A productive and diverse visit to Wolfe's Neck Center really exemplified the rapidly changing season: fewer migrant landbirds and signficantly more waterbirds. As always, we began and ended at the cove, where the incoming tide brought more birds to us by the end of the walk. A single GREAT BLUE HERON stood guard the entire time, and at the end of the walk, we spotted a distant HORNED GREBE - the first of the season for many folks. In between, the growing number of waterbirds

19 species visited the feeding station this week: Rock Pigeon: 42 House Sparrow: 24 House Finch: 10 European Starling: 10 Mourning Dove: 6 American Goldfinch: 6 Blue Jay: 4 Black-capped Chickadee: 4 Northern Cardinal: 4 American Crow: 3 Tufted Titmouse: 3 Hairy Woodpecker: 2 Downy Woodpecker: 2 White-breasted Nuthatch: 2 Song Sparrow: 2 White-throated Sparrow: 2 Carolina Wren: 1 Dark-eyed Junco: 1 Red-winged Blackbird: 1

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21 species visited the feeding station this week: Rock Pigeon: 42 House Sparrow: 24 Red-winged Blackbird: 20 House Finch: 10 European Starling: 10 Mourning Dove: 6 American Goldfinch: 6 Common Grackle: 5 Blue Jay: 4 Black-capped Chickadee: 4 White-throated Sparrow: 4 Northern Cardinal: 4 American Crow: 3 Tufted Titmouse: 3 Song Sparrow: 3 Hairy Woodpecker: 2 Downy Woodpecker: 2 White-breasted Nuthatch: 2 Purple Finch: 1 Eastern Bluebird: 1 Dark-eyed Junco: 1

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There will not be a Saturday Morning Birdwalk on Saturday, November 15th. We'll be back at it on the 22nd.

Birders could have wagered on where we were going today in the midst of rarity season. And those betting it would be Grist Mill Park would have been right. Within minutes of our arrival, the MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER found here last Sunday and reported all week began to call! Listening carefully to where it was calling from, we moved in position and soon saw it right out at the edge of a dense thicket. It then flew across a clearing, within about 20 feet of us, and slowly worked

2 AUTUMN MEADOWHAWK Dragonflies were late in the yard on 11/1. 22 species visited the feeding station this week: Rock Pigeon: 42 House Sparrow: 36 Common Grackle: 12 House Finch: 10 European Starling: 10 Dark-eyed Junco: 10 Mourning Dove: 6 Song Sparrow: 5 Blue Jay: 4 Black-capped Chickadee: 4 American Goldfinch: 4 Northern Cardinal: 4 American Crow: 3 Tufted Titmouse: 3 White-throated Sparrow: 3 Hairy Woodpecker: 2 Downy Woodpecker: 2 White-breasted Nuthatch: 2 Chipping Spar

With a strong wind and a morning high tide, sheltered upper marshes were an appealing place to be to start our outing. And Walsh Preserve delivered once again with a rare LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER and a very late LESSER YELLOWLEGS. Two great birds for November! The 14-26 GREATER YELLOWLEGS were also a solid count for the date, thanks to the water-filled pannes. Two RED-TAILED HAWKS soared over the other side of the river, and a NORTHERN FLICKER called in the distance. We encounte

A NASHVILLE WARBLER was a late migrant in the garden on 10/25. 21 species visited the feeding station this week: Rock Pigeon: 57 House Sparrow: 36 Common Grackle: 12 House Finch: 10 European Starling: 10 Dark-eyed Junco: 10 Mourning Dove: 6 Song Sparrow: 5 Blue Jay: 4 Black-capped Chickadee: 4 American Goldfinch: 4 Northern Cardinal: 4 American Crow: 3 Tufted Titmouse: 3 White-throated Sparrow: 3 Hairy Woodpecker: 2 Downy Woodpecker: 2 White-breasted Nuthatch: 2 Chipping Spar

While we found surprisingly few migrants on the ground today, the visible migration overhead more than made up for it! What an interesting day it was. As usual, we began and ended at the cove, with the incoming tide beginning to cover the mudflats and concentrating birds before us. 6 GREATER YELLOWLEGS and a total of 3 GREAT BLUE HERONS worked the stream, while 4 GREEN-WINGED TEAL joined 32 AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS on the mudflat. A goodly late season tally of 52 LAUGHING GULLS

A BLUE-HEDED VIREO migrant passed through the yard on 10/18. The DICKCISSEL returned to the feeders on 10/19. 20 species visited the feeding station this week: Common Grackle: 60 Rock Pigeon: 57 House Sparrow: 36 House Finch: 10 European Starling: 10 Red-winged Blackbird: 5 Mourning Dove: 4 Blue Jay: 4 Black-capped Chickadee: 4 American Goldfinch: 4 White-throated Sparrow: 4 Northern Cardinal: 4 American Crow: 3 Tufted Titmouse: 3 Hairy Woodpecker: 2 Downy Woodpecker: 2 White

To mix things up a bit, we headed inland to check the fields and farms in search of rare geese and Sandhill Cranes. We began an ended at Thornhurst Farm, finding only 49 CANADA GEESE, and no Cackling Goose - which had been present for much of the week; something must have disturbed the masses before we arrived in the morning. We then trekked farther afield to the Gillespie Farm fields in Gray/New Gloucester, were we immediately found our second target of the morning: SANDHILL

A YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER was feeding on the Nutsie block on 10/12. Our first-of-fall DARK-EYED JUNCO showed up on 10/11. And a DICKCISSEL was once again in the yard on 10/13 - the same as last week, or a second individual?? 22 species visited the feeding station this week: Rock Pigeon: 36 House Sparrow: 36 House Finch: 15 European Starling: 12 American Goldfinch: 8 White-throated Sparrow: 6 Blue Jay: 4 Black-capped Chickadee: 4 Song Sparrow: 4 Northern Cardinal: 4 American Cro

Our 4th ever DICKCISSEL spent a couple of hours in the meadow by the feeders on 10/4! And, our first-of-season WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, and...

With sparrow and "scrubby migrant" season upon us, we headed over to Wolfe's Neck Center. Between the two sparrow hotspots, and the edges...

It felt like summer, and this unexpectedly lingering American Oystercatcher sure made it look like summer, too.   Our fall Birds of Casco...

I played a hunch today, thinking that if there was water in the pannes at the Walsh Preserve, the timing would be perfect for a rare...

15 species visited the feeding station this week: Rock Pigeon: 38 House Sparrow: 36 House Finch: 15 European Starling: 12 American...

Before we get to the unfortunate and frustrating news, we'll start with a celebration of a really enjoyable and productive fall morning...