Day 17.141: Third of three

Last night was perhaps the first of lasts for E5N1’s high school career. It was Undergraduate Awards night and - since the equivalent event for the seniors is a separate one known as Baccalaureate, the host for the night was keen to point out that this was their last time for this event (and in our case, ours too). 

Day 17.140: Birding walk (extension)

A group of us have decided to keep the birding walks at Laurel Hill Cemetery going now that the sponsored series has ended. Today was the first of these less-official walks and it started somewhat inauspiciously with a jack hammer (pneumatic drill for UK readers) starting up as we gathered and then - as we moved away from that - lots of lawn mowing and other motorized maintenance traffic.

Soon, however the birds had their moments - including my "nemesis" and a rare sighting.

Downy woodpecker - and now, thanks to Josh Fecteau I have a diagnostic based on the back of the head as well as the beak for differentiating these from their slightly larger cousins hairy woodpeckers.

After our walk at Shaw Cherry Hill Farm last weekend, Exile #4 declared that the ovenbird was my nemesis because we failed to spot one despite trying for quite a while while quite close to one on two separate birding walks. Today, this one perched generously for us - albeit quite distant - singing its impressive song.

Bald eagle out over the causeway - not a great photo, but unmistakable nevertheless.

Star of the show was this adult red-headed woodpecker. An extremely rare sighting in Maine. It hung around moving from tree to tree within sight for quite a while.

We also watched a red-eyed vireo feeding in a low shrub just a few feet away from us and saw a robin feeding a juvenile nearby as well as many of the normal suspects - chipping sparrows, grey catbirds, eastern bluebirds and lots of chipmunks and grey squirrels.

My summary: photography - meh; birds - very obliging; company - enthusiastic and knowledgeable.

Day 17.139: Missing in action

I'm not sure how this beauty got missed from my post about the bird walk last Thursday. I only realized because I looked back as a result of my family's comments. Anyway, here is the Baltimore oriole we also saw - approximately one week ago.

Day 17.139: Academy Awards night

It was the awards night for the senior class of performing artists this evening and E5N1 was there to cheer them on and take part in a dozen or so photo ops. 

I snapped my own photo in a rush as we left since he was all dressed up. 

And yes they are called “The Academy Awards.”

Day 17.138: Memorial Day

After a couple of sunny - and rather too warm if anything - days of this holiday weekend, Memorial Day itself was rather cool and rainy.

Still, we managed a couple of important Memorial Day activities. The parade...

E5N1 and the rest of the band getting ready to play the national anthem at the opening event.

The weirdest float in the parade - including two mascot costumes - for a local pet grooming place.

As the band started to march - they have got instruments - honest.

...and grilling burgers:

With a blast of hickory smoke.

Day 17.137: Exile #2’s Sunday Column #480

Exile #2 writes...

I have begun my annual battle with garden pests to see if anything will survive long enough to bear fruit. There are not too many bugs in evidence yet but, as usual, the squirrels are having lots of fun digging up the raised beds to bury acorns. There is plenty of chipmunk action too but they mostly seem satisfied with burrowing.

As I pottered about this afternoon; however, I heard another sound. Exile #1 came out to listen and before long was intrepidly setting off into the woods with his phone and camera to try and track down the source. We have, on previous occasions, had a fisher in the neighborhood, which caught a number of outdoor cats, but this time, although Exile #1 didn’t get a definite sighting, we’re pretty sure we have a fox. I hope we get to see it soon!

Day 17.136: Shaw Cherry Hill Farm

This afternoon, while E5N1 was with his friends planning drama-kids-related mischief, Exile #2, Exile #4 and I went to explore the trails at Shaw Cherry Hill Farm.

This meadow was our first view - with bobolinks flying over and then disappearing down into the grass

Male bobolink perching in the grass

Male bobolink in flight

The trails opened in 2019. They are accessible and well-tended with lots of surprises like this napping moose

We also had very nice weather

At the far side of the property is this river where we could hear an ovenbird calling nearby, but did not see it.

We also heard a rose-breasted grosbeak, at least two chestnut-sided warblers and a veery but did not see them either.

American lady butterfly

Here are some of the other birds we did see:

Common grackle

House wren

Song sparrow (giving me a hard stare)

Black-and-white warbler

Wild turkey

Another black-and-white warbler

This savannah sparrow posed nicely for us as we neared the parking lot at the end of our walk

...and even gave us a song

Day 17.135: American woodcocks

As I arrived at work on Wednesday morning, I had to drive carefully by two odd-looking birds on the access road to the parking lot. They were unfazed by the drive-by - more concerned with their interactions with each other - whether aggressive or amorous, I wasn’t sure. 

Either way, I had time to stop the car and take a few photos with my cellphone and identify them as American woodcocks. 

They are fairly common, but secretive and rarely seen. Thr females also nest during migration, leaving their recently hatched offspring to fend for themselves in order to continue their journey northwards. 

Day 17.134: Last bird walk

We made it up and out to the last of the series of bird walks for this season at the cemetery. That makes three this year - up from just one (with Dad) last year.

Here are some of the things we saw this morning:

Snapping turtle

Great crested flycatcher

Young brown-headed cowbird

Immature bald eagle way out over the other side of the river

Red-breasted nuthatch

They were very busy presumably feeding young in the nest we had seen them preparing back on the first spring walk we joined.

We also heard (clearly) eastern wood pewee and warbling vireo both of which were new to us to identify (albeit only by sound).

Day 17.133: Birds at the marsh

From our walk yesterday evening in a few categories.

1) Distant birds

Tern (probably common tern) hunting in the distant mist

Glossy ibis

Great egret

Barn swallow

Tree swallow

Glossy ibis (less distant)

Snowy egret

Greater yellowlegs

2) Small birds (closer):

Yellow warbler

Hard to resist a shot of it singing

Not to be outdone - a song sparrow doing what it does best

3) Willets

Yes, the willets get a category to themselves because they were such a big presence. So non-descript when standing around

Striking (and noisy) when flying

Here's the transformation - unassuming...

Fancy wings!