mattzeit

Monhegan Island, 2023

Last week, Tricia and I spent 7 fabulous days on Monhegan Island, off the coast of Maine. The weather was spectacular, and while most of the birders on the island (and there are plenty of them) considered the birding to be on the slow side, there was still plenty of birds to be found. I observed a total of 73 species for the week (5 better than last year), and even managed to get a lifer (Philadelphia Vireo). I’ll include a complete species list at the bottom of this post.

~Yellow Warbler, Monhegan Island during the last week of September 2023.~

~Excellent bird. Lark Sparrow on Monhegan Island during the last week of September 2023.~

For me, there are two different birding approaches to take on the island. The first I’ll call birder-birding. It’s a very small island, and as I indicated above, there are loads of birders around. If you are a social birder, this is the style of birding you will excel at. It’s not my forte, but I did my best to stay in touch with the other birders and to hit all the known hotspots each morning to see if anything new came in. Interestingly, most of the hotspots are right in town. It’s definitely the most productive birding you can do on the island. Plus you get to meet some really great people. Some not-so-great people too, but that comes with the birding territory (and life in general, I guess). My best birder-birding species included: Lark Sparrow, Philadelphia Vireo, White-crowned Sparrow, Virginia Rail, Sora, Rusty Blackbird, and Northern Waterthrush.

~Common Yellowthroat on Monhegan Island, September 2023.~

~Black Guillemot, Monhegan Island, last week of September 2023.~

The second approach is what I call adventure birding. This is my preferred style – I think I walked every single trail on the island this week. I wish I’d tracked all my hikes, but I estimate that I probably hiked 40-50 miles (and many of the trails are not easy going, especially along Cliff Trail #1). While it’s generally less productive, I really enjoy the sense of adventure and potential in this type of birding. I include doing a seawatch in this style because I get the same feelings while doing one – you never know what you’ll see looking far out over the ocean! Species highlights from this kind of birding included: Great Cormorant, Laughing Gull (Herring and Great Black-backed are the only expected gulls), Broad-winged Hawk (any buteo is considered rare on the island), Surf and Black Scoters, and plenty of Northern Gannetts. Plus, while I was at it, I got to see whales, dolphins, and seals.

~Common Eider, Monhegan Island, last week of September 2023.~

As always, I took loads of photos. I hope you enjoy them – I’m including a lot in this post, I hope it’s not overkill.

~Tricia and I were out at Pebble Beach, on the north side of the island when we had an excellent experience with a young Bald Eagle. The bird was perched out on a smaller island, but then started to fly. I said, c’mon fly to us. Well, it did! Not only that, it did an acrobatic maneuver right in front of us. It was really cool. Bald Eagle on Monhegan Island, last week of September 2023.~

~A not so typical look at a Bald Eagle. Monhegan Island, September 2023.~

~Passing right by us on our left – not much of a crop on this shot. Bald Eagle, Monhegan Island, September 2023.~

~I was not expecting to get a lifer on this trip. That said, I really should have gotten a Philadelphia Vireo by now, lol. Monhegan Island, September 2023.~

~Black Guillemots were plentiful on the island this year. Last year I only had them on the ferry ride to and from. I love the plumage on this bird. Monhegan Island, September 2023.~

~Common Eider with a snack. Monhegan Island the last week of September, 2023.

~Seal at Pebble Beach on Monhegan Island during the last week of September 2023. It’s tough to get good photos of these dudes, so we’ll settle for this one with flaring nostrils.~

There is a considerable population of Ring-necked Pheasants on the island. At one point, I was standing on a trail with nearly a dozen young pheasants grazing at my feet. It was pretty awesome. Monhegan Island, September 2023.~

~This Virginia Rail spent a morning in garden, of all places. I did my best to get a shot of the bird, but it came out a little crazy looking. Monhegan Island, last week of September 2023.~

~Great Cormorant, Monhegan Island, last week of September 2023.~

~Surf Scoters causing by during one of my seawatches. Monhegan Island, last week of September 2023.~

~How awesome is this? Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls on Monhegan Island, the last week of September 2023.~

Monhegan Island 2023 Teaser

Tricia and I spent the week on Monhegan Island, a small island in Lincoln County Maine, approximately 12 nautical miles off the coast. We went to the island last year at this same time; click here to see my blog post from that visit. It’s a perfect vacation for us, as it’s an established artist’s retreat as well as a fabulous birding destination. It was a great week, but I have loads of photos to get through before I’ll be able to post. Here’s a look at one of the many Black Guillemots I saw over the week… stayed tuned for a full report.

~Black Guillemot, Monhegan Island Maine, September 2023.~

Sensational Shorebirding, 09/18/23

Everyone knows at this point that bad weather typically equals excellent birding. This evening after work I followed up on several reports of shorebirds in the black dirt. When I left the house, it was raining cats and dogs. But, by the time I arrived in the black dirt, it had slowed down and there were some clear skies in the distance. At first I was viewing the birds from inside my car, using my window mount for the scope. As it slowed up, Linda Scrima joined me; eventually it cleared up and we were treated to a beautiful double rainbow.

~Rainbow in the Black Dirt Region, 09/18/23. It was really cool because the shorebirds were located in the field directly under the end of the rainbow.~

We had an excellent assortment of shorebirds: Killdeer (35), Semipalmated Plover (1), Black-bellied Plover (4), American Golden-Plover (30), Semipalmated Sandpiper (1), Pectoral Sandpiper (45), and a flyover of (6) Short-billed Dowitchers. Pipits were flying over calling. All with a beautiful rainbow, allowing for some really interesting photo ops. What a night.

~Plovers flying through the rainbow. Black Dirt Region 09/18/23.~

~PLovers doing their thing in the BDR, 09/18/23.~

~A more conventional shot of the flock of Black-bellied and American Golden-Plovers in the black dirt this evening, 09/18/23.~

~One more rainbow/plover shote. Black Dirt Region, 09/18/23.!

Sunday Shots, 09/17/23

Hawkwatch was the main attraction for me this weekend, but I did enjoy some of my first migrating song birds of the season as well. I had a Magnolia Warble in my backyard on Thursday afternoon. I had a brief visit from a pair of Cape May Warblers at Mt. Peter yesterday. And this morning the black dirt was loaded with Savannah Sparrows. I also had short but enjoyable flurry of songbirds in the black dirt. Highlights included several Palm Warblers, a Black-throated Green Warbler, a couple of Ruby Crowned Kinglets, and a Least Flycatcher. Shorebirds were scarce, but I did locate one American Golden Plover in the corn stubble on Onion Avenue, a spot where I’ve not had many shorebirds over the years.

~Magnolia Warbler in my backyard, 09/14/23.~

~Savannah Sparrow in the Black Dirt, 09/17/23.~

~Roadside Savannah Sparrow in the Black Dirt Region, 09/17/23.~

Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 09/16/23

I thought I would hit it out of the park today: September 16. A good WNW wind. Clouds in the sky. With timing and the conditions like this, I expected a “big” day for Broad-winged Hawks. Alas, it was not to be. But, it still was a a pretty darn good day. I tallied 269 migrating raptors, 226 of which were Broad-wings. I had a lot of quality help up there today too: Linda Scrima, Tom Millard, Rick Hansen, and Ken Witkowski all put in some serious time helping me. The payoff was a good variety of migrants – we had a total of (9) different species of migrating raptors (Osprey, B. Eagle, N. Harrier, Sharp-shinned, Cooper’s, Broad-winged, Red-tailed, Am. Kestrel, & Peregrine Falcons). My favorite had to be an adult female and an immature Northern Harrier passing high over the platform together during the first hour of the watch. As always, my Hawkcount.org report is included at the bottom of this post.

~I alway enjoy seeing an Osprey migrating through. Mt. Pete 09/16/23.~

Hawkwatch Will Have to Wait

I was scheduled to be the official counter at Mount Peter Hawkwatch on Saturday. Unfortunately, when I arrived in the morning, the mountain was socked in with a heavy fog. I went back at noon to find that the fog had not lifted. I ate my lunch and took a little snooze in my car, and instead of lifting, the fog was getting heavier. So, I called it a day, with the idea of visiting the watch on Sunday to get my first hawk watching of the season in. But, I was thwarted again, and after just 20 minutes of scanning the skies and catching up with official counter of the day B.A. McGrath, the skies opened up with a steady rain.

~Roadside Cooper’s Hawk in Warwick NY, 09/10/23.~

In between trips to Mt. Pete, I was, of course out birding. I spent most of my time in the black dirt looking for shorebirds; Saturday morning was quite good with nice looks at a flock of American Golden-Plovers, a pair of Buff-breasted Sandpipers, and a couple of Pectoral Sandpipers. Sunday was less productive; I saw the flock of plovers but they were very distant, and I had no other noteworthy species.

~A foggy morning American Golden-Plover in the Black Dirt Region, 09/09/23.~

~Merlin with prey. Black dirt 09/09/23.~

~Pectoral Sandpiper in the black dirt, 09/09/23.~

~It’s been a while since I’ve seen the leucistic Red-tailed Hawk in Warwick. I was happy to see it’s still around.

More Good Birding, 09/03/23

A good weekend of birding continued on Saturday night, when we had a dozen Common Nighthawks fly over the backyard while we sat on the back patio enjoying a cocktail.

Then, on Sunday morning I went back to the Liberty Loop, where, in addition to many of the same species as Friday night, I was able to catch up with the White Ibis that has been there in recent days. On my way home, I stopped by Missionland Road and found (33) American Golden-Plovers! The birds were distant at the start, but patience paid off and they eventually came close enough to get some decent shots.

~Common Nighthawk over our yard on 09/02/23.~

~White Ibis at the Liberty Loop, Sussex County NJ, 09/03/23.~

Today (Labor Day), I checked the black dirt first thing – I was optimistic due to a modest rainfall earlier in the morning, but it wasn’t until I got to the Camel Farm that I had any birds of note. I was scoping the pond and looking at a Pectoral Sandpiper, when a White-rumped Sandpiper walked right through my field of view. Linda Scrima joined me and eventually we saw that there were actually (2) WRSAs present. The birds were too distant and obscured by vegetation for photos, but we enjoyed scope views and I was happy to add the species to my 2023 year list.

~American Golden-Plover at Missionland Road, 09/03/23/~

~American Golden-Plover, Missionland Road 09/03/23.~

~Backyard Turkey Vulture. This is preview of hawkwatch season, which starts tomorrow. I’ll be the official counter at Mount Peter Hawkwatch on most Saturdays, starting next weekend.~

~I have no idea what was behind this Song Sparrow to cause this effect, but I think it looks pretty cool. Song Sparrow in the black dirt, 09/03/23.~

~Green Heron at the Liberty Loop, 09/03/23.~

Good Birding, 09/02/23

The hottest hotspot in the area right now is the southern leg of Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Liberty Loop, in Sussex County NJ. I met Linda Scrima at the loop yesterday evening after work. We missed a couple of the more exciting birds (White Ibis, and Stilt Sandpiper), but it was an excellent night of birding. But we did catch up with the immature Little Blue Heron, and the number of shorebird individuals present was striking to me – very possibly the most I’ve seen in one small area in our region. We tallied (11) species of shorebirds, with the highlight being (4) White-rumped Sandpipers. The icing on the cake was finding 30+ Common Nighthawks flying over the parking area when we got back to our cars.

~Little Blue Heron at the Liberty Marsh, Sussex Co. NJ, 09/01/23.~

~Wilson’s Snipe at the Liberty Loop, 09/01/23.~

~The West side of the loop was filthy with Green Herons, so I couldn’t resist taking a few photos.~

This morning I figured the loop would be loaded with birders and photographers, so I chose to bird the black dirt instead. It was mostly the usuals, with very few shorebirds (other than Killdeer), but I was able to find a single BAIRD’S SANDPIPER. It was kind of a crazy story because I had just met a birder named Joe. He was out for one reason – to get his lifer Baird’s Sandpiper. About 5 minutes after Joe and I parted ways, don’t you know I found a BASA. I tried to flag him down; I was waving and practically doing somersaults to try to get his attention, as I could still see his car at a distance. Unfortunately he didn’t see me, and the Baird’s flew shortly after I’d located it.

~Distant shot of a Baird’s Sandpiper in the black dirt, 09/02/23.~

~Wild Turkey family in the black dirt, 09/02/23.~

~Bobolink on Turtle Bay Road in the black dirt, 09/02/23.~

~One more shot of the Little Blue Heron at the Liberty Loop, 09/01/23.~

Sunday Shots, 08/27/23

First thing this morning, I went to Bullville Pond to see if anything was going on. I had shorebirds (of course) and Little Blue Heron on my mind. Unfortunately it was a bust, so I headed back out to the black dirt, where I eventually joined up with several other birders and finally got the Baird’s Sandpiper. After missing that species last year, I wanted to see one – it had been nearly 2 years! Also present were 50+ Least Sandpipers, a Semipalmated Sandpiper, 5 Buff-breasted Sandpipers, many Killdeer, and a flyover of a Semipalmated Plover. Photos were tough today, so I’m mostly posting more photos from yesterday’s shorebirds and a couple of cowbirds from this morning.

Semipalmated Plover in the black dirt, 08/26/23.~

~Least Sandpiper in the black dirt region, 08/26/23.~

I love all the varieties of plumage you can see on Brown-headed Cowbirds at this time of the year. Black dirt, 08/27/23.~

~Another good looking cowbird in the black dirt today, 08/27/23.~

Semiplover in the black dirt, 08/26/23.~

Shorebirds, 08/26/23

Yesterday was quite a day in our area for shorebirds, with many excellent birds reported. In the black dirt, the best new species included Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Baird’s Sandpiper, and American Golden-Plover. In Sullivan County, John Haas had a WHIMBREL at Morningside Park – read about it here. Unfortunately, I was working most of the day, and then unable to get out after work as well.

I hit the black dirt early this morning and I was able to locate (2) Buff-breasted Sandpipers; definitely the bird of the day for me. The Baird’s Sandpiper was reported, but I was unable to catch up with it. I enjoyed a very close up encounter with a pair of Semipalmated Plovers; what a cute and excellent bird to see up close. The Camel Farm pond is overrun with vegetation, which has made birding that location even more frustrating than it usually is. Today I heard and caught glimpses of loads of Lesser Yellowlegs there; goodness knows what kind of species are hidden from view there.