Maine-ly Birds

Little River Lighthouse, passed on the journey to Puffinland

A couple of months ago, while fiddling around on line, I discovered there are two Maine birding festivals that occur within a week of each other. I have always wanted to visit Maine so I thought, "Why the heck not?" So, with the sort of planning normally associated with a trip across time, a l-o-n-g cross country flight, & after stuffing all my luggage & birding gear into the rear of a spiffy new Prius in Portland, by the birds, here I am! 

The first of the pair is the Down East Birding Festival. The festival events are spread all over the coast, but my first event was not even on the mainland. I signed up to take a pelagic trip to Machias Seal Island so I could sit cheek to jowl with the cutest birds on earth - Atlantic Puffins.  Oh, and not to mention many others I've either never seen before or don't get to see very often. I'm getting ahead of myself - first I had to find the adorable tiny village of Cutler.
 

Our Captain and crew await

There at the Cutler Harbor, participants met our Captain Andy & crew.





 

Climbing aboard the shuttle skiff

 It took three trips to get all the participants across the harbor and into our main transport.







I was on the first load over to our 40 foot boat the Barbara Frost. Once on board I was so tickled! I immediately had a go a the boat's loo - better to go while the toilet wasn't a moving target, you know?

In a remarkably short time were on our way. The Little River Lighthouse was beautiful and we were told it can be rented out as a vacation home.

Black Guillemot

Better yet, I heard Cap'n Andy call out "Black Guillemot!"  Not, not a Down East slang pointing me out, but a new bird for my life list. The Guillemot is a pigeon sized sea bird with a white epaulet on each shoulder. When they fly you can see their fetching, crayon red webbed feet.




The day was on the overcast side, but that's what one expects in these parts. Our target, Machias Seal Island was 7 miles as the Gull flies. Soon the island's lighthouse was looming in the distance. Captain Andy told us, interestingly enough, the ownership of the island is continuously in dispute. The United States claims the island, and so does Canada. From my perspective, as all the research and buildings on the island were put there by Canadians, I say, "Welcome to Canada!"

Machias Seal Island, New Brunswick, Canada

Once we were near the island's ramp, we were again, loaded onto a little boat and transported to the cement landing ramp.

I was on the second boatload to the island.
The first load of passengers wait for us at the top of the ramp.

AHA! It's not only me who believes the island is Canadian.

The island is used by many species of sea birds for breeding. The island is used by Canadian Biologists for research of the afore mentioned sea birds. Therefore there were lots of rules for us landlubbers to abide by, the number one rule being be quite, move quickly past the birds, not stopping to take pics on the ramp and be quiet! There are terns attempting to nest near the ramp and they haven't nested on the island much so they are of special concern.

Now! The cool part is there are bird blinds on the island, in the midst of where the various species are nesting among the boulders that rim the island.

Once we were all on the island by the lighthouse and researcher's quarters we were told the rules on occupying the bird blinds without freaking out the birds. 

Part of the island's wooden boardwalk

This view is from where we all sat, looking towards a few of the bird blinds, the two tiny boxes on the horizon. There are wooden boardwalks that help one to traverse the soft and delicate island turf.






Enough of the minute details! What about the birds! Ok, Ok! With two other birders, we were quietly escorted to a little birding blind. Inside, I lifted a little window and there they were - BIRDIES! They were so close we could have reached out and touched them - if we were nuts.

Puffins love to stretch their wings

Razorbills look sharp in their tuxedo-like plumage

I don't think I've ever seen anything as adorable as walking puffins

Shocking discovery: the inside of a Razorbill's mouth is mango yellow

Look at the aerodynamics of a Puffin's thick bill

Bit of a Puffin Jam

Puffins pattering around on the blind opposite the one I occupied with 2 other birders

The amount of photos taken by myself and the two others I shared the blind with, made us grateful for the age of digital cameras. Hate to think how much it would have cost in time, energy and development costs to take the zillions of photos we got.

Our hour in the blind was over in what seemed like a flash. We treked back to the lighthouse, made sure we signed the island guest book. We were ferried back to the good ship Barbara Frost. Captain Andy took us on little tour around the island before we headed back. There were Gray Seals lounging on the shores - a species I've never seen before. They were larger than Harbor Seals and had rather horsie shaped heads.

Lifer Mammal!  Gray Seals

Male Common Eider winging its way, like us, towards Cutler

Common Murres

When we made it back to shore in Cutler around 1 o'clock, there was no time to fool around, I had to race off to my next event for the day.

Post vacation Productions: A little bit about the Puffins and the Island

Missing pics and a Black Hawk

Arrggghh! I've misplaced the flash disk from my little point-n'-shoot camera. Have torn up my desk, where I put the flash disk to keep it 'safe', but cannot find the disk anywhere. Oh well. Am sure this isn't the first time this will happen, but it means no pictures of Montezuma's Castle National Monument, Montezuma's Well and worse - no photos of my first visit to Grand Canyon National Park. Yes, all quite disappointing - for me - but I can include one last video and a quick tale told in genuine false Claire Time. Here we go!

Ahem! "Yesterday" I left Tucson, and headed up to central Arizona with the goal of visiting a river or two, where I believed I might locate my next 'lifer' bird, the Common Black Hawk. As I drove along the highway I spotted a sign for Montezuma's Castle National Monument. It was the first adobe dwelling site I've ever visited and I loved it. While there I chanced to bug a ranger on where I could find a Common Black Hawk and the ranger told me he recently saw a Common Black Hawk at Montezuma's well, only one freeway exit north.

I visited Montezuma's Well where I found another ranger, a lady ranger who marched me right over to the active nest of a Common Black Hawk. HURRAH! The nest was far enough off I couldn't see the bird with my binoculars, so I had to get out my spotting scope. Below you can see the hawk in this digiscoped video I got with my iPhone.

The entire top of the nest is the hawk. If you wonder why I bother to include this video it is because, I at least, can see the hawk's head by noting the bird's yellow bill, which appears and disappears as the bird bobs its head about, just left of center. In the still shots there is no way to puzzle out what is the bird's head from its nest. 

Triple Bonus

Bonus Gilded Flicker

When I pulled into the Tucson Honda repair shop, I was loaded up with 'toys', i.e., things to do, for a boring half a day or more waiting for my car's a/c condenser to be repaired. Surprise  - shortly after I arrived, the main repair man, tossed me the keys to a shiny silver Honda Accord, saying, "Go have some fun".  That was it; no paperwork, no fuss. just "Go have some fun".  If you insist kind sir!

I headed for the northern district of Saguaro National Park, not too far away, and having the advantage I'd never visited the site before. Soon I was smiling up at a ranger in a kiosk, and driving onto an 8 mile auto loop.

Close up from topmost photo

One of the first things I noticed was a flicker, pecking at Saguaro cacti flowers. I stared at one bird through my binoculars and it occured to me - that's not a Northern Flicker... it's a Guilded Flicker - WHOOO HOOOOO - LIFER BIRD!

I had barely considered the possiblity of seeing a Guilded Flicker on this trip to Arizona so the surprise was real.







There were plenty of other birds as well. I watched a male Gambel's quail calling stubbornly & insistently from a shrub.
 

For a while I even gave chase to a small group of Pyhroloxia - a sort of cross between a Northern Cardinal and a parrot. I couldn't manage a clear shot of any of them as they stuck to hiding in the mesquite shrubs.

Tiny Verdin - a desert tit (Hey! Stop giggling.)

Later in the morning I drove slowly over a cement dip in the road, that crossed a dry river bed. As I moved I caught sight of bird, hidden in shubbery and managed to get my binoculars on it. I watched as a drab gray bird with white wing bars and white eyebrows (supercillium). The tiny mite was singing its hear out. Rats... I knew, either I was watching a Gray Flycatcher or a gray Bell's Vireo. I could have either grabbed for my camera or my iPhone, but for some reason I went for the later. I tuned into the song of Bell's Vireo - exact match! I was watching a spring Bell's Vireo singing its territorial song. HURRAH: a second unexpected Lifer bird for the day. ID cinched, I grabbed for my camera but the vireo took off. I hunted in the shrubs for a good half hour but never relocated it. Sadly, no photo, but a well cinched ID.

No Bell's Vireo photo, but I did find a Verdin's nest

Happy with two lifer birds, I drove around the rest of the eight mile drive loop. Every time I found a Saguaro Cactus stand, I stubbornly checked each and every knot hole. The holes in the Saguaro are made by the Guilded Flickers who may or may not nest in holes they make. The holes don't go to waste though as many other birds use the cavities for nesting.

I was near the end of the auto loop, when as I raised my binoculars to view yet another knot hole,  I muttered audibly to myself "Why can't I, just for once, look up at an effing hole and see a..."

And there it was!

Look who's home!

 Siting on its little doorstep, was a tiny Elf Owl - a Lifer bird I have looked for over many years and until now never have found.

Close up of cranky looking Elf Owl

What a thrill - the minute Owl really caught me by surprise. I quickly shot several pix of the bird. Then, as I finally watched it again, through my binoculars, the bird took a step backwards, then dropped out of sight, much as if it'd hit the down button on an elevator.

Three lifer birds, and here I thought I was going to be sitting & being bored in a tiny repair shop customer waiting room. No wonder I always say I'm the luckiest birder on the planet.  Oh - and my car's air conditioning? Blowing billows and billows of wonderfully cool air once again, thankyouverymuch Prudence Car Care Honda. I owe you three lifers and a boatload of thanks.