Soggy Shoes

Jeff Cherry shares his private backyard with us on this beautiful morning

One of my missions this summer was to revisit several important sparrows.  In fact, this was a summer of sparrow study.  During my stay in Maine, and in Wisconsin, I focused on habitat and breeding requirements.  We'll visit 3 different tidal salt marsh hotspots today in this post that explore these amazing birds. 

Glossy Ibis

Our first stop is the popular Scarborough Marsh outside of Portland, Maine. Here, we searched for Glossy Ibis and shorebirds.  It was a gorgeous day out.  I think Kathie and I had a lot of fun on this day observing nesting Least Terns in beautiful weather. 

Scarborough Marsh. Photo by Kathie Brown

During the day, it became quite windy. I really liked the salt marsh habitat the most because we don't have this in Arizona. This is a great spot and I highly recommend it to birders. It covers a great expanse of marshland.  Here you can find Saltmarsh Sparrows, egrets, herons, shorebirds and lots of ocean birds.  This marsh obviously connects to the ocean which is yet another great and separate ebird hotspot.

Great Egret

Yet during another day out, Kathie introduced me to a wonderful man by the name of Jeff Cherry.  I really really liked him.  He was a kind soul and a natural birder. We focused on Nelson's Sparrows around his private property known as Cloudmarch. What an amazing place!  A Brown Creeper on this day was visiting a nest in loose bark on a tree.  

We hike around Jeff's large property discovering nesting and migrating birds

Along the way, we observed the eastern species of Willet better.  It may be split down the road as a separate species so I wanted to study this current subspecies better. 

Eastern Willet

During our treks to these beautiful salt marshes, we'd find clammers at low tide filling buckets with these tasty treats. 

A common sight in Maine

We'd often face drizzly weather during our searches. 

Wet cloudy mornings with coffee

The Swamp Sparrow is a gorgeous bird and one I don't see often in Arizona.  I can say that this summer was great for observing them.  I added lots of data for the atlases in Maine and Wisconsin. 

A Swamp Sparrow

I think it was after our visit to Scarborough Marsh that we stopped at this great seafood place.  I have to watch my weight so I held back on lobster rolls in Maine until we arrived at this popular restaurant on the drive back from Scarborough. I was proud of myself.  Normally I make several stops for these highly delicious caloric treats.  Anyhow, it was a popular place for locals.  And I love to people watch.  And listen to local dialects.  I tried unsuccessfully to speak like a Mainer.  Kathie even told me so:)  I loved listening to their way of speaking.  In many ways Wisconsin and Maine have much in common, especially when it comes to accents. 

Instead of a perch fry like you'd have in Wisconsin, these Mainers were enjoying their lobsters and clams. And any good fish or seafood dish requires delicious coleslaw and rolls.  Amen. 

Nelson's Sparrow

Close to Kathie's home, we stopped at a tidal salt marsh.  I braved the ticks(and there were plenty!) and hiked a bit into the salt marsh.  Here I heard the "coins drop in a metal bucket"sound of a Nelson's. Then I felt another presence in the force as well. I heard the unmistakable call of a Saltmarsh Sparrow.  My heart raced. This would be a lifebird!

Saltmarsh Sparrow

Both Nelson's and Saltmarsh Sparrows look similar. They also hang out in the same habitat BUT behave differently.  A Nelson's Sparrow sits on top of his flat dropping coins.  The Saltmarsh Sparrow dens in ravines along the salt creeks of the marsh. I also had to be absolutely sure I didn't have a hybrid on my hands. Another goal for my summer checklist had been achieved. Some birders love owls.  I love love love my sparrows. I mean look at that orange tinge in their plumage.  

Kathie celebrates 500 lifers!

Kathie picked up Saltmarsh Sparrow for the state.  And during our marsh adventures, she eventually reached 500 after we spotted the Little Egret(a rarity) at low tide at a local Audubon center. 

A Little Egret, photo taken in Wales this year is a rarity to the US.  It looks similar to the Snowy Egret.  However, this bird has two floppy plumes that helps with the ID:)

We still have several more adventures in Maine. Until next time.....

Plum Island

Wild Turkey

On the way down to visit Kathie's family in Connecticut, we stopped at a birder hot spot known as Plum Island.  It is a place that is widely spoken about in birder circles.  And we weren't going to pass up this opportunity!

Plum Island is a research area designed to help protect birds and their nesting grounds. While we were there, I spotted several people involved in research and safeguarding nest sites. 

American Redstart-finally nailed a shot of this bird!  They are tricky!

The purpose of our trip?  There were a few life birds here, but overall, it was about exploration and just enjoying better observations on birds I had already seen.  We had killer views of the American Redstart, Mute Swans, Bobolinks, nesting Song Sparrows and so much more.  

Nesting Song Sparrow

Exploration takes time.  And while on a birding trek, time always runs short.  It's just impossible to do it all.  I have a clock inside my head that consistently tells me how much time we have for each stop.  And there were way too many!  We examined every patch of reeds, tree, beach area, and fence post for that Eastern flavored Willet, Common Yellowthroat or Eastern Kingbird. 

Eastern Kingbird

While the traffic was consistent, it wasn't overwhelming like the Mt. Washington Auto Road.  People rushed to the very last beach area.  I'm not sure why as the beach was not one of the better human ones I've seen, but that's what people do. 

Eastern Willet

Along the way, we stopped.  There had been so much activity in each area that it "required" us to investigate further. 

I loved being around natural water areas again.  It's something most people take for granted.  For Arizonans, it is quite the treat. 

Bobolink

Also nice?  Finding Least Terns hovering around their nesting sites on the beach!

Least Tern flying over nest site

And along the way, I fell in love with Plum Island.  As of late, my eyes have been focused on the nesting habits of birds.  While none of the birds here were life birds, it was quite fulfilling to witness these birds on their breeding grounds. 

This sign made me so happy. There not only was a person watching over the nesting areas, but they were roped off with signs!  There have been many issues over this past year from states dealing with various endangered birds.  Two Whooping Cranes were shot in Louisiana in February.  A whole colony of nesting Least Terns in Florida were wiped out because several dog owners let their pooches off leashes on Disappearing Island.  It's not a bad thing to take the dog out for a walk, but here's why they should NEVER be allowed off their leashes in many areas........ 

Tiny and magical.....a baby Piping Plover!

Several small cotton balls caught my attention while on the beach. Now imagine a dog here and the damage it could do.

Piping Plover

I stood absolutely still as the little ones came running towards me. The endangered Piping Plovers!  Never in my life had I expected to observe the young ones running around on the beach!  I first saw these magnificent plovers in Florida this year at Bunche Beach.  We watched the parents protect these little ones on this very active beach.  And I realized it is a pretty dangerous world when you have hungry gulls flying around you or little kids not paying attention while they do what kids do:)   A Great black-backed gull flew nearby and chased these little ones to their parents. 

They called to their parents.  And their parents called back. Then the tiny Piping Plover turned towards the parent and.....

They both hid under the wings of their parent. That touching moment really made me feel something. I'm not one to overtly say "Awww", but this little scene reminded me that I do have a heart:)  The parent sat out in the middle of the beach, exposed, with the little ones clinging underneath the wings. The other parent observed from the nesting area.  If they needed to escape, the parent would call from the location and lead them back into the safety zone.  It was pretty cool to witness it all. With this particular plover, mother and father work as a team. 

I see human kids running around on the beach nearby and I want to place a magical force field around these birds to protect them, but sadly, I do not own this technology....yet.  I just have to trust that the person watching over the nesting Least Terns and Piping Plovers will warn the parents and their kids to look where they are running.  I hesitantly walk away from the scene.  

As the evening begins to set, we must continue our way down to Connecticut.  We stop along the way to count more birds. 

And I am granted a life bird.  The Eastern Towhee. 

Eastern Towhee

I wish I had more time, but there is only the time given.  That's it!  I feel I've made the best of my life, but I find myself frustrated that I get hungry or need to use the bathroom at times.  If I forget to drink, I get a headache!  Food, bathroom, people, transportation really use up a lot of time.  There were a lot of interesting people around the area.  However if we stopped to chat, we'd use up our daylight hours.  There is only one safe time to speak with a birder.  Unless they are owling, it's usually right after sunset.  You will have their attention for a couple hours before they fall quickly asleep as the next day is always an early one:)   

Birding is as beautiful as the Mute Swan. I won't get into the invasive part:) Plum Island is a must visit spot for the nature enthusiast.   Until next time....

For more birds from around the world, check out Wild Bird Wednesday.