BAY OF FUNDY Grand Manan Birds September 27

Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2010 19:02:52 -0300
From: Roger Burrows Nature NB

Yellow-billed Cuckoo. wikipedia.com

Subject: Grand Manan & White Head birds, inc. BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO

SEPTEMBER 27

OX Head    09:00-09:30
first YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO of fall, Hermit Thrush, 6 Blackpoll Warblers

Long Pond Bay Beach-low tide    09:30-10:15
18 American Black Ducks, female Mallard, 3 Common Eiders, Peregrine Falcon,
2 Black-bellied & 153 Semipalmated Plovers, Solitary Sandpiper, 115
Sanderlings, BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, Least & 39 Semipalmated Sandpipers

Grand Manan Bird Sanctuary    10:15-11:25
21 American Black Ducks, male Mallard, 4 Green-winged Teals, 12 Ring-necked
Ducks, 14 Common Eiders, Winter Wren, 3+ Hermit Thrushes, 11+ Yellow-rumped
& 6+ Blackpoll Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Swamp Sparrow

Ox Head    11:25-12:05
Great Blue Heron, Northern Flicker, Blackpoll Warbler, Swamp Sparrow

Ingalls Head    13:15-13:30
10 Semipalmated Plovers, Semipalmated Sandpiper

White Head Ferry    13:30-14:00
adult Great & 68 Double-crested Cormorants, 157 Common Eiders, Black-legged
Kittiwake, Razorbill, 3 Black Guillemots

White Head: Village & Beach    14:00-14:50
11 Double-crested Cormorants, 6 Common Eiders, 14 Semipalmated Plovers, 7
Semipalmated Sandpipers, Northern Flicker, 2 Boreal Chickadees

White Head: Marsh & Flats    14:50-16:20
2+ Great Blue Herons, 6 Canada Geese, 31 Common Eiders, 4+ Ring-necked
Pheasants, 5 Black-bellied & 57 Semipalmated Plovers, 2+ Sanderlings, 19
Semipalmated Sandpipers, 2 Belted Kingfishers

White Head Ferry     16:30-17:00
adult Common Loon in breeding plumage, adult Great & 8+ Double-crested
Cormorants, Great Blue Heron, 125 Common Eiders, 2 Surf Scoters, 9
Black-legged Kittiwakes, 7 Black Guillemots

Roger Burrows
Ingalls Head
Grand Manan

KAYAKING: A fabulous description and fabulous photos of a fabulous paddle in fabulous Cobscook Bay

No videos or pictures in your ILQW email? See them at http://ilovequoddywild.blogspot.com

Cobscook Bay/Lubec

Underwater scene on Pope's Island.

Scalloper (?) at Cobscook Bay

Basics: State Launch off South Edmunds Road, Edmunds TWP. Lots of parking, outhouse, paved ramp, dock. Launch 11:40 AM Finish 3:40PM, High 3:40PM. 9 miles.
State Launch/dock on Washington St, Lubec. Limited parking, there is a second lot though. No facilities. Launch 8AM, Finish 11AM, Low 10:30AM

Cobscook Bay looks like a tiered cookie display, two curved thin layers of water with a divided stem up the middle. Through that narrow stem runs enough water to give the area a 22 foot tidal range. With all that water flowing through, it is no surprise that at the biggest squeeze point, Reversing Falls in Pembroke, the current can reach over 10 knots.

A few years ago we paddled Cobscook Bay just after low tide, delighting in the variety of seaweed and sea life exposed by the massive tide. I spotted a sea cucumber and a young flounder caught in a tidal pool. This time though, I thought we might try high tide, allowing us to explore the edges of the bay.

My preference is to paddle narrow sections on an incoming tide, that way, if I do run into trouble I should be pushed back to my start. Reversing Falls is the worst of the squeeze points, but a look at the chart shows it is not the only narrow area. I think it is also important to launch from an all tide ramp, which means avoiding the ramp in south Whiting Bay which is surrounded by acres of mud at low. We used the ramp off S. Edmunds Rd.

Read the entire fabulous article and see all of the fabulous photos here: http://penobscotpaddles.blogspot.com/2010/09/cobscook-baylubec.html

Noteable Sightings from the Maine Shore.

No videos or pictures in your ILQW email? See them at http://ilovequoddywild.blogspot.com

Downeast Maine

A juvenile HUDSONIAN GODWIT, three AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS, two RED KNOTS, and a CASPIAN TERN were seen on the Lubec Flats back on September 12.

Recent finds at West Quoddy Head included two POMARINE JAEGERS, five PARASITIC JAEGERS, and two CAPE MAY WARBLERS.

A GREAT EGRET was seen from the Sunrise Trail along the Machias River in Machias on September 14.

From: Maine Birding

Black Skimmers next door in Lorneville?

No videos or pictures in your ILQW email? See them at http://ilovequoddywild.blogspot.com

Date: Sat, 18 Sep 2010 18:04:22 +0000
From: Stuart Tingley NatureNB
Subject: BLACK SKIMMERS at Lorneville

Norm Belliveau called five minutes ago to say they are looking at 3 Black Skimmers on the mud flats by the Lorneville wharf. For more info you can call Norm at 531-5662.

Good Birding, Stu Tingley

Photo Credit: wikipedia.com