- RBA
* Maine
* Southcoastal
* August 18, 2005
* MESC0508.18
- Species Mentioned:
Northern Shoveler
Glossy Ibis
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Virginia Rail
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Piping Plover
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Solitary Sandpiper
Willet
Spotted Sandpiper
Whimbrel
Hudsonian Godwit
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Baird's Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
STILT SANDPIPER
Short-billed Dowitcher
Bonaparte's Gull
Common Tern
Roseate Tern
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Yellow Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
Bobolink
- Transcript:
Hotline: Southcoastal Maine Rare Bird Alert (Internet
Only).
Date: August 18, 2005 compiled at: 5:30pm.
To report: (207) 846-8002, or birds@yarmouthbirds.com.
Coverage: York, Cumberland, and Sagadahoc Counties.
This is Derek Lovitch welcoming you to the
Southcoastal Maine Rare Bird Alert, sponsored by the
Wild Bird Center of Yarmouth at 500 Route One,
Yarmouth, Maine. All locations not found in A
Birder's Guide to Maine by Pierson, et al. are
referenced to the Delorme Maine Atlas. Transcripts of
current and past messages can be found at
www.yarmouthbirds.com.
This alert was updated on Thursday, August 18, 2005
with highlights that include: STILT SANDPIPER and
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, 20 species of shorebirds, and an
increase in migrant passerines.
A warm front carried in showers and thunderstorms
Friday night, and temperatures on Saturday were in the
90's (average high for Portland = 78) with high
humidity. A disturbance along a stalled cold front
provided some needed soaking rains Sunday into Monday.
A weak, dry cold front on Wednesday reinforced the
cooler, drier, seasonable air. The clear skies, and
light northwesterly winds on cool nights helped
migrants to trickle in and through. Migrant passerine
diversity is picking up, and the numbers of
shorebirds, especially juveniles, are also on the
rise.
5 NORTHERN SHOVELERS flying over the Pelreco Building
in Scarborough Marsh on the 12th could have been a
family group that nested on Stratton Island this
summer (?).
A MERLIN was hunting the Libby River section of
Scarborough Marsh on the 12th, while later that day a
PEREGRINE FALCON was chasing GLOSSY IBIS (!) nearby.
A single VIRGINIA RAIL was seen along the Eastern Road
Trail through Scarborough Marsh on the 17th.
One HUDSONIAN GODWIT was on Hill's Beach in Biddeford
on the 14th, while one juvenile BAIRD'S SANDPIPER
arrived there on the 17th. A STILT SANDPIPER was
reported again from the salt pannes on the east side
of the north end of the Eastern Road Trail through
Scarborough Marsh on the 14th.
High counts of other shorebirds this week included:
50 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER (Hill's Beach, Biddeford,
8/14); 1000 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS (Hill's Beach,
Biddeford, 8/17); 1 PIPING PLOVER (Pine Point,
Scarborough, 8/15); 81 KILLDEER (Mayhall Road sod
farms, Gray, Delorme Map 5: B-4, 8/14); 5 GREATER
YELLOWLEGS (Jones Creek, Scarborough Marsh, 8/17); 50
LESSER YELLOWLEGS (Wharton Point, Brunswick, 8/13); 1
SOLITARY SANDPIPER (Libby River area of Scarborough
Marsh, 8/12); 3 WILLETS (Jones Creek, Scarborough
Marsh, 8/17); 2 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS (Highland Road,
Brunswick, 8/13 and Eastern Road, Scarborough, 8/17);
3 WHIMBREL (Jones Creek, Scarborough Marsh, 8/17); 30
RUDDY TURNSTONE (Pine Point, Scarborough, 8/15); 50
SANDERLING (Hill's Beach, Biddeford, 8/17 and Western
Beach, Scarborough, 8/17); 1000 SEMIPALMATED
SANDPIPERS (Hill's Beach, Biddeford, 8/14); 100 LEAST
SANDPIPER, about 50% of which were juveniles (Libby
River area of Scarborough Marsh, 8/12); 3 WHITE-RUMPED
SANDPIPER (Hill's Beach, Biddeford, 8/17 and Jones
Creek, Scarborough Marsh, 8/17); 9 PECTORAL SANDPIPER
(Eastern Road, Scarborough Marsh, 8/17); and 65
SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS (Eastern Road, Scarborough
Marsh, 8/17).
About 100 BONAPARTE'S GULLS were at Hill's Beach in
Biddeford on the low tide on the 14th. 50 COMMON
TERNS, including about 25 juveniles, and 5 ROSEATE
TERNS, including one juvenile, were at Hill's Beach on
the 17th.
A YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO visited a Gorham yard on the
12th.
Single YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS visited a Falmouth
yard on 8/13 and 8/16.
NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHES were definitely on the move
this week, with individuals noted at a number of
non-breeding locations this week, along with other
WARBLERS including YELLOW and BLACK-AND-WHITE.
Large flocks of BOBOLINKS were also noted in several
places this week.
CORRECTION: The correct date of the sighting of last
week's Frigatebird was 8/6, not 8/5 as inadvertently
typed on last week's transcript.
Thank you for calling, and see you in the field!
- End transcript
* Maine
* Southcoastal
* August 18, 2005
* MESC0508.18
- Species Mentioned:
Northern Shoveler
Glossy Ibis
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Virginia Rail
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Piping Plover
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Solitary Sandpiper
Willet
Spotted Sandpiper
Whimbrel
Hudsonian Godwit
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Baird's Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
STILT SANDPIPER
Short-billed Dowitcher
Bonaparte's Gull
Common Tern
Roseate Tern
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Yellow Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
Bobolink
- Transcript:
Hotline: Southcoastal Maine Rare Bird Alert (Internet
Only).
Date: August 18, 2005 compiled at: 5:30pm.
To report: (207) 846-8002, or birds@yarmouthbirds.com.
Coverage: York, Cumberland, and Sagadahoc Counties.
This is Derek Lovitch welcoming you to the
Southcoastal Maine Rare Bird Alert, sponsored by the
Wild Bird Center of Yarmouth at 500 Route One,
Yarmouth, Maine. All locations not found in A
Birder's Guide to Maine by Pierson, et al. are
referenced to the Delorme Maine Atlas. Transcripts of
current and past messages can be found at
www.yarmouthbirds.com.
This alert was updated on Thursday, August 18, 2005
with highlights that include: STILT SANDPIPER and
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, 20 species of shorebirds, and an
increase in migrant passerines.
A warm front carried in showers and thunderstorms
Friday night, and temperatures on Saturday were in the
90's (average high for Portland = 78) with high
humidity. A disturbance along a stalled cold front
provided some needed soaking rains Sunday into Monday.
A weak, dry cold front on Wednesday reinforced the
cooler, drier, seasonable air. The clear skies, and
light northwesterly winds on cool nights helped
migrants to trickle in and through. Migrant passerine
diversity is picking up, and the numbers of
shorebirds, especially juveniles, are also on the
rise.
5 NORTHERN SHOVELERS flying over the Pelreco Building
in Scarborough Marsh on the 12th could have been a
family group that nested on Stratton Island this
summer (?).
A MERLIN was hunting the Libby River section of
Scarborough Marsh on the 12th, while later that day a
PEREGRINE FALCON was chasing GLOSSY IBIS (!) nearby.
A single VIRGINIA RAIL was seen along the Eastern Road
Trail through Scarborough Marsh on the 17th.
One HUDSONIAN GODWIT was on Hill's Beach in Biddeford
on the 14th, while one juvenile BAIRD'S SANDPIPER
arrived there on the 17th. A STILT SANDPIPER was
reported again from the salt pannes on the east side
of the north end of the Eastern Road Trail through
Scarborough Marsh on the 14th.
High counts of other shorebirds this week included:
50 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER (Hill's Beach, Biddeford,
8/14); 1000 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS (Hill's Beach,
Biddeford, 8/17); 1 PIPING PLOVER (Pine Point,
Scarborough, 8/15); 81 KILLDEER (Mayhall Road sod
farms, Gray, Delorme Map 5: B-4, 8/14); 5 GREATER
YELLOWLEGS (Jones Creek, Scarborough Marsh, 8/17); 50
LESSER YELLOWLEGS (Wharton Point, Brunswick, 8/13); 1
SOLITARY SANDPIPER (Libby River area of Scarborough
Marsh, 8/12); 3 WILLETS (Jones Creek, Scarborough
Marsh, 8/17); 2 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS (Highland Road,
Brunswick, 8/13 and Eastern Road, Scarborough, 8/17);
3 WHIMBREL (Jones Creek, Scarborough Marsh, 8/17); 30
RUDDY TURNSTONE (Pine Point, Scarborough, 8/15); 50
SANDERLING (Hill's Beach, Biddeford, 8/17 and Western
Beach, Scarborough, 8/17); 1000 SEMIPALMATED
SANDPIPERS (Hill's Beach, Biddeford, 8/14); 100 LEAST
SANDPIPER, about 50% of which were juveniles (Libby
River area of Scarborough Marsh, 8/12); 3 WHITE-RUMPED
SANDPIPER (Hill's Beach, Biddeford, 8/17 and Jones
Creek, Scarborough Marsh, 8/17); 9 PECTORAL SANDPIPER
(Eastern Road, Scarborough Marsh, 8/17); and 65
SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS (Eastern Road, Scarborough
Marsh, 8/17).
About 100 BONAPARTE'S GULLS were at Hill's Beach in
Biddeford on the low tide on the 14th. 50 COMMON
TERNS, including about 25 juveniles, and 5 ROSEATE
TERNS, including one juvenile, were at Hill's Beach on
the 17th.
A YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO visited a Gorham yard on the
12th.
Single YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS visited a Falmouth
yard on 8/13 and 8/16.
NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHES were definitely on the move
this week, with individuals noted at a number of
non-breeding locations this week, along with other
WARBLERS including YELLOW and BLACK-AND-WHITE.
Large flocks of BOBOLINKS were also noted in several
places this week.
CORRECTION: The correct date of the sighting of last
week's Frigatebird was 8/6, not 8/5 as inadvertently
typed on last week's transcript.
Thank you for calling, and see you in the field!
- End transcript