Sept. 30th - Pelagic trip.

Wow! What a trip! Thanks to everyone who came out, I certainly feel like the trip was a big success and we were so fortunate that the weather held off as long as it did. I was on the water after the trip and the conditions deteriorated very quickly once we got off the water.

The highlight of the trip was an adult SABINE'S GULL in winter plumage that we spotted very quickly after entering the Head Harbour area. Here are some shots of the bird...

Sabine's gull, winter plummage

Sabine's gull, winter plummage

The bird took flight after we first spotted it, but did not go far before settling back onto the water, after which we were able to make a close approach for good looks by all. The bird then took flight and was not seen again.

Other birds spotted include;

Sooty shearwater
Great shearwater
Manx shearwater
Leach's storm petrel
Pomarine jaeger
Parasitic jaeger
Black guillemot
Razorbill
Atlantic puffin
Northern gannet
Surf scoter
Black scoter
White-winged scoter
Common eider
Common loon
Red-throated loon
Black-legged kittiwake
Bonaparte's gull
Great cormorant
Peregrine falcon
Bald eagle

Thanks again to everyone that put faith in the weather (and the crew) and came out with us this morning. I hope that these trips become an annual event, preferably with a few each season! The area really does contain some spectacular bird life and I was very happy to be able to share it with you all.

Cheers,
Nick

Sept. 18th - 25th

LITTLE GULL

LEACH'S STORM PETREL

RED-NECKED GREBE

NORTHERN GOSHAWK

WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS

SURF SCOTERS

BLACK SCOTERS

RED-THROATED LOONS

PARASITIC JAEGERS

POMARINE JAEGERS

PEREGRINE FALCON 

NORTHERN HARRIER

RED-TAILED HAWK

ATLANTIC PUFFIN

MANX SHEARWATER

Red-necked phalaropes

Great cormorant

Sooty shearwater

Great shearwater

Common murre

Black guillemot

Razorbill

Northern Gannets

Common eider

Great blue heron

Bald eagle

Arctic tern

Bonaparte’s gull

Black legged kittiwake

Osprey

Some excellent bird activity on the bay lately. Most of the activity remains near the inshore, near a small grassy rock called Green's island that lies between Deer island and Campobello. During ebb tide this area has been the location of the largest gull feeding groups that I have ever seen, containing mostly HERRING, BLACK-BACKED GULLS and BONAPARTE'S gulls, ARCTIC TERNS and KITTIWAKES as well as hundreds of DOUBLE CRESTED CORMORANTS and a few GREAT CORMORANTS as well. These groups easily numbered in the thousands of birds. At times, the groups of feeding birds are so thick that you can not see the minke whales that are surfacing within them.

Gulls feeding of Green's island

Juvenile Bonaparte's gull with herring

Adult Bonaparte's gull with herring

Kittiwakes and Bonaparte's gull

Great Cormorant

The island itself has been covered with BALD EAGLES, with up to 15 spotted on the small island at one time and a few GREAT-BLUE HERONS can be seen perched alongside the eagles. Both species are feeding on the abundant herring schools that surround the island.

Adult and immature bald eagles on Green's island

Eagle pursuit

Adult bald eagles

Immature with adult Bald eagle and herring

Adult bald eagle

Great-blue heron on Green's island

Great Blue heron on Green's island

The astounding numbers of feeding gulls have attracted numerous PARASITIC and POMARINE JAEGERS. My fascination with these birds continues as I am astounded by the diversity in plumage within these two species. It seems like no single jaeger is the same and telling the species apart can be very difficult for even the most skilled observer.

Parasitic jaeger

Parasitic jaeger and Bonaparte's gull

Parasitic jaeger and Bonaparte's gull

Pomarine jaeger

In this next photo you can see a PARASITIC and a POMARINE jaeger pursuing a BONAPARTE'S GULL. This image highlights how difficult it can be to identify to species and how both species can appear very similar in size. I am pretty confident at ID'ing these species after reviewing my images, but in the field it is a different story.  If anyone sees that I have made a mistake please let me know, these guys are hard!

Parasitic jarger on left, Pomarine on right

Small groups of the three SCOTER species can be seen moving through the area. I have not seen many on the water yet.

Things in the offshore areas are quieter then they were at the beginning of the year but still small numbers of MANX, GREATER and SOOTY SHEARWATERS are around. A few RAZORBILLS, MURRES and PUFFINS can also still be spotted. NORTHERN GANNETS have increased greatly over the last week or so, with large groups of birds plunge diving off of Whitehorse island.

Feeding Gannets

The numbers of migrant raptors are down from earlier, with only a NORTHERN HARRIER spotted crossing letete on the 18th and a RED-TAILED HAWK seen in the same area on the 25th. However, an interesting sighting occurred on the 22nd when I spotted a NORTHERN GOSHAWK over open water off of Head Harbour light. The bird was being chased and harassed by a PARASITIC JAEGER.

Northern Goshawk and Parasitic jaeger. Terns in foreground.

Other noteworthy sightings include a LEACH'S STORM PETREL seen well offshore on the 22nd and a first of fall RED-NECKED GREBE seen swimming near the St. Andrews wharf on the morning of the 24th.

I havn't had a whole lot of time to scan for rare gull species amidst the masses of feeding birds, but I did manage to spot a LITTLE GULL on the 25th. 

Little gull

I am sure that these large groups of gulls hold other rare species, like SABINE'S GULL and hope to pick one out soon, hopefully during the pelagic trip on the 30th! If havn't already signed up for the trip and are interested make sure to call the office and book in, we still have a bit of room. The number to the office is 529-2600.
Happy birding!
-Nick

Sept. 11th - 17th

BLACK TERN

STORM PETREL SP.

First SURF SCOTERS of fall

First BLACK SCOTERS of fall

WHITE-WINGED SCOTER

PARASITIC JAEGERS

POMARINE JAEGERS

PEREGRINE FALCON 

BROADWING HAWK

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK

MERLIN

ATLANTIC PUFFIN

MANX SHEARWATER

Red-necked phalaropes

Great cormorant

Sooty shearwater

Great shearwater

Common murre

Black guillemot

Razorbill

Northern Gannets

Common eider

Great blue heron

Bald eagle

Arctic tern

Bonaparte’s gull

Black legged kittiwake

Osprey

Bald eagle

There is still lots of activity in the islands, particularly around Head Harbour passage and Casco Bay island. Large groups of gulls, terns and cormorants are feeding on herring in the turbulent waters. The bald eagles have also been joining in on the feeding frenzy, snatching talons full of herring and devouring the fish on the wing. PARASITIC JAEGERS have also been quite numerous in this area. The larger POMARINE JAEGERS seem to hang offshore more where activity has picked up again after a brief lull. The fin whales have resumed feeding off of Blacks Harbour and the large shearwater groups that were common during July and August have been forming up again. The number of NORTHERN GANNETS have also increased. There have been relatively fewer alcids around lately with only the odd razorbill or puffin.

Feeding group of gulls of Casco

Gulls

Double-crested cormorants

Parasitic jaeger and tern

Bald eagle

Bonaparte's gulls and Black-legged kittiwakes

Northern Gannet

The most recent arrivals out on the bay have been the scoters; stalky seaducks that breed further north and then come down in the fall to spend the winter feeding on crustaceans and molluscs in the Bay of Fundy. The three species are SURF SCOTERS, BLACK SCOTERS, and WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS. They are very striking birds, with their brightly colored bills and contrasting black and white plumage. They are beginning to show up in good numbers, with small mixed flocks being spotted in Passamaquoddy bay and Head Harbour passage. It is important to look closely at each group, as often times it will contain two or sometimes all three species.

5 Surf scoters, 4 Black scoters

On Sept. 13th I spotted another BLACK TERN hunting over patches of floating rockweed just off of Whitehorse island.

Black Tern

Sept. 14th saw very large groups of RED-NECKED PHALAROPES in head harbour passage. I estimated one group to contain over 400 birds.

Red-necked phalaropes

On Sept. 14th I spotted a STORM PETREL sp. in Passamaquoddy bay. It has been months since i've seen a storm petrel so I thought it quite odd to see one at all let alone all the way in Passamaquoddy. I was not close enough to identify to species.

Also on the 14th, an adult PEREGRINE FALCON was seen eating a recent catch in the usually spot atop the power tower on Mac's island.

Peregrine falcon

Today, the 17th I spotted a MERLIN and a BROADWING HAWK crossing over little Letete passage.

A week or so ago we had quite an interesting experience while watching minke whales off of Deer Island. A young herring gull decided to land on the boat and spend some time aboard the Quoddy Link. He was quite content to walk around the deck and peck away at anything resembling a meal. It wasn't until I picked up the bird and coaxed him to fly that he went on his own way. He had a zip-tie around his leg, so we figure that he must have been raised by people.

Danielle and I with the friendly herring gull

:D

Unrelated to birds, but certainly interesting, was a grey seal that I photographed with a very large shark bite on it's right side. This is not a small seal, likely weighing in at 300-400 pounds. You can clearly see the teeth marks and the outline of the bite left from a very large shark. A great white is the only species of shark that could go after a large grey seal as large as this and inflict this much damage. Last year we saw first hand proof of a great white in our area of the bay, watching one devour a porpoise just off our stern.

Shark attack

Still a bit of room on the pelagic bird trip on the 30th of September. Be sure to call the quoddy office at 529-2600 to sign up if interested.

Cheers
-Nick

 Sept. 6th - 10th

 

First BLACK TERN of the season

LONG-TAILED DUCK

WHITE-WINGED SCOTER

PARASITIC JAEGERS

POMARINE JAEGERS

PEREGRINE FALCON

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK

NORTHERN HARRIER

2 MERLIN

2 RED-THROATED LOON

ATLANTIC PUFFIN

MANX SHEARWATER

Red-necked phalaropes

Great cormorant

Sooty shearwater

Great shearwater

Common murre

Black guillemot

Razorbill

1 Hummingbird

Northern Gannet

Common eider

Great blue heron

Bald eagle

Arctic tern

Bonaparte’s gull

Black legged kittiwake

Osprey

Bald eagle

The West isles have been incredible for bird activity over the last week and we have been spending most of our time within these islands with Minke whales, which works out very nicely indeed.  Very large  groups of gulls, terns, shearwaters and gannets have been feeding on herring schools around Casco Bay island and off the southern part of Deer island. Within these groups are the largest number of jaegers I have ever seen. On the AM of the 9th I stopped counting at over 50, mostly POMARINE with fewer numbers of PARASITICS. I had one very small jaeger that was quite possibly a long-tailed but it did not lend itself for a decent look and thus my search continues. Bald eagles have been seen joining in these groups, grabbing large talon fulls of herring from the surface. Good numbers of MANX shearwater, with some great and sooties around as well. Red-necked phalaropes continue to be quite numerous and afford good looks. Lots of gannets can be seen and sometimes put on quite a spectacle as they dive, javelin style into the waves.

Terns

Northern gannet

Herring gull with herring

Black-legged kittiwake

Common murre, bridled phenotype molting to winter plumage

I have developed a particular affinity for the jaegers and their piratical behaviour of harassing other birds until they drop prey or regurgitate their last meal. I also enjoy the identification challenges of the similar jaeger species and the possibility of turning up the rare long-tailed jaeger, which has eluded me thus far.

Pomarine jaeger

Dark morph jaeger

Pomarine jaeger on log

Parasitic jaeger

On Sept. 9th I spotted two RED THROATED LOONS and today captain Mathias pointed out a nice LONG-TAILED DUCK

Red-throated loon

Raptors have been spotted on the few good days for much movement. A NORTHERN HARRIER was spotted crossing the passage at Letete on Sept. 7th A PEREGRINE FALCON came in and tried to grab a kittiwake from a feeding flock off Hospital island on Sept. 8th and two MERLINS were seen on the 10th.

Northern harrier

Bald eagle

Peregrine falcon

I also watched a bald eagle try and grab a MANX shearwater from the water. The shearwater repeatedly dove to avoid the talons of the eagle, who was very persistent. We were not able to stick around long enough to see the outcome.

Today, the 10th, I got my first BLACK TERN! No pictures, just wanted to enjoy the feeling of another lifer. The bird was a juvenile and was seen feeding amongst other tern species in Head Harbour.

Also very exciting this week was an encounter with the rare and bizarre Mola mola, or ocean sunfish. This was only my second time seeing this awesome animal and I managed to capture it with the underwater camera. Be sure to check the video out by clicking HERE

If you havn't already signed up for the BIRD TRIP on the 30th of September and are interested be sure to make reservations by calling the Quoddy office at (506) 529-2600 and say that you would like to reserve for the birding trip. Still lots of room on the boat and birds on the bay :)
Cheers,
-Nick

Aug. 28th - Sept. 5th

First RED PHALAROPE of the season

PARASITIC JAEGERS

POMARINE JAEGERS

2 WHIMBREL

BROADWING HAWK

PEREGRINE FALCON

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK

NORTHERN HARRIER

MERLIN

AMERICAN KESTREL

RED-THROATED LOON

ATLANTIC PUFFIN

MANX SHEARWATER

Red-necked phalaropes

Semipalmated sandpipers

Least sandpipers

Spotted sandpiper

Double crested cormorant

Great cormorant

Sooty shearwater

Great shearwater

Common murre

Black guillemot

Razorbill

2 Ruby-throated hummingbirds

Northern Gannet

Common eider

Great blue heron

Bald eagle

Arctic tern

Bonaparte’s gull

Black legged kittiwake

Osprey

Belted kingfisher

American goldfinch

Bird activity has shifted from the offshore to the inshore, with large groups of gulls, alcids and shearwaters feeding just off of Popes and Casco Bay island. These groups consist mainly of herring, black-backed, and bonaparte's gulls, kittiwakes and arctic terns. When the tide is running strong, these groups can easily number in the thousands of birds spread out over a relatively small area as they feed on small herring. Within these groups are the occasional POMARINE and PARASITIC jaeger.  I am sure that these groups contain some rarer gull species but havn't had a whole lot of time to check. Groups of Red-necked phalaropes are also quite numerous in this area. 

We have been spending most of our time off Black's harbour with feeding fin and humpback whales. Bird activity in this area has decreased in the last few days but small numbers of MANX, sooty and great shearwaters are still around, along with the occasional puffin and small numbers of gannets. The jaegers are always exciting to watch as they chase after the other birds.

Parasitic jaeger pursuing a tern

Parasitic jaeger

 

The BALD EAGLES have also been incredible as they join in to feed on the herring and mackerel schools around the islands. I counted over 15 eagles on a single rock near Green's island.

Bald eagles

Plenty of small groups of migrant shorebirds, mostly least and semipalmated sandpipers with some groups of larger birds that I am unable to identify at a distance. On Aug. 28th there were two WHIMBRELS that flew over the boat as it was tied up at the wharf in St. Andrews.

On Sept. 1st we had two female ruby-throated hummingbirds. One of these birds flew right up to a passenger sporting a bright red coat and inspected it closely before flying off again.

Sept. 1st was also a good day for migrant raptors. On our way through Little Letete passage at 2:20PM there were three raptors soaring in a thermal above Mac's island. Closer inspection revealed a BROAD-WING HAWK and a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. I was not able to identifiy the remaining bird. On the next pass through the channel at 4:40PM, there was a NORTHERN HARRIER.

Hawks over Mac's island. Broadwing hawk (top right) Sharp-shinned hawk (bottom left)

While were on the subject of raptors...I also had an AMERICAN KESTREL over White island on the 1st, a MERLIN in the same area on the 2nd, and a very handsome adult PEREGRINE FALCON perched atop the power tower on Mac's island on Sept. 4th.

Merlin

Peregrine falcon perched on power tower on Mac's island

On Sept. 2nd I had my first of season RED-PHALAROPE with a group of red-necked phalaropes as well as a RED-THROATED LOON

While Captain Mat was on vacation, he spotted a WILSON"S SNIPE in Bar harbour, ME. Good job Mat!

Wilson's snipe. Sighted and photographed by Mathias Rudi in Bar Harbour, ME

Quoddy Link will be offering a pelagic/coastal bird tour at the end of September. The focus of this tour will be the birds of the West isles and the Wolves. This is a great opportunity to work on identification of gulls, terns, alcids and shearwaters as well as other pelagic species. The cost will be 50$ per person plus tax. There will be a lot of experienced birders aboard to help out and I am really looking forward to it. The tentative date is set for the 30th of September, departing at 8AM from the St. Andrews wharf. If you are interested, please e-mail me at nickjameshawkins@gmail.com and I will be sure that you receive this e-mail. If you can not attend on the 30th, but would still be interested let me know. If there is enough interest we will do a second tour at the start of October.
Cheers!
-Nick