First minke whale sighting of the season

Hey Art, I just wanted to let you know that I got a message from Jolinne yesterday that on a chartered tour they had their first minke whale sighting of the season. There are also sightings of lots of seals (both harbour and grey), eagles and feeding harbour porpoise. Quoddy Link's whale watching season will officially begin on June 26th (Fundy Tide Runners is offering tours now) and I will be back in St. Andrews for opening day.

I have attached a picture that Jolinne took yesterday of the minke whale

Cheers,
Danielle
Quoddy Link Marine

Waxwings in the apple tree, May 29

They seem late, but are probably on time, everything else is early.

Joyce M.

Birds in my apple tree, May 25th, 2010

http://casa-del-campo.smugmug.com/Birds/local-birds-2010/12044274_wcZ4L#879120808_MjXX7

The apple tree and birch tree are just outside the back door and it is easy to spend a few minutes watching for activity in the trees. Today was a very good day for birds in the trees. The spectacular sight of birds and blossoms is good for one's soul.

Joyce M.

Mulholland Lighthouse, Campobello on a spring evening in May

From Joyce?





Fog photos from Campobello

The bog is in bloom, May 24th Joyce

I always like to see the bog blooming like a garden in the spring. Joyce

A beautiful spring morning- May 18th, RCIP, Campobello

http://casa-del-campo.smugmug.com/photos/swfpopup.mg?swfPop=true&noClickURL=true&url=http://casa-del-campo.smugmug.com/Birds/local-birds-2010/12044274_wcZ4L#871577258_D2DTC

A parula warbler catches a catepillar-

A least flycarcher watches me watching him-

A redstart sings his heart out on spring morning-

A unknown oriole in the apple tree-

I had a wonderful time taking these photos!

Joyce M.

Scarlet Tanager, May 17th, RCIP, Campobello

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http://casa-del-campo.smugmug.com/Birds/scarlet-tanager/12221197_kQSc7#870491019_DThD6

We chanced upon a georgeous scarlet tanager in the park today. It was late in the day and we watched quite a while. There were other warblers around, but the tanager stole the show. Joyce

Right Whales are on their way "home"

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98 right whales spotted off R.I. coast
Scientists say animals were drawn by a large supply of food


A North Atlantic right whale and her calf (submerged at left) swam off the coast of Rhode Island. The sighting of the 98 whales set a record. (Pete Duley/Noaa via Associated Press)

By Carolyn Y. Johnson Globe Staff / April 24, 2010

A circular patch of smooth water spotted in Rhode Island Sound this week led scientists to a surprising discovery: a quarter of the entire North Atlantic right whale population is hanging out and feeding in a spot where the endangered animals are not usually seen.

That tell-tale patch of water — a “flukeprint’’ generated when a whale pumps its tail up and down as it dives, roiling the surface in a distinctive way — led researchers doing an aerial survey to circle their plane to find a large cluster of whales in an unexpected location. In total, researchers found 98 whales in the waters east of Block Island, including two pairs of mothers and calves.

“It is really quite a bit higher [number of whales] than you find, even in places where you expect to find them,’’ said Charles “Stormy’’ Mayo, senior scientist at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies. Recently in Cape Cod Bay, where the whales regularly migrate to feed, “the highest numbers we’ve had have been over 70, and we thought that was mind-blowing.’’


See complete article here

Down East Hosts Seventh Annual Birding Festival This US Memorial Day Weekend

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The Down East Spring Birding Festival, in Maine’s Cobscook Bay area, is accepting registrations for its seventh event on May 28- 31, 2010. Guided bird walks, boat rides, and presentations will be available for advanced, intermediate, and beginning birders alike. Over two hundred different bird species have been spotted during the festival’s first six years. Join us and see how many different birds you find! This year, the festival is being organized and administrated by the Cobscook Community Learning Center in Trescott, Maine.

Participants can sign up for the whole festival for $60, and there are day passes available for $15 or $25 for the family for residents of Washington (ME) and Charlotte (NB) counties. “We are promoting the day passes locally and encouraging area residents to enjoy a day or more of the bird festival,” says program Director Kara McCrimmon. A day pass includes all the hikes and events that take place during a given day. Some events, such as boat trips and meals, have an extra charge associated with them, while events on the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge are free and open to the public, though registration is still required.

The birding festival begins at noon on Friday, May 28, at the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge (MNWF) in Baring. Kicking off the festival on Friday afternoon will be one of the favorite presentations from past years, Birding by Ear, by Bob Duchesne, who is a trustee and a frequent field trip leader for Maine Audubon, as well as author of Maine Birding Trail.. Immediately following the presentation, Duchesne and others will lead hikes in the refuge to give birders an opportunity to practice identifying birds by their calls.

Saturday, May 29, will offer a fun, full and free day of activities at Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge, and will be a great chance for families to get out and bird. In addition to a series of morning hikes, which begin at 6:45 am, kids birding activities will start at 10:30 am with Stephanie Allard. The festival is also offering the opportunity to observe live raptors up close during two live raptor presentations, 11:30 am and again at 12:45 pm, with staff and birds from the Chewonki Foundation. Saturday will also feature a presentation on birding optics by Carroll Tiernan of Maine Audubon at 2:30 pm, a presentation on global warming and bird migration at 3:30 by Dr. Herb Wilson of Colby College, guided eagle and osprey viewing with Andy Slater at 5 pm, and evening hikes with MNWR staff beginning at 6 pm. All of these events are free, though pre-registration is recommended.

The Down East Spring Bird Festival continues through Memorial Day weekend and events are spread across the region to allow participants a chance to experience the diversity the area has to offer both in terms of bird species and the varied terrain and topography. The festival is headquartered for the first two days at the MNWR and at the Cobscook Community Learning Center (CCLC) in Trescott for the second two days. Guided birding walks take place in Eastport, Perry, Baring, Topsfield, Edmunds, Lubec, Cutler, Trescott, and Campobello Island.

For more information, or to register for the Down East Spring Birding Festival, visit the festival website at: www.downeastbirdfest.org, call the CCLC at: (207) 733-2233, or email birdfest@thecclc.org. Early registration is recommended, as some events fill up early.

For those interested in an extended experience, please consider joining us for an associated Exploritas (formerly known as Elderhostel) program that runs concurrent to the Down East Spring Birding Festival (from May 28 – June 2, 2010). Exploritas folks participate in many of the same events as festival goers, and have the benefit of an experience that includes all meals and transportation, the services of a resident guide throughout the program, specially crafted local exploration as well as birding experiences during the program, and the opportunity to meet and spend time with fellow birders from all over the country. Find out about the birding Exploritas program on Campobello by visiting www.exploritas.org and searching for program number 12733RJ.

Fundy Birds and Butterflies at Grand Manan

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Date: Thu, 13 May 2010 19:59:26 -0300
From: Roger Burrows  - Nature NB
Subject: White Head birds, butterflies & flowers, inc. BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, EASTERN  WOOD-PEWEE, BROWN THRASHER, BLACKPOLL & PRAIRIE WARBLER, INDIGO BUNTING & BALTIMORE ORIOLE

May 13

Ingalls Head 08:00-08:15
6 Double-crested Cormorants, American Wigeon pair, Barn Swallow pair

White Head Ferry 08:15-08:45
4 Double-crested Cormorants, 122 Common Eiders, 9 Black Scoters

White Head Island 08:45-13:45
Great & 2 Double-crested Cormorants, 10 Canada Geese, American Wigeon pair,  6 American Black Ducks, 99 Common Eiders, 2 Bald Eagles, immature male Sharp-shinned Hawk, 2 Ring-necked Pheasants, first BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER of spring, 3 Greater Yellowlegs, first EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE of spring, 5+ Cliff Swallows, Boreal Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, first BROWN THRASHER of spring, 5 Northern Parulas, male Magnolia, 10 Yellow-rumped & 6 Black-throated Green Warblers, first male BLACKPOLL and immature male PRAIRIE WARBLERS of spring, male Common Yellowthroat, female INDIGO BUNTING, first 2 BALTIMORE ORIOLES of spring. At least 7 Baltimore Orioles, 4 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and a first-year male SUMMER TANAGER were reported from the feeder beside White Head Church during the week...only the Baltimore Orioles were present today.

White Head Ferry 14:00-14:30
Great & 3 Double-crested Cormorants, 70 Common Eiders

Ingalls Head Road afternoon
ca 650 Brants on the water at high tide

There were lots of RED ADMIRAL, PAINTED LADY & CABBAGE WHITE butterflies, plus a few SPRING AZURE, CLOUDED SULPHUR & MOURNING CLOAK butterflies, and single COMMA sp., BROWN ELFIN & AMERICAN LADY butterflies.

New flowers in bloom were YARROW, BUNCHBERRY, BEARBERRY & BLUEBERRY plus single BEACH PEA, RED CLOVER & STARFLOWER. BLUETS were in bloom at Marathon Inn on May 12.

Roger Burrows
Ingalls Head
Grand Manan

Photo Credit painted lady butterfly: wikipedia.com

The orioles arrive at Campobello, May 11th

May 11th. The orioles showed up, flying low over the house. I immediately cut up oranges and put them on the apple tree. As I did this I whistled the same way I always did last year when putting new oranges on the tree. Immediately I had three orioles in the tree and they were on the oranges before I got back into the house. So these orioles have to be used to this location. So far I have seen two males, one a slightly immature, and one female.

The oranges were a little sour, so I put some agave nectar on the oranges and let it soak in. This made the orioles very happy all day. Joyce M.

http://casa-del-campo.smugmug.com/photos/swfpopup.mg?swfPop=true&noClickURL=true&url=http://casa-del-campo.smugmug.com/Birds/orioles/orioles/12153559_3JTSx#864457074_RqEfB

Hawk Watching (and more) at Greenlaw Mountain, St. Andrews Peninsula

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Date: Sun, 2 May 2010 18:06:35 -0300
From: Todd Watts - NatureNB Listserv
Subject: Greenlaw Mountain Report

Greenlaw Mountain Hawks

May 2, 2010

Turkey Vulture 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 12
Broad-winged Hawk 60
Unidentified Buteo 1
Unidentified Raptor 1

Non-raptors

Great Blue Heron 2
Cormorant 15

Observation Period: 9:15AM to 3:00PM

Weather: Light air movement from the SE and clouds started the day. Downeast Maine looked rather dreary. As the day progressed, the sun occasionally broke through the clouds. Winds were light and from the SE shifting to SW and back to SE.

Notes: Southern Maine's Bradbury Mountain Hawk Watch's May 1 report of 425 raptors and a promising weather forecast coxed me up the mountain in hopes of seeing hundreds of Broad-wings. Unfortunately, weather conditions turned out to be less than ideal. The day started off terribly slow. Only four migrating raptors were spotted during the first two hours of observation. Very few birds of any type were seen flying. Raptor movement then picked up, only to slow back down again. Almost all of today's birds came in one at a time and at low altitude. Most of them were distant. It wasn't the exciting day that I hoped for, but it was a good day for keeping my skills sharp and learning more about spring hawk movements in SW New Brunswick. Greenlaw Mountain continues to show lots of potential for spring flights.

As I prepared to leave home this morning, a single Black and White Warbler(FOY) was observed.

Todd Watts
Kerr's Ridge

Photo Credit: wikipedia.com

A week of spring birds at Fundy's Grand Manan Island

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Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2010 23:05:44 -0300
From: Roger Burrows: NatureNB Listserv
Subject: Grand Manan & Ferry birds, etc

April 28

Castalia Marsh 09:45-10:20
4 Canada Geese, 66 American Black Ducks, male Mallard, 3+ Green-winged
Teals, 10 Common Eiders, 2 Red-breasted Merganser pairs

North Head: Marathon Inn & Poodle Alley 10:20-11:05
Ring-necked Pheasant, first YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER & WHITE=THROATED
SPARROW of spring

Grand Manan Ferry 1:35-13:10
5 Common Loons, Double-crested Cormorant, 2 female Common Eiders,
Black-legged Kittiwake, 3 Razorbills, 2 Common Murres, 11 Black Guillemots

Wallace Cove 17:20-18:15
188 Double-crested Cormorants flying W in two flocks

Grand Manan Ferry 18:25-19:45
2 Red-throated & 6 Common Loons flying east, 53 Double-crested Cormorants
(52 in one flock on the water in mid-channel near The Wolves), 11 Common
Eiders, 3 Black-legged Kittiwakes, 5 Razorbills, 4 Black Guillemots

April 29

Woodwards Cove: Shore Road 07:45-09:00
Canada Goose pair, Mallard pair, adult Bald Eagle, 2 singing Winter Wrens, 2
Yellow-rumped & 3 Palm Warblers, male Brown-headed Cowbird

Grand Harbour: Thoroughfare Road 09:05-10:00
3 Canada Geese, 12 Common Eiders, male Red-breasted Merganser, subadult &
immature Bald Eagles, Swamp Sparrow

Grand Harbour 10:00
1590 Brants

May 1

There appears to have been a significant overnight movement of Palm Warblers
and Savannah Sparrow judging by numbers on White Head this morning.

Ingalls Head 08:00-08:15
Double-crested Cormoprant, 7 Common Eiders, 2 Surf & 5 Black Scoters

White Head Ferry 08:15-08:45 & 10:30-11:00
3 Common Loons, adult Great & 7 Double-crested Cormorants, 172 Common
Eiders, 5 Red-breasted Mergansers, Black Guillemot

White Head Island 08:45-10:30
23 Canada Geese, 11 American Black Ducks, 5 Common Eiders, 7 Surf Scoters, 2
Ring-necked Pheasants, adult+4 immature Bald Eagles, Killdeer, Greater
Yellowlegs, ICELAND GULL, 2 singing Winter Wrens, 8 Yellow-rumped & 18 Palm
Warblers, 34 Savannah Sparrows, Brown-headed Cowbird

May 3

Quite a movements overnight, but birds hadn't moved past Harrington Cove by
mid-morning. The main species was WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, but there were
also small numbers of RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET & CHIPPING SPARROW along the
roadside.

Southwest Head 07:10-07:20
3 Double-crested Cormorants, 11 Common Eiders, female MERLIN, 70 Black
Guillemots

Southern Head 07:20-09:00
male Northern Harrier, adult Bald Eagle, 16 Black Guillemots, Eastern
Phoebe, singing Winter Wren, 11 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrush, male
NORTHERN PARULA, male BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, 8 Yellow-rumped & 5 Palm
Warblers, 11+ Chipping & 170 White-throated Sparrows

Harrington Cove 09:00-09:25
Horned Grebe, 23 Common Eiders, singing Winter Wren

Grand Harbour 09:45-09:50
Great Blue Heron, 1490 Brants


May 5

Ox Head 07:55-08:45
5 Double-crested Cormorants, male American Wigeon, Sharp-shinned Hawk,
Killdeer (likely with a nest), 3 singing Winter Wrens, Palm & 3
Yellow-rumped Warblers, 3 White-throated Sparrow, female Red-winged
Blackbird

Grand Manan Bird Sanctuary 08:45-10:05 & 11:40-12:15
Red-throated Loon on Great Pond (very unusual on freshwater), 7 pairs+1 male
American Wigeons, 2 Green-winged Teal pairs, 9+ pairs+1 male Ring-necked
Ducks, 110 Common Eiders, immature male Sharp-shinned Hawk, American Crow
carrying food, Common Raven at nest on Bagleys Trail, 2 Hermit Thrushes, 4
Yellow-rumped & 5 Palm Warblers

Red Point Trail & Red Point 10:05-11:10
Ring-necked Pheasant, singing Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush, 3 male
Yellow-rumped Warblers

Ingalls Head 13:00
Barn Swallow pair

The warm weather (18C) brought out several CABBAGE WHITE, RED ADMIRAL &
SPRING AZURE butterflies, plus 2 MOURNING CLOAK, and single MILBERT'S
TORTOISESHELL, COMMA spp., PAINTED LADY, ORANGE SULPHUR & a BROWN ELFIN
butterflies. The only new flower out was that of SERVICEBERRY, but there
were masses of PURPLE & WHITE VIOLETS, WILD STRAWBERRY & DANDELION

Roger Burrows
Ingalls Head
Grand Manan

The Bay of Fundy as a Japanese Garden

Driving between Bayside and Oak Bay these days is, for me, a real Ooo-Aah experience.
I went out this morning to try to capture some of it to share with those less fortunate.
The "Wild pear" (shad bushes) are mostly in bloom, the pin cherries are just beginning, and choke cherries won't be far behind, and then we have all the wild apple trees already in bud.
- enough to make one weep with the beauty of it all.
Cherish and enjoy!

Tim 

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Sparrows , Campobello, May 1st

http://casa-del-campo.smugmug.com/photos/swfpopup.mg?swfPop=true&noClickURL=true&url=http://casa-del-campo.smugmug.com/Birds/local-birds-2010/12044274_wcZ4L#854763502_PPrcq
I took a few photos of the sparrows that live near the house.
Joyce

Resident birds are back today, Campobello, May 1st

The yellow rumped warblers and the palm warblers were around the back door all day today. I am still waiting for the hummingbirds. It was beautiful looking out over the water today, but too dry for this time of year.

The apricot, which is usually ahead of the weather and produces nothing, is very happy and full of bees today, so maybe we will get a few apricots this year.

Joyce