Signs of Spring on Fundy's Machias Seal Island?

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

Date: Thu, 18 Feb 2010 06:55:06 -0400
From: Ralph Eldridge, NatureNB
Subject: MACHIAS SEAL ISLAND REPORT

Recent highlights:
The first GRAY SEALS are begining to haul out daily. There are no more than
10 so far. All are adults except one possible pup. However, distance and a single sighting leaves the possibility of a small adult Harbour Seal instead of a Gray pup.

An adult PEREGRINE FALCON hunted the island throughout February 13th and  14th. His persumed prey was the wintering PURPLE SANDPIPERS which number about 50 this year on MSI and a similiar number on Gull Rock.

On the 15th there was a 4th winter BALD EAGLE hunting the island and  surrounding waters.  That's my only sighting this month. Usually I have 1-10 sightings per week  during the winter.

Also on the 15th, there were 2 groups (6 & 7) of BRANT headed towards Grand  Manan.

LONG TAILED DUCKS are becoming increasingly numerous and EIDERS are up  slightly.
1-4 pairs of COMMON MERGANSERS are present around the island daily.

HARLEQUIN DUCKS are near last year's number with slightly more than 30  confirmed.  This is the second winter with more 20. From 1996 through 2008 the winter  population was static at ~15.

There is no evidence of any SONG SPARROWS over-wintering.  That being the only terrestrial species that tries (usually unsuccessfully) to  stay here, we are left with no resident land birds this winter.

"Our" pair of RAVENS pop out to visit us most days.

Photo Credit: wikipedia.com

White Puffin at Grand Manan Basin - Birds and Whales at Machias Seal Island

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

Date: Wed, 2 Sep 2009 07:10:53 -0300
From: Ralph Eldridge  Nature NB
Subject: MACHIAS SEAL ISLAND REPORT

With the onset of fair weather the bird movement has been steady but pretty  much as expected for the season. Raptors are still scarce except that EAGLES are hanging around most every  day, 1 or 2 HARRIERS hunt through each day and there is an occasional  PEREGRINE or SHARP SHINNED HAWK. Sparrows are, as usual, the most numerous birds although the variety is still  limited. I did find 3 LARK SPARROWS, 1 probable GRASSHOPPER SPARROW & 2  SHARP TAILED SPARROWS yesterday.  Also seen were 7 DICKSCISELS, 7 HUMMINGBIRDS, 4 EASTERN KINGBIRDS & 3  BALTIMORE ORIOLES, along with a variety of warblers, flycatchers &  SHOREBIRDS.

There are about a half dozen PUFFIN nests still active but no fledglings have  been seen on the lawn for the past 2 nights. These late season birds seem to  be either very mature and in super good condition or else they are very under  developed, to the point that their survival in doubtful.

On the water, feeding flocks are seen daily with SHEARWATERS the most  numerous species but PUFFINS, GULLS & GANNETS are well represented. HARBOUR PORPOISE & MINKE WHALES are usually in the vicinity and I've seen  BLUEFIN TUNA & BASKING SHARKS during the past few days.

The largely WHITE PUFFIN that was reported in the Grand Manan Basin will  remind many listers of the one which was around here a few years ago. That bird was around for several weeks that summer, went unseen the  following year and it (presumedly) reappeared very briefly during the 3rd  summer.

Photo Credit: Albino Puffin Shetland Islands http://www.bobbytulloch.com/category_details.php?id=63

Bay of Fundy Birds - Machias Seal Island

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

Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2009 02:49:03 -0300
From: Ralph Eldridge
Subject: MACHIAS SEAL ISLAND REPORT

The activity of last night (Sunday/Monday) produced the expected selection  (11 species) of warbler drop-outs plus some season firsts in the form of  several EASTERN KINGBIRDS, OVENBIRDS, KILLDEERS, a BALTIMORE ORIOLE, 2  CUCKOO (sp.) and several KINGLETS. Also last night, I checked over 50 WILSON'S & LEACHE'S STORM PETRELS but
none were banded.

Tonight (Monday/Tuesday), we are again blessed with fog but there is little  apparent bird movement. As of this writing, 02:45 hrs., I've only seen 1 Storm  Petrel and a scattering of sparrows and warblers. There's not much to be heard, either, just an occasional Tern or Petrel over- head and less frequently, a songbird cheerp.

A few PUFFINS continue feeding young but I doubt if there are more than 2 or  3 dozen left on the entire island.

Photo Credit: Baltimore Oriole, wikipedia.com

Bay of Fundy's Machias Seal Island offers puffin-watchers paradise

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

Last Updated: Monday, August 24, 2009 | 4:28 PM AT 

By Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon, CBC News

Atlantic puffins lure birdwatchers, naturalists and photographers to Machias Seal Island, a migratory bird sanctuary in the Bay of Fundy. (Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon/CBC)

Machias Seal Island, a remote bird sanctuary in the Bay of Fundy, provides birdwatchers, naturalists and photographers with a rare glimpse of one of Canada’smost popular seabirds.

The rocky island, located 18 kilometres southwest of Grand Manan, serves as a breeding site for thousands of birds each year, including Atlantic puffins.

About 1,300 pairs of puffins visit Machias Seal Island during the spring and summer to breed and nest.

Puffins, with their striking orange beaks, and matching orange webbed feet, lure bird enthusiasts to travel to great lengths to see them.

Only about eight hectares in area, Machias Seal Island is a designated migratory bird sanctuary, maintained by the Canadian Wildlife Service, so access is restricted.

Sea Watch Tours, out of Grand Manan, is the only Canadian company with permission to land. It offers tours six days a week between late June and early August, weather permitting.

However, it can only take 15 people a day, so reservations are required for anyone who wants to catch a glimpse of the puffins.

Other nesting birds that attract visitors to the island include razorbill auks and common murres.

The trip from Seal Cove Wharf takes about two hours and is not for the faint of stomach when the water is rough.

Occasional sightings of other birds, such as shearwaters, Wilson storm petrels, phalaropes, jeagers, northern gannet, black guillemots and eider ducks help pass the time. Passengers may also see seals, harbour porpoises, and whales en route.

Machias Seal Island lighthouse is the first signal to visitors that they’re approaching the island.


Read entire article here: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2009/08/24/f-nb-machias-puffins.html

Did you enjoy summer?

See the pictures and subscribe at http://ilovequoddywild.blogspot.com

Date: Tue, 7 Jul 2009 20:06:52 -0300
From: Ralph Eldridge NATURENB
Subject: MACHIAS SEAL ISLAND REPORT

Did you enjoy summer??

Well get ready for fall. The south-bound migration has started. Today I saw two flocks of DOWITCHERS, totaling 43 birds. They are the first migrants of the season.

SPOTTED SANDPIPER chicks are scampering around, some barely out of their shells and looking like off-balance fluff balls.

EIDER ducklings are still hatching and every day there's a notable increase in their numbers .

Only minutes after my last post there came another sign of the seasons. More than 30 TREE SWALLOWS, both adults and juveniles, arrived here and they are actively feeding. By remarkable serendipity, this is the first evening for at least 2 weeks that the wind has been down and the air is full of tiny flies. It's a perfect opportunity for them to refuel.

Photo Credit Dowitcher: wikipedia.com

Comments and Concerns Abour Terns on Machias Seal Island

See the pictures and subscribe at
http://www.ilovequoddywild.blogspot.com

Date:    Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:41:15 -0300
From:    David Christie NBNature listserv
Subject: Re: The Machias Seal Island seabird colony

At 2:45 PM -0300 6/15/09, Diamond, Tony wrote:

Recently David Christie invited me indirectly to summarise the situation with the tern colony on Machias Seal Island from the perspective of one who has studied the seabirds there every year since 1994. The summary below is a belated response to that invitation.

The recent changes include: a "bottom-up" change in the foodweb, initiated by (as yet unclear) oceanographic/climatic changes; this is suggested by the change in diet of the seabirds, showing a steady reduction in the  proportion  of juvenile herring ("brit") with a sharp drop since 2001, in all the species monitored, and their replacement by lower-quality food (euphausiid shrimp, larval fish);



Thanks, Tony. I appreciate your summary of the changes that affect  the seabirds breeding on Machias Seal Island, particularly the  details about the food organisms, which I had not remembered well  from our previous conversation. It reminds one of the changes that  saw the disappearance of the huge numbers of RED-NECKED PHALAROPES  [Phalarope à bec étroit] from the passages of Passamoquoddy Bay.

I sincerely hope that things will turn around for these birds. It would be a terrible shame to lose such an outstanding colony as Machias Seal Island has been.

David Christie
Mary's Point, Harvey, Albert Co., New Brunswick, Canada

Photo Credit: Wikipedia.com

Warblers at Machias Seal Island

Date: Sat, 16 May 2009 06:29:02 -0300
From: Ralph Eldridge NatureNB Listserv
Subject: MACHIAS SEAL ISLAND REPORT

Fairly good warbler movement last night although the drop-out was light. Drop-outs see up until dawn:

OVENBIRDS;
COMMON YELLOW THROATS;
REDSTARTS;
PARULAS;
CHESTNUT SIDED WARBLERS;
MAGNOLIA WARBLERS;
YELLOW RUMPED WARBLERS;
BLACK THROATED GREEN WARBLERS;
BLACK THROATED BLUE WARBLERS;
NASHVILLE WARBLERS;
YELLOW WARBLERS;
BLACKPOLL WARBLERS;
BLACK & WHITE WARBLERS.

Photo credit: black-throated green warbler, wikipedia.com
See the pictures and subscribe at http://www.ilovequoddywild.blogspot.com

More from Bird Heaven

Date: Wed, 13 May 2009 22:39:23 -0300

From:    Ralph Eldridge NatureNB Listserve
Subject: MACHIAS SEAL ISLAND REPORT

Yesterday was another raptor day. Several PEREGRINE FALCONS were hanging around and some were seen to leave thje island "air space" headed either towards Grand Manan or the Maine coast just west of Cutler. At least 2 MERLINS were also sighted, with at least 1 hanging around for much of the day.

At one point, directly over head, there was a Peregrine  chasing and attacking a Merlin while 2 other Peregrines followed along as spectators.At every moment of the day, from before sunrise until dark, there was at least 1 Peregrine in sight, either perching or hunting.

Today wasn't so predatory but PEREGRINES, MERLINS & SHARP SHINNED HAWKS were usually on view.

TERNS put in their first appearance at sunrise on Sunday (only about 150) and departed after a brief high over-flight as is typical at first. They makeover-flights for several days before actually landing on the island. After the first landings, they progress rapidly to locating  nest sites and then to staying on the island overnight. There were no Terns on Monday and only about 100 on Tuesday morning.

Tuesday, as I've mentioned was a raptor day from start to finish and that fact wasn't lost on the Terns. In the few minutes that they were nearby they attracted a falcon's attention. As the Terns started to depart I spotted a Peregrine stroking on a long approach run. He engaged the Terns at an altitude of  about 1000 feet and over water, about 1/2 mile south of the island. A couple minutes later I spotted  the falcon returning to MSI carrying a Tern.

Today a group of perhaps 150 - 200 TERNS returned at sunrise and made a few high altitude over-flights of the island.

With other birds, no big changes although "coloured' birds continue strong and warblers are becoming better represented.Yesterday and today produced at least 7 BALTRIMORE ORIOLES & 2 ORCHARD ORIOLES; many OVENBIRDS; several THRUSHES & BROWN THRASHERS; several  BOBOLINKS & ROSE BREASTED GROSBEAKS; our 1st male BLACK THROATED BLUE WARBLER, several YELLOW WARBLERS & PARULAS; a couple each RUSTY BLACKBIRDS & RED WINGED BLACKBIRDS.

On the marine side there's nothing really unusual: lots of ALCIDS, CORMORANTS & EIDERS; scattered LOONS. et cetera. There was a nice flight of 9 GANNETS plus several singles and pairs.

See the pictures and subscribe at http://www.ilovequoddywild.blogspot.com

A Special Day at Machias Seal Island

Date: Sun, 10 May 2009 18:20:45 -0300

From:    Ralph Eldridge NatureNB Listserv
Subject: MACHIAS SEAL ISLAND REPORT

Joan Pearce hit it well when she called this a colourful day. It seems that most of our most flamboyant species arrive together. Out here, I'm accustomed to seeing species together in combinations that we only dream about on the mainland.

By mid-afternoon the only notable new arrivals were a 1st spring INDIGO BUNTING (to join the female here since Friday) and a young male BOBOLINK. However, in a gathering second only to a special day in the mid-1990s, for a brief time our 20 foot square patio hosted:

INDIGO BUNTING (1M & 1F);
BOBOLINK (1M);
ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK (IM & 3F);
EASTERN TOWEE (2M & 2F);
BALTIMORE ORIOLE (1M & 1F);
NORTHERN FLICKER (1M);
GRAY CATBIRD (2);
WOOD THRUSH (1);
GOLDFINCH (3M & 2F);
PURPLE FINCH (1F);
BLACK & WHITE WARBLER (1M);
WHITE THROATED SPARROW (>30);
SAVANNAH SPARROW (>10);
WHITE CROWNED SPARROW (4);
SWAMP SPARROW (5);
SONG SPARROW (2);
LINCOLN'S SPARROW (1);
FIELD SPARROW (1);
OVENBIRD (1).

Also in sight but not on the patio at that time:

MIXED SPARROWS (>100);
BROWN THRASHER (1):
GRACKLE (3);
STARLING (1)
RED WINGED BLACKBIRD (1F);
ROBIN (1F);
NORTHERN PARULA (3);
YELLOW WARBLER (1M);
MAGNOLIA WARBLER (1M);
BLACK THROATED GREEN WARBLER (1M);
PALM WARBLER (2).

Add to that: an EAGLE (EATING puffin); a SHARP SHINNED HAWK (eating WHT. THR. SPARROW); both CORMORANTS; 3 GULL sp.; 2 DUCK sp.; a couple LOONS; a couple RAVENS and (of course) the ALCIDS.

Not too bad for 15 minutes standing at the livingroom window. I wonder if I should take a stroll??

------------------------------

Date:    Sun, 10 May 2009 18:30:52 -0300

I did step outside to get a decent photograph of the INDIGO BUNTING.
While out there I watched a KESTREL actively hunting birds, as well as a HARRIER (also hunting).
I was distracted from getting shots of the hovering Kestrel by an arriving pair of SNOWY EGRETS.
One Egret set down here but looks to be simply resting. The other Egret continued directly towards Southern Head, Grand Manan. Both birds are in full breeding plumage.

Photo Credit: wikipedia.com

See the pictures and subscribe at
http://www.ilovequoddywild.blogspot.com

Birds at Machias Seal Island

Date: Fri, 1 May 2009 04:37:19 -0300

From:    Ralph Eldridge NBNature Listserv
Subject: MACHIAS SEAL ISLAND REPORT

The following was written THURSDAY, APRIL 30 at 09:00 hrs. but fell victim to the list outage.

Several raptors are moving through this morning and pausing long enough to hunt for breakfast. 3 HARRIERS, 3 MERLINS & 1 PEREGRINE have been distinguished and one of more of them has been cruising about most of the time.

Add 2 RAVENS to the raptor presence and it's understandable that everything else is keeping a very low profile in heavy vegetation or under the boardwalks. Between each predator fly-by there is frantic feeding activity from the flood of WHITE THROATED SPARROWS and the less numerous other Sparrows,

Flickers, Warblers, Thrushes et cetera.

The male B. ORIOLE & B. THRASHER are still here and although I haven't seen a female TOWEE since yesterday, there are at least 4 males here right now.

The following was written about 17:00 hrs on Thursday. It was also kicked back, hence the late post..

Throughout the day the raptors have been very active and the ratio of notable, the number of SHARP SHINNED HAWKS rose to at least 10 at one point.

There were 3 lined up on the patio railing watching for an unwary sparrow. I've seen numerous chases, escapes and kills, including a Sharpie that nearly hit me as it's prey darted behind me for protection. Both a Sharpie and a Merlin have lunched on our patio today.

As evening nears, the main wave of ALCIDS have come ashore but there are 2 very active HARRIERS and 2 RAVENS criss-crossing the island. Any one of those birds is enough to send everyone diving for shelter. With all of them present the rocks rapidly bared and only the most unwary prey is even peeking from cover. 

There was a GRAY SEAL pup on the western side of the island yesterday. It seemed uninjured and healthy and with no sign of emaciation.

Today I found her near the same location. She was still partly wet so apparently she had been in the water and returned to the same place for some sunbathing.

Like most pups of that age, she is not alarmed by humans as long as they stay at least 3 meters away. She readily returned to her napping while I sprawled on the rocks and quietly moved around taking a few photographs. She barely even noticed my departure, sending me on my way with a wave of a fore flipper and a huge, distinctly bored yawn.

Photo credit: Wikipedia.com

Subscribe at http://www.ilovequoddywild.blogspot.com