[wisb] ME trip rpt

From: "Seegert, Greg" <gseegert@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:22:47 -0400
Wisbirders:
I returned yesterday from my annual Maine fishing trip.  Prior to the start of 
the fishing, I took two days to look for birds.

Last Thursday, I started at Scarborough Marsh mainly to look for the two 
sharp-tailed sparrows.  Finding and flushing  them wasn't hard, but getting an 
identifiable look was.  I saw one that definitively was a Nelson's (Atlantic 
race) and about 40 sharp-tailed spp.  By mid-morning I found out that today's 
high tide was a flood tide, which affected where I could go, further limiting 
my effectiveness.  While tromping around for sparrows. I flushed a yellow rail. 
 I got a brief but excellent view of it.  I tried to re-flush it but of course 
couldn't.  On my way out, I ran into Peter Vickery, one of the most active 
local birders.  I found out later that he and a friend looked for the rail for 
2 hours after I left but never flushed it.  He posted my sighting on ME Birds 
calling it "highly credible".....guess he didn't know me.  In the afternoon, I 
took the ferry out to Monhegan Island and back.  During the passage, I saw many 
N gannets, one greater shearwater, many common eiders, a few black guillemots, 
and one great cormorant.

Friday morning I drove around Mt Desert Island, but didn't see much.  In the 
afternoon, I took the whale watching boat out of Bar Harbor.  The seas were 
quite rough and people were falling down and barfing a lot......the guy next to 
me nearly filled a gallon plastic bag.  Probably because of the rough seas, we 
saw no whales but birding was good.  I stationed myself near a young lady who 
was doing a research project on pelagic birds and we compared sightings as we 
went.  During the 3.5 hr trip, I saw a few N gannets, about 15 greater 
shearwaters, two sooty shearwaters, one Manx shearwater, 2 Atlantic puffins, 2 
N fulmars, about 30 Wilson's storm-petrels, and 2 jaeger spp.  Near shore were 
many common eiders and black guillemots.  Best of all,  we didn't see any 
whales, which meant I got a free ticket for another trip.  The ticket is good 
forever, or until I die,  which will probably come first.

For the 2 days, I added 13 year birds bringing my year total to 514.  Based on 
the trips I have planned, I should probably be able to add about 50 to that 
total.

Greg Seegert
Who's back in Deerfield, IL for 10 whole days.

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[wisb] ME trip rpt

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