Northern Maine Birds: Eurasian Wigeon, nesting Bonaparte's Gulls, Black-billed Cuckoo

[Bill Sheehan]

For the past two months I've watched a pair of Bonaparte's Gulls at a nest site here in northern Maine.  This species apparently nested in the Allagash Lake region back in the 70's and early 80's.  At that time, several different skilled observers saw the adult gulls in breeding season and were dive-bombed by them, but documentation of the birds on a nest was lacking.  This year's birds found a suitable location, constructed a nest, defended it diligently against predators and  incubated eggs, but the nest ultimately failed.  The pair has moved on and I expect they are now wheeling around Passamaquoddy Bay.  

The next nearest known nesting site for Bonaparte's Gulls is near Lac St. Jean in Quebec, though most of the breeding population is west of north-central Ontario.  Other than this new northern Maine location, there are no known nesting sites for Bonaparte's Gulls in the US outside of Alaska.  Maybe next year they'll return and be successful...  https://flic.kr/p/KitKK7

Today, at Christina Reservoir, I found what I believe is the same Eurasian Wigeon that was discovered by Wayne Petersen and his Mass Audubon group in late June.  The bird has done an impressive transformation from a bright, red and gray breeding-plumaged drake to a somber dark brown bird in eclipse plumage.  http://ebird.org/ebird/me/view/checklist/S30835091

The euro wigeon was part of a flock of more than 1,000 molting waterfowl at Christina Reservoir in Fort Fairfield now.  The large congregation of ducks and geese has attracted several Bald Eagles that are finding the flightless waterfowl easy pickings.   

Though breeding season is already starting to wind down for some species, there are still a lot of birds singing in the area.  Olive-sided Flycatchers and Yellow-bellied Flycatchers were very vocal on the Moscovic Road in Stockholm on Saturday.  

A Black-billed Cuckoo was singing steadily near the town office at St Agatha that same morning.  This was my first of the species this year in the county.

Good Birding.

Bill

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Bill Sheehan
Woodland, Aroostook Co., Maine

[tom A]

Very cool on the gulls, Bill