Bay Bridge Landing, A Place to Bird

 Yellow Warbler at Bay Bridge Landing 6-12-15

Bay Bridge Landing in Brunswick, Maine is a sweet place to bird. Tucked in behind a mobile home neighborhood and a business you would never know it was there. A fellow birder told me about it last year and I have now birded here a few times, often taking my lunch along and sitting on one of the benches near the river to eat while I watch birds.

Bay Bridge Landing sits on a bend in the Androscoggin River at the south end of Merrymeeting Bay. It has a backwater cove that becomes a marshland providing excellent habitat for birds. In the summer I see blackbirds, warblers, flycatchers, cormorants, herons and gulls here. They are osprey nesting on the platforms provided for them. There is a little island with a trail that used to be connected by a couple of bridges but the bridges have fallen into disrepair, so you can no longer get to the island. You can follow the trail up one side, then double back and around to get to the other side.

Still, it doesn’t stop you from seeing the herons when they fly over!

 

This is the trail closest to the river and you can sit on this bench and watch birds.

 

I found this sweet Eastern Phoebe farther up the trail near the bridge.

 

Finding this male Yellow Warbler was also a delight!

As you can see, he was quite busy gathering food to feed his very hungry brood!

You can tell it is a male by the rusty streaks on its breast.

You can also find a few butterflies at Bay Bridge Landing!

As regular readers of this blog will know, I often like to bird around parking lots and on this particular day I needed to stop at the nearby Tractor Supply on my way home. While there, I also counted birds.

I found that a pair of osprey were building a nest on the utility poles. At a later date I actually saw parents with nestlings in this nest!

In some brush at the edge of the parking lot I found a Common Yellowthroat!

 

…along with a Song Sparrow to boot!

Bay Bridge Landing is found in Brunswick, Maine off the Old Bath Road near Cook’s Corner. Follow signs for Bay Bridge Estates. After entering the park on Driscoll Street, turn left at the stop sign and follow Bay Bridge Road Road past an industrial building to the end where there is a parking lot.

Follow these links to find out more:

• Bay Bridge Landing is an eBird Hotspot
• My eBird Checklist for Bay Bridge Landing 6-12-15 (26 species seen)
• My eBird Checklist for Cook’s Corner 6-12-15 ( 8 species seen)

Brunswick Town Commons

 Common Yellowthroat 7-9-15

Brunswick Town Commons is a town Nature Preserve located on Route 123 or Harpswell Neck Road in Brunswick, Maine. It is a mixed forest with lots of Eastern White Pine as well as mixed hardwoods and a Pine Barrens. Trails run off in several directions and some lead to nearby neighborhoods. There is a loop trail I like to hike, but often I will just grab my lunch and go sit at one of the picnic tables near the parking lot and watch birds for about 20 minutes. This past summer I was only able to get there about two or three times. I brought my friend, Donna Simonetti here when she visited me in June, and I went back to bird watch again in July.

 In June we found a large patch of Lady’s Slipper’s in bloom!

Farther down the trail we heard Blue-headed Vireos calling. We strained our necks to look up into the crowns of some very tall pines and finally spotted the birds briefly before they flew off again! When I go birding at Brunswick town commons, I never know what I will find, though usually I can count on seeing Chickadees, titmice, red and white breasted Nuthatches, and often Hermit Thrushes or Crows. If I time it right, I usually have the place to myself, but late in the day the runners start coming through. It is their favorite place too!

 

 

 In July I found this Chipping Sparrow in a pine.

 But this was the first time I had seen a hairy Woodpecker here!

 Common Yellowthroat with a Daddy longlegs 7-9-2015

I also found a whole family of Hermit Thrushes, but I could never get one to turn around for me, so all I got were tail shots!

 Young Hermit Thrush with down 7-9-15

Links:

• My eBird Checklist 6-4-15
• My eBird Checklist 7-9-15
• Brunswick Town Commons is an eBird Hotspot
• Brunswick Town Commons-(all posts on this subject)
• Town of Brunswick Trails
• On Finding Monument E-Bowdoin College Article 11-11-2011       (a brief history of The Commons)

 

 

A Foggy Morning on Mere Point

I awoke early this Tuesday morning feeling restless in my soul. After spending most of yesterday inside, I was itching to go out. The windows of my cottage are damp with fog. I have to lean down and look out through the screens to see anything.

The birds are barely starting to arrive as I head out the door at 6:50 AM. A black-capped chickadee calls as I walk across the dew drenched grass towards the boat launch. I usually count birds over there at night, when the sun is setting on Maquoit Bay. It rises here since Mere Point Bay is east of me, and so the sunlight is usually glaring off the water making bird watching in the bay difficult and frustrating. But today I see that I will face a different problem. Instead of glaring sun, my views will be draped in fog. However, I am liking this mysterious feeling as I head down the paved road.

The road to the boat launch is lined with trees and shrubs. In early summer when Chris was here we found nesting Yellow Warblers in these margins. Today these same trees are full of migrating birds! I am seeing all kinds of small birds flitting between the trees. They launch themselves into the air and disappear into the dense foliage. I listen as a Blue-headed Vireo repeats its slow song over and over again, sounding even slower than normal, as if it is a wind-up toy that has run down and about to stop. Fog is obscuring many of the birds, but some fly close enough for identification. I set my cup of tea on the ground and raise my bins to try to see detail. For once I am alone on this road. So often there are others walking or biking by, or trucks roll in pulling boats to launch. But I think today’s fog is delaying the boaters, and only one set of bicyclists have rolled by.

All the cardinals are molting right now, and a scruffy pair flies by me and into the brush. I see a Tufted Titmouse low in nearby tree. Blue Jays are calling and flying overhead. Fog rolls by me in drapes and curtains, lending the morning a dreamy, mysterious feel. Surprisingly there are few mosquitoes, but suddenly I feel something nibbling on my temple. I reached to crush it and find myself stung by some hard-bodied insect that I squish and drop to the ground. I do not know what it was. I am too busy trying to identify the birds moving swiftly through the trees. There is a female redstart in the tree in front of me, and then I see another. My eyes catch some motion and I see a pair of hummingbirds sword fighting with their bills in the air. These two are females as are all the hummingbirds I am seeing lately. The male usually migrate before the females, and it is with sadness I note that in two more weeks all the hummingbirds will be gone for the year!

 

Catbirds are calling from all over the area. I see them in singles and in pairs. I count at least 10 catbirds in the bushes at various areas. As I near the boat launch I look off to the side where there is a private storage area, parking lot and garage. Inside this fenced off area I see a green dumpster. On top of the dumpster is a catbird gobbling up something white. The whole surface of the dumpster is covered with these white things. What are they, I wonder? I train my binoculars on them and focus in. Oh gross! The dumpster is covered with maggots! They are crawling out from inside and over the top and down the sides of the bin! The catbird thinks they are delicious! I turn my head away, too grossed out to take a photo!

By now the fog drenched bay lies before me. I can barely see to the end of the dock! While I can hear gulls calling, I do not see any until one finally flies out of the fog. Then I notice a snake-like head poking out of the bay just at the tip of the dock. A Double-crested Cormorant dives beneath the calm waters, then rises again. Soon it is dunking and splashing in a joyful misty morning bath! After awhile I hear it take to the air, its feet paddling along the surface of the water as it tries to get airborne!

 

Down in the cove the tide is just starting to slip in again. Out in the misty mud I can just make out the shape of a man bent over with a clam rake, digging for clams. It seems whenever I have been here during low tide this summer that man has been here digging for clams. I do not know if he is local, or if he drives in to dig clams here. He has become a regular figure, just like the Great Blue Herons I am seeing around the cove. I turn my head to see a juvenile hunting the shallow water near the boat ramp. I usually don’t see the herons this close, but I suppose the presence of the clammer has chased it to the opposite side of the dock. The heron does not seem to mind me being here, until I walk a bit farther out on the dock, and though I am not looking at it, I hear its annoyed croak as it takes flight and skims across the end of the dock to hunt in other waters.

I see the fog before me over the water, with boats like ghosts floating in the sea. I know I will not see any birds out there, but I walk to the end of the dock anyway. I want to be in the fog. I want to immerse myself in this experience!

I see the sun like a fireball burning through the gossamer sky.

 

I love the sound of the water lapping at the dock. Little fishes are swimming below nibbling at something on the surface, creating small ripples in their big watery world. I lean over to get a better look at them, but they all dart for safety beneath the shady dock.

After soaking in the view from the end of the dock I head back in towards land. I do not want to think of the coming winter, and the time when this dock will be pulled in and I will not be able to walk out here and look back at land. I know that all too soon those days are coming, as already a few of the maples are tinged with red and orange. Back at my house the euonymus bushes are already turning from green to red.

As I head back uphill to the boat launch road and parking area, I pass by the green dumpster in the fenced in area again. I see that the catbird is gone and there are crows on the bin and the ground. All the maggots are gone as well, picked clean by the birds while I was down on the dock. Birds do so much clean-up for us. We can never measure how useful they are!

After all the activity as I was walking in, I am surprised by how quiet it has gotten as I walk out. The bushes and trees that were so active just 45 minutes ago are now mostly silent. I do not add any new species as I walk home. Bits of blue sky are starting to appear as the sun burns its way through. Soon we will have clear blue skies and heat and humidity, but for now, my last few steps are still through mist and mystery.

Birds seen at Mere Point Boat Launch 8-25-14:

1. Double-crested cormorant, 1
2. Great Blue heron, 1
3. gull sp., present (several heard but not seen due to fog)
4. Herring Gull, 5
5. Mourning Dove, 4
6. Ruby-throated Hummingbird, 2
7. Downy woodpecker, 1
8. Eastern Phoebe, 1
9. Blue-headed Vireo, 1
10. Blue Jay, 4
11. American Crow, 5
12. Black-capped Chickadee, 2
13. Tufted titmouse, 2
14. Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1
15. White-breasted Nuthatch, 1
16. American Robin, 1
17. Gray Catbird, 10
18. European Starling, 1
19. American Redstart, 2
20. Yellow Warbler, 2
21. Chipping Sparrow, 3
22. Song Sparrow, 2
23. Northern Cardinal, 2
24. American Goldfinch, 4
25. passerine species, 10 (small warbler/sparrows sized birds darting through the trees)

Notes: I walked .3 miles and counted birds for 1 hour. Weather was foggy and calm with a temp of 59F.

Links:

• Mere Point Boat Launch (all posts on this subject)
• eBird Mere Point Boat Launch (an eBird Hotspot)

All in a Row

 Messalonskee Lake Boat Ramp 6-23-14

June 23, 2014: There’s an old saying about getting all your ducks in a row. Well, I thought I had all of mine in a row on the morning of June 23rd. It was Chris and Micheal’s first full day in Maine and we had Big Plans to go to Acadia National Park today before the tourist season go into full swing. But, Chris woke up that morning saying he “wasn’t feeling it!” He felt like a Black Tern adventure instead! So, we shifted gears and headed first for Brunswick Landing, a nearby eBird Hotspot that I have recently come to love. It is a place where Upland Sandpipers have been spotted, yet I had not found one yet. It would be a Life Bird for both of us, so off we went. We entered from the south entrance and parked on the knoll overlooking the end of the airfield, which is where they have been spotted before, but though we looked and listened, we could not find the birds. Not to worry, there we more birds to see and find as we drove farther into the property.

I drove to all the spots I knew where we would find birds. There are at least two pairs of nesting ospreys on the property and we saw them. I knew where to find the Eastern Phoebes and we found them. We saw and heard sparrows and starlings, grackles and robins, then I took Chris to the warbler spot where we not only found the Black-throated Green warblers, but also an Indigo bunting, a bird whose song we heard and were trying to identify and finally found perched high in tree. Micheal (yes, that is the way he spells his name) is really good at spotting birds and I think he is the one who saw the bird first high in a poplar tree. It was a Life Bird for both of them and though they would have liked a closer look, at least they got to see the bird!

Around the corner from the Indigo Bunting we were delighted to have a family of Pileated Woodpeckers fly out of the woods and into the open. There were three of them and one landed near the road on a pine tree, while another flew to the top of a roadside utility pole.

It gave us the once over then…

Launched itself into the air!

 A Pileated Rocket!

It was late morning by the time we left Brunswick Landing where we had counted 28 species of birds. Now our we all felt a “rumbly in our tumblys” so we headed to a local restaurant in Topsham for breakfast, then I just had to take the guys into Reny’s for “A Maine Adventure!” (That’s the store’s slogan.) Reny’s is a Maine Department store full of Maine themed stuff, plus bargains on shoes and clothing and other outdoor gear. You never know what you will find there, and Chris and Micheal found a couple of hats to wear! As we checked out we also bought some citronella insect bands which we ended up using quite a bit for the rest of their time here. While they don’t keep ticks away, they do work well for keeping mosquitoes and black flies away, insects which Maine has in abundance at this time of year!

 Chris took this selfie of all of us as we loaded the car to head north.

Route 295 was right nearby and we got on the entrance ramp to head north to Augusta and the Belgrade Lakes Region. Though I have lived in Maine twice before, it was before I was a birder. Being a birder now has led me to new areas and the place we were going to this morning would be new territory for me. We had done our research beforehand and I envisioned this big public boat ramp with signs and a paved parking lot and boats galore, so it was quite surprising to me when we drove up Route 27 from Augusta and the GPS told me we had arrived at our destination.

All I saw was a wide dirt spot alongside the road and a flimsy looking wooded dock floating in a lily-covered lake! Nonetheless, we pulled over and got out. A small channel of clear water led out to the more open water of the lake. we stood on some rocks by the shore and scanned the water and then we spotted them!

Hunting over the vegetation were two Black Terns! Lifer!

Yes, I know this photo is horrible, but the birds were so far out and with midday lighting it was very glaring. I don’t think Chris’s photos are much better than mine, but at least we got to see the birds! And, Oh MY! How elegantly they flew over the water. I could see them much better through my bins as they buoyantly flew and elegantly dove into the water, coming up time and again with small fish in their beaks. I loved to watch them fly!

Micheal was learning to use my compact binoculars while Chris examined his photos of the tern at the boat ramp. Beside the tern, there were other birds to be seen:

Like this Red-eyed Vireo…

Cedar Waxwings…

…and a Swamp Sparrow!

It was my first Swamp Sparrow in Maine! A Maine Life Bird! Meanwhile, we watched the terns off and on for several minutes at a time before another birder pulled in and asked if we had seen the Caspian Tern that had reportedly been seen at this location around 10 a.m. We had been there for 30 minutes already and had not seen any other terns than the black ones. He had heard about it on the Maine Rare Bird Alert and come over with his spotting scope, which he promptly set up and started scanning.

 A Red-winged Blackbird chases a Great Blue Heron away from its nest on Messalonskee Lake at the boat ramp!

We joined him in the search but told him we had not seen anything like a Caspian Tern. (please read update below) After about 10 minutes, he left, but not before telling us about a Purple Martin Colony just a few miles up the road on Route 27. By now we had exhausted all the birds at this location, so we got back into the car and drove about 3 miles farther north and easily spotted the birds since someone had set up Purple Martin houses in their backyard and the birds were swooping over the lawn! All of these species we new additions to the guys’ trip list, but we wanted more. After a brief discussion the decision was made to drive to Popham Beach State Park for some gulls and shore birds. So, we bundled into the car again for the 65 mile drive to the ocean! While that might seem a long ways, it was actually back in the direction of home, so we set off.

 Black Scoters all in a row! Yes, these are ducks!

I have never been to Popham Beach State Park so I had no idea what to expect when we arrived. Since it was a hot and humid day there we beach goes there lounging and swimming. the beach itself is a wide expanse of sand with long, low waves rolling in. In the middle lies a large rocky island of sorts and with the tide being out we were able to climb the rocks. However, being new to the area, I had no idea where to find all the birds we saw listed on the eBird Hotspot site. We saw scoters and eiders in the water. Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls swarmed the beach. A few common terns dove into the water, and Double-crested cormorants rested on the rocks, or flew by low over the tossing sea.

 The Intrepid Birder (photo by Chris)

We slowly worked our way out to the rocks where we scanned the waves for more birds. We did find a pair of Savannah Sparrows in the grasses on the rocks, though Chris was hopping for Seaside Sparrows, but it was not to be. When we walked back toward the parking area we found some nesting Piping Plovers in a fenced off area, and then as we started down the path towards the parking lot a hermit thrush and then a Swainson’s popped up on the fence right in front of us! Just as we both raised our cameras for what would have been a perfect shot a non-birder came walking from the other direction and scared the birds off! We searched and searched the area where they flew into but were not able to locate the birds again!

While we were pleased with the birds we saw at Popham Beach State Park, I was a bit frustrated at the birds we did not see. Popham Beach is quite long and extensive and though we asked one of the park rangers, he did not know of anything other than the piping plovers. It was much later that we learned from someone that we needed to walk to the southwest end of the beach where the marshy area was to fid more species.

While Chris and Micheal were here I had a great time, but you will notice that I did not take many photos during their stay. I did not even fill one photo card! I think this is because I get so focused on finding the birds for them, plus I did most of the driving and, it was also hot and humid much of the time which just saps my energy. Or, perhaps, I am just getting lazy! However, I did get to see all the birds. I tend to rely on my binoculars first, while Chris relies on his camera. He is also quicker on the trigger and often gets the shot before me, so I encourage you to read his blog and see the wonderful photos he took. He has also given me permission to post any of his photos here. Thank you, Chris Rohrer!

So, on this our first full day of birding, here is what we counted:

• Mere Point Cottage: 5:45 AM, 15 species
• Rossmore and Mere Point Roads: 7:28 AM, 9 species
• Simpson Point Landing: 7:44 AM, 9 species
• Brunswick Landing: 8:08 AM, 33 species
• Messalonskee Lake Boat Ramp: 12:09 PM, 22 species
• Purple Martin Colony: 1:10 PM, 1 species
• Hayden Park: 1:16 PM, 12 species
• North End Launch Facility-Bath:  3:16 PM, 6 species
• Popham Beach State Park: 3:59 PM, 20 species
• Brunswick Landing: 8:17 PM, 11 species

(Note: in the list above if there is no link it is because it is a personal location.)

Highlights of the day:

• Mere Point Cottage: Purple Finch
• Rossmore and Mere Point Roads: Eastern Bluebird
• Simpson Point Landing: Red-throated Loon
• Brunswick Landing: Wild Turkey, Eastern Meadowlark, Indigo Bunting
• Messalonskee Lake Boat Ramp: Black Tern, Caspian Tern, Belted Kingfisher, Eastern Kingbird, Swamp sparrow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow
• Purple Martin Colony: Purple Martins
• North End Launch Facility-Bath: Great Black-backed Gull, Turkey Vulture
• Popham Beach: Black Scoters, Piping Plover, Least Tern, Swainson’s Thrush, Hermit Thrush
• Brunswick Landing (evening count): Wood Thrush

Update! 12:15 PM EDT: After writing and posting this story I realized that there was something amiss on our Messalonskee Lake Bird Count when I was doing the research on the numbers and entering the data. It seems that Chris, Micheal and I did see the Caspian Tern at the boat ramp after all and had mistakenly identified it as a Common Tern! After messageing Chris back and forth a few times to be sure we have now corrected that data on eBird and I have changed the info on this blogpost!

Helpful Links:

• Las Aventuras 
• Chris Rohrer’s Life List Blog 
• Our Big New England Birding Adventure

We finally got all of our Ducks in a Row!

Almost Summer

Yellow Canoe and Common Tern at Wharton Point 6-3-14

It’s almost summer here in Maine with the scent of honeysuckle thick in the air enhanced by the perfume of the salty sea. I find myself drawn to the various points and boat ramps in the area where I can finally see the ocean and the mudflats devoid of ice floes and snow. Here in downeast Maine we get 9 foot tides, but I had yet to see their affect on Wharton Point which I  had only visited during the winter or at high tide, so I was quite surprised to find myself there at low tide and see all the mud! Far out on the flats people were clamming but I was confined to the shore where I was entranced by the sight of a pair of Common Terns using a yellow canoe as a roost. I had previously seen the yellow canoe floating on the bay, but now it rested serenely on the mud with a little channel of water running past it. When I processed this photo today it looked like a painting to me, and…it looked like summer. For those of you who are anxiously waiting for it, we only have 10 days to go!

For those of you who are interested, Wharton Point is an eBird Hotspot. Just click on the links to explore!

Nesting Birds at Lion’s Pond

 Great Blue Heron 6-28-13

From the first day I arrived in Colchester until the last I made several visits to Lion’s Pond. Located on Halls Hill Road across from the elementary school, it is a great place to take a quick break and watch birds.

There is a small parking lot on one side of the pond and beyond the pond lies an inaccessible bog. Often there is a great blue heron perched on a snag in the bog, though sometimes it is hunting or sunning on the near shore. There would be no sunning on this day as it was wet, gray, and dreary. The heron was on the shore when I arrived, but quickly flew to its favorite perch. Can you see it in this photo?

Here is a close-up of the bedraggled bird. Believe me, I felt almost the same way!

A family of geese was nesting here again this year.

I kept watching a pair of orioles fly in and out of this maple tree at the edge of the pond near the parking lot. When I saw one of the parents fly out and drop a fecal sac over the water I decided to take a closer look.

Can you see the nest?

Here’s a closer look with momma bird’s hind end sticking out!

She popped out to check on me and see what I was up too!

In the top of this same tree I also spotted a pair of nesting Eastern Kingbirds! I don’t have any pictures of their nest. It was too high up and obscured by leaves.

Many mornings I would get my coffee and sit at these tables to relax and watch birds. Lion’s Pond is also a fishing pond, and in the winter it is used for skating. If you are an eBirder, it is also an eBird Hotspot. So, if you are ever in Colchester, grab a coffee and come sit a spell. It’s a tiny bit of nature in my hometown!

Perhaps the guardian of the pond will be there waiting for you!

Note: I will have more photos of Lion’s Pond and the Goose Family to post later. These pictures were taken at the end of the month of June and the end of my visit. More photos and stories to come and a mystery to solve!