BIRDING TO THE EDG

Here it is! It is 12:30 am on a Sunday night and I am writing about birds. Why, you might ask? Well, I will tell you that I have been trying to post my blogs for two days now, but the busy road life has left me with no sleep. The last two days I have sat in front of my computer at night trying to write when all that comes out of my mind is gibberish, so I decided to postpone my writing! Mike's body calls for sleep, even if it is only five hours.

I arrived in Portland, Maine last Thursday and since then I have been running around like a mad man. "Busy is good," they say! I say, "Rubbish," in the back of my mind. This is something my good friend Richard Crossley would say. Well, maybe not exactly that but something of the sorts. Since my arrival I have enjoyed a wonderful whale watching trip with Derek and Jeanette Lovitch of Freeport Wild Bird Supply. Two very good friends, but I also find myself conversating the subject of, "BIRDS," with Derek all the time. Derek Lovitch is the perfect person to argue with because there is always knowledge there. Arguing more than talking during most of the encounters is what happens. Go Figure!

After my time with the Lovitch's (which I will elaborate on soon) I picked up my good ole' English mate Richard Crossley from the airport. Certainly one of North America's most premier birders, in my mind! We were to visit Kittery Trading Post for the weekend providing birding services. With the Nikon EDG binoculars around our necks we set out on one birding field journey each day. We had numerous participants on the trips and they were supremely entertained. Entertained? But how? Well, because Richard Crossley was the, "Man in Charge." The crowd was enamoured with his ability to use everything other than color and markings to identify a bird. We spent much time looking at things such as starlings and Mourning Doves just trying to get each participant of our field trip to learn to think objectively. What is the shape of the bird? What does the tail look like? How fast are the wingbeats? Questions like this make a birder reach down to the gut to find an answer. Look at shape and size! Once you are able to answer these questions about common birds, even trash birds like House Sparrow become important. Then you can apply this knowledge to the rest of the field. In due time, a birder will be able to identify all the common birds and they will (at minimum) know what is different. The idea is to actively think for yourself. A lesson I learned from whom other than, Richard Crossley.

Continuing with the weekend, Derek and Jeanette Lovitch along with myself left on a mission to view seabirds. Derek's friend, Josh Delcourt (Naturalist), from the boat named, "The Odyssey," tipped us on the crazy amount of birds seen the day before on the whale watch. Probably due to the low-pressure system that moved in on the coast, I assumed. Off we were looking at tons Greater and Sooty Shearwaters only 10-13 miles offshore. Let's not forget the two Leach's Storm-Petrels that Derek and I were able to spot! This was odd since they usually are found in their nest burrows this time of the day. We weren't going to complain. I actually think this was a nemesis Maine state bird for Derek. Congrats amigo!

Probably the most intriguing bird for me was one that is considered to be the most abundant bird in the world. The bird I am talking about is the Wilson's Storm-Petrel. This bird is an early breeder off of oceanic islands. They have a wide breeding range that includes the Atlantic Ocean. These birds were out in full force without a doubt.

Wilson's Storm-Petrel have paddle-like wings (rounded) and a fluttery flight. They will flap many times in a row and they use the air currents to float/lift above the waves as the tilt from side-to-side like a Northern Harrier over the water. Super cool to witness if you ask me. Almost a lazy type of flight as they ease their way over the breaking waves.


Check out this LBJ (Little Black Job)! What stands out in the picture? How about the white rump that is shaped like a narrow, "U?" How about the pale edges on the coverts? I particularly like the fact that they are molting their secondaries heavily at this time of the year. It gives them the illusion that they are longer, more sickle-winged like a Leach's Storm-Petrel.

No, we didn't fall for that mis-identification!

Okay, so we did! Nevertheless, we learned from our mistakes. Leach's has a strongly forked tail, is larger, and when they are close you can see the split in the rump (this is a strongly variable field mark). As Derek says (and I agree), if you can see any of these then you should already have identified the bird. Why? Well, Leach's Storm-Petrel flies like a Common Nighthawk. Their wingbeats are direct and jerky along with the way the tilt their body from side-to-side as they jerk their wings. So freaking cool!

These birds provided a ton of entertainment. I ended up leaving Derek and Jeanette on the top deck to venture to the bottom to get better photographs. I ended up on the stern of the boat to get the two shots above with my Nikon D200 and 300 mm F4 Nikkor lens! I was the only one down there so I got to watch the little guys chase the boat upwelling all alone. These are the times I feel so lucky to experience things like this.

Seabirds give me an energy I don't usually get inland. Maybe because I am trapped on a boat and something has to absorb the energy, so I end up running around on the lower deck. They provide a challenge even if they are easy! A moving boat along with uncomfortable stomach feelings provide challenges. Furthermore, sometimes you just have to go to the bathroom, but you stay on the bow/stern hoping to view something spectacular. You almost always do even if it is from a common bird like the Wilson's Storm-Petrel. Even this little bugger can be entertaining!

That is my quick little story from Maine. I am heading out into the spruce bogs with Richard tomorrow, so I am sure I will have a story to tell later. Please check back and I hope to hear comments about the blog. Good Birding!