Weekend in New Hampshire and Maine, June 10th to 12th

Big Swing III : 104 species in two varied days,
scroll all the way down to get to the detailed species list.

 

Pond at Old Cherry Mountain Road

 

The 3^rd Big Swing shows the popularity of this trip, newcomers and returnees enjoy the cool climate, the great looks at breeding warblers and the camaraderie among fellow birders.

Again Charlie Nims and Joe Scott not only planned the trip and herded us through some of their favorite birding spots, but also hosted all 16 of us at their respective homes one evening for dinner.
Even if the weather outside was somewhat cool and wet on the first day, (I had to buy an extra sweater!) the feelings among us stayed very warm J.

Canadian Bunchberry, phot by Steven Whitebread

Some of my personal highlights on the first day have got to be Trudeau Road, Base Road and Old Cherry Mt. Road - three very "birdy places" with Mourning, Canada, Nashville and many other warblers singing away. A serene, peaceful lake with beaver splashing and Purple Finches flying across. Interesting and varied northern plants to study along the way. Easy walking – the only problem was that we had too little time to spend in those places where I would have been happy to stay all day…. But there was a Bicknell’s Thrush waiting to be seen, which meant driving over to Cannon Mountain in time to catch the first tram. The rare Bicknell’s Thrush stops vocalizing later in the day which would probably exclude us from seeing it.

Here are the checklist links to each site visited on Saturday

Base Station Road, Coos, New Hampshire, US, Jun 11, 2016 6:15 AM - 6:54 AM
Protocol: Traveling, 0.25 mile(s), 16 species, View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30217789

Old Cherry Mt. Rd., Carroll/Jefferson, Coos, New Hampshire, US, Jun 11, 2016 7:06 AM - 8:27 AM
Protocol: Traveling, 1.3 mile(s), 34 species (+1 other taxa), View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30219867

Cannon Mt., Franconia, Grafton, New Hampshire, US, Jun 11, 2016 9:25 AM - 11:11 AM
Protocol: Traveling, 0.5 mile(s), 9 species, View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30217794
Trudeau Rd., Bethlehem, Grafton, New Hampshire, US, Jun 11, 2016 11:34 AM - 12:51 PM
Protocol: Traveling, 0.8 mile(s), 26 species (+2 other taxa) View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30302641

Airport Marsh, Whitefield, Coos, New Hampshire, US, Jun 11, 2016 13:32 AM - 14:40 PM
Protocol: Traveling, 0.8 mile(s), 43 species, View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30217803
Pondicherry NWR--Cherry Pond access trail, Whitefield/Jefferson, Coos, New Hampshire, US, Jun 11, 2016 2:50 PM - 4:57 PM, Protocol: Traveling, 1.8 mile(s), 26 species View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30217807

White Ladyslipper Orchid at Trudeau Road, phot by Steven Whitebread

Clintonia borealis at Cherry Mt Road, photo by Steven Whitebread

 On Sunday we started off at Brownfield Bogs. If you’ve not been there go right now!

With our many keen eyes we saw some fantastic bird activity! This is why birding in a group pays off.

Here is what Joe Scott wrote about day two for the Maine list serve:

“Today Charlie Nims and I took a South Shore Bird Club group to Brownfield Bog, and we were richly rewarded with birds in their nesting activities. There were 8 species observed sitting on their nests, including yellow-billed cuckoo, red-eyed vireo (2), yellow warbler, black and white warbler, eastern kingbird, cedar waxwing, eastern phoebe and yellow-bellied sapsucker. We also had black-billed cuckoo carrying food, a male scarlet tanager feeding young, and two juvenile pied billed grebes paddling along looking for mom. Other ‘normal' bird sightings included a mourning warbler, a yellow-throated vireo, wilson's snipe, ruffed grouse, virginia rail, and flycatchers - willow, alder, least, great-crested, kingbird, phoebe, and pewee.”  

Yellow-billed Cuckoo on nest, photo by Steven Whitebread

Enough said - the ebird list for the bog contain some of Charlie’s photos, so make sure you check it out and here I try to include some of Steven’s pictures of the fabulous birds seen.

Brownfield Bog WMA, Oxford, Maine, US, Jun 12, 2016 7:24 AM - 11:05 AM, Protocol: Traveling
1.5 mile(s), 45 species View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30217814



Yellow-bellied Sapsucker bringing food to nest, photo by Steven Whitebread

The trip ended at Scarborough Marsh, which added a few more species, like this very cooperative Little Blue Heron to the list. It was sunny along the coast, but also extremely windy. This made spotting Saltmarsh Sparrows very difficult.

 

Little Blue Heron, photo by Steven Whitebread

 And here are the rest of the links to the ebird list for Sunday

 

Scarborough Marsh--Dunstan Landing, Cumberland, Maine, US, Jun 12, 2016 1:01 PM - 1:20 PM, Protocol: Traveling, 0.1 mile(s), 11 species, View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30217820

 
Scarborough Marsh--Eastern Rd., Cumberland, Maine, US, Jun 12, 2016 1:29 PM - 2:46 PM, Protocol: Traveling
0.9 mile(s), 19 species, View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30217832

Scarborough Marsh--Pelreco Building, Cumberland, Maine, US, Jun 12, 2016 2:56 PM - 3:29 PM, Protocol: Traveling, 0.1 mile(s), 18 species, View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30217836

Scarborough Marsh--Pine Point, Cumberland, Maine, US, Jun 12, 2016 3:37 PM - 4:00 PM, Protocol: Stationary
8 species, View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30217838

As always many thanks to the leaders and their partners for this special trip!

Thanks also to the photographers who captured these birds so beautifully.

Christine Whitebread

 

Total # of Species:	104
Total # of Checklists:	10
Location(s):   Airport Marsh, Whitefield; Base Station Road; Brownfield Bog WMA; Cannon Mt., Franconia; Old Cherry Mt. Rd., Carroll/Jefferson; Pondicherry NWR--Cherry Pond access trail, Whitefield/Jefferson; Scarborough Marsh--Dunstan Landing; Scarborough Marsh--Eastern Rd.; Scarborough Marsh--Pelreco Building; Scarborough Marsh--Pine Point    Summary   Jun 11 Jun 12 Jun 13 Jun 14 Jun 15 Jun 16 Jun 17 Number of Species 69 71 -- -- -- -- -- Number of Individuals 320 442 -- -- -- -- -- Number of Checklists 5 5     Total Number of Birds Show Sample Size Species Name Jun 11 Jun 12 Jun 13 Jun 14 Jun 15 Jun 16 Jun 17 Canada Goose 1 4 -- -- -- -- -- Wood Duck 1 2 -- -- -- -- -- American Black Duck 5 11 -- -- -- -- -- Mallard -- 11 -- -- -- -- -- Hooded Merganser 19 -- -- -- -- -- -- Ruffed Grouse -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- Wild Turkey 3 -- -- -- -- -- -- Common Loon 1 1 -- -- -- -- -- Pied-billed Grebe -- 2 -- -- -- -- -- Double-crested Cormorant -- 3 -- -- -- -- -- Great Blue Heron 1 1 -- -- -- -- -- Great Egret -- 5 -- -- -- -- -- Snowy Egret -- 3 -- -- -- -- -- Little Blue Heron -- 3 -- -- -- -- -- Glossy Ibis -- 43 -- -- -- -- -- Turkey Vulture 1 1 -- -- -- -- -- Northern Harrier 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- Bald Eagle -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- Virginia Rail -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- Killdeer 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- Willet -- 5 -- -- -- -- -- Wilson's Snipe 1 1 -- -- -- -- -- Herring Gull -- 32 -- -- -- -- -- Great Black-backed Gull -- 2 -- -- -- -- -- Least Tern -- 23 -- -- -- -- -- Common Tern -- 42 -- -- -- -- -- Rock Pigeon -- 7 -- -- -- -- -- Mourning Dove -- 3 -- -- -- -- -- Yellow-billed Cuckoo -- 2 -- -- -- -- -- Black-billed Cuckoo -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- Belted Kingfisher 2 1 -- -- -- -- -- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 3 -- -- -- -- -- Downy Woodpecker -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- Northern Flicker 3 1 -- -- -- -- -- Pileated Woodpecker 2 -- -- -- -- -- -- Eastern Wood-Pewee -- 2 -- -- -- -- -- Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- Alder Flycatcher 2 4 -- -- -- -- -- Willow Flycatcher -- 3 -- -- -- -- -- Least Flycatcher -- 14 -- -- -- -- -- Eastern Phoebe 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- Great Crested Flycatcher 2 1 -- -- -- -- -- Yellow-throated Vireo -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- Blue-headed Vireo 8 -- -- -- -- -- -- Warbling Vireo -- 7 -- -- -- -- -- Red-eyed Vireo 10 6 -- -- -- -- -- Blue Jay 8 5 -- -- -- -- -- American Crow 3 6 -- -- -- -- -- Common Raven 5 -- -- -- -- -- -- Northern Rough-winged Swallow 3 1 -- -- -- -- -- Tree Swallow 5 3 -- -- -- -- -- Bank Swallow 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- Barn Swallow -- 7 -- -- -- -- -- Cliff Swallow 2 2 -- -- -- -- -- Black-capped Chickadee 9 1 -- -- -- -- -- Red-breasted Nuthatch 19 -- -- -- -- -- -- White-breasted Nuthatch -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- Winter Wren 4 -- -- -- -- -- -- Golden-crowned Kinglet 5 -- -- -- -- -- -- Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- Veery 2 8 -- -- -- -- -- Bicknell's Thrush 2 -- -- -- -- -- -- Swainson's Thrush 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- Hermit Thrush 2 -- -- -- -- -- -- Wood Thrush 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- American Robin 8 1 -- -- -- -- -- Gray Catbird 1 4 -- -- -- -- -- European Starling 4 9 -- -- -- -- -- Cedar Waxwing 22 6 -- -- -- -- -- Ovenbird 4 4 -- -- -- -- -- Black-and-white Warbler 1 9 -- -- -- -- -- Nashville Warbler 8 -- -- -- -- -- -- Mourning Warbler 1 1 -- -- -- -- -- Common Yellowthroat 4 5 -- -- -- -- -- American Redstart 1 9 -- -- -- -- -- Northern Parula 4 -- -- -- -- -- -- Magnolia Warbler 7 -- -- -- -- -- -- Blackburnian Warbler 8 -- -- -- -- -- -- Yellow Warbler 1 12 -- -- -- -- -- Chestnut-sided Warbler 6 3 -- -- -- -- -- Blackpoll Warbler 7 -- -- -- -- -- -- Black-throated Blue Warbler 10 1 -- -- -- -- -- Yellow-rumped Warbler 14 -- -- -- -- -- -- Black-throated Green Warbler 8 -- -- -- -- -- -- Canada Warbler 6 -- -- -- -- -- -- Saltmarsh Sparrow -- 2 -- -- -- -- -- Dark-eyed Junco 6 -- -- -- -- -- -- White-throated Sparrow 13 -- -- -- -- -- -- Savannah Sparrow 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- Song Sparrow 7 10 -- -- -- -- -- Swamp Sparrow 3 8 -- -- -- -- -- Scarlet Tanager -- 4 -- -- -- -- -- Northern Cardinal -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1 2 -- -- -- -- -- Indigo Bunting 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- Red-winged Blackbird 1 25 -- -- -- -- -- Common Grackle -- 19 -- -- -- -- -- Baltimore Oriole -- 6 -- -- -- -- -- House Finch -- 2 -- -- -- -- -- Purple Finch 8 -- -- -- -- -- -- Pine Siskin 6 -- -- -- -- -- -- American Goldfinch -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- House Sparrow -- 9 -- -- -- -- -- passerine sp. 8 -- -- -- -- -- --   Top of page © Cornell Lab of Ornitholog