Mainely Foggy

Jun 27, 20232 min read

Well I can complain about the weather -- it's been really quite spotty, but better than was predicted when we were at home.

Saturday was off and on rain, but I did get some birding in early in the FOG! That is actually this week's theme so far.

First stop was Kennebunk Plains and it was primarily car birdable -- you know how I love that. I started with 97 State birds in Maine. By the end of the day Saturday I had 110 despite the weather.

The place was lousy with Vesper Sparrow -- please note its breakfast and adorable pink feet. There three different birds here.

Eastern Kingbird

One of the fields

Prairie Warbler from all angles

Chipping Sparrow

Next up Biddeford Pool -- VERY foggy. Theoretically there is a King Eider out there...

Willet on a house

Common Eider Family

Bald Eagle -- can you tell in the fog -- it was only @200 feet away, just pea soup in between us.

Black-crowned Night-heron

This was the pool -- not easy to see

Brown-headed Cowbirds

American Goldfinch

Gray Catbird

Cedar Waxwing

On to Gray, Maine to try to see the Sandhill Cranes -- Success!

Just hanging out across the street from the Solar Panels...

Blue Jay hanging out in the fog...

On Sunday the fog took out any photos, but I was at a lovely nature preserve where I saw a few new gems -- Purple Finch, Red-shouldered Hawk, Barred Owl & a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. The afternoon was actually beautiful, but I was on a boat ride to a clambake with the family (I won $200 in the 50/50 lottery). Of course that was when a Loggerhead Shrike showed up in Kennebunk.

Monday was a little better. I headed back to Kennebunk Plains to see if I could see the NINE Upland Sandpipers which would be a life bird for me. Neither bird was presenting -- but I had a nice bird anyway.

Chipping Sparrow in Pine Tree

Chipmunk

Northern Flicker

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Kingbired

Flora

American Goldfinch

Prairie Warbler

Flora

Then I went up to check out a road in Newcastle - still foggy.

Bank Swallow

Wood Duck

Wood Duck

Great Blue Heron Flyover

Lupine

Fields & fields of Lupine

Also Monday was a fabulous day in Rhode Island -- Magnificent Frigatebird, Black Skimmer, Forster's & Roseate Terns. I missed it. Back to Newcastle on Tuesday morning -- but a different route.

House Wren

Great Crested Flycatcher

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk making like an Owl

Wood Ducks

Foggy Marsh

Went up to Jefferson to Egypt Road Marsh to see a Least Flycatcher, Canada Warbler & a few Red Crossbills. Then up to Thomaston to see the marsh that is the Northern most sighting of the Sharp-tailed swallows. Only saw one-- the Nelson's Sparrow and it was far -- but heard it vocalizing before Merlin. There has been so much traffic noise on this trip -- I have had to listen very closely. I think the fog amplifies the sound of traffic.

Snowy Egrets