Great Gray Owl at Lubec

Chessie Johnson

Great Gray Owl, largest owl in world, rare in Downeast Maine.

Taken at Bunkie Tinker's, Rt. 189 Lubec on the morning of 3/17/09

The Owl's Nest?

Looking carefully at the owl photo, I think that must be the nest! Walking carefully around the tree and looking up for the branch she sits on. I cannot see a nest at all. We will have to be more careful. Joyce

Lichen Quiz?

Anyone recognize this lichen from Campobello Island, NB. Canada , growing on a maple tree.This is a winter photo.

It might be Lobaria quercizans ?

Joyce

Great lichen photos and more at: http://www.sharnoffphotos.com/lichens/lichens_home_index.html

Deer in Whiting

Six deer along route 1 in Whiting. They were thin but OK, enjoying the newly uncovered grass. March 30th, 2009 Joyce

Great Grey Owl at Lubec

The GREAT GRAY OWL seen on March 15 along Rt. 189 in Lubec continued at least through March 23.  It has been photographed atop telephone poles and flagpoles adjacent to Rt. 189 at the Trescott/Lubec town line. The owl was actively watching/working (a) field and perching on both sides of the road.

If you see it, Please be respectful of the private property across the street from the kiosk.

From Nature NB post.

Photo Credit: wikipedia.com

Posts from Ebird.com

Location: Hwy 1, St. George, NB

Observation date:     21/03/09
Notes:     2 crows harassing this vulture above the highway as we passed. At least one other crow hanging off. Signs of deer road kill present at this location.
Number of species:     2

Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura     1
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos     3

Location:     Lily Lake, Saint John, NB
Observation date:     21/03/09
Notes:     This is at Rockwood Park. Ducks and gulls are fed by visitors. Counts are my best estimates from a lot of activity on and around the pond and gulls on the Lake.
Number of species:     2

Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos     300


Location:     Marsh near drydock, Saint John, NB
Observation date:     21/03/09
Notes:     In marsh by road. Unable to get photo - spooked easily.
Number of species:     1

Rough-legged Hawk - Buteo lagopus     2
Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis     500

Snow Geese at Grand Manan

Date: Sun, 22 Mar 2009 20:57:12 -0300

From:    NBNature Listserv
Subject: Snow Geese and Painted Bunting

There are 12 snow geese in the Castalia Marsh, they have been there for 5 or 6 days. I spoke with Bessie Bass this evening and she said the painted bunting is still coming everyday. It is amazing that this guy has survived the winter. We had several nights where the temp dipped to -23 plus the wind-chill. When was the first day of winter? I took a trip to Orlando Florida and managed to see a male painted bunting where he should be.

Sixty people have been in to see the bunting. You know who you are. Bessie tells me it has made her winter. Snow she said what snow.

Durlan Ingersoll

Grand Manan

Photo Credit: Wikipedia.com

Find the Great Horned Owl at Campobello

I went out to the blind this evening just after sunset, and settled myself with the camera. I had the camera with just enough of a hole to poke it thru the blind. I had just gotten settled when I saw what looked like a wing in the camera's viewfinder. I immediately took a photo and had to look at it in playback to see what I had. The eye of an owl. Very close. I sat there for a long time and it never moved except to turn its head, nor did I ever see more. I was surprised how big the head was. Eventually an owl moved to a large tree nearby, by then I was too dark to take photos. There first owl was where it was originally, so there were two.

I recorded them on the camera but you have to turn the sound up to hear them,.

They knew I was there and they may never come back. I will try again, though. 

Joyce

Eiders in Friar's Bay, Campobello. March 24th

They have their breeding feathers and the males have their pale spring color which is lovely to see. The females are also quite bright with new color.These were taken handheld with the zoom and I almost did not post them, but the color is so nice.

Joyce

Owl Photography on Campobello

I've been out on the landing behind the big barn here with my chair blind, my black baklava, and my tripod and camera, waiting for the great horned owl that lives here to show up on his favorite tree. I hear it around the house every dusk.

I had the camera set on the favorite tree as dusk arrived and suddenly the owl started a great deal of noise.I could hear the gasps and the KaKaKaKaKaKaKa HooHoo- Hoo Hoo Hoo very close. I could hear another owl calling and two young making a raspy, screechy racket. I was so enthralled, I did not have the sense to turn on the camera microphone. When I moved a the camera a tiny bit the owl flew from another branch very close nearby in the dusk. I had not seen it. They say they throw their voices and this one seemed to. It certainly fooled me, I thought the call was from an entirely different spot. Better luck next time. I will keep at it.

The camera will take dusk photos fine. Any suggestions on owl night photography are welcome.
I also want to find the nest.

Joyce

Mergansers , Friar's Head Cove, March 20th Campoibello

We counted 200 mergansers at one point yesterday at the little cove just south of Friar's Head. A fresh water outlet is there and they all come to drink and socialize. The wealth of wildlife in the Quoddy area is a gift that should not be taken for granted.

Joyce

Ruffed Grouse, Herring Cove, Campobello March 21st

This pair by the side of the road puffed way up in the hope that I would think they were too large to attack.

Joyce

More photos at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/headharbourlight/show/

Black Ducks and Rockweed

The attached photos show the importance of rockweed for the winter survival of black ducks. They depend on rockweed for their entire life, from ducklings on. Winter photos taken March 19th, 09.

The baby eiders need rockweed as well. They would die without it.

Joyce

big flock

March 16th

A beautiful warm sunny day with lots of waterfowl around.

A huge flock in Friar's Bay- around 600 birds, they look as though they could be red-necked grebes, but I am not sure, Photo attached for more clarity.

Many cormorants and red-necked grebes scattered around the bay.

Joyce

http://www.flickr.com/photos/headharbourlight/page3/

Grand Manan Birds, March 13-14, 2009

Date: Sat, 14 Mar 2009 19:43:42 -0300
From: Roger Burrows
Subject: Ingalls Head & White Head birds

March 13

Ingalls Head feeders 09:00-12:15
10 Mourning Doves, 3 Blue Jays, 14 Amereican Goldfinches

March 14

Ingalls Head Road 08:30-09:30
342 American Black Ducks, 30+ American Crows (18+ mobbing an unseen predator
along Brownville Road), 27 Black-capped Chickadees, 2 Common Redpolls, 105
American Goldfinches

Ingalls Head feeders 10:30-13:00
3 Mourning Doves, Red-breasted Nuthatch, 9+ American Robins, Song & 7
American Tree Sparrows, 3 American Goldfinches

with the MacDonalds from Fredericton (who briefly saw the male PAINTED
BUNTING in North Head and were heading back there to try for a longer look)

White Head ferry 13:30-14:00 & 16:30-17:00
4 Common Loons, 5 Red-necked Grebes, 240+ Brants, 4 Mallards, 11 Common
Eiders, 13 White-winged & 10 Surf Scoters, 14+ Long-tailed Ducks15 Great & 2
Double-crested Cormorants

White Head Island 14:00-16:00
5 Common Loons, 6 Red-necked Grebes, 11 Great & 26 Double-crested
Cormorants, 43 Brants, 30 American Black Ducks, 134 Common Eiders, 2 Black,
6 Surf & 3 White-winged Scoters, 4 Harlequin & 10 Long-tailed Ducks2
Red-breasted Mergansers, 2 Ring-necked Pheasants, 17 Black Guillemots,
Red-breasted Nuthatch

Roger Burrows
Ingalls Head
Grand Manan

NatureNB

Painting by Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874-1927) from Wikimedia.com

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!!

Barb Rayner just sent these wonderful photos of Crocus in St. Andrews. No kidding they were taken yesterday, not last year. There is hope folks!

Thanks Barb.

Today on the St. George Loop

3:00 pm to 5:00 pm - Bocabec, NB to St. George, NB and return:

1. Whitetail Deer: Lots of sign at Digdeguash Basin and Hwy 1 at Kerr's Ridge. Saw 1 at the Basin and 5 on Hwy 1 at St. George.
2. Common Mergansers at Digdeguash Basin. 4 males, 2 females.
3. Black Duck - 2 in pond at Bethel.
4. Raven and Crow - lots of crows along the way. One soaring Raven at Bethel.
5. Eagles - Saw one flying near Bethel. 2(3-4?) immatures and one adult around deer (?) kill on side road at Bethel off Hwy 1. Lots of crows feeding.
6. Kerr's Ridge - 7 Snow Buntings.

Art

Phot0: Common Mergansers at Digdeguash Falls. Art MacKay. Other photos at Flickr.com/bayoffundy

Linemen for the County

Two pileated woodpeckers were acting as"linemen for the county" this morning; inspecting power poles along route 127 at Bocabec, NB.

Beautiful birds.

This gave me a chance to see how fast one can post information to this blog and flickr .... pretty fast actually. Probably within a half hour, everything is up and out.

This will be very important this summer when we start reporting on whales in near real time.

How fast can you get something up on ilovequoddyWILD from your cell phone camera? email an attachment to artmackay.ilovequoddywild at blogger.com

Let's test it.

Cozy Quoddy in Winter

This recent aerial from Tim Foulkes shows all of our fabulous Quoddy area. Left to right along the horizon is Deer Island, Campobello,Lubec, Eastport and the Maine shore. St. Andrews is at the end of the peninsula. The large white area on the left is Chamcook Lake and Little Chamcook . Simpson Hill is left foreground and the contentious quarry is right foreground.

We are certainly all packed into this cozy and special corner of the world! Thanks Tim.

Oldsquaws, Eagles and Eiders at Campobello

http://flickr.com/photos/headharbourlight/show/

March 5th, Welshpool Wharf
There were 9 oldsquaws close enough for photos.

Also 2 eagles in the trees and a small flock of eiders at Herring Cove.

The weather warmed up in the early afternoon, sun with no wind made it a lovely day.

Joyce