Blue Grosbeak, Brattleboro, VT, October 2018

Each year I make a trip to southeast VT in the early fall to look for sparrows and late warblers.  I almost made the trip to VT a week earlier, but literally at the last moment I changed my plans and headed to Maine instead, where I had a successful search for Prothonotary Warbler.  I made the right choice, right?  Then again, who knows what I may have found if I had stuck with my original plans to go to VT. 

So when my schedule opened up a week later I found myself once again thinking about possible statebirds in VT.  It wasn’t too late to give it another try, so I made my plans to make my regular annual trip to southeast VT.  I have 4 key targets on these trips – Orange-crowned Warbler, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Blue Grosbeak, and Lark Sparrow.  None of these are very likely, and certainly the last two are real long shots.  And only one of the 4 had been spotted recently – there was an Orange-crowned reported in the area a week earlier.  As a result these are almost always truly speculative trips.  But my stops are designed to be in good habitat for one or more of these species, and I was successful on my 2016 trip in finding a Connecticut Warbler which was another of my targets at the time.  So I was always optimistic that I might find one of my targets.  And if not, I’d still have fun birding in good habitat.

I was out of the house by 6:30 and arrived at my first stop at the Brattleboro marina on this crisp clear morning just before 8.  There is a large cornfield next to the marina, and the perimeter can be good for sparrows and dicky birds in the brush.  This site did not disappoint, with an estimated 230 sparrows of 8 species, 4 warbler species, and a late Indigo Bunting.  And overhead I watched as a Merlin and Peregrine passed by.  But despite spending more than 2 hours in great habitat, I couldn’t scare up any of my target birds. 

Next I was on to the Brattleboro Retreat Meadows, where a goldenrod/aster field has always looked like a great spot for Orange-crowned.  But this year the field had been cut, and habitat was limited to say the least.  The best birds were 3 early Wigeon in the flock of Canada Geese in the backwaters of the river. 

The Harris Hill ski jump area was my next stop.  There is a large open field at the base of the ski jump, and the perimeter has yielded good numbers of sparrows and warblers in the past, including my Connecticut 2 years earlier.  My routine here is to walk the perimeter “clockwise”, starting at the southern edge.  But this time I found almost no birds at all.  As I reached the southwest corner I found a few sparrows, and these birds were joined by a few others along the western wooded edge.  At one point I caught a glimpse of yellowish color in the brush, but it only turned out to be a late Magnolia instead of my hoped-for Orange-crowned.

By the time I reached the base of the ski jump most of the flock had moved up the hill along the edge.  I was tempted to follow them up the hill but I figured I had already seen most of them.  Just then a bird flew out from the edge directly overhead.  I got it in my binocs and as I watched it head to the north my initial thought was it was a large sparrow.  But the color wasn’t quite right – it seemed to have some chestnut shades below.  Luckily I was able to track it to the distant treeline and it landed in the open.  It was a chunky bird, uniformly chestnut brown.  Could it be a Blue Grosbeak?  Although it was very distant, I thought I could see a large bill.  Then I started to hear the characteristic loud “chink” calls.  I watched it perched in the tree for at least a minute, and tried to temper my excitement.  Was it big enough to be my target?  Was the bill large enough?  I was starting to second guess myself and lean toward just another Indigo when the bird flew from the northern edge of the clearing, and I watched it disappear into the brush near the southwest corner.  It took me just a couple minutes to get back there, but there were no birds in sight.  On a lark, I decided to play some tape of Blue Grosbeak call notes – no response.  Then a minute later I looked up and there was a female-plumaged Blue Grosbeak right in front of me!

Finally with close views I could see all the field marks – uniformly chestnut brown, rusty wing bar, massive grayish bill.  And it was calling again – giving those distinctive “chink” call notes.  I watched it for several minutes before it flew back toward the base of the ski jump.  This was an extreme rarity for VT, so I quickly went to my phone to call local birders – unfortunately I just got Hector Galbraith’s voice mail but was able to talk to Dave Johnston.  Dave said he’d be over in 15 minutes. 

While waiting for Dave to arrive I tried to re-find the Grosbeak so I could hopefully show it to him.  I headed back toward the base of the ski jump where I last saw it and found a few sparrows but little else.  Then I spotted a couple sparrows pop up from the grasses to the right to perch on top of a fence that surrounds the base of the ski jump.  I scanned the fence and saw a Song Sparrow, then another Song, then – there was the Blue Grosbeak!  As it continued to sit in the open all I could think of was that I wish I had brought my camera.  Lately I’ve taken a few photos holding my phone up to my binocs, and they’ve come out pretty well when the bird has perched still for a while.  So I gave it a try this time, and got these 3 pretty nice shots -

Shortly after taking these photos the bird dropped back down into the grass.  Luckily after Dave arrived we re-found the Grosbeak, including once seeing it perched back up on the fence.  Always nice to share a rarity.

Not surprisingly my later stops were uneventful by comparison.  It’s interesting to note that my last stop was at the Stebbins Road stump dump, which has always been on my itinerary because it has hosted Blue Grosbeak in the past.  Needless to say that’s now one less target to hope for in my future fall trips to southeast VT.

In my Blue Grosbeak statebird map below, the dark blue states are those where I’ve seen this species.  The cross-hatched states are those in its regular range where I still need it as a statebird – just a few more to go. 

On the other hand, VT and all the other New England states are outside its normal range.  And most notably, this was only the 8th Blue Grosbeak record for VT (per eBird), 5 accepted historical records and now 3 from this decade  –

• 5/84 - Norwich - noted in eBird as "1st accepted" state record
• 8/84 - Winhall - "2nd accepted
• 5/85 - Newbury - "hypothetical - 3rd accepted"
• 5/96 - Shaftsbury - "3rd accepted"
• 5/96 - Danby - same bird apparently entered into eBird at 2 locations - "4th accepted"
• 6/97 - West Arlington - "5th accepted"
• 10/10 - Vernon - 2 birds found by Dave Johnston at the Stebbins Road stump dump
• 10/11 - Vernon - same bird perhaps returning from the previous year?

And now -

• 10/18 - Brattleboro

This was #282 for my VT list, and the 248th species I’ve seen in each of the 6 New England states.  

I really like my fall trips to southeast VT!

Prothonotary Warbler, Kennebunkport, ME, October 2018

Each year I make an early fall trip to southeast VT looking for sparrows and late warblers.  So as early October rolled around I made my plans for my annual VT adventure to Brattleboro and Vernon, with a multi-stop, day-long itinerary. 

But wait – the title of this post talks about Kennebunkport, ME, not VT.  How did that happen?

Literally minutes before heading out the door I remembered that not one but two Prothonotary Warblers had been spotted in the last 2 days on the southern coast of ME.  One report was just the previous afternoon in Kennebunkport.  There have been quite a number of Prothonotary’s in ME both in spring and fall the last few years, but I hadn’t had a chance to chase after any of them.  So rather than a completely speculative trip to VT, why not change my plans to chase after a recently spotted rarity just a bit farther away?  I turned my computer back on, and did a bit of research on yesterday’s Prothonotary in Kennebunkport.  And just in case that bird didn’t cooperate, I also took notes on the one seen 2 days earlier just up the coast in Scarborough.  I changed my route on the Map App to drive northeast to Kennebunkport instead of northwest to Brattleboro, and I was out the door.

After a 2-hour drive I arrived at Fishers Lane in Kennebunkport.  The location of yesterday’s sighting was pretty specific, with the observer mentioning that the bird was in brush at the end of the road near the brown canoe.  There were 3 other cars parked at the end of the road when I got there, so I was hopeful that other birders already had the bird.  After a short walk I spotted the brown canoe and then a birder nearby.  I had the right spot, now I needed the bird to cooperate. 

I approached the birder and he said he was one of the observers of the Prothonotary yesterday, and he was standing at the location of yesterday’s sighting.  He also mentioned that other birders had the target bird an hour earlier in the brush a short distance down the beach.  So I walked in that direction and soon found 3 other birders also looking for the bird.  It seemed that the bird was moving around in a reasonably small patch of brush near the beach and an adjacent freshwater wetlands.  Now to start my search.

There were at least 5 birders in this small area anxiously searching for this bright yellow bird.  Over the next hour there were numerous Yellow-rumps passing through, and I spotted a Blackpoll as well, but no Prothonotary.  Then while scanning the backside of the marsh in the distance I caught a briefest of glimpses of yellow.  I told the 2 birders I was standing next to that I may have the bird.  Then a couple seconds later the Prothonotary popped up in the open 2 feet off the ground.  By the time I said I had the bird, it dropped back in the brush again out of sight.  Unfortunately I was never able to get the other birders on it. 

It’s nice to finally check off Prothonotary Warbler for my ME list - #343 for that state.  That was the 32nd state where I’ve seen this species (the dark blue shaded states in my statebird map below).  The cross-hatched states are those in its regular range where I still need it for my statelists – I’m only missing it in 3 states where it is a non-rarity.  Plus Prothonotary can be seen as a rarity in a few other states, including ME and elsewhere in northern New England.  Though few would expect it in WA, where I found one a couple years ago as an extreme rarity.

I had set aside the whole day to find the Prothonotary, or the one found the day before.  So now that I found my target so quickly, I needed to decide what to do with the rest of the day.  First I tried to get a better view of the Prothonotary, but I spent the next 30 minutes at the Fishers Lane spot without re-finding it.  During this time I continued to notice quite a large number of Yellow-rumps in the area, and wondered if this was going to be a good fallout day.  So with some advice from other birders there, I decided to head up the coast, and first headed to Timber Point to try my luck with migrants there.  The fallout of Yellow-rumps continued at this spot as well.  I did my best to make an exact count which was 176 in the 90 minutes I was there.  I tried not to double-count any birds, but it was impossible to tell for sure since they were always coming and going, often with 5-10 in view anywhere there were shrubs and edges.  I also picked up a late Redstart, and two cooperative Swainson's Thrushes.

Then it was off to Biddeford Pool and the South Point thickets.  I had 20 more Yellow-rumps here plus a most cooperative Gray-cheeked Thrush.  Or more accurately I should say it was a Gray-cheeked/ Bicknell’s since apparently the latest ID advice is that you can’t safely separate these two species if they are not singing or in the hand.

My last stop was at the Nubble Thickets in Ogunquit where I’ve had great migrants in the past.  However, I didn't have a single warbler there!  And the only migrants were one White-throat and one Junco.  Go figure.  The highlight here was a small duck out on the ocean in a large flock of Common Eiders which turned out to be a Green-winged Teal.  A nice find at the end of a nice day of birding.

I’d like to think that I made the right decision to search for the Prothonotary in ME instead of heading to VT.  Then again, I guess I’ll never know what I might have found if I had kept with my original plans and traveled to VT instead.

Three Statebirds in Northern New Mexico, September 2018

A rare business trip to northern NM gave me an opportunity to try to fill some gaps in my NM statelist.  My NM list was 284 which was already 20 over the old ABA reportable threshold, but there are almost always at least a few statebird targets to try for.  My work site was in the mountains near the northern edge of the state, and I would fly in and out of Albuquerque.  So I could bird quite a large area and multiple habitats with the help of some vacation time added to the trip.  Most of my past birding in NM had been in the southern and central parts of the state, so I was optimistic that I’d be successful in adding several new birds to my NM statelist.

Surprisingly, my eBird Needs Alert only came up with two key targets in the mountains – Evening Grosbeak and Gray Jay.  Then there was Sage Thrasher which is regular in the sage desert almost throughout the entire area I would be traveling through.  Prairie Falcon was another of my targets which was being reported across the region, but apparently not very reliably sited at any one location.  There were also a number of rarer migrants that were reported passing through at the time, but the only one that seemed to be chaseable was Dickcissel.  Lastly I still needed Western Screech-Owl for the state, so that gave me at least 6 reasonable targets to chase after.

Now to set up the logistics... First I would try for Sage Thrasher Thursday evening after work in Santa Fe.  Although they were more reliable at locations at the far northern edge of the state, that would make for a much longer drive, so I hoped to find them in Santa Fe instead.  Then Friday on my vacation day I would start in the mountains for Gray Jay assuming I found the Thrasher on Thursday.  Otherwise I would need to start near the NM/CO line trying for the Thrasher for a second time before heading to the mountains.  I would swing by Fred Baca Park in Taos along the way where Evening Grosbeaks were reliable, apparently coming to a feeder.  Then I’d head south toward Albuquerque with stops at the Tramway Wetlands for “Mexican” Duck and maybe Prairie Falcon, and at the Los Poblanos Open Space which might be the most reliable spot for Dickcissel.  Then I’d end the day trying for Western Screech-Owl in Albuquerque before my flight out the next morning.

Work ended right on time on Thursday, and I headed to Eldorado at Santa Fe where a small number of Sage Thrashers were reported almost daily at the Gallina Park greenbelt by an apparent local birder Rene Laubach.  With some research I found a map of the greenbelt, and saw numerous trails winding through the high desert scrub in and around a suburban neighborhood.  It was a large area to cover, and given the low numbers of Sage Thrashers reported, I had a feeling it could be a long shot.  But I needed to get this target here today to avoid a 2-hour round-trip drive up to the NM line the next morning.  When I arrived I could see a lot of really nice habitat, though sage was rather limited.  I remembered that most of the western Thrashers will respond to recorded calls, so I would concentrate my search in the patches of sage, playing some tape as well.

Despite my logical plan, nearly an hour into my search I had not found any Thrashers.  Though the fact that it was windy and in the upper 80’s likely didn’t help the situation.  Then I noticed a couple birders walking my way, and amazingly it turned out to be the Laubach’s on their daily walk.  Unfortunately they had not seen any Sage Thrashers yet that evening, but gave me some suggested areas to look for them.  With renewed optimism, I headed to the new locations, and found more extensive sage, but alas no Thrashers.  On a brighter note, the desert was full of migrant sparrows – especially Spizella sparrows.  I ran into numerous flocks which were mostly Brewer’s, but I also picked out Clay-colored and Chipping along the way.  And a Say’s Phoebe and a Cassin’s Kingbird were nice consolations as well.

That meant I would need to start the day Friday far to the north almost to the NM/CO stateline for a second attempt for the Thrasher.  There were 3 recent reports along county roads in the area with up to 15 Sage Thrashers, so I was very hopeful.  I arrived at County Road B-51 just as it was starting to get light – there was sage habitat as far as the eye could see to my north.  The car thermometer said it was a crisp 28 degrees, so I decided to stay in the car a bit longer before trying for my target.  A bit later I stepped out of the car and was serenaded by a Great Horned Owl as I scanned the sage, but to no avail.  I tried playing some tape but still no response.  I repeated my efforts at several more stops down the road but still no birds.  I was now on my 5th stop and was getting worried.  I once again played tape, this time playing Sage Thrasher call notes, and I thought I heard a bird giving the single call note in the distance.  I listened intently but didn’t hear anything.  I played some more tape and heard it again a couple times – did I have my target?  Then up ahead I saw a bird that was the right size fly across the road.  Then a pair of birds popped up on the fenceline along the road edge – it was a pair of Sage Thrashers!  I had to work hard to get just 2 birds; wonder what the other birder did to get 15 Sage Thrashers along this road a couple weeks earlier.

NM was my 13th state for this species – 12 in its normal range plus in MA as a vagrant.  The dark blue shaded states in my statebird map below are those where I’ve seen this species.  The cross-hatched states are those in its regular range where I still need it for my statelists. 

I briefly thought about heading north to CO (the stateline was only 3 miles away), but NM statebirding was my goal for the day.  So I started my hour drive south heading to Fred Baca Park in downtown Taos where Evening Grosbeaks were reported in good numbers on every recent report from this eBird hotspot.  One older report mentioned a feeder at this location, so my plan was to look for a feeding station somewhere in the park and hopefully find some cooperative birds.  I pulled into the parking lot, and as I stepped out the very first bird I heard was an Evening Grosbeak.  After my challenges with the Sage Thrasher I guess I was due for an easy one.  I only spent 15 minutes in the park, and never found any feeders, but found at least 6 Grosbeaks foraging in the trees and even on the lawn right next to the parking lot.

I still need this species in a number of states throughout its regular range (the cross-hatched states in my statebird map below), especially where it is a regular wintering bird.  Not to mention I need it in all those other states throughout the Lower 48 where it can be seen as a rarity in big invasion years.

Next I was off to the Taos ski area to try for the Gray Jay.  Several had been reported from the William’s Lake trail recently, though they were not seen on every trip.  Most reports also included Steller’s Jays, Nutcrackers, and 3-Toed Woodpeckers, so this seemed to be a nice area to bird.  However I was concerned about the elevation - the trailhead is at 10,000 ft and rises from there up to the lake.  You see I am much more prone to altitude sickness than most people, so I need to be extremely cautious hiking at those kinds of elevations.  But knowing my limitations, I felt like I would be OK, especially when an employee of the Carson National Forest that I met at the beginning of the trail gave me 2 suggested locations for the Gray Jay. 

The trail passed through some nice coniferous woodlands, featuring quite a number of Mountain Chickadees, a couple “Gray-headed” and “Pink-sided” Juncos, several Red-breasted Nuthatches, and a couple pairs of Golden-crowned Kinglets.  In the distance a calling Jay seemed to most closely match a Clark’s Nutcracker.  Then I arrived at an old avalanche area which was the first suggested location for the Gray Jay.  They can be very tape responsive, but none responded this time.  Then a little later I reached a talus slope, the next recommended spot, but again no responses.  I went on a bit farther, but was having significant trouble catching my breath.  When my Apple Watch measured my heart rate at 151 I decided I better turn around, unfortunately without my target.  I retraced my route and when I reached the talus slope there were two Gray Jays perched in a tree right in front of me!  I took this picture with my iPhone as one investigated me for handouts.

Then I returned to the avalanche area and there was yet another pair of Jays.  Again these birds were inquisitive, and I took this iPhone photo of one taking a bit of my granola bar out of my hand.

Where were they as I headed up the trail?  NM was my 14th state for Gray Jay; I still need this species in a number of states in its range in the Rockies and Sierras, as well as in WI.

Next I headed down to Albuquerque, with my first stop being the Tramway Wetlands.  The day before a Prairie Falcon was reported from this spot, as was a pair of Mexican Ducks which is considered to be a separate species by some authorities including eBird.  But since I didn’t pack my scope on this trip I wasn’t expecting to have much success picking out this southwestern relative of the Mallard.  Plus I wasn’t sure how to bird this spot.  But when I finally arrived I remembered that I birded this location during my last trip to the area in 2013, and pulled right up to the correct spot to get a view of the wetlands.  And practically right below me were 2 Mexican Ducks in with Mallards and other dabblers.  Unfortunately I couldn’t find a Prairie Falcon despite searching nearby perches.

The next stop was the Los Poblanas Open Space where a couple recent reports included multiple Dickcissels.  But when I arrived it was late afternoon on this bright sunny day with temperatures in the upper 80s (60 degrees warmers than my first stop at dawn).  Not too surprisingly I didn’t see much except for a couple quite tame Roadrunners.

After a quick dinner stop it was time to try for Western Screech-Owl.  There had been a number of recent reports in the area, but none seemed reliable.  And 1 birder mentioned Owls nesting in her Wood Duck box but they had moved on.  So it seemed that my best chance was at the Rio Grande Nature Center.  I had actually tried for Screech-Owl here once before unsuccessfully, so maybe I’d have better luck this time.  But despite playing tape at a number of locations around the perimeter of the site I struck out again.

Although it’s tough to miss the last target of the trip, I still ended up with 73 species, including 3 new NM statebirds.  That brings my statelist to 287.  All in all still a successful trip. 

Roseate Spoonbill, First State Record, Milford, CT, September 2018

Just 3 weeks after the Wood Stork and Neotropic Cormorant showed up in NH, and the Great Black Hawk appeared in Maine, a Roseate Spoonbill was spotted way up in Sebec, ME.  This first state record was apparently very reliably seen starting on August 27 on a small farm pond far from the coast.  Although I would have loved to go after the Spoonbill, Sebec would be a nearly 5-hour one-way drive for me.  So despite my temptations, I never went to chase after it.

While reviewing posts on the ME listserve one day I noticed a report that the Spoonbill was no longer being found at its usual location.  It was last seen on September 9 after 14 days of daily sightings.  I always wonder if these long-lost species find their way back home, or whether they continue to head even further in the wrong direction.  For instance the Great Black Hawk was spotted leaving its southern ME home-away-from-home flying northeast out to sea – perhaps its next stop was even farther afield in Nova Scotia or Newfoundland.

But back to the Spoonbill…  Then amazingly 8 days later on September 17 came a report of a Roseate Spoonbill on the CT coast – yet another first state record!  Was it the ME bird or yet another Spoonbill visiting New England?  Unlike the ME bird, this one wasn’t very sedentary.  It was first reported on the Stratford side of the Housatonic River at Raven Pond, then it would not be found at all for a time, despite numerous birders searching from land and by boat.  Then the Spoonbill seemed to prefer Wheeler Marsh visible from the Audubon Coastal Center at Milford Point, though it would also return to Raven Pond especially to join a nighttime Egret roost there, and would be seen elsewhere in Stratford as well.  It was still covering a pretty large area. 

Unlike the ME bird, this one was within my chasing distance, “only” 2 ½ hours from home.  So I definitely wanted to give it a try.  Unfortunately I was too busy to head out, so I needed it to stick around a few days until I could finally break free early on Saturday morning the 22nd.  Luckily its wanderings had become more predictable by now.  It would typically show up at Wheeler Marsh soon after sunrise, and then be seen sporadically at the marsh during the day.  A complication was that it would often be seen flying into the marsh only to drop in and disappear out of view for hours.  So you had to keep a close eye out for it.  Friday morning the bird appeared at 7:40 AM, so I planned to arrive at the Milford Audubon Center no later than 7 AM the next day to give it a try.  That meant a 4:30 AM departure – anything for a rarity!

Luckily there was next to no traffic as I made my way to the CT coast early on Saturday morning.  As I arrived at the Audubon Center a few minutes before 7 I could see about 10 birders already on site.  There had been no sightings yet that morning, though one birder had the Spoonbill there in the marsh the night before all the way up until nearly total darkness.  Maybe our target never left the marsh the night before and was right out in front of us hidden by the marsh vegetation. 

By 7:40, the time it arrived the day before, there were at least 20 birders on site scoping the marsh, but to no avail.  You wouldn’t think a large pink wading bird would be so difficult to find.  As 7:40 came and went I mentioned to everyone that the yesterday’s 7:40 tide would be duplicated today at about 8:30 – so maybe that would be the more likely time for it to return.  We all had to stay optimistic, right?  At least while we were waiting I spotted at least 1 “Western” Willet – perhaps soon to be a separate species.

And then at 8:28 one of the birders yelled – “I have the Spoonbill!”  There it was flying over the marsh at a considerable distance coming in from the west.  At first it was quite high, then it slowly got lower to the marsh, circled a couple times, then dropped in out of site.  Although it was quite distant the whole time, and total viewing time was maybe only 30 seconds, everyone was able to see all the fieldmarks including of course the pink color and the large spatulate bill.  Good enough for a state “tick” – though if it had been a lifebird I would have wanted a better view.  Here is a picture of the marsh where it dropped in, perhaps nearly a mile away.

Roseate Spoonbill was #332 for me in CT, and the 440th species I’ve seen anywhere in the 6 New England states.  CT was only my 4th state for this species typically only found in the deep south.

 

It turns out that comparison of photos of the ME and CT birds revealed that they were the same individual.  Amazingly, 8 days after leaving Sebec, ME it was re-found in Stratford and Milford, CT, some 345 miles away “as the Spoonbill flies”.  Wonder if it took a direct route and passed over NH and MA on the way.  In fact, if it flew on a straight line it would have passed nearly directly over my house here in Pepperell, MA.  I guess I didn’t look up at the right time. 

“But wait there’s more…”  There were also reports of Spoonbills all across the Midwest and Northeast this year, including IN, OH, WV, PA, MD, NJ, NY and DE.  And it turns out that the ME and CT bird was also the one spotted at the Walkill River NWR along the NJ / NY line from July 22 to August 5.  And then there was a Spoonbill spotted in southeastern Quebec on August 7.  Was this also the same bird?  Unfortunately the photos weren’t of sufficient quality to tell.  This was only 85 miles northwest of its Sebec, ME location where it was first spotted 20 days later – certainly a feasible trip.  But the Quebec spot is 375 miles northeast of its NJ/NY location – could it have traveled that far is just 2 days?  I guess we’ll never know for sure. 

It has truly been an amazing year for vagrant Roseate Spoonbills!