing left to do is to daub it with sealer and give it a label so that in future years I will know what is what.

The photo below shows last year's graft of a Wolf River scion onto a Norland tree in my yard. I am not wild about the Norland apple so I am "replacing" its branches with Golden Russet, Wolf River and Honeycrisp. Wolf River, popular among Maine apple collectors is known as the "one pie" apple. It is often larger than a softball and comes close to filling up a pie crust.

The Wolf River was found in an overgrown field on the Pownal Road and grafted last year.

You can see the two new growths from last year in the center of the photo. They grew about two feet in the first year. I do two grafts per limb for insurance. I cut one of these off after taking the photo last week. This new limb could be bearing apples within a couple of years.

Beth with the four year old "Foley" apple grafted onto semi-dwarfing rootstock.

The apple pictured above was from a huge tree found in the woods behind our house. I am not sure that it was a named apple or a wild tree that people let grow up there. And I have not had a good specimen of the apple yet to taste. It bloomed last year but the late frost destroyed the flowers. Wild apples were often used for cider, since most are not fit for eating.

Below Beth is reminding everyone about the FEDCO tree sale. Leftover trees are liquidated often at a good discount at this two day event just a mile or so off Route 95 in Clinton.

Spring in Maine

2011-04-06T15:11:00.009-04:00

Spring is different in Maine. As big wet snowflakes were splashing to the ground there was a line at the Dairy Joy in Auburn. It is Spring in Maine and it will be celebrated regardless of the weather--we are going to have our ice cream!

But as for strange nothing beat the two Great Cormorants perched on a wire over the rapids of the Androscoggin River in Auburn during the snowstorm. Beth spotted them as we were headed to a dinner date with some friends. I pulled the car over and could not believe that these ocean going cormorants were here twenty miles or so inland. Not only that they were displaying at each other, pointing their bills to the sky and flashing the white throat patches.

Great Cormorants breed in a few places along the extreme eastern Maine coast but are generally a more northern bird that is seen along the ocean front in the winter.

Double-crested Cormorants are much more common on inland lakes and rivers, especially during migration. Lots of birds are now being attracted by the smelt runs. Soon the alewives will bring the ospreys back to our coastal areas.

The birds have been a little more tentative about returning to the north but the numbers are building. We have had a succession of wet snows, one bringing 10 inches to our yard. Still parts of the garden are a foot deep in the white stuff.

This Red Maple was the only one of five in the yard to survive the ice storm of 1998. I am amazed that it recovered. A Pileated Woodpecker has nested in one of its dead branches.

During a previous snow storm hundreds of Canada Geese were in the potato fields on River Road (Route 136) in Durham. There were also hundreds of ducks but I could only make out Black Ducks, Mallards and Wood Ducks. Seventy Horned Larks, my first of the season were also working over the fields for weed seeds.

I stopped during the next storm and the number of geese had swelled to around a thousand. This time the snow was falling more lightly and I was able to pick out the lovely long-necked silhouette of a Pintail duck. I thought sure there would be a Snow Goose amidst the Canadas but no luck.

Northern Pintail by Kirk Rogers

Later, however, I stopped at a small pond near the Little Alaska Farm in Leeds where I had seen my first Green-winged Teal last year. No teal but a Snow Goose was hanging out with a couple of dozen Canadas. A killdeer, another early spring arrival, flew by as I was checking out the Snow Goose.

You seldom get a view of the blue eye of the Snow Goose as pictured here by Kirk Rogers.
Things have really accelerated these last few days. I have seen my first Kingfisher at my river watch in Bar Mills, and first Double-Crested Cormorants and Snowy Egrets at the Cousin's River Marsh which forms the border between Yarmouth and Freeport. A Northern Shoveler duck was seen there this week but I did not see it.

Some winter birds still linger. Tree Sparrows are still around and two Golden-crowned Kinglets are coming to my suet feeder. I have never seen these insect eaters at a feeder before. Two Pine Siskins, a strongly striped, small finch are coming to the black oil feeder. They follow the food sources around the northern reaches of the continent with not much regard for the weather. Where the wild seed crop is most abundant is where they will be. This winter has been a pretty good one for siskins in Maine. Maybe these two will linger to breed here.

350 blackbirds dropped into the yard in the fog yesterday. I love the loud racket that these big migrant flocks make.

I have seen numbers of crows carrying nesting materials. Some people in Maine have heard Wood Frogs quacking in wet areas. I predict that those in my pond will be calling by the end of the weekend, given the warm forecast. Right now ice still covers half the pond.

The wet snow forced some Hazelnut branches into my driveway. I cut them off and brought them inside to force their tiny intense flowers into bloom. I had to call them to the attention of my house guests because they are so small. But they amaze everyone who sees them. How much we miss in nature. I had been living here for years before my neighbor Sue called them to my attention.

Live and learn.

This Hazelnut flower is about the size of a pencil eraser. They should bloom about the time that the wood frogs start calling.

I have to go away for three days. It is a hard time of year for me to leave home. I gave the greenhouse a good soaking. This last Monday I predicted to my friend Cynthia that her Phoebe, the most precocious of flycatchers, will be perching on her pump handle by the time I returns. Maybe even a pair will be checking out their nest sites under the eaves of the shed.

Hard to believe that these lilacs will be blooming in six weeks or so.

Sounds of Spring

2011-03-17T19:57:00.006-04:00

Northern Saw-whet Owl photographed by Kirk Rogers

As the moon was setting--and well before the sunrise--I went to the woodshed to get some wood for the fire. A Saw-whet Owl was "tooting" from the woods behind the house.

This is the first I have heard calling in my yard. One responded to a tape on a Christmas Bird Count but that was just the one high screech note that they often use when responding to another "owl". This was a real treat.

Saw-whets are about the size of my hand and are among the most nocturnal of the owls. Lots of people have seen Barred Owls during daylight hours this winter. Beth saw three in one day.

The Saw-whets are little known. My neighbor Sue says she has seen them at night trying to catch mice at her bird feeder. In my experience they are fairly common but you do have to get out there and listen for them. Late March and April seems to be a fairly good time to locate them as they are setting up nesting territories.

So I got excited and decided to see if I could hear our three local species of owls in one night. With my headlamp and reflective vest I set out for the Desert Road. I thought that the Great Horned Owls down there might be easy and then I could go to "Jewett's Field" on the Merrill Road and hoot up a Barred Owl.

I sauntered around the fields on the Desert Road for a half hour or more. It was a perfect quiet night but no owls hooting. However, as the light grew in the east a shooting star streaked across the sky and then I heard the nasal "peent" of a woodcock.

That was a new bird for the season for me. They usually return even when there is the slightest bit of bare ground. This bird was calling from the lawn of a nearby house. Further up the road another was calling from the edge of a hedgerow. While I stood listening for owls I could also hear the emphatic, jumbled chirps of its flight calls as it descended to earth in its courtship display.

American Woodcocks are best seen against the twilight sky. They are well camouflaged as they search for worms and other invertebrates on the ground.

No owls but nevertheless a welcome sign of spring.

The hawkwatch was slow later in the morning with a few Red-tails and Red-Shouldered Hawks. I had to leave the summit at noon as two Adult Bald Eagles were trying to escort another eagle out of their nesting territory. These territorial battles are often seen from the summit of Bradbury Mountain in early spring.

The day ended with a Fox Sparrow at the feeder--another first-of-the-season bird. The young emergent evergreens in my yard approximate their favorite breeding habitat. Perhaps for that reason I see quite a few of them in late March and early April.

Fox Sparrows are among the most colorful of the sparrows. They have a pleasant burry, sing-songy song.

Signs of Spring on Bradbury Mountain

2011-03-15T20:14:00.008-04:00

Red-shouldered Hawk (with permission from Kirk Rogers www.kiroastro.com)

Red-shouldered Hawks ushered in the Bradbury Mountain Hawk Watch in Pownal today. I had to leave at noon but before I left we had tallied ten Red-shouldered Hawks, two immature Bald Eagles, two displaying Cooper's Hawks, a few Red-tailed Hawks and a small number of Turkey Vultures, all new spring arrivals to Maine.

Red-shouldered Hawks are not commonly seen in Maine. In the slow moments on the summit, Derek, Andy and I were discussing this hawk. They for the most part overwinter to the south, though I saw one near the Kennebunk rest area on Route 95 on January 9. Once on breeding territory they are not frequently seen.

While Red-tailed Hawks often perch and hunt in open farmlands, Red-shoulders more commonly hunt the wooded areas. Red-shoulders are more likely to be heard than seen and one must be able to recognize their bluejay-like call while walking the woods in order to be aware of their presence.

In the 1980's when I first started hawkwatching at Bradbury Mountain I was surprised to find that a significant Red-shoulder flight occurred in mid to late March. I also enjoyed their aerial courtship and territorial flights over the summit. At that time there was a pair nesting on the northern boundary of the state park and another on the south side of "Little Bradbury". Often the rivals would meet in the middle to work out territorial borders.

We believe that increased human activity in the area has reduced the numbers of nesting "Shoulders" as well as those of locate Goshawks. Both species seem to like larger blocks of undisturbed woodlands whereas the common Broad-winged Hawk (which we will be seeing in April) has nested within a 100 feet of my house in a relatively "suburban", though wooded, neighborhood. Many of us in the neighborhood are doing what we can--by limiting outdoor lighting and trying to mitigate the impact of proposed developments, for instance--to make it a place that is friendly to the wild mammals, birds, amphibians and insects that have still managed to hang on there.

Early in the morning I saw my first Grackles of the year on the Merrill Road along with a few Red-winged Blackbirds. Robins and a small flock of waxwings were migrating along with a few Redpolls and Pine Siskins, both small "winter" finches similar is size and shape to Goldfinches.

In the afternoon it was back to the greenhouse--planting various herbs, flowers, peppers and tomatoes.

Just checked the final hawkwatch report. It looks like the Red-tails picked up in the afternoon. They ended the day with 21.

The Bradbury Mountain Hawk Watch is sponsored by Freeport Wild Bird Supply and Nikon optics. Andy Northrup is there daily from 9-5 to help people locate and identify the migrants passing the summit. I will be up there Thursday morning the 17th, helping him out. Another pair of eyes is always helpful.

Here is the Hawkwatch link. It is updated every evening.

http://www.hawkcount.org/month_summary.php?rsite=616

Oh, and a not so welcome Sign of Spring--the "sugar ants" are back in the house. They always return when the ground around the foundation of the house begins to thaw. Have to be a little more rigorous about putting things away and stick the honey jar in the fridge. By the way Orangeguard is an excellent, non-toxic repellent that is safe to use on kitchen counters. Being derived from oils of oranges it also has a pleasant citrus smell. I find it in spray bottles at Ace hardware stores. Spraying around baseboards, windows and other likely entry points keeps the ants at bay.

Singing in the Rain

2011-03-11T09:27:00.005-05:00

Tufted Titmouse imaged by Kirk Rogers

Yes, it is rain. Not snow. And it brings us some hope for the coming of spring.

A Tufted Titmouse was celebrating outside my greenhouse by singing its spring song backed up by the cooing of a Mourning Dove from the trees at the edge of the yard.

Inside I was planting onions and parsley. I had started up the heater the day before to make sure everything was working properly.

Four varieties of onions from FEDCO Seeds this year and parsley from Johnny's Selected Seeds. Both are Maine-based companies that sell organic and locally grown seed.

Next I will be starting some herbs and perennials and moving more orchids out of the house and into the greenhouse.

I order most from FEDCO because of their policy of not buying seed from Monsanto subsidiaries and others that promote Genetically Modified seed stock.

The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association Scion and Seed Exchange is coming up on Sunday March 27 from 12-4. I will be heading up there with some scions of my own and picking some up to graft onto the wild tree near the road. And also some for my brother-in-law in New York.

Tuesday March 15 is the first day of the annual Bradbury Mountain Hawk Watch. Again this year Freeport Wild Bird Supply will be sponsoring a daily hawkwatch from nine to five March 15 through May 15.

It looks like Tuesday will be a sunny day with a west wind after some unsettled weather so its possible that we could have a wave of early migrants like Bald Eagles, Northern Harriers (Marsh Hawks) or, possibly a Rough-legged Hawk or Golden Eagle. "Rough-legs" are a hawk of the tundra that winters occasionally in our neck of the woods. Golden Eagles are seen on an average of once a year in Maine but early spring from Bradbury Mountain is a good time and place to see them.

Bradbury Mountain State Park charges a fee for day use of the park. FWBS Hawkwatcher Andy Northrup will be there to tally the count and help novice hawkwatchers identify migrating raptors. Stabilicers or crampons may be advised for the first weeks of the count.

For more information go to the FWBS website http://freeportwildbirdsupply.com or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Freeport-Wild-Bird-Supply/198877036808925

There are also things springing up inside. Rainy days are good for baking bread. I have two cultures of sourdough thriving on top of the fridge. I made a loaf of each this morning for comparison. One is a bit more pungent than the other but all in all not much difference. I am learning that it is all in the timing and catching the culture at the peak of its growth when it gets stirred into the bread batter.

Dan's Maine Wild Yeast #2. I have dried some of the starter and also have some in the freezer.

Since its a rainy day I think I will have to experiment with a a loaf of date almond wheat and millet bread this afternoon. A little orange juice and anise seed should makes things interesting too.

Oh and don't forget to have Richard Crossley's fantastic new field guide to birds, "The Crossley ID Guide" autographed at Freeport Wild Bird Supply on Route One in Freeport on Sunday March 20 at 4 PM. He will be also presenting photographs and humorous tales from the birding world before the signing.

Nesting Begins

2011-03-08T18:58:00.007-05:00

Bald Eagles were a highlight on my scouting on the Androscoggin River last week. A pair was hanging out in a pine tree near the Durham Boat Launch. A year ago in this same tree I watched a pair mate in the same tree. The same pair? Probably.

I continued upriver to my research site just below the falls on the Auburn River Walk. Three hundred and fifty Mallards and a few Black Ducks were decidedly amorous. I watched one Black x Mallard hybrid mounting a hen mallard. Seven Common Mergansers were fishing in the area as well.

The highlight of this stop was an adult Iceland Gull. This is a winter visitor from the far north more commonly seen around the fish piers in Portland. This bird however may be spending time at a local landfill and then coming down to the river to bath, preen and drink.

After finishing my survey, I drove to North River Road and saw another eagle perched near the nest that it was building last year. They may have raised a chick here.

Further up the road I pulled over and took a nice walk for a few miles up the road. Another Bald Eagle cruised over the road and passed not 100 feet from me. What a large bird!

Near the Switzerland Dam another pair of eagles, probably the ones that nest there, were perched in the top of a pine.

This adds up to quite a bunch of data suggesting that the eagles are well into their breeding season.

Also along the road a Raven flew over carrying a foot long twig. Nest-building! Ravens can easily have eggs on the nest in March.

So spring is well under way. However, I did find evidence of winter.

Three Snow Buntings were near a dairy farm.

Snow Buntings work over weed seeds that stick up through the snow or pick undigested seeds from manured fields.

Five Common Redpolls, small finches from the far north, were hanging out in some tree tops near a feeder.

Birch or Alder Catkins are among favorite foods for redpolls when they are not filling up on Nyjer or Black Oil Seed at feeders.

The most conclusive sign of spring however was a male Red-winged Blackbird near a feeder in North Pownal. Conk-a-ree! Spring is on the way.

Bird Images generously loaned by Kirk Rogers.

SOS II (Signs of Spring Two)

2011-02-24T17:59:00.005-05:00

I came nearly eyeball to eyeball with a Turkey Vulture while walking on the Desert Road on Tuesday. I had read of other TV reports in the state but this one was a bit of a surprise at tree top level as it turned into the wind and passed in front of me.

Also on Tuesday I heard Mourning Doves singing near my living room window. They are definitely beginning to pair up though I have not yet seen their "paper airplane" courtship flights. We still have a winter flock of around 20 birds visiting our feeder from time to time.

Mourning Dove and Turkey Vulture photos by Kirk Rogers

The Crows also are beginning to pair up. I have seen several "couples" perched close to one another in the treetops lately.

The Ravens for whom this blog is named are becoming more vocal and are undoubtedly selecting nest sites. From the location of the calls I am guessing that they will be nesting in the woods to the southwest of the house.

I have reports that the Woodchuck (or Groundhog) at Gilsland Farms in Falmouth has been peering out of his hole.

I smelled a fox this morning on my walk out the Merrill Road in Pownal and saw fresh coyote tracks in the snow. Spring is in the air and some of the mammals are beginning to wander around more. A friend who lives on the Little Ossipee River in Limington watched an otter for an extended period as it made is way up, over and under the ice.

The south winds may bring the first blackbirds into our area soon. Today a flock of small finches, perhaps Redpolls, were headed north over the house.

Next week I will plant onion and parsley seeds in flats. I am already looking forward to March 27 which is Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association Scion and Seed Exchange. I will be headed up there bringing some of my prunings from my incredibly vigorous Spigold Apple to swap for something that I can graft onto the wild seedling apple along my driveway. I may also pick up some pear scions to graft onto the five semi-dwarfing pear rootstocks that I have ordered.

I will be picking up scions for my brother-in-law John in the Adirondacks and we will have our own private grafting clinic there. He wants to put something a little more interesting on one of the wild seedlings in his yard. Maybe we can get two or three varieties grafted onto that tree.

A wild tree is almost the perfect rootstock since it has already proved its hardiness and disease resistance having survived for many seasons in our climate without any care.

We have gained nearly two hours of daylight. I used some of that time today cleaning out my greenhouse and organizing my supplies in advance of the coming growing season.

Oh, and I also filled the snowblower with gas in anticipation of tomorrow's snow storm.

Signs of Spring 2011 (SOS)

2011-02-15T15:33:00.007-05:00

Barred Owl photo by Kirk Rogers

I heard a Barred Owl calling at 3:30 AM on Sunday. It reminded me that breeding season for owls is well underway. Later I stopped on Desert Road just before daylight and listened for about 15 minutes for the Great Horned Owls that nest there. There were none to be heard. But I think I will snowshoe out into the fields there on the next warm and quiet pre-dawn and give another listen.

The woodpeckers in the neighborhood are feeling spring and a friend at work said she has been hearing the breeding songs of birds in her yard. I have heard Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmouse and House Finches singing on the Desert Road.

The Pileated Woodpecker however is raising the most ruckus. The local male's loud drum is heard regularly in the mornings now. He stopped in my front yard a few days ago and later I saw large wood chips beneath the tree. Could he be excavating a nest hole already?

The Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers are drumming and chasing each other around and three White-breasted Nuthatches in a White Ash were doing some kind of breeding or territorial thing on the Desert Road. I could hear the loud "yank-yank-yank" song of one of them from quite a distance.

I have had to dig snow away from my young apple trees. The snow is well above the rodent guards that I placed on them last fall. It is just a matter of time before the meadow voles begin to feed on them wherever they can do so under the protective snow cover. I have never understood why the voles seem to ignore some of the apples that seed themselves in the yard and attack others, but I am particularly vigilant with those trees that I am trying to save.

As I was baking bread this morning the first redpoll of the winter came to my feeder. Yes, just one. The thirty five that were chittering in the top of a maple in South Freeport just above a bird feeder, was a more typical number. Redpolls are birds of the far north that periodically move south when birch and alder catkins are scarce up north. We seem to have a good crop of such catkins here this winter and as a result we are seeing Redpolls, Pine Siskins and Goldfinches at the feeders this year. I have not yet seen a Hoary Redpoll this season. They are a paler cousin of the Common Redpoll. They are usually seen in years when there are big numbers of redpolls in the area.

A "Who Cooks for You! Who Cooks for You-all!" coming from the woods is the call of the Barred Owl. Sometimes they just do the "You-all" or numerous other loud, caterwauling calls.

Soon, perhaps on the southwesterly winds forecast for later in the week, we will see birds like Turkey Vulture, blackbirds and migrating crows returning north. I expect to hear the cooing of a Mourning Dove any day now.

What signs of spring have you noticed?

Bird images generously loaned by Kirk Rogers http://www.kiroastro.com

Quiet in the Woods

2011-02-06T05:29:00.004-05:00

Snow is nearly waist deep after a series of winter storms. So I found as I waded through the yard to rake snow off the porch roof.

The forecast for a nice sunny day prompted me to invite my sister up for a walk through the woods behind my house.

Before we had even left my yard we found the tracks of deer who are still managing to force their way through the fresh snow. We headed uphill to the tote road that follows the ridge top. There we found numerous deer and coyote tracks sharing the snowmobile track that winds through the woods.

A fox travels a track that the deer have abandoned.

There were not a lot of birds in the woods but I was able to use my "pishing" and a screech owl imitation to bring in a small flock of chickadees accompanied by a couple of white-breasted nuthatches. They came down close to us to try to find the intruding owl.

After a while we decided to leave the trail and make our way through the deep unpacked snow. I took a nice soft fall after sliding off a downed tree limb that was buried deep beneath the snow. This is where the poles come in handy. When your feet are on the surface and your body is below, only the poles are going to get you back on your feet again.

The poles were also handy in crossing small brooks that crossed our route. They made it much easier to find the solid "bridges" across the seeps and avoid a quick avalanche into the frigid water.

For most of the trip we still ended up following trails that the deer had abandoned.

I noted a complete absence of snowshoe hare or partridge tracks. There have been numerous reports of daytime Barred Owl sightings, indicating an abundance of this common owl in our area this year. Beth saw three in one day last weekend. I wondered if they had thinned out the local population. However later in the day I saw numerous snowshoe hare tracks along the edges of the fields just south of our route.

Nancy and I stop to enjoy the silence. We heard no human sounds during our short walk not far from home. What a great day to be outdoors!

Coming in from the Storm

2011-01-14T05:01:00.007-05:00

A fifteen inch plus snowfall has changed the face of winter in dramatic fashion.

Beth had a snow day and, together, we enjoyed watching the storm swirl around the house. When it came time to clean up, as the snowfall eased late in the day, I could not open the front door. Nearly two feet of the white stuff had drifted up against it.

The juncos and mourning doves fidgeted around the feeders all day picking up the occasional scraps from the surface of the snow. They are ground feeders, however, and most of their feed was covered up by the rapidly falling snow. A couple of doves picked at the safflower log and the juncos picked millet bits from the suet blocks.

The storm did drive some new visitors to the yard. A rare and colorful Bohemian Waxwing, imaged above by Jeannette Lovitch of Freeport Wild Bird Supply, dropped in to feed on the crabapples in the yard. It was accompanied by a single Cedar Waxwing and four robins.

The Bohemian Waxwing is a bird of the far north and comes south only when fruit crops in its home range fail. I had been expecting to see one in the yard since reports of these birds in Maine has been increasing.

The Bohemian Waxwing is larger and grayer than the more common Cedar Waxwing. It has more colorful markings on its wings and a bright cinnamon patch beneath its tail very similar to our more common Catbird. Both of these features are seen in Jeannette's image.

Also dropping in was a flock of Pine Siskins. These are also periodic visitors from the far north. The abundant alder and birch catkins seem to draw them to our yard where they also feed on the black oil seed and nyjer at the feeders.

With the woodstove stoked up to not quite the level of a sauna I was also enjoying another living creature--yeast. It has been a long while since I have had time to bake bread. I use the method from the Tassajara Bread Book which takes the better part of a day. It includes four risings of the bread and two kneadings.

I love nothing more than the smell of whole wheat flour and yeast and the feel of dough the rising in my hands. Yeast is a remarkable organism that is not appreciated enough.

The end product was two loaves of coriander honey oat bread. There is nothing like hot bread from the oven and half a loaf was gone before the end of the day. It might have been better with one tablespoon of crushed coriander seeds than with two but there was no complaining.

Also, by the end of the day, as the snowfall eased, we spread white millet for the juncos and mourning doves. It seemed only fair to share the wealth.

Jeannette Lovitch photographed these Bohemian Waxwings feeding on apples at a local orchard. Read more about their outing at Derek's blog http://maineoutdoorjournal.mainetoday.com/blogentry.html?id=55957

Windows 1.0

2010-12-22T16:40:00.010-05:00

Goldfinches in their drab winter plumage.

No, this post is not about the computer operating system but answers some questions I have been asked about birds and collisions with windows.

Here is what I know:

For the most part birds do not strike the windows because they can't see them. The problem is with what they do see reflected in them. They see the sky or the trees around your house reflected in the glass. When they get spooked by a car or a cat, they take the nearest escape route which may, to them, be into the trees reflected in your window.

You may notice that birds hit the windows more often at one time of day than another. That is because the "mirror" effect happens at times when the contrast in brightness from inside of the house to the outside of the house is greatest.

In the morning when the sun hits our southeast windows I can walk right up to the window and look out and watch the birds and they don't even notice I am there. This is prime window strike time.

The rest of the day if I walk up to the window the birds see the movement inside the house and spook.

So what can you do? One answer for those of us who feed the birds is to situate your feeder more than 25 feet from the house. That way, when the birds spook, the will have more effective escape routes than the sky reflected in your windows.

Alternately a windowsill feeder is workable. As I said it is mostly not that the birds don't see the window. If they are up close to the window they will see it and they will sense the glass and not flush into it. If they by chance due contact the glass they will not be traveling at a rate of speed that will hurt them.

Falcon decals may be somewhat effective in calling attention to the glass. Freeport Wild Bird Supply carries more preferable translucent leaf, snowflake and bird outlines that will stick to your windows and are less obtrusive for humans. These decals reflect the ultra-violet light spectrum that we cannot see. They come in a set of four and you can put that many on a window facing the feeder while still not being very noticable.

Incidentally a lot of the drab "brown" moths also reflect UV patterns to predators. These patterns may mimic the eyes of predators or loudly advertise that these moths have unpleasant defensive chemicals that birds find offensive.

Another solution is of course to limit the mirror effect by keeping a light on behind the window that will eliminate the mirror effect. LED lights, such as a string of Christmas lights would be a "green" solution to the lighting problem. And, as I have said, most of the day it may not be a problem with the lights off.

The American Bird Conservancy is researching more high-tech solutions such as window film treatments that could have a very positive effect of reducing bird fatalities particularly on commercial buildings or other structures that may have large reflective surfaces. See the link below.

The "mirror effect" brings to mind a couple of other bird/mirror issues.

I once came home from a walk to see a cardinal attacking the rear view mirror of my truck. It was spring and the male cardinal was so obsessed with driving away the "competitor" in the mirror that I walked up within feet of it before it flew away.

How did the cardinal come to see its reflection in the mirror? It must have flown by the truck which was parked with one side against a tree and the other facing the open lawn, saw its reflection in the truck window and swooped in to "attack". Once it was up against the window, there, reflected in the rear view mirror to its left, was an even more credible opponent.

I hate to debunk fondly held beliefs but the mirror phenomenon also probably explains the many stories of birds who peck on the windows asking to be fed. I am guessing more than likely they are trying to combat the image of a rival that they see reflected in the window or at least nudge him off the feeder.

Cardinals are not fast flyers and do not venture far from cover. This puts them at a relatively low risk from window collisions. (Bird Images by Kirk Rogers).

For more information on birds and windows check out the American Bird Conservancy site at http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/collisions/glass.html

Waiting for Winter

2010-12-14T17:59:00.007-05:00

Last week's snow brought an increase in number of birds to the feeder. We had twenty goldfinches (now looking drab in their brown winter plumage), a dozen or so juncos and buckets of chickadees in the yard.

The Red-breasted Nuthatch is a regular visitor to the feeder. They like to hoard sunflower seeds in the crevices of trees. Sometimes, in the spring, you will see a sunflower sprouting in the fork of a tree.

About 20 Mourning Doves are enjoying the white millet on a regular basis.

I can always tell when there is a Tufted Titmouse on the windowsill feeder because I can hear them even upstairs pounding the safflower seeds open. I followed Derek's tip (Derek and Jeannette Lovitch own and operating Freeport Wild Bird Supply) and use safflower on the windowsill feeder because it is not a favorite of squirrels. However Cardinals, Titmouse and Purple Finches love it.

The Tufted Titmouse has a loud piping song. I have heard them singing this week even though breeding season is months away.

I do have one late robin hanging on. There have been some Bohemian Waxwings seen here and there and I saw a flock of Cedar Waxwings chowing down on some hawthorns at the Topsham Fair Mall. But none have shown up on my crabapples which are still holding fruit. That may come later when winter hits in earnest.

Right now it is like winter is holding its breath. It is bound to come sooner or later.

The Tree Sparrow is a sure sign of winter. I saw one at the feeder yesterday, the first of the season. We do not often have them in our yard. The prefer brushy areas and overgrown weedy fields to our little clearing in the woods.

Red-tailed Hawks are becoming established on their winter territories. On Saturday Beth and I spied one on sitting in the top of a maple on the edge of the fields on Merrill Road. They watch for voles (meadow mice) or squirrels. Often there will be one in the winter thinning out the pigeon flock on the bridge at the Desert Road I-295 overpass.

Red-tailed Hawks often perch in the open where they keep a keen watch for any likely prey that may expose itself.

The dark "belly-band" varies in shade and density but is a good field mark for a Red-tail flying overhead.

(Bird images generously loaned by Kirk Rogers http://www.kiroastro.com )

Exceptions to the Rule

2010-11-30T20:06:00.007-05:00

Sometimes things in nature don't go according to plan. This Yellow-breasted Chat came aboard the Casco Bay Ferry in the middle of a rain storm last fall. (Photo by Sam Spalding)

Many migrating songbirds cross the Gulf of Maine, usually at night. Strong offshore winds often catch them out over the Gulf of Maine at daybreak, all tired out and looking for a place to rest. Ships at sea provide a convenient "island" on which to rest and hitch a ride toward shore.

During a Grand Manan vacation whale watch in September three sodden Purple Finches landed on the boat. It was a wet, windy day. One finch spent fifteen minutes or so between my feet on the bowsprit as I scanned the horizon for jaegars. Being close to a seafarer is not a bad place for a songbird when there are jaegars around. Jaegars might well make a meal of a weary finch. They ordinarily steal meals from terns and gulls but they are opportunists and will eat whatever they can catch and swallow.

But back to the Yellow-breasted Chat. The Chat is a bird usually found well to the south of New England but is commonly found here during migration, usually showing up after the passage of a strong cold front. Chats are known as real "skulkers". They are a member of the warbler family and don't stray far from the deep cover of dense shrubs and brush. Like a lot of songbirds found at sea this Chat was showing no such shyness.

Chat checking out the GPS for best route to the mainland?

Offshore islands such as Monhegan and the Isles of Shoals are noted "migrant traps" that provide temporary homes for misplaced migrants blown out over the Gulf of Maine.

In recent weeks up to 40 Cave Swallows (a resident of the Southwest) were seen in New Hampshire and a few in Maine as a strong southwest flow across the middle of the continent was followed by a strong northwest flow behind a cold front.

Several Cattle Egrets were seen in Maine probably the result of the same phenomena. The stronger weather systems brought about by global warming will likely result in more and more "displaced species" over the coming years.

Another anomaly that shows up during migration are albino or more commonly pied or leucistic birds that show an absence of pigment in their feathers. Here are some photos of a finch that visited my feeder while I was staying at a writer's retreat in Roque Bluffs.

A nearly pigmentless finch hanging out with a flock of Purple Finches

I could not tell if this bird was a purple finch or not. It seemed to me to have a rounder head, not showing the "helmet" like profile of a purple finch. It also had quite worn tail feathers and did not show the deep vee of the Purple Finch tail. This made me think that it may have been an escaped cage bird. Finches are popular cage birds and may be kept legally or illegally. Birds kept in cages typically show more tail wear. But my friend Derek pointed out that feathers lacking pigment may also be less durable and wear out more quickly.

One thing I learned from this bird is how much the markings of feather patterns affect our perception of the shape and size of a bird. This may well have been a Purple Finch but the lack of the white stripe over the eyebrow and other features may have altered my perception of the shape and size of the bird. It also appeared more "chesty" but could that have also been due to the "slimming" effect of stripes on the underside of the normal Purple Finch?

Other photos of the bird show a dark eye and some pigmenting of feathers indicating that this is not an albino. Interestingly on this same trip I saw a very, very pale White-crowned Sparrow what somehow got a similar reshuffling of its genes.

The heavy bill is a giveaway ID for the finch family of birds.

This photo shows some dark feathers on the wings and a few under the tail.

Mystery bird in the company of a Goldfinch (in the foreground) and a Purple Finch on the left. Gold finches will be mostly brown at this time of year. The males will not gain their bright yellow color until April or May.

The feeding platform attracted other visitors. I began to bring the feeders in at night to solve this pest problem. Rabid raccoons have been sighted this fall and I wanted to take no chances with them.

View from the deck at Roque Bluffs as the fog lifts.

The Siskins Are Coming, the Siskins Are Coming...!

2010-11-09T13:02:00.002-05:00

I had heard reports from birdingonthe.net that Pine Siskins were heading this way from the far north. A few minutes ago about 50 Pine Siskins swarmed my feeders.

Pine Siskins are similar in size and habits to the more familiar goldfinch. The are darkly streaked in brown and often have yellow highlights to their wing and tail feathers. They like to feed on nyjer (thistle) and black oil sunflower seed at the feeders. Since 50 siskins could not simultaneously eat from my two column feeders, many were on the ground and others were working the seedheads of my purple coneflowers and anise hyssop.

Siskins have sharper, less musical calls than goldfinches as well as a buzzy slurred call which slides up the scale in pitch.

They can be quite tame at the feeder and I read one report of a person feeding them from their hand.

We still have sparrow migration on the way with many juncos, a few white-throated sparrows and at least one song sparrow at the feeder. I have not yet seen the fox sparrow that was here yesterday.

In last few days we have seen golden-crowned kinglets which may hang around all winter and red-breasted nuthatches which may stay as well. Either of these birds may also travel further south for the winter.

We have birds moving south for at least a few more weeks before the birds settle in around the feeder for good.

Robins are still visiting the crabapples daily and they will likely stay until the food source runs out. They may keep moving south for the duration of the winter only to return north when the ground thaws in April. Some will probably stay all winter as long as fruit is available on native or horticulturally grown trees and shrubs.

Birding Roque Bluffs

2010-10-28T09:17:00.006-04:00

Shoppee Beach looking east toward Johnson's cove and the mouth of Englishman's River

Roque Bluffs, just south of Machias, Maine is one of the jewels of the outstandingly beautiful coast of Maine. I am supposed to be here working but you know what they say--"Work is the curse of the birding class." So I stole a little time away to explore Roque Bluffs State Park.

The easy part is exploring Shoppee Beach. The Roque Bluffs Road goes right along the dunes of the beach. The beach is on one side, a fresh water pond on the other--bordered by a parking lot with toilets. At this time of year the $3.00 fee for Maine residents is paid by the honor system. I didn't have change so I put in a five. I am not one who complains about taxes or the cost of state services. This one is worth every dime and I feel that as a Maine resident it is incumbent on me to support public access to such a beautiful area.

The moment I stepped out of the car I saw some good birds. Two hen Greater Scaup ducks were in the pond along with a couple of Ruddy Ducks. A smattering of Buffleheads were scattered across the pond. As I watched them dive and then bob to the top like little black and white corks, five Semi-palmated Plovers called and I looked up to see them flying over, probably migrating south. I did see their tracks on the beach later.

These tracks show the "semi-palmations" or slightly webbed toes that give these small plovers their name. This is probably the last evidence I will see of them until next spring.

As I walked along the beach I spotted lots of grebes. Grebes are related to loons and are generally slimmer and smaller. On my first day three Red-necked Grebes were feeding off the beach. I then noted a good number of Red-throated Loons. These are a smaller, slimmer and more pale version of our Common Loon which breeds in Maine. Some of those were out there too. They migrate to the coast in the winter. The other loon and grebe species come down for the winter from their breeding grounds on the tundra of the far north.

For the rest of the week Horned Grebes, the smaller of the "salt-water" grebes, increased in abundance each day and did the beautiful black and white Surf Scoters locally known as "skunk coots". The drakes are black ducks with bright orange bills and bold white patches on the front and back of their head and neck. A Pied-billed Grebe on the freshwater pond at the beach completed my sweep of the common grebes of Maine.

Rugosa Roses turning brilliant colors of red, orange and yellow line the approaches to the beach.

A few lingering shorebirds were roosting on a rock just off the beach. There were about fourteen Black-bellied Plover which had been working the mudflats of Englishman River just around the point from the beach. Also I spotted a Dunlin, one of the last of the sandpipers to migrate south. A few winter along the Maine coast. Two other sandpipers, sleeping with their bills tucked into their plumage may have been Purple Sandpipers. These are hardy shorebirds that spend the winters in Maine picking their food from the wave-washed seaweed at the ocean's edge.

The colorful Ruddy Turnstone was a late-lingered shorebird roosting on a ledge off Shoppee Beach

The next day I walked the trails of Roque Bluffs State Park. A lot of migration had taken place overnight and everywhere I walked or drove that day hundreds of sparrows flushed up from the side of the road. Sparrows migrate by night. Robins migrate by day and hundreds were moving south in the sky above me. Another hundred or so were hanging out with white-throated sparrows at the head of the trail network. There were lots of wild apples and crabapples here and each tree would hold dozens of robins fattening up for their fall migration.
a
A Field Sparrow near the end of Roque Bluffs road was a little unexpected this far north.

As I walked into the woods the crowd of birds thinned out. I began to find Hermit Thrushes in the understory of the spruce woods. A Fox Sparrow was also along the edge of a pond and I relearned their sharp call. A few roving bands of chickadees responding to my "pishing". A few Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets were hanging out with them.

The Roque Bluffs State Park trails wander through spruce forests carpeted by deep green mosses and silvery reindeer lichen. This type of boreal forest is home to Gray Jays and other northern specialties.

The bird of the day for me however was a pair of Gray Jays (known in Maine as Canada Jays or Whiskey Jacks). These are birds of the northern forests and are not seen in southern Maine where I live.

Gray Jays are interesting birds. They were always welcome at logging camps in Maine where the camp cooks would put out scraps for them. The Gray Jays had followed wolves and the camps of the native hunters for hundreds of years picking up the scraps left behind by their kills. Gray Jays are accustomed to the habits of humans. They became quite tame around hunting and logging camps of the white settlers. Camp cooks would put out scraps for the Gray Jays whose antics were a welcome diversion from the brutally hard work of logging.

This Gray Jay photo and other bird images generously loaned to Raven Watcher by Kirk Rogers. See more of his work at http://www.kiroastro.com

Bar Mills and the Saco River

2010-10-25T13:43:00.004-04:00

The dam on the Saco River at Bar Mills.

I have taken on a new river survey site.

For over a year I have made bi-weekly visits to two sites on the Androscoggin River--one at the Durham Boat Launch in Durham, Maine and the other a few miles upstream below the falls in downtown Auburn, Maine. I have posted some of the results of the survey on this blog.

I was eager to accept the appeal for a volunteer to cover the Bar Mills site. I recently found that some of my ancestors came from this neck of the woods and I want to learn more about the history of the area. Also my friend John, featured in an earlier post, lives just up the road.

There is also just the fact that river valleys appeal to me. Northern New England is not well known for fertile soils. The glaciers have periodically scoured the land and dumped in their wake a conglomeration of sand, gravel, rocks and boulders known as glacial till.

The river valleys however have taken the best that this conglomeration had to offer, mixed it with organic matter and deposited it along the banks of the large rivers that run roughly from north to south away from their origins in the Appalachian Mountain range.

The banks of the Saco River support a great diversity of trees and shrubs. Hickory trees are close to their northern limit along the banks here.

Along with fertile soils comes abundant plant life and along with abundant plant life comes abundant animal life. Then of course the waterways offer up their abundance of aquatic life in the form of insects, crayfish, mussels, frogs, turtles and fish that add to the cornucopia.

River valleys are always good birding spots. I love the tall silver maples that grow in abundance along waterways. Northern orioles like to nest along waterways as do warbling and yellow-throated vireos. Green herons may nest in the trees along the rivers. Song and swamp sparrows nest in the willows and other shrubs that grow along the banks. Where the banks have been carved by the river currents belted kingfishers or rough-winged swallows may dig tunnels for their nests.

Because I started my observation in early fall most of the summer residents had already left for the south. A few spotted sandpipers were probably migrants. I saw the last one of them in early October. I saw neither a kingfisher or cedar waxwing on my visit last week.

Sparrows and hermit thrushes are abundant in the fruit bearing shrubs along the river bank.

They many viburnums and other shrubs along the river are still, however, attracting lots of migrant robins. They have numbered in the hundreds. Sparrow migration is peaking and four or five varieties of migrant sparrows may be found feeding on weed seeds along the river banks. A small falcon, the merlin, was following the robins south. Merlins are very effective predators of songbirds up to the size of mourning doves.

In recent surveys I have admired the colors along the river banks. The deep green of hemlocks contrasts nicely with the yellow leaves of beech, hickory and sugar maples. Red maples glow in colors ranging from deep red to orange to yellow.

Raspberry vines light up the bank of an old canal that once fed water to a mill.

The most interesting river bird has been a lone pied-billed grebe that has lingered for two weeks now in the quiet waters above the dam. I watched it catch and try to swallow a small chub-like fish almost the size of its head. After five minutes of effort it drifted out of sight still not having accomplished its goal.

Pied-billed Grebes are a small relative of the loon that live on quiet marshes and ponds. They may dive like a duck or submerge slowly like a submarine. I surprised one under the bridge last week and saw what few ever see--a pied-billed grebe take flight!

Soon duck migration will begin. I am eager to see what waterfowl will be attracted to this area once things begin to freeze up.

(Grebe photo generously loaned by Kirk Rogers. See more of his photos at http://www.kiroastro.com )

Paddling, Feederwatching, Etc...

2010-10-18T10:45:00.004-04:00

These bright sunny days certainly encourage outdoor activity. A recent paddle on Sabattus Pond was a a real treat. The waters were calm and the hills surrounding the lake were aflame with the colors of the changing leaves.

Witch Hazel lights up the understory with its yellow leaves. In the center of this picture you can see the spidery yellow flowers which open in the late fall each year.

Hermit Thrushes were feeding on the berries of viburnums and winterberry along the shoreline.

Winterberry is Maine's native holly. After the leaves fall the berries are left on the twiggy stems of the female shrubs. The biggest winterberry in my yard is a male plant. It provides great cover for the sparrows but bears no flowers or fruit.

As I paddled out into the lake about 35 Ring-billed Gulls and a half dozen lingering Double-crested Cormorants were roosting on the mudflats. I spooked a Wilson's Snipe which took off in its usual zig-zag flight and landed deeper in the marsh out of sight.

Most interesting were the five Bonaparte's Gulls that circled my kayak for a few minutes. Were they looking for aquatic insects stirred up by my paddle in the shallow waters of the marsh? Or did the white flash of my paddle blades mimic the flash of the white forewings of a Bonaparte's Gull and drew them in to see what might be going on. After many years of watching gulls at sea it occurs to me that the white flash of gull wings is a sign of a food source that can be read from a great distance.

Fifty five Lesser Scaup were hanging out along the west shore of the lake along with the first Bufflehead Duck of the year. Buffleheads breed in the far north and migrate through our area. A few land on lakes and ponds and then move to the ocean when the freshwater freezes. In winter they frequent shallow bays and other protected coastal areas.

Back home the feeder watching is really getting interesting.

A new squirrel proof feeder system from Freeport Wild Bird Supply has attracted a steady stream of customers interested in my offerings of black oil seed, white millet and suet. A nut log is also favored by woodpeckers.

The yard is filled with up to 100 juncos. That is just a guess because everywhere I go twenty or thirty flush in front of me. Goldfinches and purple finches are chowing down on the black oil seed along with white-breasted and red-breasted nuthatches, chickadees and tufted titmouse. There are a few white-throated, song and chipping sparrows feeding on the seeds of annual grasses and also white millet that I scatter in the driveway. Today a white-crowned sparrow showed up for the first time.

Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco. The most commonly reported feeder bird on US winter feeder watches.

Robins are hanging on the various crabapples eating the ripening fruit. Two hairy woodpeckers were carrying on out there today. And a cardinal showed up for a few minutes. I haven't seen one in the yard for a few months.

Having all of the birds around makes it hard to get any work done. I want to just sit and watch. Will the turkey vulture I saw overhead yesterday be the last of the year. Who knows? But I want to be out there looking to find out.

The fall colors surround our 1860's farm house in this photo from the back garden.

Bird Report

2010-10-07T08:49:00.012-04:00

Red-breasted Nuthatches are on the move and frequenting local feeders. Some will stay for the winter.

Some of my blog followers have asked what is going on in the bird world.

Well, this is an interesting time of year. The "Fall" migration begins as early as late July for shorebirds returning from their arctic breeding season. Shortly thereafter many of the insect eaters, bobolinks, warblers, flycatchers, blackbirds, and other songbirds begin moving south.

By the end of September millions of our migratory songbirds and shorebirds have passed through our area on the southward migration.

I like to check in daily to http://www.birdingonethe.net. It is online collection of bird information including reports from the different regional bird email chats. Click on Regional/Specialty on the home page and then drop down to the different chat lines. Click on Maine or any other state, province or country that you are interested in. I subscribe to the Maine birds list and get daily email reports from birders throughout the state.

This week I got a report of a Sandhill Crane at the corner of Lewiston Junction and Empire Road in Auburn. It took me awhile to find the location but there was the bird--bigger than life not fifty feet from the road, preening itself while standing at the edge of a small brook than ran from lowlands adjacent to a cornfield.

Sandhill Cranes are birds of the northern prairies and muskeg but they occasionally show up in farmland during migration.

I also check the blog of Derek Lovitch of Freeport Wild Bird Supply in Freeport. This blog is through the Maine Today site. The address is: http://maineoutdoorjournal.mainetoday.com/blog.html?id=15198. There is barely a bird in Maine that escapes his notice. He and Jeannette are great resources on all matter of things related to birds. I recommend a visit to his store Freeport Wild Bird Supply on Route One in Freeport and now also selling online at http://www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com.

On "Maine Birds on the Net" people usually report rare birds and also noteworthy lingering migrants. It is the time of year when strong winds from cold fronts or storms moving up the coast from the Southwest can bring unusual birds to Maine.

Black Skimmers use their elongated lower bill to literally skim a meal from just below the surface of the water.

This fall Black Skimmers have been sighted regularly along the southern Maine coast. I saw three fly by at the Lobster Coop at Pine Point while I was watching a lone Marbled Godwit on the mudflats. The Godwit is a large, long-legged "sandpiper" with a long, upturned bill. In the past we have not seen the Marbled Godwit often in Maine. The Hudsonian Godwit is a little more common. (Many people would have a hard time telling them apart.) But this year the Marbled Godwit has been more dependable.

Forster's Tern is another bird not commonly seen in Maine. They are now being seen along the southern coast in numbers greater than our more common, arctic, least and roseate terns that have already left for the south. Why do the Forster's remain while the others have gone? We don't know. We do know that they are often a "later" tern than others in the coastal areas to the south where they are more common.

As I am writing this I notice that a new wave of migrants has arrived in my yard. The sparrow migration is gearing up. I saw my first Slate-colored Junco last week and today I have a new high of five picking white millet off the ledge at my back door. There are at least twenty chipping sparrows flitting around the bushes. They are one sparrow that flushes into the trees rather into the low shrubs as Song, Swamp or White-throated Sparrows are more likely to do. Lincoln's Sparrows arrived a couple of weeks ago and for the most part have passed through but I expect I will see more if I keep my eyes one. I have heard reports of White-crowned Sparrows but I have not seen one yet. They are one of the prettiest sparrows I think.

White-crowned Sparrows, while superficially similar to the more common White-throated Sparrows, have a more erect posture and a slight crest to the back of their head. And no white throat.

Fox sparrows pass through at the end of the sparrow wave in late October and early November. At about that time we are likely to also see a few Tree Sparrows coming down from the far north. They are the common winter sparrow in Maine, likely to be found in open areas with low shrubs, weeds and grasses, where they feed on weed and grass seeds. They also will frequent feeders in more open areas.

Mourning Dove numbers are building up at the feeder as well. All of the sparrows and warblers are likely to attract migrating hawks. Saturday on my morning walk out the Merrill Road I saw three species of accipiters--long-tailed hawks that are built to chase and catch birds as prey. The species were the blue-jay sized Sharp-shinned Hawk, the larger crow-sized Cooper's Hawk and the powerful Goshawk which is a year round resident in Maine. The "sharpie" caught my eye while is was harassing blue jays in a hedgerow. The Cooper's appeared to be migrating through and the "Gos" was heading into the woods, possibly hoping to catch a Ruffed Grouse or Snowshoe Hare by surprise.

The silhouette of a Cooper's Hawk against the sky strikes fear in the birds around the feeder.

A Red-shouldered Hawk--more likely to feed on mice or snakes--was being mobbed by a half dozen crows as it sunbathed in the top of an oak tree.

Some of our regular winter birds also migrate. Even though chickadees, nuthatches, blue jays, and downy and hairy woodpeckers spend the winter here many of them migrate south as well.
You may see mixed "bands" of these species foraging through the woods or at the feeder. This week, along with these species, I have seen my first brown creeper of the fall, my first Ruby-crowned Kinglets and late Red-eyed vireos and Black-throated Green Warblers. Also Palm and Myrtle (Yellow-rumped) Warblers which are the more expected late warlber migrants at this time of year.

Ruby-crowned Kinglets are one of the smallest of North American songbirds. They often hover under branches to pick insect eggs or larvae from the underside of leaves. They do not come to feeders but often travel with bands of migrating chickadees.

My personal highlight has been the beginning of the fall duck parade at Sabattus Pond in Sabattus Maine. I saw 4 Greater Scaup and 2 Lesser last week. Yesterday I saw 48 Lesser Scaup at the south end of the lake.

Sabattus Pond hosts hundreds of migrating ducks in the fall. It is a dependable location to see Scaup and Ruddy Ducks, all of which are not seen at very many locations. So I will be checking that area regularly. Luckily it is en route to a friend's house so it will not take me far out of the way.

Drake Lesser Scaup photographed by Kirk Rogers. He has generously loaned Raven Watcher the other bird images in this post.

See Kirk's work at http://www.kiroastro.com.

Enjoying the Bounty

2010-10-04T11:06:00.017-04:00

Our three year old Somerset grape--purchased from FEDCO Trees--is right at the top of garden successes here at 122 Hunter Road. Each year it is filled with the sweetest pea-sized, seedless grapes imaginable. In late August and early September we were eating them four times a day, took some off to our vacation on Grand Manan and still couldn't keep up with them. I had a flash of inspiration and decided to dry them. Somerset raisins!! Food of the gods!

Somerset Grapes and Shinseiki Asian Pears ripen in late August and early September

Honeycrisp, usually a late apple, was early this year ripening at the same time as our melons.

Passport Melons are always a winner for us. The timing of vacation was unfortunate in terms of their ripening and we lost one or two to rot, but at least it was not to the raccoons. There were still a few waiting for us upon our return.

Cream of Saskatchewan Watermelon also gets rave reviews

The Honeycrisp apples were early this year and I didn't get to them until they were a little past ripe. Apples in Maine got hit this year by a deadly combination of an early bloom and a late frost. We had one Prairie Spy, two Spigold and one Black Oxford. Oh, well, so it goes. The Black Oxford was only two years old so that was a bit of a surprise anyway. A little tough for eating but next year I am figuring on a good pie made out of them.

Asian Pears were also hit by the frost and we gave most of those away as a present to some friends.

Our elderberries have yet to fully establish themselves. Only one bore a significant number of berries this year and I have decided to leave them for the migrant flocks of white-throated sparrows that are just beginning to pass through our area.

Next year I may try John's Elderberry Cough Syrup recipe. I am healthy enough that I haven't needed it for a cold but it tastes great on my morning cereal.

York Elderberry from FEDCO

I love a colorful plate of food. The squash selection from FEDCO Seeds this year really filled the palette (of colors) as well as the palate (of flavors).

The multiclored Carnival Acorn, green and white Delicata and Red Kuri Japanese Winter Squashes from FEDCO with Red Aztec Spinach from Abundant Life Seeds

Some crops I have not yet sampled. Beth just made our first beet soup of the season and, as yet, the kale and brussels sprouts are untouched. They will just keep growing for another month and get sweeter as the days get frosty. In some years I am shoveling them out from under the snow into January and popping the frozen leaves and sprouts into boiling water for a nice winter green vegetable.

I still have soybeans and a couple of other dried beans to harvest. My goal for the day is to sow winter rye on some of the empty beds and to plant garlic cloves for next year's spring crop.

A monster kale from an Abundant Life Seeds greens assortment

Castalia Marsh on Grand Manan Island

2010-09-22T11:44:00.010-04:00

On our first night in The Bird House on Grand Manan we lay in bed admiring the stars in the night sky that wrapped itself around three sides of the sleeping loft.

"Oh, there goes a shooting star!" said Beth. "And another!"

We counted off four before drifting off to sleep.

And as I sit on the same bed writing this post, two Peregrine Falcons are playing tag over the marsh.

Welcome to Castalia Marsh Retreat on Grand Manan Island.

We could not have picked a better place for us to stay on our vacation.

The Bird House at Castalia Marsh Retreat

Beth liked reading books in the warmth of the sun--from the bed in the loft on cooler mornings and from the deck during the warmer hours of the day. And she enjoyed keeping tabs on the three peregrines that were hanging out in the line of dead trees east of our cabin. Or, whenever the ducks were spooked from the marsh and she could look around to find a Bald Eagle soaring overhead.

Peregrine Falcon photo by Brette Soucie on National Fish Wildlife Service website

Dan enjoyed the walks out into the marsh. There was a large pool about one hundred yards out and I enjoyed the continually changing flocks of visitors to those pools.

The Peregrine Falcons and an occasional Bald Eagle like to perch in the dead trees to the east of The Bird House

I could identify most of them by scoping from the deck. Or I could walk out onto the marsh for a closer look. At high tide there were likely to be Blue- and Green-winged Teal and Great Blue Herons. As the tide dropped a bit large numbers of sandpipers and plovers were likely to be present.

Perhaps The Bird House is not the cabin for everyone. There is a good climb up a ladder to the sleeping loft, a composting toilet, and outdoor shower. But that works for us considering the unbeatable opportunity to enjoy a non-stop natural show of ducks, herons, sandpipers, constellations, sunrises and sunsets. Not to mention the hummingbird that stopped by to feed at the geranium on the deck. There are plenty of other more conventional places to stay on Grand Manan, but we enjoyed this one.

The next post will feature some of our other Grand Manan adventures.

Ready to go birding?

Photos from Grand Manan 2010

2010-09-10T19:05:00.009-04:00

Hello All. Just a quick post from our vacation to Grand Manan island in New Brunswick, Canada. More descriptions of whales, seabirds, sandpipers, falcons and eagles to follow.

The above photo is sunrise at Swallowtail Light at Fish Head.

Swallowtail Light, Grand Manan

Fish Weirs at Swallowtail

Fish Head from Swallowtail Light

Long Eddy, North Head, looking south and west to Maine.

Long Eddy. Showers moving in from the mainland.

A quiet evening at South Head

Swallowtail Light at sunset

The evening ferry from Grand Manan

Sunset from Swallowtail

Life as Art

2010-09-03T13:15:00.008-04:00

I have taken on a new river survey site, this one on the Saco River in Bar Mills, Maine. I have recently found out that a great grandfather came from this neck of the woods. That gave me an additional incentive to travel down this way beyond my interest in Maine's uniquely fertile river valleys.

My first day of observation was rather bland. A Great Blue Heron flew in above the dam, perching for awhile on a log before flying off upstream. At the second site below the dam Cedar Waxwings were entertaining as they made long sweeping flights over the rapids hawking insects out of the air.

They liked to launch themselves from the bridge rail where they also deposited cherry pits that had made it intact through their digestive system. The river banks were thick with buckthorn, honeysuckle, viburnum, apples, rosebushes and grapes all of which had no doubt been "planted" there by cedar waxwings or other fruit eaters like robins, thrushes and catbirds. Each seed comes along with a little fertilizer.

My friend John, lives just up the corner from the dam. I decided to stop in and pay a visit. I was so glad I did. My visit with John was pure joy.

"Hey, I have something I think you would be interested in." John said.

He took me into his dining room/chemistry lab. Some of his wife's accounting work was also on the dining room table. He took a small jelly jar one quarter full of something that looked like used motor oil and Jello from a side table.

I knew immediately what it was. John has been fooling around with growing orchids from seed--something that no one knew how to do until the 1960's. Most orchid seedlings are raised in labs with thousands of dollars of specialized equipment. John likes to do it with about twenty dollars of assorted items purchased at Wal-Mart.

He held the jelly jar out to me. "Cypripedium reginae!"

Inside the jar were a half dozen tiny seedlings of this rare orchid native to Maine. He pointed to the black slurry in the bottom of the jar.

"Lampblack."

"Why lampblack?" I asked, instantly divining the answer even before John shrugged his typical, "Why not?".

"It absorbs toxins, right?" I said exhausting my full store of knowledge on the subject.

"Yes, well that's what they say. I have mixed it with some nutrients that no one has ever tried before."

"Well, that figures." I thought.

"Of course there is a lot of ringing of bells and incantations as well." said John with a grin, waving his hands around in the air, one of them still holding the jar of precious reginae seedlings.

"Hey I have something else I want to show you." says John.

On the way to the garden we passed the greenhouse that John made from scratch. He welded the steel frame and did all of the glazing with real glass. The greenhouse has an evaporative cooler that he made out of a pedestal fan, a few feet of copper pipe and some cotton clothesline rope. The rope hangs from the copper pipe. Water from small holes in the pipe drips through the rope. The fan pushes air through the fronds of wet cotton rope. Evaporation drops the temperature of the greenhouse 5 degrees or so--duct tape air conditioning.

That wasn't the prize though. I had not seen John's garden for a couple of years. It had grown up a lot since that first year.

"I have decided to study botany. I want to learn all of the plants in Maine." said John making conversation as we traversed his yard.

Traversing John's Garden

That wasn't the prize either--here in the corner of the property was John's garden hut.

"When I had my hip replacement I couldn't garden." John said.

I said that, yes, when I last saw him he was just post surgery.

"Well I couldn't garden so I had to do something. So I started this shed for Beth. I couldn't walk but I could do OK on the roof. Of course she won't put her tools in it now. She says its too nice."

"I decided I wanted it to have a curved roof." He waved his hands around again searching for the right words to explain why a curved roof.

"Just 'cause?" I offered.

"Yes, just 'cause." John grinned again.

"Did you make the shingles, John?" (You never know with John.)

"No, but look." He motioned me closer to the hut. "I beveled the edges."

Always anticipating the "why?" --I guess he gets them alot--John explained, "I thought it would give a softer look."

Ruffles have ridges. Why shouldn't shingles have bevels?

"I learned a lot doing the roof," John said, "I didn't start out with a plan."

"You just kind of made it up as you went along." I continued for him. One gets to know John rather quickly.

"I just sort of made it up as I went along." confirmed John. "It was a real challenge to figure out how to cut those shingles to cap the roof."

The reason why it was such a challenge is that he decided to slope another curved roof off the back gable end.

John made one of his sudden segues from the practical to the philosophical, "Life should be lived like an art form. Life should be an art form."

He had me convinced. He took me to the back of the hut and showed me how he dropped another roof line off the back.

Just 'cause. Life is an art form.

He told me how he quarried the stones by hand from his camp. Some of them were six feet long and bridged the stream that he created through the middle of the garden.

A very tame green frog was hanging out in one of the pools.

We headed back to the house. John had to take his truck in for repair and I had another appointment.

"Have you ever seen potatoes like that? Green Mountains." John cannot contain himself.

My attention frankly was caught by the tomatoes the size of basketballs.

"New ground." explained John. "I bought another acre of land and pushed the boundary out fifty feet. I cut the trees down, got the tractor in and took out the roots. I thought, I ought to plant something there. Everyone who comes here has to go home with potatoes.

I'm not going down to the New Hampshire Orchid Society anymore. My family is making me cut back."

(I admire their confidence.)

We sat on a bench made of a twelve foot pine trunk cut in half. "I made this."

I matched John's "Why not?" shrug with my "Of course" shrug.

He picked up a couple of dried goldenrod stems. Even I recognized them as two different species.

"There are 19 species of goldenrod in Maine. I am still working on them."

"Are you going to do the asters next?" I queried. I knew aster identification was another quagmire.

"Do you know that dried goldenrods and asters in an herbarium are virtually indistinguishable?" John replied.

I could see that John grin appear on his face again. Its a sure bet that John will master the art in a very short time.

John is a man of at least seven decades. He has at least 20 years of plans ahead of him that I could see and I am sure there are some that he did not have time to share.

Life is an art form. And art in John's hands is pure joy.

(Waxwing photo by Kirk Rogers)

Timing

2010-08-24T19:22:00.006-04:00

Nighthawks migrate in the evenings of late August and early September after the passage of cold fronts. Notice the distinctive rhythmic rowing flight and the white bars on their wings.

Years ago I was driving to Portland, Maine on a late summer evening. As I approached the famous B&M Baked Bean plant I noticed gulls milling about in the air over the Deering neighborhood of the city. There was something odd about their flight. Often you will see gulls heading out to sea or into the mudflats as the tide lowers but these gulls were milling around in circles over the land.

I paid a little more attention, being mindful of the speeding traffic around me, and noticed more about the flight pattern of the gulls. They would circle, make a short sharp climb and arching their neck backwards snap something out of the air with their bills.

There were hundreds of these gulls over the city of at least three different species hawking something that I assumed were insects.

A year of so later, I was working in my room, again on a late summer evening and noticed insects rising vertically from my lawn into the sky by the hundreds. I ran outside to find that winged ants were leaving their burrows and taking off for who knows where. Looking up I could see that the neighborhood starlings were behaving much like the gulls, picking the flying ants out of the sky.

This is a regular phenomenon of late summer. It happens on still evenings that are relatively warm and dependably gulls will gather and feed on the ants.

Another bird seen with the gulls at this time may be the nighthawk. Nighthawks are a blue jay sized bird that once were common over cities at dusk. They have a nasal "peent" call that they make in flight. Back when gravel and tar was used on city rooftops the nighthawks would nest there. Now the more "advanced" roofing fabric no longer uses gravel and the black rooftops are too hot for nighthawk chicks.

In nature nighthawks nest on the ground in blueberry barrens, on ledges or on burns or clear cuts in the woods.

The nighthawks migrate in late August and early September and can bee seen by the dozens at the peak of the migration, usually in the evening just as the ants are leaving the ground and taking to flight.

I don't know what it is about the ants that is so attractive. I must assume that for a gull to spend its time snatching such small prey out of the air that it must be rich in food value. They are certainly an attractive and easy target for the quick and graceful nighthawk.

There are a few other significant phenomena that coincide at this time of year.

One is the migration of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and the blooming of Spotted Touch-Me-Not or Jewelweed.

Rain has beaded up on the leaves of this Spotted Touch-Me-Not, demonstrating why it is also called Jewelweed.

Hummingbirds love the nectar of the Jewelweed and spend hours in my yard feeding on the dangling, slipper-like flowers of the plant. The seed capsules of the Jewelweed are made of segments that twist as they grow. As the seed pod dries, at some point the adhesion between the segments of the seed pod begins to fail. A human or animal walking through a patch of Jewelweed will then set off a great show of exploding seed pods, hence the name Spotted Touch-Me-Not.

As the migration of the hummingbirds and nighthawks begins to wane another migration takes place. This is of garter snakes to their communal dens where they go into hibernation for the winter. As the days become cooler the migration begins and in the mornings the snakes may, unfortunately, be attracted to road surfaces warmed by the morning sun. Already I am see more snakes on the roads that I walk, victims of morning commuter traffic.

Garter snakes migrate to well-drained sites, often on the summits of mountain, hills or ridges and gather on ledges to sun and warm themselves in the morning hours.

Coinciding with the garter snake migration is the migration of the Broad-winged Hawk. Wouldn't you just guess that one of its favorite foods is garter snake. The updrafts around the mountains, hills and ridges, aid the broad-wing it its migration while the ledges provide breakfast, lunch and dinner as well.

Timing is everything in nature. All life is interwoven into a complex plan developed over centuries and millennia of evolution.

The fall migration is a wonderful time to appreciate the interconnectedness of all life on this wonderful planet earth.

A Broad-winged Hawk soars in migration in its southward migration over the Appalachian mountain range.

(Nighthawk photo by Fred Bentler; Broad-winged Hawk by Kirk Rogers)

Exploring Androscoggin County: The Androscoggin River

2010-08-15T10:42:00.009-04:00

I had a nice Monday on the Androscoggin River with Ben and Perrin.While scouting for a good place to paddle I dropped into the Durham River Park to see what it had to offer. Was I glad I did! It is a beautiful spot at a bend in the river and just a short haul from the parking lot to the water.

I tied Ben and Perrin's canoe to the rack on the top of my pickup and threw my Manatee kayak into the back. I am loving this Manatee. It is a small, stable boat, great for taking photos or watching birds, with lots of room for gear. My waterproof duffel easily stows on the floor beneath my legs-- my camera, map or field guide is easily accessible but out of harm's way from a wayward paddle drip.

Looking upriver from the Durham River Park

As we put our boats in the water a Bonaparte's Gull worked the opposite shoreline for minnows. We paddled over and found a dense school of shiners in the shallow waters of the sandbar. They were no doubt trying to stay out of the way of small-mouthed bass but this made them vulnerable to other predators such as the "bonies" or herons.

We saw three species of wading birds on our trip: the common Great Blue Heron, the less common Green Heron, which likes to nest along rivers, and the rather rare Great Egret. The Great Egret is an impressive bird. It looks much like a white great blue heron with an orange bill. It forages much like the heron. This one was slowly stalking its prey on the opposite river bank. We gave it a wide berth, not wanting to disturb the fishing.

All of the above birds are now probably in "post-breeding dispersal". That means that after holding down a nesting territory for the summer they and their young are now looking for a place that has a lot of food.

Also on our short paddle we saw 12 Spotted Sandpipers that are similarly dispersing and the banks of the Androscoggin are a great place for them to find various small aquatic critters to eat as they forage along the water's edge. Spotted Sandpipers are easily identifiable at a distance by their distinctive flight. Their wings are held in a downward arc and quiver rapidly in between glides over the surface of the water. Once they land they have the equally distinctive habit of bobbing their rear end while they forage.

Spotted Sandpiper

Oh! And we saw two eagles. I have to admit I am getting spoiled because I see eagles almost every time I do my volunteer river surveys on the Androscoggin. My personal highlight of the trip, aside from getting to spend time with Ben and Perrin, was the Cardinal Flowers growing along the river bank. I have not seen one of these in the wild for some time. The like the sandy banks of the river beds and the Manatee has put me well within reach of these beautiful wildflowers.

Cardinal Flower

Later in the afternoon I had the opportunity to paddle Androscoggin again and dropped my kayak into the water at the boat launch on Center Bridge Road which crosses the River from Greene into Turner. I only had 45 minutes to paddle but it was nice quiet evening. A Common Loon floated in the middle of the river and a few Barn Swallows were hawking insects over the river.

Paddling back to Center Ridge Road boat launch, Turner, Maine

(Bird photos generously loaned by Kirk Rogers )

Things in the Night

2010-08-13T09:43:00.002-04:00

A Barred Owl woke me up at 3:30 this morning and reminded me to go out and look for meteors. The sky was a little hazy and I could barely make out the Milky Way. I could see the constellation Pliades in the east on the shoulder of Taurus the bull who was standing on his head just above the tree tops. I thought I saw one meteor out of the corner of my eye in ten minutes of watching and then decided to try to get some sleep.

Wednesday evening, however, as I pulled into the driveway at about 8:10 PM I heard a whippoorwill sing its name about 10 times in rapid succession. This is the first time I have heard this bird in years and years. I have seen a couple flying over at dusk in different places but the song was a real treat.

Perseid Meteor Shower Thursday August 12

2010-08-11T05:09:00.003-04:00

Hello All. A reminder that the Perseid meteor shower peaks on Thursday August 12. If you can get to a place where the sky is dark it is often a good show. Best hours will be midnight until dawn on Thursday and the same hours on Friday.

Exploring Androscoggin County: Sabattus Pond

2010-08-03T13:27:00.011-04:00

A quiet morning on a Maine pond in late summer. The first Canadian cold front of the approaching fall season has dropped the temperatures overnight and we are having the first cool morning in a few weeks.

I drop my hand over the side of the canoe and it feels like bath water. No wonder the fog is thick above the north end of Sabattus Pond. Sabattus Pond is like a steamy bathtub or a cup of nutrient rich soup on this cool late-summer morning.

It is quiet on the lake. I expected some fishermen out but not yet. No whine of outboard motors. A few Marsh Wrens are singing their creaky song from the cattails and rushes. They sound like old treadle sewing machines that have not been greased.

There aren't many places around that support a population of Marsh Wrens and I am quite happy to hear them singing.

I put in at about quarter to five and it was still pretty dusky out. I was a little worried about putting something down while I launched the kayak and then losing it. But no problems, I paddled out Hooper Brook and onto the lake.

I tried a few different sections of the marsh hoping to hear rails or gallinules or to see some other exotic bird like a Least Bittern. But no luck. All was quiet and peaceful save for the Marsh Wrens and a distant Mourning Dove. Every now and then I would spook a Wood Duck and it would fly off shrieking into another section of the marsh.

Just before the sun rose a small gull appeared through the fog. It was a Bonaparte's Gull--a small gull with a buoyant tern-like flight. These gulls breed on ponds like this one up in Canada but are most often seen migrating southward along the ocean in late summer and fall. Tens of thousands of these gulls gathered Down East in the mouth of Passamaquoddy Bay.

Adult Bonaparte's Gull by Scott Lough via Flickr. Immatures do not show black head but white patches on wings are visible from a long distance as they drop to the water surface to feed on plankton.

The eastern horizon began to brighten and the fog began to glow. Large flocks of blackbirds rose from their overnight roosts in the marsh calling as they flew overhead.

Swallows began swooping out of the fog over me criss-crossing the water in search of insects. There were dozens of them all around me, speeding past just above the fog blanket that hung low on the water. They maintained a constant chatter.

Barn Swallow in flight by Kirk Rogers

Soon the sun exploded through the haze and a light wind began to drift the fog from the shoreline out into the open lake.

As the fog lifted I could see where the swallows were coming from. There were small islands of shrubs extending their branches above the reeds and cattails. The swallows were gathered in the tops of these shrubs by the hundreds. The greater number of them were Barn Swallows and a significant number were Tree Swallows. They seemed be fairly compatible with one another, perched together in the bushes and now and then launching to forage for awhile over the lake. Out of the bunch I also picked a few dozen Bank Swallows and a few Cliff Swallows.

The brown collar is seen on both adult and young Bank Swallows.

Striking photo by Kirk Rogers of young banks swallows in nest.

Swallows roost in shrub islands on Sabattus Pond

Most of the swallows seemed to forage among the reeds and sedges, probably picking some kind of aquatic insects off of the stalks that rose standing from the water.

All thought of looking for more exotic marsh birds was lost as my attention was torn between photographing the incredibly beautiful sunrise and then witnessing the dramatic phenomena of this large swallow roost.

The situation reminded me of a hike I took years ago into the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada. I lived for four months out of a backpack and hitchhiked or walked to any place that piqued my interest. This particular hike took me fourteen miles along a river valley and a few thousand feet up onto an alpine mountainside covered with wildflowers in bloom. From a rock above the tree line I looked out and counted 25 peaks over ten thousand feet, seven glaciers, and below me in the valley, Amethyst Lake. Its waters were a creamy bright blue due to "glacier flour" particles ground from the rock of the mountains and then suspended in the waters of the lake.

The first major feeling was one of complete amazement. Then feeling enormously fortunate to be able to be in such a special place. The next feeling was one of sadness that my neither my father nor my uncle could be there--that they were not in the physical condition to have made this hike.

I think this feeling planted the germ of my motivation in taking photographs of nature and of creating this blog: To share with others some of the experiences that I have felt so fortunate to have with those who have been unable to.

So here are some more photos of Sabattus Pond on the morning of July 31, 2010. I hope you enjoy them, imagine the swallows whirling above your head, hear them chattering from the tops of the bushes and hear the rush of wings when a Great Blue Heron comes by spooking them all into the air.

The fog has burned off, marsh explored. Time to check out the shorebird action on Maquoit Bay in Brunswick.

The Garden Monster...and other news

2010-07-23T10:33:00.012-04:00

Have you heard the story about the summer visitors who parked their car in the L. L. Bean lot in Freeport, Maine and went in to do some shopping. When they returned their rear window was broken and a bushel of zucchini was sitting on the back seat.

Cynthia and I used to share a garden. We had an annual argument about zucchini. I could see no reason why we should plant it given its abundance locally. You skip a day of picking it and then next morning you have to get out the chain saw and a come-along to remove the oversize fruit. That amounts to a lot of work over a growing season.

Cynthia has had a lot of influence on me over the years. I don't know what got into me but this year I grew three varieties of the "garden monsters".

Well, there was "Eight Ball". I am a sucker for novelty so the description of a round zucchini drew me in. Then, unlike Bill Clinton, I "inhaled". Its true--once you take that first step there is no helping you.

The FEDCO Seeds description of the flavor of Costata Romanesca zucchini grabbed me. Plus its seems like a good era in which to "think globally"--the Italian name was nice--and the White Bush Lebanese summer squash was the next obvious choice. I bought it last year and it bore a lot of fruit in the summer in which everything but carrots suffered. Anne Elder of FEDCO is quoted in the catalog as saying it is the best tasting of their five summer squashes. I have no reason to distrust Anne, though I have never met her. And I have liked everyone I have ever met of Lebanese ancestry including our former US Senator George Mitchell.

From top to bottom: Eight Ball and Costata Romanesca Zucchini and White Bush Lebanese summer squash.

I took a bunch of zucchini to the family reunion yesterday and worked some of it into the salad I made along with our first cucumber, a variety of colorful lettuces, a little chopped mustard greens, Thai basil and dill. No one complained about the zucchini but this branch of the family is from out of state, so they didn't know that they had been snookered.

This is time of summer that my spring migration and garden planting obsessions ease off a bit. I lose some of the drive to keep track of everything going on out there. I kind of just want to sit back and enjoy it. The weeds see this as their opportunity but I am doing a little better job at keeping them in check than usual.

Bird song has quieted down. Many young fledglings are now free from dependence on their parents for food. They and their parents have joined with other species of songbirds in what I call "bands" that forage through the tree tops and shrubby borders. The songs that were associated with breeding are for the most part silent and they keep in touch with short high-pitched calls, that I can, for the most part, not hear anymore.

The other day I came across such a band of birds near the brook at the bottom of the hill. Water is often in short supply this time of year so it was a likely place for several species of birds and animals to be congregated. Within a few minutes I saw over ten species of birds.

On my walks this week I noticed that blackbirds such as grackles are seen overhead in large flocks early in the morning and late in the evening leaving and then returning to their communal roosts. Always with birds there is safety in numbers. Grackles are large long-legged and long-billed blackbirds. They often forage along the edges of brooks and ponds clinging on overhanging twigs with their long legs and immersing nearly half of their body in the water in search of aquatic insects or perhaps even tadpoles, mollusks or crustaceans.

Throughout the early part of the summer, the birds around the house were a pretty dependable mix of those breeding in the yard. In the last week post-breeding dispersal is evident. A Scarlet Tanager turned up singing in the yard last week and Purple Finches have been coming to the feeder. Soon numbers of hummingbirds will be increasing attracted by the Bee Balm and Jewelweed which will start blooming soon.

I hear that Black-crowned Night Herons have been increasing in number below the falls of the Royal River in Yarmouth and that the southward migration of shorebirds is on the increase as well. Maybe I will get a chance to check this out this weekend.

Assorted Daylilies and Hybrid Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) put on a show of mid-summer color.

Work Fascinates Me

2010-07-10T15:01:00.017-04:00

Daylily and Bee Balm. A Ruby-throated Humming bird is visiting the Bee Balm as I post this blog.

I composed this post while weeding the garden.

Soon after starting the job I began to feel harried and irritated. I kept finding new things that had to be done--not what I needed--but the methodical task of weeding drew me into a meditative state and things weren't so bad.

Two species of annual grasses, ragweed, lambsquarters and an annual knotweed were springing up in the as yet unplanted section of the garden. The weeds were under eight inches tall and pulled easily. I developed a rhythm, weeding with both hands and clearing the ground in front of me with the efficiency of a woodchuck. (Three removed from the garden so far this year).

From foreground to background: White New Zealand Clover (planted as a nitrogen-fixing cover crop), annual grasses, lambsquarters and ragweed.

At one point, with not much else to do but weed, I began to notice my technique. I remember my grandfather--my father's father--doing it exactly this way decades ago.

One of my father's favorite sayings was "Work fascinates me; I could sit and watch it for hours."

I love the language of the working class. Always the twist of irony. A bit of self-deprecation that disguises an underlying truth: Work is fascinating.

My grandfather didn't teach me the technique. I learned by watching him.

A lot of adults think that children need to be "taught". That they are not interested in learning and have to be made to learn. Not so. Children are naturally curious and pay attention to things. The good thing I learned from my grandfather was how to weed a garden and, as well, the underlying principle of conservation of energy and matter.

This was his technique--deft, sophisticated and developed through decades, if not generations, of agricultural practice:

The hand is held near the ground, palm down. The fork between the thumb and index finger contacts the week or handful of weeds. The thumb and index finger then wrap around the stems and in a slightly counter-clockwise twisting motion (with your right hand--clockwise with your left hand) you pull the base of the stem, your hand still held low to the ground toward you.

As you pull the weeds toward you rotate your wrist so that the hand turns inward and palm points up. This allows the large meaty outer muscle of your palm to skim the ground and contact the weed at the base. Your outer three fingers then grasp the base of the stems and move toward your belly.

You hear the satisfying sound of the roots of weeds ripping from the earth.

But the beauty of the technique and efficiency is in what comes next:

You then grasp the clump of weeds that you just tore from the ground between your thumb and index finger and reach for the next clump of weeds to be removed with the three outer fingers of your hand. With the same motion as above these weeds are ripped from the ground. A quick transfer is then made of the new clump of weeds from the grasp of the outer fingers to the grasp of the index finger and thumb. You now have doubled the size of the clump of weeds between thumb and index finger. If you still have room in your grasp you reach for another clump of weeds with the outer three fingers of your hand. And so on.

Once I have my right hand full of weeds, I reach with my left and apply the same technique until I have a tightly packed clump of weeds up to six inches in diameter in each hand.

I now do what my grandfather did tell me to do. You want to conserve the garden soil before you send the weeds to the compose heap. You pound the weeds on the ground to shake the precious soil from the roots and return it to the garden.

Lambsquarters, an edible weed, has a pleasant nutty flavor, raw or cooked

I began to think about my career as a handsewer of shoes. This was not something that I ever expected to be but, you know, life takes interesting turns. Around one bend in the river of life was the necessity of learning the improbable skill of sewing shoes by hand.

This is different than stitching shoes, which is done by machine. Handsewing and involves the use of an awl, a waxed thread and two needles. You also need a jack (a kind of vise that holds the shoe while you sew it), a skiving knife, and special handsewing pliers with a built in peen that is used to tack the shoe-to-be to the last (wooden or plastic "foot").

I won't go into great detail but handsewing involves the same kind of transfer as the above transfer of weeds from the outer fingers to the inner fingers. In handsewing you hold a needle in your left hand and a needle and an awl in your right hand. You make a hole in the two leather pieces that are to be joined with the awl and then improbably and gracefully switch the awl and the needle so that you are now holding the needle in your right hand and meet the needle held in the left hand in the hole you just made with the awl. You cross the two needles so as to leave an overhead knot inside the seam. The grip on the needle is released and, still holding the awl in your hand, you grab the needles as they come out the other side of the hole, pull them out, rotate your hands outward grabbing the ends of the thread on the outer part of your hand, (just like I did with the weeds). You then pull the two ends, tightening the overhand knot that you have just made in the seam. The two pieces of leather are now bound together to form a shoe.

In weightlifting the motion that tightens the knot is called a standing fly and is one of the most strenuous exercises in any routine.

Got that? You are now ready to earn a living as handsewer. By the way, it is paid by the piece so you have to be quick at it.

How do you get quick at it?

Well it helps to be friends with a fast handsewer. I befriended the least friendly but fastest handsewer in the shop (tip: listen to his war stories) and he shared the most important piece of information: "You don't get fast by working harder; you get fast by working smarter." Ahah! Very useful information. He went on, "I study each new style of shoe I get and I figure out what I can leave out."

He gave me a few of his tips. But being efficient and economical with movement is more than just information. It is a mental attitude. A focus. Conservation of energy. After all you are going to be doing this for a few years and this is a trade famous for tendinitis, bursitis, various types of neuropathy, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc.

You can easily beat yourself to death at this job. There is a great incentive to make it as easy as possible. My grandfather understood this about work. He seemed to me to be the slowest man I ever met but he could shovel four tons of coal fast enough to get a train from Boston to Conway and back in a day.

The guy holding the shovel and the poker is the fireman. It is his job to stoke the fire and keep it at the proper temperature so that the boiler does not blow up. Sometimes that happens. It is not a good thing. My father told me that his Dad shoveled four tons of coal a day.

Herein lies the genius of the working class--those of us who work and know how to work. How to get the job done while establishing good relationships with your work mates so that the day is interesting and goes without upsets, how to be easy on yourself, how to keep your mind from wandering to things that are unproductive, how to not waste time and energy. I identified about six bird species by call and wrote a blog while I gardened. It makes the work more interesting.

My friend Karen is currently the fastest worker at my most recent factory job. I love to go to her bench to watch her work. It is a thing of beauty. Compared to her I look like a panicked chicken handling packages.

But I am good in the garden. I got the garden weeded and carrots planted before the cold front came through with its much-needed rain. I have a few beds waiting for some lettuce, beets, radishes and cover crops that I will plant later this week before the next front.

Today I feel the pleasure of having the efficiency of a woodchuck--or of my grandfather--while in the garden.

I still have a lot to learn about housework.

(Photo of crew of steam locomotive from Cornell University collection. A little before my grandfather's time but not much change until locomotives changed to diesel power.)

Beauty and Abundance

2010-07-06T15:02:00.016-04:00

As I weeded the garden this morning, I was hearing the begging calls of the baby Phoebes that fledged yesterday. I didn't bother to wade into the woods looking for them. An attentive ear can pretty much follow what is going on at this time of year--lots of dramas as the young birds leave the nest.

The Phoebes like to nest over the light fixture in the woodshed. The nest is near the rain barrel so while I am drawing water for the garden I hear the sharp alarm call of the adult Phoebe nearby. Note the light bill linings of the chicks visible on the right side of the nest. They want the adults to make no mistake about where the bugs go.

The previous day the adult robins and a flicker were raising a ruckus in the woods just beyond my pond. They sometimes carry on when their young are fledging--urging them into cover--but the increased level of panic in their calls on this day indicated some kind of predator nearby. I scanned the dead branches of a Big-toothed Aspen--a likely perch for the local Broad-winged Hawk. No hawk there--maybe there was a fox.

A few years ago the foxes raised a litter on the ridge above my property. I could follow the passage of the fox through the woods on its return from a hunt by the screaming crows that escorted it through their breeding territory.

But soon a beautiful adult Broad-wing glided across the clearing and disappeared into the woods, its hunt interrupted by the ever alert Mom and Dad Robin.

Last week on my morning walk out the Merrill Road in Pownal, I "pished" at a tangle of shrubbery to try to get a better view of a bird that was skulking in the underbrush. An adult male Chestnut-sided Warbler charged from the greenery and hovered about six feet from my face. It's message could not have been clearer, "Nest nearby, get out of here!". It did not do the "dying warbler" act where it would quiver its wings and drop to the ground in the apparent throes of death. This is a common ploy called a "distraction display" to lure predators away from fledglings. Sometimes if you ignore the parent, it will fly to a branch in front of your face and "die" again.

The abundance of life is everywhere now. The High Mowing Lettuce Mix above I cannot thin fast enough. Snap and Snow Peas--at least those that survived the "low mowing" of our first woodchuck--beg to be picked before the heat gets to them and they cease producing.

Oregon Giant Snow Peas. When not browsed by Woodchucks they perform stunningly.

I pick the raspberries hard in the morning and by noon another pint are ripe. Beth and I have a handful on our cereal each morning.

Is there anything that tasted better than a fresh, warm raspberry?

With a little more vigilance we will be able to beat the Catbirds and Robins to the ripening blueberries which managed to set a good crop this year. Radishes, turnip and mustard greens, and three varieties of basil are ready for salads.

On the night of the Fourth of July I paddled out of the Dead River inlet into the north end of Sabattis Pond. There I witnessed more examples of the seasonal abundance of bird life and the new crop of hatchlings. As I left the put in two young ospreys were screaming to be fed. The arrival of one of the parents did little to stop them. It was near sundown; perhaps the parent was trying to convince them it was time to go to bed. Has that ever worked?

Dead River Branch of inlet to Sabattis Pond

As I paddled into the lake Common Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds were flying by the dozens into the marsh to roost. I was hoping to hear or see some of the more exotic marsh birds that tend to become more active and vocal after sundown. I did hear Marsh Wrens from among the reeds while streams of blackbirds flew over my head into the marsh.

A swarm of Tree Swallows overhead were the adults and young of the year who had left their nest territories to feed over the lake with its abundance of insect hatches and then to probably go to roost in the marsh. I have heard Tree Swallows singing from the cattails before dawn.

I paddled out into the middle of the marsh and sat quietly in the still water. A Hermit Thrush was singing from the woods and the sunset was catching fire over the ridge. It was the most I have felt at peace in some time. I thought, "I could stay here all night". For many reasons, that did not seem like the best choice on this occasion. But it was a nice thing to feel.

I was being distracted however by a call from the distant edge of the marsh. It sounded a lot like the screeching call of a young Great-Horned Owl that I had heard on the Peterson recording. I had to get a closer listen--and possibly a look. As I paddled closer I became more and more sure of my identification. A large bird flew from a low perch into a taller tree. Through the branches I could see the large yellow-ringed eyes of a juvenile Great Horned Owl looking like it had just had a bad hair cut. It had most of its flight feathers but down still stuck out here and there. It was obvious by its shrieks that it hoped to be fed soon.

The presence of the owl probably explained my getting skunked on rails, herons, bitterns and waterfowl. One Wood Duck did fly, shrieking, overhead and a flyby Woodcock was silhouetted against the fading twilight as I paddled back to the put-in. Three or four Veery thrushes were singing their evening vespers from the low-lying woods along the river.

After I hoisted the kayak into the back of the truck, I turned and looked out over the field.

The booms of distant fireworks drifted northward on the night air. I stood quietly for a minute or two and enjoyed the thousand sparkles of fireflies silently twinkling amidst the vetch, clover and grasses of the unmown fields.

Sunset over Sabattis Pond

In Praise of the Understory

2010-06-17T10:43:00.024-04:00

Not long ago one of my favorite garden columnists wrote a column on turning your woodland into a park. My heart sunk a bit. I have been concerned about the "suburbanizing" of our local rural areas.

I wrote him an email appreciating his writing and pointing out some of the unintended consequences for wildlife that result from "cleaning up" woodlands.

This morning when I left the house an Ovenbird, a small brown warbler about the size of a sparrow, was singing its emphatic "teacher, teacher, teacher" from the edges of our yard. Ovenbirds nest on the ground and rely on some kind of understory plant growth under which to conceal their nests from predators. If you clear out the growth under your pine trees you are likely to lose the Ovenbirds.

The list of birds that nest in the understory of our forests is long. The ephemeral song of the Hermit Thrush can be heard from the woods on either side of our property. Hermit Thrushes nest on the ground. I have found their nests under Bracken Fern and Wild Sasparilla. These two plants often form a knee high privacy screen for the floor of an upland forest--perfect for hiding the broods of ground nesters. Ruffed Grouse may nest beneath their fronds or under the overhanging branches of hemlock seedlings on the forest floor.

There are a host of trees and shrubs that provide another layer of concealment just above the reaches of the aforementioned plants. Understory trees are some of my favorite shrubs. The Alternate-leaved Dogwood is a common understory tree that rarely gets to twenty feet in height. Its branches and leaves stretch out in layers from the trunk. The delicate forks of the branches may provide nesting sites for Redstarts or vireos. White-tailed deer seem attracted to Alternate-leafed Dogwood. They browse on it heavily, often use the trunks to scrape the velvet from their antlers or to leave their scent during the rut. The delicate branches often over-arch deer runs and bucks may leave their scent at scrapes made beneath the dogwoods and also on the low-hanging branches themselves.

Alternate-leafed Dogwood shows its flatly layered branches...

...and shiny heavily veined leaves.

Bucks also favor Witchhazel, another understory tree These are similar in size to dogwoods and also have an overhanging habit under which bucks love to make their scrapes. Witchhazel seems to be more common in fairly moist woodlands.

Witchhazel--a nice shrub/tree for the edges or shady borders of a yard.

Both Witchhazel and Alternate-leafed Dogwood are flowering trees as well. The dogwood has small umbrels of white flowers near the ends of the branches which then bear blue berries that serve as food for many species of animals.

The witchhazel is unique in being the last tree or shrub in the forest to come into bloom. They typically bloom in late October or November, bearing strange yellow, spidery flowers close to their branches.

FEDCO's Witchhazel flooms in October with the leaves still on the plant. Most in my neighborhood bloom in November after shedding their leaves.

When not in bloom any of these trees may seem to be insignificant "brush" to be cleared from your woodlot. Doing so strongly decreases the diversity of birds and animals which may live there.

Shadbush, also known as Serviceberry or Juneberry.

Shadbush is among the first of shrubs to bloom in the spring. Right now the Cedar Waxwings are scarfing down its berries. Catbirds and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks wait their turn.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak sings its praises of Serviceberries.

"Cleaning up" the forest has other impacts. The Brown Creeper, a quiet resident of woodlands, likes to build its nest in a crevice behind the shedding bark of dying trees. I would consider myself lucky to see one hitching its way up the trunk of a tree, probing for insects with its delicately curved bill. Cut down the dying trees and you lose the nest sites of the Brown Creeper.

The Brown Creeper is unique. It is a tiny bird most often seen hitching itself up the trunks of trees in the manner of a woodpeckers. Note the bristled tailfeathers.

Dying trees and falling branches also feed fungi which play a bit role in maintaining the fertility and health of a woodland. Interesting critters like Spotted Salamanders my find refuge in the "duff" of decomposed trunks of trees. The large showy Pileated Woodpecker eats carpenter ants that are found in the rotted cores of dying trees. A friend wants me to cut down the dead Big-toothed Aspen in my yard. But the bright shards of wood littering the ground at the bottom of the tree tells me I should leave it there for the Pileateds.

In early spring the dark tangles of woods at the bottom of our hill come alive with the long and energetic song of the Winter Wren. They most often nest under the upturned trunks of trees that have been blown over in storms. The gap left in the forest canopy may allow Balsam Fir or Mountain Maple to sprout. These sorts of tangled messes are tough for hikers who are bushwhacking but great for White-throated Sparrows, Slate-colored Juncos and Snowshoe Hares to name only a few likely residents. If you remove the "brush" and cut down the emergent vegetation you are likely to lose all of these species.

Of course once the bottom of the food chain is removed you will also lose the predators. Barred Owls, Goshawks, Weasel and Fisher benefit from the diverse layers of forest life.

I have worked hard to maintain a richly diverse habitat on my property. When I came everything was either grass or thirty or forty foot trees. There was little in between. By letting things grow up not only did I get to know shrubs that I did not know were there but I created habitat for many new species of animals and plants. It may not look like something from Martha Stewart but nothing beats the song of a Hermit Thrush on a quiet summer evening.

The Hermit Thrush is inconspicuous in the shadows of the forest understory but its ethereal song is evocative and familiar in the north woods.

All bird photos courtesy of Kirk Rogers--kiroastro.com

Remembering Elaine

2010-06-09T18:56:00.007-04:00

Beth's Mom, Elaine Baird Edmonds Gross breathed her last breath Monday with her children and me by her side.

Is there ever a good time? This time was as good as could be imagined with all of us there by her bed. She pulled us in close to each other as she always did. We said our goodbyes, tears were shed, we did what had to be done and parted ways with her for the last time.

We, "the children" walked to the Deer's Head Inn and had dinner sitting in the sun, laughing, sharing memories and telling stories. I added two birds to my Essex County, New York year list--Chimney Swift and House Wren. People are always amazed that I can do things like that from a table in a restaurant. Elaine would have appreciated that.

Elaine was a country girl, raised on a dairy farm run by her parents and a large assortment of family, friends and acquaintances that came to live at the farm for one reason or another. Her mother and the other women would commonly feed two dozen people for dinner. The farm was a community, not just a home. Each person was valued for what she or he could do, no matter how small their role. It was a place where you belonged. This was one of the things that was hard for Elaine about Assisted Living and the Nursing Home. She was loved and treated with much respect but there was no work to do. She was a person of action. The morning of her death we first saw her pedaling her wheelchair down the hall. I made a joke that I guessed she had once again made a dramatic recovery from a major bout of fatigue after her 95th birthday outing on Saturday. She was fully dressed and on the move. It wasn't until we got closer that we realized that she was in distress.

Elaine was married in a full body cast and lying on a hospital bed. She had been thrown from a horse and landed on a wagon tongue suffering a nasty break to her femur. Her husband joked that this was the only time that she slowed down enough that he could ask her to marry him.

This injury and others would catch up with her late in life. She would light up the scanners at airport security with the various hardware that held things together.

She got new knees in her late seventies and for her eightieth birthday requested a paddle with family on the Saranac Lake chain. She had successfully skied on her new knees but they only moved in one dimension. As a result, when the canoe tipped while hauling out over a beaver dam, she could not catch her balance. She fell forward into the canoe striking her face on the thwart. She rose up with blood streaming down her face and onto her jacket.

Her daughters asked if she wanted to go back to the hospital. She said, "No dears, let's finish our paddle." Somehow they staunched the flow of blood, continued upstream for a mile or so and then back and over the beaver dam again, this time without incident. They hauled the canoes out at the boat launch and took Elaine to Saranac hospital. It was determined that she had--no surprise--broken her nose. Things were removed or put in place a bit and home they went.

When I would visit she would always ask, "Dan, have you seen any birds?" and I would give her the bird report. She was always very interested and would ask questions about the rarities or where I had seen or heard such and such a bird.

In later years she would curse the loss of her eyesight and her hearing. "Dan, I can't see the birds anymore!" Then we would pass a redtail on a fencepost on the highway. "Dan, was that a red-tailed hawk?" It was.

Last year we were sitting in the sun while John, Lynn and Beth were working in the garden. She would point to the various trees and ask me what kind they were. Some bad falls had messed up her eyesight. She couldn't quite make them out and the wheelchair wouldn't cover the rough terrain for a closer look. "Dan, are you hearing any birds? I just can't hear a thing any more." I told her I had heard a Rose-breasted Grosbeak and a Chipping Sparrow." "Oh, that's wonderful, Dan." After a pause she said, "Is that a Red-eyed Vireo singing?". It was.

I learned from Elaine that there were some advantages to growing old. There was no chance when the Olympics came to nearby Lake Placid, that she was going to miss seeing the slalom races. Commonly spectators would ride the gondola to the top of the course and then walk down to view the race from the best vantage point.

Elaine's knees would not let her walk down, so she walked up the hill to an interesting section of the course. When the races were done she stepped out onto the course, pulled her parka down over her rear end and slid down the course to the bottom.

Being young and vain, this was a major revelation for me: That one did not have to worry what people thought of you, that you could live your life with dignity and without limits, that you did not have to be limited by fear or embarrassment.

Many time over the years she taught me this lesson and the lesson of courage again and again. Elaine I am fortunate to have known you. You will continue to inspire me forever.

(Above photo: From right to left, Elaine Edmonds Gross, Beth and my mother, Ellen, on the Pownal, Maine Garden Tour in 2005)

Fragrance

2010-06-02T13:58:00.010-04:00

I forget the smells of summer in the same way that I forget the sounds of summer. Each year I am jolted into consciousness by the frantic "wheep" of a Great Crested Flycatcher or the distant liquid warble of a Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

Today I my preoccupation with deterring Striped Cucumber Beetles was interrupted by a noseful of a very pleasant fragrance. I looked up to see my monster American Highbush Cranberry (Viburnum trilobum) in bloom. I did not remember that it had a fragrance.

I have been enjoying my old-timey blue iris a lot. I love their "grapey" fragrance. Hybridizers of any flower tend to focus on color and form and as a result fragrance is often lost. Not so with the heirloom varieties of plants.

I was surprised again while weeding around my horseradish to notice the fragrance of its flowers. It had the same slightly pungent quality of the horseradish root without the sharp bite. It was very nice actually.

I have been letting the Johnny Jump-ups become weeds in my garden. They fill in empty spots when things don't go as planned and their fragrance makes weeding a pleasure. I stole a bunch from my friend Cynthia a couple of years ago. Her strain has a nice combination of colors that range from nearly white to nearly dark blue with some yellows in between and a variety of spots and markings on their "faces".

Two varieties of Mustard Greens are flanked by Johnny Jump-ups, my favorite weed.

Early in the year I eagerly await the fragrance of the plums and apples. Once summer hits fragrance is in abundance and I sort of lose touch with it. (Have I mentioned yet the hum of Briana's bees as I weed around the blackberry patch?)

I am sure I will notice the strong fragrance of Milkweed on my morning walks before too long and the subtle fragrance of the unwelcome weed, bedstraw, in Jewett's field. The escaped Garden Heliotrope will soon be blooming and its fragrance noted as we drive down route 95 to Portland. Black Locust flowers perfumed the air as I did my river survey from the Auburn River Walk on Tuesday. The abundant Yellow Warblers along the banks of the Androscoggin described the locusts perfectly with their song--"Sweet, sweet, you're so very sweet!".

It will be a few weeks before I note the evening fragrances of the annual Nicotiana. I always look them over at dusk for the noctural hummingbird-like Hawk Moth. There are daytime Hawk Moths too but the nocturnal ones seem special to me because they are so unnoticed.

Signs of Summer: Fireflies, Horseshoe Crabs, Veeries and Willets

2010-05-26T08:11:00.010-04:00

Saw our first fireflies Monday night. jamelah a. via Flickr photos posted an image which caught one of my pleasant memories as a boy--catching "lightning bugs" with my cousins down in Virginia. We tried to line them up on their front steps. They were not cooperating but it led to lots of giggles.

The glowing spots in the grass may have been the larvae. I did not see any flying around and had no time to check it out.

Today I found a great website on fireflies. http://firefly.org

Mid-day Monday I paddled down the Dead River from Route 106 in Leeds, Maine. This Dead River--not to be confused with the Dead River which joins the Kennebec River at The Forks (not going to be kayaking that!)--connects Androscoggin Lake with the Androscoggin River.

It was a nice quiet paddle after I got away from the summery noises of young folks jumping off the steel bridge and the whine of the lawnmower at the campsite. Sorry no photos, forgot the camera, but it was a beautiful paddle with tall Silver Maples overhanging the placid river.

There was not much variety of birdlife which is to be expected mid-day. However if you wanted to know what a Veery, Great Crested Flycatcher or Red-eyed Vireo sound like, this was the place to be. I counted 9 Rev's, 7 Veeries and 5 Great Crested Flycatchers singing within a mile of the put-in. Veeries are a light brown thrush of the wet woods and are often difficult to see but easy to recognize by their "Veer" call and their song of several descending triplets.

A Redstart was singing at the put in below the bridge, there was a Northern Waterthrush singing along the edge of the lake and an extended look at a mink skittering along the river bank was a decided plus. Kingfisher, Wood Duck and Spotted Sandpiper rounded out the list of birds that you might expect to see on such a route.

Tuesday morning I launched the kayak from the boat ramp at Maquoit Bay. It was high tide and I was hoping that any shorebirds that had been working the clam flats would be roosting up on the salt pannes (pools formed by water of increased salinity) of the marsh.

The Clamflats and saltmarshes of Maquoit Bay provide breeding habitats for some and feeding sites for many migrant shorebirds.

That was a good thought, but most of the shorebirds I viewed from the launch itself. Willets, a large, long billed and long legged shorebird, were standing by the water's edge or flying in a large arc across the water engaged in courtship and territorial displays. Willets are gray and inconspicous but in flight they flash bright patches of black and white on their wings and call loudly and persistently. They are exciting to watch and hard to miss during breeding season.

The other shorebirds I saw were resting or foraging while en route to their breeding grounds on the tundra of the far north. The three species I saw were Greater Yellowlegs, Semi-palmated Sandpipers and Black-bellied Plover. The Yellowlegs flew by the boat launch giving its ringing call and headed for the back reaches of the salt marsh. The Semi-pal's were foraging along the mud banks just a few feet from a man sunning himself in a lawn chair. They were probably safer there than if they were out on the pannes where they might get picked off by a resident Cooper's Hawk.

At high tide many shorebirds move to the salt pannes of the upper marsh and can only be seen from the water.

The Black-bellied Plovers seemed to be foraging the mats of last year's grasses in the upper reaches of the salt marsh. I was hoping to see or hear some sharp-tailed sparrows common to the salt marshes but the two likely birds I saw were scampering like mice under the dead vegetation and not offering much of a view.

A Bald Eagle spooked a roost of Snowy Egrets and large flock of eiders. Later something sent up a flock of Black Ducks, Mallards and one lone Blue-Winged Teal, a common resident of the salt marshes that is not often seen.

Most interesting were the hundreds of Horseshoe Crabs that were breeding along the edges of the bay. After my initial interest in the breeding frenzy I was mostly focused on the bird life but I found myself wanting to say "excuse me" as with nearly every paddle stroke I bonked some hapless horseshoe crab on the head.

Horseshoe Crabs gathered at the boat launch. It's not pretty but it has worked for the Horseshoe crab for thousands of years.

One or more males may attach to the larger females in order to fertilize the eggs.

Many shorebirds, most notably Red Knots, feed on the eggs of horseshoe crabs in order to fuel their flight to the northern breeding grounds. Over-harvesting in the Chesapeake Bay threatens both Red Knots and the Horseshoe Crab.

Runnin' Around

2010-05-21T15:06:00.012-04:00

I am finally finding some time to enjoy the fruits of "retirement". This week I have paddled Sabattus Pond in Sabattus, Maine and Runaround Pond in Durham.

After a month of super-warm weather and a big push of migrants, things seem to have slowed down. Birds are arriving and setting up territories but it is still my sense that we are waiting for another wave. Perhaps they will come in with the wave of temperatures in the 80's forecast for next week.

I love my Manatee Kayak, bought from L.L. Bean. You can drop it into a puddle and go for a paddle if you want.

Runaround Pond Put-in from Auburn Road, Durham

That is just right for me because any time I see a little brook meandering its way through a marsh, I want to get out there to see if there is a rail or bittern or some other exotic marsh bird lurking amidst the cat-tails.

The cattail fronds are beginning to just emerge on Sabattus Pond. I put in at the bridge which crosses Hooper Brook at the north end of the pond and paddled south toward the open water. Ospreys circled overhead and Great-crested Flycatchers yelled "Wheep!" at me from the woods.

Great-crested Flycatchers always sound like they are in a panic. Photo via Flickr Creative Commons

Once I got into the cattail marshes I heard the song of Northern Waterthrush from the shore--the first I had seen or heard this year. As I got deeper into the marsh Red-winged Black birds wheeled overhead scolding me. Two Blue-winged Teal flushed in front of me and then settled down into a pool where I could get a pretty good look at them. I decided to leave them alone and I backed out of that channel and poked my way into another.

A Pair of Blue-winged Teal photographed by Kirk Rogers

I was hoping to see a rail. The Virginia Rail is the most common. Rails are wading marsh birds that are compressed laterally giving rise to the expression "thin as a rail". It is not a fence rail that is being referred to here but this family of birds that are well adapted to picking their way between cattail or sedge fronds quietly and without being detected.

I heard a Virginia Rail calling from a New Gloucester marsh a few weeks ago.

For a moment I thought I was hearing the metallic ticking of a rail call. My ear is a little rusty from a long, railless winter. It was a Marsh Wren. The Marsh Wren sounds a little like an energetic version old treadle sewing machine. The males are rushing around the marsh now weaving cattail fronds together and making "dummy" nests in hopes that another wren will be interested in moving in.

This is much like the behavior of the House Wren that was in my yard last week that cleaned out a couple of nest boxes, lined them with a few sticks and then, when no female came a-courting, left for a more favorable area.

I had never explored the marshes of the north end of Sabattus Pond before and decided to take another channel in hopes of finding one that intersected with Bull Run Road. Along the way I found the nest of an Eastern Kingbird in a shrub only a couple of feet above the water. It was beautifully lined with fuzzy seedheads of last years cat-o-nine-tails.

This Kingbird, against a backdrop of Spanish Moss, was probably on its way to South America for the wint

You don't need to be much of an explorer to find a Kingbird nest. They build nests right out in the open, usually over water and rely on aggressive attacks on any predator that approaches the nest. I found a nest in the Adirondacks of New York that was bound together with the fibers of a deteriorating plastic tarp. The bright blue fibers trailed down almost to the water. It was in a dead tree in the middle of a beaver pond and you could see it from a quarter mile away. The calls around the nest often give away their presence. The Kingbird "song" sounds like an old telegraph key--yet another metallic call likely to be heard around the marshes.

I did pull out on Bull Run Road and enjoyed stretching my legs out on the quarter mile walk back to the truck.

Channel to the marsh at the north end of Sabattus Pond, viewed from Bull Run Road

Today on Runaround Pond I tallied 40 species of birds. Highlights were a lone (of course) Solitary Sandpiper foraging along the edge of the pond, seven wood ducks (all but one were drakes since the hens are now sitting on eggs), an osprey and my first Veery of the year. Veeries are a brown thrush of the wet woods known for their song of descending triplets which I used to think of as "Bigelow, bigelow, bigelow, bigelow". I did not hear the song but the slightly nasal "Veer!" call from the woods.

(Unless otherwise noted bird photos are by Kirk Rogers. See link to his website in the sidebar to the right.)

Frost Advisory

2010-05-14T11:03:00.012-04:00

I suppose no one minds that lots and lots of Japanese Knotweed shoots were killed in the hard frosts earlier this week. Japanese Knotweed is a highly invasive weed. Its roots get stuck in the treads of excavating equipment and transported in fill taken from roadsides and other commonly infested areas.

Anyone having excavation done on their property should be aware of this problem, question their contractors about it and move quickly to eradicate if shoots are found. I have eliminated it from several recent excavations along roadsides in my area by simply pulling the young shoots as I notice them on my walks.

Well, what were the effects of the frost on our native vegetation? Most observers agree that the warm weather of early spring caused emergent plant growth to be two weeks or more ahead of schedule.

Monday on my morning walk I noticed the rank smell of plant cells burst by freezing. It wasn't until a day or two later that leaves began to droop and blacken and I could notice what had been affected.

It is not surprising that Sensitive Fern would be affected by the freeze. Sensitive Fern likes to grow in the wet areas of fields. This makes it prone to radiational cooling in the late weeks of summer. It is often the plant to show the first effects of the fall frosts, hence its name.

A few green shoots of the Sensitive Fern survive the freeze. More will come up from underground runners. This is a fern that spreads quickly.

Of all of the newly emergent growth of trees it was the Red Oak that showed the most damage. Damaged most severely were the leaves and tender green branches of saplings within 2 to 7 feet from the ground. This is area most affected by radiational cooling as cold air pools into low-lying areas overnight. The upper branches of oaks reached above the cold zone and did not appear to be damaged.

Tender shoots of Red Oak saplings are killed by frosts after "early" spring.

Oak is one of the last trees to flower and sprout leaves. Now I know why. Poplars and Red Maples that emerge earlier seem to show no damage.

Strawberry growers are concerned about the loss of blossoms on early plants.

A couple days after the freeze I began to notice the browning of petals on my apple trees.

Zumi Crabapple shows bud damage only on upper sides of branches.

Again I could see the effect of radiational cooling--it was the flowers on the top sides of the branches that were burned by the frost and those sheltered underneath the branch were spared. It remains to be seen how this late freeze will affect the apple crop There was a reason for the old practice of planting your orchard on the north side of a hill. This was the side least likely to warm up and come into bloom prematurely. Sometimes late is good.

Over the last few years due to climate change we have been getting away with growing some things that belong further south. My emergent rhododendron shoots were killed and as were the blossom buds on some varieties. There should cause no permanent damage to the plant but it will be too bad to miss a season of blooms.

It always pays when buying nursery stock to check the labels carefully for hardiness and length of growing season required. I had an Elberta peach that grew vigorously and was pretty good at setting fruit. Rarely however did the peaches have time in our short summers to get fully ripe.

It is good to notice microclimates in your growing areas. The above rhodo was on the west side of the house and probably had at least two more hours of freeze than those facing east that were spared.

The Verrill Road apple comes through unscathed.

The magnificent Verrill Road apple sits on top of a hill above the cold air pockets at the bottom of the hill by the town line. It is sheltered from north winds by the woods and catches the first warming rays of the sun in the morning. It showed no freeze damage.

Speechless

2010-05-07T16:11:00.015-04:00

On the morning walk out the Merrill Road in Pownal, my search for warblers was interrupted by the scent of an apple tree. I had to stop, close my eyes, and drink in the subtle and beautiful fragrance of this tree.

All apples are not created equal. Not in flavor, vigor or fragrance. This particular tree stood out for its fragrance.

For floriferousness a tree on the Verrill Road caught my attention. It is an enormous mass of white even from a quarter mile away. What could improve on such a sight unless it were a Chestnut-sided Warbler.

Male Chestnut-sided Warbler photo by Kirk Rogers

It's not like I could see the bird--the flowers were so massed on the stems that watching the bird forage was impossible. Now and then though it would advertise itself with its loud "So very pleased to meet you!" song.

Warblers are noted for their bright colors and unique songs. The typical song of the Chestnut-sided is one of the easiest to learn, with its emphatic, slangy "meetchu!" on the end of the phrase.

Yes, "speechless" sort of sums it up the situation. It's hard to sit indoors and write a blog with so much going on out there. And then there is just so much going on that it is hard to focus. I guess that is what they call spring fever.

I had to close my eyes while enjoying the fragrance of the apple--too many senses being stimulated. A Brown Thrasher was singing from a hedgerow. They have a loud, compelling song filled with imitations of other birds. They are becoming more and more rare as pastures abandoned a hundred years ago grow up to forests. There is one that I find each year at the corner of the Hodsdon and Merrill Roads.

A neighbor from that neck of the woods is requesting my warbler list from last Thursday. After I returned to my yard a wave of migrant warblers passed through the treetops during a break in the rain. Here is the radar image from the birds migrating the previous night:

This image from roughly 2 AM shows the bright blog of migrating birds within the range of the Gray NOAA weather station. The intense green over the Casco Bay area shows a particular intensity of migrant birds. The image below shows movement of these radar blips from southwest to northeast.

I owe my tutelage in radar analysis to Derek Lovitch of Freeport Wild Bird Supply. For more information check out Derek's birding blog at
http://maineoutdoorjournal.mainetoday.com/blog.html?id=15198

Anyway, back to the bird list. On the walk I tallied mostly by ear Pine Warbler, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat and Yellow-rumped Warbler. In my yard were 6 Black and White Warblers, 3 Nashville, 2 Black-throated Blue, 2 Northern Parula, 2 Magnolia, 1 Redstart, 1 Blackburnian, 1 Chestnut-sided and 1 Black-throated Green. Earlier in the week I heard and saw a Prairie Warbler on the power line from the Poland Range Road in North Pownal.

Steve and I tried for a Northern Waterthrush on a paddle at Runaround Pond but we were a couple of days early for the big wave that came through and could not locate one. Five drake Wood Ducks, a Sharp-shinned Hawk, Great Blue Heron, a Spotted Sandpiper and a slew of Painted Turtles made for a pleasant paddle.

Highlights for the week however have to be the House Wren that began singing in my yard and checking out nest boxes yesterday--only the second I have ever seen there--3 Cedar Waxwings that dropped in for a visit--the first of the spring season for me--and a Red-bellied Woodpecker.

And check out the little pond on the Merrill Road for the occasional Solitary Sandpiper. I am hoping that a Least Sandpiper will show up there before the spring migration is over.

All and all a great week. Horticultural highlights to follow.

Green is Taking Over

2010-04-30T08:32:00.012-04:00

The pace of spring accelerates even with an interruption of cool and unsettled weather.

The outlines of trees soften as the leaves emerge. The red "keys" of the maple flowers are hanging down from the bright green leaves.

The shadbush or serviceberries have been coming into bloom for a week or so now. They light up the dark spots in wooded borders along the roadsides.

Shadbush in full bloom

The Alderman plum near the house is in full bloom and on the warm sunny days it is swarmed with a thousand bees of several species. I am cheering on a native American plum next to it which is just beginning to open buds. There needs to be cross-pollination for the plum to bear fruit.

Alderman Plum

I am worried about the "Foley" apple in the front of the house. It is blooming at least a week ahead of any other apple and a few weeks before normal. I may have to make a run to New Hampshire to find another tree suitable for pollination.

The Foley Apple--other apple varieties will be grafted to this and trained into an espalier.

The "Foley" apple is named after our former neighbors. A second-growth forest has sprung up around an ancient apple on property formerly owned by the Foleys. I grafted a scion from it onto EMLA 26 semi-dwarfing rootstock three springs ago. And, remarkably, it could bear fruit this year if I can only find something to pollinate it with. I could trust the bees to find pollen for me but since I have a small orchard I like to hand pollinate them if I can. I don't know if it is a named variety or just some old seedling tree that was kept around to attract the deer during hunting season.

Pears and peaches are also coming into bloom, some for the first time. There are exciting times ahead.

Asian Pears are compact and bear fruit just one year from planting.

Garnet Beauty peach from FEDCO may bear just two years from planting.

Today it is time to transplant seedlings and start seeds of cukes, squash, melons and sunflowers for transplanting in late May or early June.

White Birch (left) and Lilac (right) leaves emerge early. Early migrant warblers often feed on caterpillars attracted to the emerging birch leaves.

Good News from the Garden

2010-04-26T11:38:00.006-04:00

Thanks to a prolonged stretch of dry weather my tilling of the garden is well ahead of schedule.

April has been 18 degrees Fahrenheit above average and about 75% below average in precipitation.

I was even able to get into my wettest area and till in preparation for planting and transplanting some highbush blueberries.

Peas, and a second planting of greens and lettuce were planted ahead of yesterday's rain. The 3/4 inches of precipitation were much needed.

I have been adding fresh scallions and overwintering turnip and mustard greens to my "garden burritos" and I think today some of these ingredients will go into a hot and sour soup.

Good things are happening in the cold frame too.

Still Chasing the Season

2010-04-22T09:58:00.011-04:00

The White-throated Sparrow has my rating this morning as the most beautiful bird in the world. This of course could change at any moment because the parade of birds through my yard is quite astounding.

But the clean cut face of the adult male white-throat, down to the drops of clear yellow "paint" above the bill, takes the cake.

Wait, I just heard the clear whistled call of a Broad-winged Hawk and it is now circling overhead.

But, no, the plaintive whistled song of the white-throat takes the prize. So many memories of trout fishing "up-country" with my dad and grandfather while my mother and grandmother pick Mayflowers. And the smell of sweet fern and fresh-caught "brookies" wrapped in hay-scented fern to keep them fresh.

I tilled yesterday afternoon and today I will plant peas and hopefully find time to transplant some of my two year old grafted apple trees. There is so much to do. Got to check on the seedlings in the greenhouse. The ones in the cold frame are doing fine but need daily watering on these warm, sunny days of spring.

This morning the air was filled with warblers on my walk out Merrill Road. I saw well over a hundred overhead reorienting after their nocturnal migrations. Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers led in numbers. Ruby-crowned kinglets were singing and as well had my first of the year Blue-headed Vireo in the yard.

Yesterday morning on Bradbury Mountain I saw well over 300 hawks migrating. By the end of the day Derek had tallied 593--a record day for this year. There could be a repeat performance today. My highlight was a Peregrine Falcon soaring over the mountain as I was about to leave at noon.

Well, many more stories to tell--the Bittern at the small pond on the Merrill Road, the fly-by Merlin, the immature Sharp-shinned Hawk that stopped by my feeder this morning. Things are happening fast. The White-throats are feeding on white millet at my feet and singing in the woods; a Pileated Woodpecker just called. I found a Pileated at its nest this morning on the Merrill Road. More later. Now for the peas.

(White-throated Sparrow image via Flickr Creative Commons.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wjklos/128605448/

Chasing the Season

2010-04-07T14:48:00.012-04:00

Common folklore has it that it is time to plant frost-tolerant crops when the daffodils bloom. At that point the frost is out of the ground and--if we have had enough dry weather--it is safe to till.

So yesterday I started up the tiller and tilled under the winter rye in my "west side garden". This section of my yard is "Desert of Maine" wind blown sand dating back to the time just after the last ice age. It is the first section of garden to dry out in the spring.

Chionodoxia blooms ahead of even the crocus.

Winter rye exudes a substance that suppresses germination of seeds. This is one reason I sow it in the fall as a cover crop. It can out-compete weeds and add organic matter to the garden in the spring. However it is recommended to wait a few weeks before planting after tilling it under.

With that in mind, last fall I left a few beds bare. Yesterday, with rain showers in the forecast, I hand tilled one of these beds and planted lettuce and mustard seeds. I wanted to get them in before the rain and before leaving the state once again.

When I planned this trip I did not anticipate the season being three weeks ahead of usual. Apple buds are beginning to break and one sapling that I grafted only two years ago is showing flower buds--about one month ahead of schedule. So last week I pushed my grafting up two weeks and did a whirlwind job of grafting new stock onto wild apples in the yard and a few rootstocks that were as yet unassigned.

The "Foley" apple--grafted onto semi-dwarf rootstock from an ancient tree on a neighbor's property is already showing flower buds.

Saturday Beth and I planted our first round of seeds in flats--some in the greenhouse and some in the cold frame on the deck. Today I planted marigolds and zinnias and cosmos. They come along a little quicker than most other flowers so I could afford to wait a bit.

I am so torn between birding and the garden at this time of year but the season is forcing my hand in the garden.

Palm Warbler joins another early migrant--the Easter Phoebe--with its habit of tail-wagging

I have managed to steal away to do my river surveys and daily walk of the Merrill Road. An early American Bittern was a real surprise this week at the small pond halfway down the road. A quick stop at Runaround Pond in Pownal turned up an Osprey, seven Ring-necked Ducks and my first Palm and Pine Warblers. Nice, very nice.

The petite drake Ring-necked Duck is among the most handsome of the ducks.

On a quick walk to my former workplace I found a pair of Bluebirds checking out a nest box on the Desert Road and a Tree Swallow hanging out around another set of nest boxes. Unbelievably the Red Trillium is up and showing well-developed buds. If this weather continues it could be blooming in days.

Now to packing for my trip to the West Coast. I will have to enjoy Maine vicariously through mainebirds, Steve Kolbe's daily reports from the Bradbury Mountain Hawk Watch and Derek's blog. At the rate things are going when I get home it will be time to mow the lawn.

Celebrate Spring!

No Foolin'!

2010-04-02T03:42:00.009-04:00

It's no April Fool's joke. Spring is nearly a month ahead of schedule as witnessed by the four painted turtles seen basking yesterday on the banks of a small pond on the Hunter Road.

I stepped up my grafting schedule, collecting scions (cuttings) from some local trees that I scouted out last fall. These include Wolf River, Rhode Island Greening, Baldwin and unknown apple from an old tree on Wolf's Neck in Freeport. The latter tree bears a good quality apple but seems to be in decline since a strong pruning and compaction of soil around its base. Perhaps I can at least preserve its genes if not the tree itself.

Egg masses of wood frogs are appearing in my pond. Yesterday "our" phoebe returned and was singing in the afternoon while I organized my grafting materials. As a trial run I grafted a Hudar pear onto a Pyrus communis rootstock. Key to success is a sharp knife and practice.

Daffodils are just beginning to open. Common lore is that once the daffodils bloom the frost is out of the ground and it is time to plant peas, lettuce or other early crops that are unaffected by frost. Garlic planted last fall is up.

I had planned to go up on the Bradbury Hawkwatch today after yesterday's enjoyable visit but the pace of spring requires that I get moving with horticultural pursuits before things get away from me. Too bad, it could be a good day up there. Guess I will have to see what I can see from my yard.

Yesterday on the hawkwatch I saw my first Sharp-shinned Hawk and first Tree Swallow of the year. On Wolf's Neck I heard my first Spring Peepers of the year.

From Sea to Shining Sea

2010-03-31T03:23:00.010-04:00

Tore myself away from Spring in Maine to enjoy life among the redwoods while leading a workshop in sunny (and green!) California. Above is a photo at the conference site in Ben Lomond.

Stunning flower, stunning fragrance of Wisteria

While enjoying the fragrance of the Wisteria in Carolyn's garden in San Jose, I heard a chirp over my shoulder and turned to find a hummingbird hanging in the air in front of the flowering quince. Just like in Maine only a month earlier.

The voles took a toll on my quince this year. We'll see how it manages. Leaves are emerging already on the "apple blossom" quince near the living room window.

The Hazelnuts had begun blooming last week after the unusually warm weather. My grafting buddy who works at FEDCO Trees is worried that grafting season will come and go before he gets to his own projects since he is pretty much flat out at FEDCO until the public tree sale on May 7-8. The sale runs from 9-3 each day. FEDCO will be liquidating their 2010 stock with some of it going at half price. Its great to be with a bunch of folks so excited about fruit trees and other nursery stock, much of which is Maine-grown.

The female flower of the Hazelnut

Yes, the trees that I grafted from the ancient apple in the woods out back of the house are beginning to leaf out already--nearly a month ahead of schedule. So I am thinking that I might start some of my grafting this week with temps forecast to near 80 this weekend. Grafting for me, like the rest of life, is an ongoing experiment.

I might just plant peas, lettuce and a bunch of other early stuff this week if the side garden dries out from this torrential rain.

I went out yesterday looking for ducks in the flooded fields. None there but Maquoit Bay in Brunswick was filled with ducks. Green-winged Teal, Greater Scaup and Wigeon were among the roughly one thousand ducks in the bay at high tide.

Drake Green-winged Teal--image by Linda Tanner via Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/goingslo/2490292357/

After an emergency gelato run to Brunswick, Beth and I saw a dozen or so spotted salamanders on the Pleasant Hill Road--most of them on the Freeport end. Hope to get out again today to see what birds have arrived since I left. I hear reports of phoebes, kingfisher, flicker, tree swallows and double-crested cormorants. I had better check it out.

We brake for spotted salamanders!

Wow! Look at the Eagles!

2010-03-18T06:39:00.015-04:00

Two Bald Eagles engaged in some kind of territorial dispute and stole the show at the Bradbury Mountain State Park Hawk Watch yesterday.

Bald Eagles are making a strong recovery in the Northeast. Almost everyone at the hawk watch had an eagle story to tell though most of the guests had never seen anything like the aerial performance that lasted for 15 minutes or more.

Dramatic courtship and territorial displays are common during this early part of their breeding cycle.

I have been watching two nests near my survey sites on the Androscoggin River.

So close that my 3X pocket digital camera captures a decent image

However, in my humble opinion, the eagle show was overshadowed by the impressive movement of avian migrants. Hundreds of Red-winged Blackbirds, Grackles and Crows were moving northward up the coast through the morning hours.

We saw a little over 100 Canada Geese and 42 migrating Brant. That may be the first sighting of this smaller cousin of the Canadas from this location.

Derek with his acute ear for bird calls, managed, despite being hobbled a bit from shoulder surgery, to tally several notable species of migrant finches. Even I heard the Evening Grosbeak flying over but Derek also heard White-winged Crossbill and Pine Siskin which did not come south this year due to ample food supplies to the north.

Derek scans the horizon for raptors

I saw a bluebird fly by early in the morning, my second of the year and we were all happy to see our first-of-the year Mourning Cloak butterfly.

A slight sea breeze kept the hawk sightings low. Perhaps the bird were pushed inland by the sea breeze. Or perhaps today with a little more westerly/southwesterly component to the wind will be the big hawk day.

With the southwest wind taking charge overnight I notice a swell in the number of juncos at the feeder. And my first Song Sparrow of the year is in the yard as well. In just the last hour 30 goldfinches (some turning gold), two purple finches, both white and red-breasted nuthatches and both downy and hairy woodpeckers have taken turns at the feeder along with about 15 juncos. It is a pleasant sign of spring to go out the door and hear the songs of goldfinches, juncos and purple finches.

The Bradbury Mountain State Park Hawk Watch is open daily through May 15. There is a $3 entrance fee to the park however the expert instruction in hawk identification is free of charge. Freeport Wild Bird Supply, owned by Derek and Jeannette Lovitch, and Nikon Optics are sponsoring the Hawk Watch for another year.

Check out the link below for the latest results:
http://www.hawkcount.org/month_summary.php?rsite=616

Resident Hawkwatcher Steve Kolbe offers expert instruction this year at Bradbury Mountain

Things are Moving Out There

2010-03-12T04:03:00.008-05:00

I was talking to a friend who dropped over to visit and felt a new Sign of Spring (SOS!) crawling on my neck. I had been out cutting down a tree and this was my first deer tick of the year.

Probably most readers know that Deer Ticks carry Lyme Disease. People walking or working in the outdoors should tuck their pant legs into the top of their socks, wear long sleeved light colored clothing against which ticks can easily be seen, and use some form of insect repellent.

I prefer Lemon Eucalyptus. This is the only all natural repellent approved by the Center of Disease Control for use against ticks and mosquitoes that carry West Nile Virus. It is highly effective and does not have the nasty effects of repellents with DEET in them. DEET is effective but has bad effects on the human skin and dissolves plastic on contact.

Lemon Eucalyptus was formerly sold by Repel. The company was bought up by Cutter's last year. It is sold locally at Freeport Wild Bird Supply and I highly recommend getting a couple of the spray bottles. One for the house and one for car is good. I give them as birthday and Christmas presents.

Lemon Eucalyptus has a pleasant scent though it is powerful. I recommend spraying outdoors and away from food. I do not spray directly at face or head and I hold my breath while spraying my upper body. I spray my hands and rub it on my neck, hair and wrists--areas where ticks might find access to my skin. I tuck my jeans into my socks and spray around the tops. I spray my hat as well. Without the spray I can easily pick up three or four ticks a day. That number goes down to zero with the spray.

Turkey Vultures in flight show the reddish bare head and silvery flight feathers of an otherwise large dark bird. The dihedral "V" of the wings distinguishes them from eagles even at great distances. "TV's" are incredibly efficient fliers.

More enjoyable SOS's: Turkey Vultures are daily as flyby's at the house now. The Ravens were carrying nesting material out to the woods behind the house yesterday. Red-winged Blackbirds and Grackles are showing up everywhere. The Birdingonthe.Net chats are reporting Woodcocks "peenting" and doing display flights around the state now and people going out to listen for woodcocks are also hearing Great Horned, Barred and Saw-whet Owls as reported here at Raven Watcher.

Have fun, spray yourself, use sunscreen and join the Bradbury Mt Hawkwatch on Monday. So far the weather looks pretty good. I will be there.

Photo by Kirk Rogers shows the beauty of a bird commonly considered ugly

Lots of Good Things

2010-03-08T08:59:00.006-05:00

Look for flocks of migrant Grackles in the tree tops at the edge of field or flying high overhead early in the morning.

SOS! SOS! Signs of Spring are coming so fast I cannot keep up with them.

The latest stretch of weather certainly invites a person to spend some time outdoors where they are likely to notice the changes in the season.

Here is my list:

Last Thursday, March 4 while walking the Desert Road during a little snow squall saw an American Kestrel (Sparrow Hawk) over the treetops.

On Friday, March 4, I saw my first Grackle of the season on my morning walk down the Merrill Road.

On Sunday the 7th I saw the first Red-winged Blackbirds (4) on that walk. Today there were 8 and a distant flock of about 10 mixed blackbirds was seen migrating. Today I also saw 75 Crows migrating in that hour walk and last Tuesday there were 112.

Thursday a mink popped out of the culvert and walked out onto the ice of the small pond on Merrill Road. It stopped and looked at me. I got a good look through my binoculars. I don't think it saw me--they have poor eyesight. After a pause it slid into the open water near the outlet. I waited for quite a few minutes for it to re-emerge but it did not. Perhaps they find air pockets under the ice and can continue to fish under the ice for a long while.

The poplar catkins are opening and the goldfinches have taken notice. Dozens are in the tops of the poplars that ring my property. They had already gleaned the gray birch of its seeds.

My neighbor Sue emailed me to tell me that there was a Red-bellied Woodpecker near her house. I heard and saw the same bird in my yard. It was headed her way. This is an uncommon southern species of woodpecker that is moving its range northward. The most notable field mark is the intense red-orange on the back of the head.

Sue has been hearing a Pileated Woodpecker drumming every morning, starting just after 6 AM. I don't know what it has found to drum on but I have heard it from the Verrill Road a half mile away. She has also seen its mate in her yard.

I awoke early a few days ago to listen for owls and woodcock. I heard neither. The Wild Turkeys were gobbling however and a raven let out a few croaks before dawn.

Ice going out on farm ponds--about a month early.

There is a lot going on out there and the intensity will only increase. Today, in addition to the blackbirds, 75 Goldfinch were working over an Asian Elm, thirty or so robins were migrating along with a couple of cedar waxwings. A Northern Shrike--a robin-sized songbird that is also a predator of small birds and mice--was perched in the top of a poplar looking for breakfast. It did not appear to view the robin perched near it as food though I have seen one chase a blue jay. Five starlings however were about to land near it and had a sudden change of mind when they saw the shrike.

I scanned the groups of migrating crows to see if there might be some early hawks among them. Marsh Hawks, or Northern Harriers, are early migrants.

The crows alerted me to the presence of a Northern Goshawk gliding over the tree tops at the far end of a field. This powerful hawk that may feed on Ruffed Grouse or Snowshoe Hare is a permanent resident but may move south in years when its prey species are not abundant.

The Bradbury Mountain Hawk Watch begins Monday, March 15th. An expert, sponsored by Freeport Wild Bird Supply, will be on hand to keep a daily count of migrating hawks through May 15. There is no fee for a visit to the hawkwatch other than the usual park entrance fee. Many species of hawks are seen from the summit during migration. Early in the season Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks, Bald Eagles are seen in good numbers along with an occasional Goshawk. Later in the season a variety of other species may be seen.

Hawk Watch hours are from 9-5 seven days a week.

Former Hawkwatcher Lionel Quirion on the Summit of Bradbury Mountain

Taking Stock

2010-03-07T10:58:00.015-05:00

Some call it Mud Season. Others call it Spring.

Signs of Spring (SOS) abound. It has been an extraordinary week with snow squalls on Thursday and wonderfully warm weather yesterday and today.

As you can see from the photo below the frost is coming out of the ground and some of the winter survivors are beginning to show themselves.

Johnny Jump-ups get off to a fast start

The apples trees I grafted made it through the winter with some protection.

Grafts made last spring on semi-dwarfing rootstock from FEDCO

Though I miscalculated on my four year old White Cloud Crabapple from FEDCO.

Should've wrapped it with hardware cloth

The Voles (aka Meadow Mouse) are busy all winter tunnel under the snow and upper layer of humus looking for succulent things to eat. They breed nearly all year round and are very efficient in turning plant matter to animal matter and providing a large and stable base of the food pyramid for wild carnivores. Perhaps the Barred Owl that my neighbor Russ saw fly across my yard the other night has been doing a little population control for me. It hasn't made much of a dent as I can see by the numerous tunnels in the yard.

Voles aerate and fertilize the thatch

Once in a while you will find a little larder or even a nest in one of the dryer spots. The one pictured below was under a pile of prunings from a plum tree. The smaller twigs have been piled in a bunch and the succulent bark eaten over the course of the winter leaving the bare skeletons of branches.

Vole larder

I particularly enjoyed one success against the voles this winter. I have always wanted tulips in the garden. In the past the tulips I have planted amounted to, basically, vole candy. I took a tip from some of my reading and planted a whole bunch of them last fall in 8-10 inch pots salvaged from the transfer station (still affectionately called "the dump" by many of us).

A Tulip species from Turkey purchased from FEDCO

I am happy to say that they have all survived and are showing growth. Some I planted in the garden in pots and some I left in a spot where they would be covered with a lot of snow all winter. I hope to force them into bloom either in the house or in my cold frame.

The winter rye, planted last fall as a cover crop to prevent erosion and add organic matter to the soil is responding to the warm temperatures and starting the process of photosynthesis.

Winter Rye protects garden from damage

So all of this is in the great Maine tradition we call "taking stock" common to many rural cultures. Spring is one of the many times we take stock. When the sap buckets are dripping with the sweet juice of the maples and the sun is warm we take a walk around the yard and in some quiet way congratulate ourselves for having survived another winter. Or in some way we remember and honor those who have passed on and live in our memories.

This morning I saw the first flock of Red-winged Blackbirds. The next post will highlight new arrivals and what is yet to be.

Red-winged Blackbird photo courtesy of Kirk Rogers

The Champlain Valley in Winter

2010-03-05T10:51:00.016-05:00

It did not look like an auspicious beginning to my plan to do some birding in Essex County, New York.

My idea to go out a day early to avoid a major winter storm was a good one. But the 14 inches of wet snow on day two of the trip brought my birding to a halt.

Mostly the trip was for the purpose of visiting my mother-in-law and providing her with some company while her children were away. That was a great success. Her residence was only a block from my motel room where Beth's Honda Fit gathered snow in the parking lot.

She enjoyed being read some observations of wildlife--otters, moose and hooded mergansers--that I found in the Elizabethtown Library. (The E-Town librarian is apparently undaunted by snow.)

Near the end of the week I managed to get out for a couple of mornings of birding.

Light Snow Falls in the Champlain Valley

First stop was the Westport Marina.

The broad expanse of Lake Champlain was open with the exception of a few hundred yards of ice in the bay. The ice offered a good and relatively safe place for several hundred gulls to roost. A local fellow stopped and told me that 6 eagles had been seen on the ice the day before. I was happy to hear that but my attention was pulled by an odd gull among the hundreds of Ring-bills, Herrings and Great Black-backed. He wished me luck and left me to study the gull.

My study was interrupted by the local eagles who were arriving--late--for breakfast. They had found something on the ice north of the gull roost but each time an eagle would come by all the gulls and ducks in the bay would go up in the air and then re-sort themselves again after the eagles passed. Luckily, each time, the odd gull would land more or less in the same spot. The gull was roughly the color of the adult black-backs but slightly smaller than a Herring Gull. The mantle was also slightly lighter than the black-backs.

Looking North from the Westport Marina

What bothered me were the legs that were neither pink nor yellow but some bright combination of both. Other than that the bird seemed a dead ringer for Lesser Black-backed gull--a visitor from Europe and a good find indeed. Not as good as the Ivory Gull about 50 miles north on Lake Champlain--but that is another story. I later learned that the leg color--usually a bright yellow in an adult Lesser--is variable in the winter. The structure of the bird--a lighter, smaller and more slender version of the Great Black-back--fit the Lesser description well.

What I like most about birding the Champlain Valley is the spectacle. I moved from the marina north to the boat launch where there were now six eagles on the ice which were soon joined by a seventh. Bobbing in the waves were over a hundred Common Goldeneyes, nearly a hundred Common Mergansers, over a hundred Mallard ducks and some Buffleheads. Again, every time an eagle flew by many would take to the air with a great whistling sound made by the wings of the Goldeneyes. Does birding get better than this?

From the Westport Boat Launch, Looking East to Vermont

Well, it does. The next day there was a Carolina Wren singing on the hill behind me. Essex County is a bit north of their range but this bird seems to have established a home here and I have found them at this location for a couple of years now.

Next it was off to the great agricultural fields along the lake. I was hoping for a Rough-legged Hawk and soon enough I saw one perched in a distant tree. A few Snow Buntings and a Horned Lark flushed from the side of the road. Eight ravens were doing something interesting in the air over the horizon.

Westport Farmlands looking East to the Foothills of the Adirondack Mountains.

I drove north along the shore road and as I got near "The Golden Triangle"--a famous birding hotspot--I had to slow down to avoid the robins dashing madly across the road. Some Cedar Waxwings were whirling about. When I got out of the car there was a riot of robin song. It was like spring to the tenth power. One reason for the birdiness of the Golden Triangle is the large number of Buckthorns. They are an invasive shrub but they do supply a lot of food for wintering fruit-eaters and they do generally seem to limit themselves to the hedgerows. I estimated at least 200 robins and 45 Cedar Waxwings. One group of four or five buckthorns had 65 robins in it. I figured that 200 was a conservative estimate.

Whallons Bay had some horned grebes and loons wintering over along with more goldeneyes and common mergansers. On the way back home a cornfield had 81 Wild Turkeys feeding on the stubble and an unexpected treasure were 3 Bluebirds hanging out in the vicinity of some red cedars which provide food for wintering Bluebirds.

Rough-leg Country--Scan the treetops of the hedgerows or keep an eye out for a large hawk hovering over an open field

Of course I did see more rough-legged hawks of both light and dark phases. The Rough-leg is one of my favorite birds. It is a visitor from the northern tundra. It loves open areas and there is nothing to me as evocative of winter in the Champlain Valley as a Rough-legged Hawk hovering over a field in hopes of catching a vole.

Rough-legged Hawk image by Scott Weirns from The Great Backyard Bird Count site

Primo SOS!

2010-02-21T14:24:00.004-05:00

After doing my survey today on the Androscoggin river did a little random birding.

Most dramatic sign of spring yet--saw an adult Bald Eagle carrying nesting material to a likely nest.

Most amazing part--it was within the Lewiston-Auburn city limits.

I do not wish to share the location for fear of who knows what that might happen if the word got out too much.

Let's just say that if there are eagles around keep an eye on them. This is the time of year they start their breeding season. You may see them carrying nesting material. You may see nesting pairs doing dramatic courtship flights.

Keep an eye--and ear--open. Spring is on its way!

SOS: WHOO--whoo--whoo?

2010-02-21T06:46:00.004-05:00

Great Horned Owl, that's who!

For those of you who were on my Winter Tree Identification and Landscaping for Wildlife Tour yesterday, you will remember the American Linden or Basswood riddled with Sapsucker holes on the Desert Road near Merriconeag School.

Walked from the house this morning and down the Desert Road hoping to hear the Great Horneds that have nested there in the past. In fact a few years ago Derek's Saturday Bird Walk viewed the site from property owned by Anne Ordway who had discovered the nest.

By the time I got out the door it was already starting to get light. I have not yet fully adjusted to the nearly two hours of daylight that we have gained since the winter solstice. As I turned onto the Desert Road I heard a cardinal singing--my first SOS (Sign of Spring)--cardinal song of the year.

I thought, "I am too late for the owls". I decided to continue my walk anyway. I thought I heard the wings of a bird flushing from a lawn behind me and thought, "Woodcock?". Possibly but I can tell you that I will be out looking and listening for them tonight. Very early for them but not impossible. Plus I might hear the barred owls down the road. Then to Hedgehog to try for Saw-Whet. It would be great to get three owl species in a day--or night.

Just as I neared the basswood tree I heard a low call. My gut sense was a Great Horned but it was the higher pitched of the two calls and I wanted to make sure that it was not a mourning dove. After a few long seconds it called again. I was going to continue down the road to see if I might here more down further or see some early morning turkeys in the fields but a couple of not so friendly dogs dissuaded me.

That was the last I heard of the Great Horned. I heard another cardinal on the way home and the crows began to wake up the neighborhood. By the time I reached the house the Tufted Titmouse and Mourning Dove were singing, Hairy Woodpecker was drumming and there were a small flock of juncos at the feeder.

Hung a load of clothes on the line to dry and am off to the Androscoggin to do my river survey...

Oh! Had my first purple finch of the winter singing in the yard yesterday. Good day to spend some time listening for their pleasant spring song.

(Great Horned Owl photo courtesy of Kirk Rogers--some of his photos available for sale at Freeport Wild Bird Supply)

Signs of Spring III

2010-02-17T05:48:00.004-05:00

I am a little late this year in filing my FEDCO Seed order.

The arrival of seed and nursery catalogs is surely one of the welcome signs of Spring. Finally I have had the time to pore over them and make my selections.

The plan was to make a smaller order this year--I saved a half dozen bean varieties from last year and also some flower seed with this goal in mind--but you know now things go when you spend too much time in front of the woodstove with a seed catalog.

I like FEDCO because they are a Maine based cooperative, support Maine growers of seed and nursery stock and have eliminated offerings from distributors who use genetically modified seed. Many of their varieties of seed are locally and organically grown.

Their seed catalog includes an excellent description of the reasons for their principled stand against the monopolizing of the planet's seed stock. Without the efforts of the many local seed suppliers supported by FEDCO the genetic resources of the world's food supply would be drastically reduced. In fact it already has been greatly reduced by the increasing dominance of world wide agribusiness.

Plus the FEDCO Catalogs are filled with original art and a wealth of information about plant varieties, culture, history etc.

So my personal policy is: Grow local, buy local.

I am ordering some nursery stock to create a little more edible landscaping and cover for wild birds. My favorite sources are FEDCO Trees and St. Lawrence Nurseries in Potsdam, NY. Both specialize in trees grown in and adapted to the northern limits of growth of these fruit and shrub types.

FEDCO Trees Offers many Maine Grown varieties of nursery stock

St. Lawrence Nurseries also offers super-hardy varieties adapted to northern US and Canada

Both catalogs offer excellent cultural instructions for handling their stock which is shipped bare-root.

One should not be intimidated by planting bare-root stock. There is plenty of evidence that trees planted as bare-root whips establish themselves more quickly with sturdier root systems than those bought already potted from local nurseries. I planted a Wealthy apple for friends of mine in Portland two years ago. I think they were a little skeptical of my claims. It bore a dozen beautiful, healthy apples in its second year from planting with no spray used. My Honeycrisp Apple bore over two dozen large, tasty apples in its third season from planting last summer.

The Winter Tree ID and Landscaping for Wildlife tour of my property this coming Saturday will feature some of the FEDCO and St. Lawrence Nurseries stock that I have naturalized over the ten years of living at my current location.

See sidebar on the right for details.

SOS II

2010-02-13T15:35:00.004-05:00

With the many feet of snow falling to our south and cold air in place over Maine, one has to know what to look--or listen--for in order to detect any sign of spring.

Yesterday it was the cooing of a mourning dove in the yard. And we heard another this morning on our walk down Merrill Road in Pownal, Maine.

We have gained an hour and a half of daylight and Beth and I both noted--and appreciated--the increased warmth of the sun on our morning walk.

Our local Tufted Titmouse sings continuously as do others on our morning walks as well as nuthatches and chickadees.

Cedar Waxwings and Robins are becoming more widespread. They appear to be moving our way as they exhaust food supplies further north. I have found them feeding on bittersweet berries, juniper berries and crabapples in various locations in both Cumberland and Androscoggin Counties.

Goldfinches are increasing in number. I have had only a few at my feeder but just over the border into Pownal there is a flock of around 25 seen regularly.

Iceland and Glaucous Gulls have not moved north yet. I have been enjoying them at the fish piers in Portland as well as below the falls of the Androscoggin River in Lewiston/Auburn.

This weekend the Great Backyard Bird Count is being conducted by Cornell University. You may file your observations on-line. I am heading out now to do an observation below the falls on the Royal River in Yarmouth. I should be able to add Barrow's Goldeneye to the GBBC. One of these rather rare ducks has been hanging out there this winter.

(Mourning Dove image by Kirk Rogers)

SOS (Signs of Spring) 2010

2010-01-27T13:30:00.012-05:00

A favorite feature of the now-defunct "Freeport Outdoors" online chat was SOS--Signs of Spring.

I am a little slow in reporting. My first SOS was the deep hollow drumming of the neighborhood Pileated Woodpecker. This was a week or so ago, about the time that Beth and I smelled our first skunk of the season.

The skunk may have been responding to the warm temperatures but the woodpeckers and other birds respond primarily to the increasing hours of daylight. As of today we have gained about 45 minutes. Receptors deep in the brains of many animals are receiving messages from optic sensors that will kick the production of hormones into high gear.

Hairy Woodpecker photo by Kirk Rogers

The woodpeckers are among the first birds to note the change. As we gathered for Derek's Saturday morning field trip at the Freeport Wild Bird Supply store a couple of female Hairy Woodpeckers were sparring with one another in the top of a red maple, jerking their heads back and forth, and repeating various woodpecker threats to one another. They are probably staking out claims to nesting territories. There are still more than enough suitable nest trees around thanks for the ice storm of 1998 that created thousands of woodpecker condos out of what were once healthy trees.

I am hearing drumming from both Downy, Hairy and Pileated Woodpeckers on my morning walks.

Today the White-breasted Nuthatches were vocalizing. I located five by their active calling. They too are starting to get juiced up as was the Tufted Titmouse that has been singing regularly for about a week around our house.

White-breasted Nuthatch (photo by Kirk Rogers)
I have not yet heard a cardinal or a mourning dove singing but they will be shortly.

I have heard a few of the whistled fee-bee notes of the chickadee. Soon they will be investigating my nest boxes in earnest.

A raven was "quorking" down the road and the neighborhood crows were going bonkers. The raven was in the same area where it nested two years ago. Possibly the crows were intent on making sure that didn't happen again. Or perhaps they were all fighting over a carcass of some animal that was exposed by the melting snow.

The January thaw has created a mess out of some of the rivers. Pictures of ice on the Kennebec River are quite impressive. They have created jams that threaten damages to bridges and homes and businesses along the banks.

But here at the house, well above flood stage, the snow has pulled back away from the paths around the greenhouse. For the first time in 2010 I hung some shirts out on the line to dry.

Cold weather is forecast for the end of the week and into the next but for now the sun feels good. I am sure the snow shovel will see a lot of use before winter is over.

Downtown Sabbatus

2010-01-22T19:15:00.004-05:00

Spent a morning birding in Androscoggin County, Maine, the next county north from my home.

Started the morning with my friend Steve doing my river survey below the Great Falls of the Androscoggin River in Auburn.

A couple of common mergansers were nice and the adult Iceland Gull was very, very nice. It soared twice over our heads and landed on the shore. Steve got what should be some nice photos of this beautiful gull.

The village of Sabattus isn't the birdiest place in the world at this time of year but the water rushing through a couple of old mills remains warm enough to keep from freezing. A drake Hooded Merganser was a great find just a quarter mile downstream from this mill site.

An immature bald eagle flew in over the river and spooked the 17 Mallards and 2 Black Ducks that were there.

I ended the morning with 25 species, the last being an adult Northern Shrike on the road to Runaround Pond.

(Thanks to Kirk Rogers for the loan of the Hooded Merganser photo)

Food and Water

2010-01-14T16:00:00.015-05:00

I spent the morning birding the Androscoggin River from Auburn to Brunswick.

Highlights were a distant view of a Peregrine Falcon terrorizing the pigeons over Lewiston and a couple of Bald Eagles just above Great Falls.

A Common Merganser below the dam in Lisbon Falls had quite a challenge in getting what appeared to be a sucker over eight inches long into its gullet. I could see the usefulness of the ridges on the merganser's bill as the fish tried to escape the grasp of this beautiful diving duck.

But the most fun moment of the day was watching a flock of Cedar Waxwings and a flock of Robins feeding on crabapples and drinking from a little brook on the South Freeport Road.

Years ago I noticed a nice stand of wild crabapples around the junction of the Lambert Road and South Freeport Road. In fact I dug a few of them up and transplanted them to my yard. They were distinctive due to their small pure white flower that are born in tight clusters close to the branches. This gives them a very delicate look.

Birds like the tiny fruit which are held on the branches into winter. They excrete the seeds and disperse them in their travels.

I have found crabapples of this type within a mile or two =--as the waxwing flies--from Lambert Road.

With most fresh water frozen after the recent cold period, birds will be concentrated wherever food and water can be found. Robins and waxwings will be found around crabapples, hawthorns, winterberry and multiflora rosebushes. If there is a supply of fresh water around all the better.

The patch of open water in the brook was only a few feet across but waxwings and robins were standing shoulder to shoulder in the brook and then flying back up to the crab to chow down on some more apples. Their desperation to refuel after a chilly night seems to make them more tame and they allowed me to observe the eat and drink from only a few yards away.

(Cedar Waxwing photo by Kirk Rogers http://www.kiroastro.com/birds/waxwing_cedar/. Common Merganser by Garrett Lau http://www.pbase.com/garrettlau/commonmerganser)

The Androscoggin in Winter

2010-01-08T07:02:00.009-05:00

I had been looking forward to my bird surveys on the Androscoggin River this winter. My visit yesterday confirmed that I was justified in my excitement about this project.

The day began rather uneventfully at the Durham Boat Launch, just off Route 136 in Durham, Maine.

There was less ice than my December visit. The current at this bend in the river was keeping it about 75% ice-free after a relatively warm period.

It was still quite a change from my June and July observations when I was entertained by a pair of Kingbirds nesting in the tree which extends its branches into upper right corner of the above photo.

Yesterday the kingbirds were hopefully enjoying warm days in the equatorial rain forests and things were quiet at the boat launch. No ducks were taking advantage of the open water. Nor did I see any gulls. Nor did I see any eagles.

I had been seeing Bald Eagles fairly regularly at this site. Yesterday only the distant call of a crow and a couple of fly-by ravens rewarded me for my twenty minutes of standing in a brisk wind.

However, the Auburn site--just below the Great Falls--more than amply rewarded me for my efforts. An adult Iceland Gull was sitting on the ice on the east bank of the river along with 20 or so Herring Gulls.

Iceland Gulls are from the far north and are uncommon here in Maine. They are usually seen around fish piers or dumps. With both fishing and open dump sites drastically reduced over the last few decades they are even more rarely seen than they used to be.

Superficially the adult Iceland Gull is like the common Herring Gull however it lacks the black wingtips and the gray wings are generally more pale in color. The Iceland Gull has a "sweeter" look due to the smaller bill and relatively small, rounded head. The adult Iceland Gull was a great bird.

I did my four five-minute observation segments and then moved up river to check out the Mallard flock that I reported on in a previous post. The numbers had swelled to over 200 and there was a Black Duck among them and a few hybrids of blacks and mallards.

When I returned to the parking lot and my observation site I checked out the gulls once more. A new species had appeared. There were two immature Great Black-backed Gulls on the ice now. Most striking though was an immature Iceland Gull.

I love Iceland Gulls and I particularly like the immatures. My favorite memory of Iceland Gulls is of those seen on a gray, stormy winter day at Race Point beach on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. My memory is of pale, graceful and ghostly images sliding swiftly but quietly off shore through the arctic sea smoke and sleet.

The immatures vary greatly in color. My favorites are those that are nearly white--as was the bird seen yesterday. Head-on the Auburn bird appeared almost pure white with a black bead of an eye, slender all black bill and a face and head lightly smudged with gray.

Sometimes the immatures are nearly uniform light brown but other times they appear nearly pink, an effect produced by the lightly contrasting white margins of the feathers. They give this impression when seen next to the darker brown and more strongly marked immature Herring Gulls.

I packed up the scope and headed home a happy birder.

(Iceland Gull image by Atle Grimsby http://www.flickr.com/photos/17853411@N00/222764474/)