Swivel

 

3:00 to 4:00pm, 64 Degrees, Clear Skies, Wind 5mph SSE, Bar 30.39 steady

`I bought  a swivel chair. I wanted to be able to see in all directions. If I sit in a chair that is stationary, it is almost imposable to turn and see behind me. I was following the movements of a bird in the canopy. A Great Crested Flycatcher! And ended up looking towards a pool in Fall Brook. I have not been sitting looking in this direction. the crested took me in this direction. I would never have seen this Eastern Phoebe if I had not chased the first flycatcher. I got to watch this one dive on the pond and come back up several times. Just fun to watch. How much do I miss with my lack of 360 vision? 

I moved the bird feeder that was above the Gulley to down near the island. I have seen Black-capped Chickadees and Tufted Titmice on it. They found it fast. It sits under a tree that the birds sit in anyway. I never saw the titmice on it above the Gulley. Location, location, location! I saw a pair of titmice hit the tree, see me, then fly for the feeder at Number 2. The feeder I put up is in the middle of The Little Forrest. I suspect it will be popular with the inhabitants of the Little Forrest. I saw Blue Jays down and around the Island today. It is not on what I think of as their flight routes. I suspect they know about the feeder. 

Merlin identified 22 species of birds. Red dots: Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Towhee, Hermit Thrush, Great Horned Owl. I saw the crested flycatcher. Wish I could have gotten a picture. I heard a Belted Kingfisher! as did Merlin. Not enough water in the brook for it to fish. However it is not that far so maybe a scouting mission. Northern Cardinal was my bird of the day. Saw that one! 

A Disturbance

 

8:15 to 9:15am,  54 Degrees, Clear Skies, Wind 7mph N, Bar 30.13 rise

When I walked down to the Island, I could hear the Northern Cardinals calling away. I even saw a couple in the underbrush across the brook. Then, things got quiet. My first thought was that I had disturbed things and the birds were taking some time to decide about me Then the crows got noisy. They were flying from over the Ocean (ave), then the Little Forrest and beyond to Canco Woods. Not sure what set them off. I have been noticing there are less crow sounds down by Fall Brook. It may be that the brook is so much lower than the condominiums that their noise travels over where I am sitting. It was about a half an hour before birds landed on the feeder at Number 2. It is a well established feeder and gets a lot of action. Some something had the birds in the Little Forrest quiet.

I am still new to the Island in Fall Brook. I saw my first chipmunk on the Island. I knew they were down here. I had just not seen them. I saw a couple of prints from a deer down there. There is certainly more wildlife in the Valley than the Sit spot above the Gulley. More will be revealed. 

Merlin Identified 16 bird species. Red dot for Common Merganser and Northern Waterthrush. I suppose it is possible a merganser flew overhead. Although it is a little early for them. Common Loon, also possible it flew overhead. Also, a little early for the loons to come down from the lakes. I did hear a Great Blue Heron overhead. Man, can they make some noise!

Am I connecting?

 10:30 to 11:30am, 59 Degrees, Cloudy, Wind 5mph S, Bar 30.10 fall

The birds were pretty quiet during my sit. Someone across Fall Brook past the trees was cutting their lawn. I do not know if this was why. Or it was the beginning of the rain. It drizzled a few times in my hour along the brook. I think it is the fifth tome I have sat there. I do not yet have a feel for what is baseline. 

I had an unexpected visitor this morning. I heard some branches break and looked downstream. I saw my neighbor from Number 7 for a second. He was clearly moving up steam. He crossed the brook and was gone. No more branches breaking. I expected him to come up to me and talk. But he was gone. I suspect he saw someone down by the brook and wanted to investigate. His unit is twenty plus feet in elevation higher than the brook. I was hoping to talk to him. I heard he had or maybe has a wildlife camera I would love to hear what is there in the night and when we are not looking.

I am sitting about an hour each day in The Little Forrest. I am certain that I am connecting to the place. Watching and listening to the inhabitants is certainly a connection. I question just how welcome I am by the inhabitants. Yesterday, there was an agitated squirrel across the brook. I believe I was the source of agitation. It took about a week before the squirrels at the top of The Gulley stopped being agitated. It will take some time for them to get used to me. I am noticing the comings and goings of birds. The routes they generally travel. Some I noticed from sitting above the Gulley. I now have a different perspective on some of those pathways. 

This morning lying in bed with the window open I could hear the birds start to sing. First a Blue Jay, then a Black-capped Chickadee, and on of my favorite songs the Carolina Wren. I love this connection. it is not just birds singing. It's jays, chickadees and wrens. While i do not yet recognize individual birds, I bet some of them recognize me. 

Merlin Identified 13 species. Only the Hermit Thrush had the red dot. Everything else is a regular voice in the Little Forrest. 

Who knew?

 

8:00 to 9:15am, 55 Degrees, Clear Skies, Wind 7mph N, Bar 30.12 steady

The Common Yellowthroat (above) likes to feed and cavort down in the briars and brambles of the boggy part of The Little Forrest. I am learning. Practice makes progress! As my friend Gerry, an 80 something lobsterman, says "little by little the bird builds its nest" except he says it in french. There is a joke. How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, Practice, Practice. What are you practicing today? 

I have been sitting down by the Fall Brook in the Little Forrest for about four days. Today was the first time I really noticed how much bird life there is in the Bog. Down in the briars, brambles, and ferns. The birds do not come up to the top where you can see them easily. However, you can follow the motions. Being mindful of what motion is the wind and what is bird motion. This takes practice. In the time I spent sitting above the Gulley, I learned to differentiate wind, squirrel and bird motions. Just by sitting and being mindful of what is going on in the Little Forrest. I also saw a Yellow-rumped Warbler. And more than a few Mystery Birds.

On my way down the side of the Gulley, I heard an owl! Super exciting. Merlin unfortunately did not hear it. It did identify a Great Horned Owl later. I did not hear a hoot then. I listened to the song of the Great Horned Owl and it could be what I heard this morning. It is on the Ebird list for Canco Woods. 

it was a bit of a strange morning. Downy Woodpecker did not come up in the first hour. Also, Goldfinch, one of the most heard birds in the Little Forrest did not come up until I was on my way out. 

Merlin Identified 20 species. Northern Waterthrush again. This time I saw a mystery bird by slow moving water so..maybe. Great Horned Owl was the other red dot. I am inclined to believe this one. First time in a while it identified a Cedar Waxwing. I had thought they went south. New, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Lincoln's Sparrow.

A Brook Runs Through It

9:00 to 10:30am, 68 Degrees, Wind 10mph NNW, Clear, Bar 30.00 steady
 

There is water in Fall Brook today! About a half inch of rain last night. I was not really facing the brook. So, I don't know if any birds were drinking or bathing. Yesterday, I saw a Northern Flicker flying u from the brook bed. It was probably at one of the puddles. No flowing water yesterday. 

A slow start to my sit this morning. It did pick up. I chose a spot on the Island where I could see the feeder at Number 2. I saw Blue Jays, Tufted Titmice, Northern Cardinals, Downy Woodpeckers and mystery birds. The jays chased off some of the other birds. 

There were a lot of clear calls from a Red-bellied Woodpecker this morning. Would love to get a good look at that bird. Straight overhead at one point. Still could not pick it up. I have no doubt it was ther even without a sighting. I heard the Carolina Wrens singing upstream. Love their song! I wish they had flown in closer. 

I saw a lot of mystery birds. As a matter of fact, I saw more mystery birds than birds I could identify. I see birds flying and all I can do is identify general size. Not much in the way of color. More time sitting will make it easier to identify birds. Practice makes progress! I saw two birds on my way out that I could not identify. One was in the bush at 23. Could not get a good enough view through the foliage. And this bird below. 

Too big to be a sparrow. Perhaps robin sized. A mystery. 

Merlin Identified 23 species. There was so much water that a heron stopped by. It was flying overhead. I am not believing Black Scoter, an open ocean bird. Water Thrush again! Yellow-bellied Flycatcher is new. I saw a few small birds in the could be a Flycatcher. So I am adding it to the list. 

Update: I put some pictures of the mystery bird above on Facebook. Maine Birds Group. And one comment was Purple Finch. As Seth says "It is never a Purple Finch" It was too big anyway. The other was Grosbeak. This I can see. Female and about the right size. 

Everywhere!

 

12:40 to 2:10pm, 66 Degrees, Cloudy, Wind 6 mph SE, Bar 30.15 fall

Birds were everywhere when I walked down to the Island. They were flying around the the grass on my way across the parking lot. Ten or fifteen small birds flew into the bushes at Number 23. A couple of doves on the grass as I entered the Little Forrest. Birds in the brush below Building 1-4. Birds flying across the bog towards the feeder at Number 2. Birds in the bog. Birds on the other side of Fall Brook. There is a storm coming and I suspect they are feeding before hand. 

When I got to the Island, my sit spot, there were birds moving about the far side of the brook. Mostly Northern Cardinals. I saw a Swainson's Thrush when I first sat down. It was along the brush at the edge of the brook. Then the cardinals began to seriously chatter. I suspect they were letting the inhabitants know I was there. It was quiet for ten minutes or so after that. Then things really picked up.

I saw more different bird species than I ever have in one sit. many first sightings in the Little Forrest for me. First Red-eyed Vireo, Swainson's Thrush, Northern Flicker, Red-breasted Nuthatch. I also saw, Downy Woodpecker,(above) Black -capped Chickadee, American Crow, Blue Jay, House Sparrow, Cardinal, American Goldfinch, American Robin, Grey Catbird, Carolina Wren, White-breasted Nuthatch. Many birds I could not identify. Although, most were probably in this list.

It was truly amazing! I was able to pick up birds far away in the canopy, It was hard to identify them. I am getting better at putting the binoculars on them. It is still hard to get the right spot in the Little Forrest. A lot of was that the right branch on the right tree. Practice makes progress! At one point the chickadees, white-breasted nuthatches, and downys had me surrounded! It was hard to know wich way to look! It is definitely the new sit spot. 

Merlin Identified 21 species. Most were probably there. Northern Flicker, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-throated Sparrow, Red-bellied Woodpecker all have moved into the Likely in Portland category! Mourning Dove was my Merlin Bird of the Day. 

A Wild Place!

 8:15 to 9:15am, 58 Degrees, Partly Cloudy, Wind Wind 4 SW, Bar 30.30 Steady

Sat down by Fall Brook, a much wilder place than I had been sitting. Picture above is of the brook. Yesterday when I scouted how to get here, there were pools of water in the foreground of the picture. We are in drought. Should get some rain tomorrow. However, it will not be enough. 

The spot I sat at this morning is on an "island" in Fall Brook. No water so scare quotes. There is forrest in 360 degrees. I need a swivel chair. Birds are in every direction! Where I had been sitting only had a few places to look for birds. This is a whole new experience. The woods are deep. I can see the back of Condominiums 1-4. My subdivision. A shed from one of the houses across the crick. It is down maybe twenty feet below the surrounding areas where the houses are. I only once felt wind. 

I did not see many birds. I did however hear them. In the Fall Brook Valley there are less car noises. Less wind to blow the bird noises away. I heard an Eastern Wood Pewee for a solid five minutes. They will be moving to the Amazon Rain Forrest soon. The Little Forrest is an international hot spot! Definitely worth the price of admission. I need to hear a bird repetitiously for it to be in my brain in a recognizable way.  

I heard a Pileated Woodpecker today. Unlikely in Portland Today. As I said I have seen one not far from here in Payson Park. Multiple calls. I like how my brain is lumping certain species together.  I am noticing the calls of woodpeckers similarities. Mostly I hear Downys, Flickers, and Red-bellied woodpeckers. Their calls and songs are similar. The call of the Pileated was in line with those. So, I am going to say it was there. It was in a deep and dense part of the valley. I stood and turned to see if I could find it. However, I had no such luck. 

It will take some time to know where the birds travel in this part of the Little Forrest. At one point I could see birds flying from my former sit spot across the gulley. I know where the cardinals travel around the gulley. It will take some time to get to know how the birds travel in the valley. I heard one squirrel alarmed at me being on the "Island" I am sure other inhabitants of the Valley in the Little Forrest are not sure about me being there. 

Merlin Identified 19 bird species. Swainson's Thrush is new. I played it back and listened to the calls on the app. I am counting that one. Red-tailed hawk was the only red dot. Since I have seen them in the Little Forrest I am sure it was there. Plus the crows were pissed and chasing something off. 

The More I Learn

 

6:20 to 7:10am, 48 degrees, Clear Skies, Wind 4 mph N, Bar 30.38 rise

The more I learn the less I know. Or really the more I learn, I realize just how much more there is. I was convinced the birds had chilled out due to weather changes. Cold mornings were way quieter than before with below 60 being a kind of line. Beware small sample sizes! It felt more like a summer morning. Birds were chatty and moving about. Way more species than the last week or so. Just when I was thinking I have a handle on the new normal. It is always when I think "I got this" that something goes awry.

At one point this morning, a mallard flew over. I heard its call and new it was flying over. Its call was moving in flight. I looked down and mallard was displayed on Merlin. Usually when Merlin hears a mallard it is an agitated squirrel. There was an agitated chipmunk in the copse of trees this morning. Not a normal spot for that. I could not see anything. Birds did not really quiet. So a mystery. 

It was nice to hear the Downy Woodpecker come from over by Fall Brook. Across the Little Forrest to the feeder at Number 23. I can usually find them before they get to the feeder. Not always though. I am convinced that Northern Cardinals live in the dense copse of trees across from my sit spot. I see them move from the feeder at 23 to the copse. Also, moving from the top of the bog to the copse. I can rarely see them in that group of trees. Plenty of shelter from prying eyes. Still thinking of moving my sit spot into the Fall Brook Valley. Must explore down there. 

I did not post yesterday. I went out in the morning and it was moderately chatty. In the afternoon, It was windy. Merlin does not like the wind. I saw more species than Merlin heard! Merlin heard 2 species (crow/ Cardinal) and I saw 3! (Cardinal/catbird/chickadee) 

Merlin heard 20 species this morning. It still wants there to be a waterthrush. least sandpiper maybe. Magnolia Warbler! could be traveling through. Who knows?

More Rain!

 4:00 to 5:00pm, 65 Degrees, Cloudy, Wind 4mph S, Bar 29.83 fall

It rained all day and we got less than half of an inch. We needed the rain. We need more rain still. After raining all day there were a few small puddles in the crick. It would be nice if Fall Brook started flowing. It may not happen until the spring thaw. If we get any snow. Wicked El Nino happening right now. I am reading that it will be the strongest ever recorded. I am so new to the Little Forrest that I can not compare it to a normal or wet year. 

It was pretty quiet after the rain. It probably rained a bit during my sit. The Northern Cardinals were still fairly active. I was able to see them in the undergrowth much better than usual. I could be getting better at spotting them or they are more open with me. I suspect it is a bit of both. I can hear them but without a bit of motion it is hard for me to find them. The one above was across the Gulley in the back yard garden of the Barrows. I saw a couple down in the leaves across the Gulley. If i did not see motion I could not have found them with the binoculars. The cardinals really blend in. I could not see them without the binoculars even though there was nothing in between. Great camouflage.

I picked up a Blue Jay high in the canopy by motion. I would see motion and try to get the binoculars on it. It moved four or five times before I cloud get an identification. It was not making noise. As gerry says, "little by little the bird builds its nest." I am learning the ways of the Little Forrest, little by little. Practice makes progress. 

Merlin identified 6 species. They were all there!

Wind!

 

3:00 to 3:45pm, 69 Degrees, Clear, Wind 10mph S, Bar 30.10 even

Wind from the south blows the bird sound away. I heard a Blue Jay and an American Herring Gull that Merlin did not. Not sure what the gusts were up to. Maybe fifteen to twenty, Clearly a new baseline for fall. Less species and less birds altogether. Although some exciting things still happen. I sat for a bit yesterday afternoon and a Red Tailed Hawk was right above me in the trees! It was screeching up a storm. I think if that happens again I will try and walk out and see if I can see it from the parking area. 

I also went out this morning. Wind was about 2mph. Birds were much easier to hear. It was in the low fifties. I figured it would be quiet. It was for parts. Still some chatting and with the lack of wind Merlin was picking most of it up. I saw my first Goldfinch in the part I normally sit in. They are usually down by the bog or Fall Brook. I hear them but they do not normally visit my section of the Little Forrest. 

Merlin heard 6 bird species in the afternoon. I hear two more.  In the morning Merlin Heard 12 species. I am not sure about the Hudsonian Whimbrel. A shore bird. It could have flown over however. 

Baseline

 8:00 to 8:30am, 58 Degrees, Clear, Wind 6mph NW, Bar 29.91 rise

Baseline seems to be back to a little more "normal." Not as many bird species as during summer. However they are chatty again. The Northern Cardinals are moving about and calling to each other. I am picking up birds better by motion than I have been. I saw the female cardinal above from quite a distance. I saw some motion in the branches. I was pretty sure it was not a squirrel. Used the binoculars to see this one. Then took a picture. Slightly cropped. It would have been easy to miss this bird that was in plain sight. 

I was only out for a short while. Someone shut the dumpster with violence. A really loud bang that I have not heard before. Folks often put stuff in the dumpster when I am sitting. It does not usually disturb the Little Forrest. 

I did not post yesterday. I did go out to the sit spot. It seems the birds are chattering at a normal level even if there are not as many species as summer. Perhaps, the low pressure and storminess had them quiet. 

Merlin heard 9 species. I know the mallard was an agitated squirrel. And once again a Northern Waterthrush. At some point I may believe that one.

Fall

 

4:15 to 5:00pm, 65 Degrees, Cloudy, Wind 5mph SSE, Bar 30.26 Fall

Super slow again. Merlin only heard a Blue Jay for the first twenty minutes. I heard goldfinches on my way out. There was a game at Cheverus High School. It usually quiets the birds a bit. However, not this much. It was 30 minutes before a chickadee made some noise! Seven bird species and each one was pretty solitary. Not like a flock of twenty chickadees. I am guessing that fall has made a new baseline. 

I also went out in the morning. I should have wrote that up at the time. I sat down by the boggy area. It was quiet as well. The birds were chatty in the beginning. Then they went quiet. I did not hear an owl, however Merlin did. Great Horned Owl. Unlikely in Portland Today. Then things got quiet. Every time Merlin hears the owl things get quiet. I do not know if there is one, I do suspect there is. I saw a Carolina Wren for the first time in the Little Forrest down in the boggy part. It was clear there were two birds moving and feeding in the briars and brambles that cover the ground. They moved two hundred feet or so across the boggy ground never coming above the plants. Getting ever closer as they moved. When one came up, it did not stay long. It was maybe twenty feet from me. None too happy about it and was gone. Amazing how fast a bird can disappear into the undergrowth. 

Merlin identified 17 species in the morning and 7 species in the afternoon. Blogger wont let me upload photos! 

Still Quiet

 

1:00 to 1:40pm, 72 Degrees, Cloudy, Wind 9mph NNW,  Bar 30.13 even

It was quiet today. I also went out in the morning. It was drizzly. So I figured I would get better action in the afternoon. No such luck. In the morning the squirrels, chipmunks, and even a ground hog were all active. The birds not as much. I am definitely better at spotting birds. I am picking them up in flight more and more often during my sits. Perhaps it is because my attention is drawn down towards Fall Brook and Canco Woods. It is more wild in that direction. I am going to move down there at some point. There is a spot near Fall Brook that is drawing me in. Hard to see from where I am sitting now. It is across a boggy area. The Crick filters through this boggy area before it joins Fall Brook. I need to go down in the Gulley and explore the boggy area to find the best way over to the spot that draws my eye. 

The Blue Jays have come down more in the Little Forrest. I believe they are getting comfortable with my presence. This is the first time I had an unobstructed view of one. It saw me pointing the camera, called and was gone. 

Merlin heard 13 bird species in the morning and 9 in the Afternoon. Northern Waterthrush both times. Maybe there is one IDK. I saw a White-Breasted Nuthatch in the afternoon with no calls. 

Quiet Morning

 

8:15 to 9:10am, 64 Degrees, Partly Cloudy, Wind 9mph NNW, Bar 30.06 rise

A really quiet morning. As I said yesterday, the more I sit in the Little Forrest the less I know what baseline is. I would have expected a lot more chatter at 8:00 in the morning. I heard a White-Breasted Nuthatch as I walked out to the sit spot. (picture above from yesterday) It was also the bird I heard the most. Usually, the chattiest bird is the cardinal or chickadee. Really a different morning. Merlin did not pick up a cardinal until twenty seven minutes! Almost always one of the first birds I hear. Very few chickadees as well. Maybe the season change has the birds acting differently than what I have experienced. 

Towards the end of my sit I heard a Belted Kingfisher. It sounds a bit like the Downy Woodpeckers song. I am sure it was a kingfisher as I hear them along the East End waterfront, Prout's Pond, and The Marsh in Scarborough. Was kind of surprised as there is no water in The Little Forrest. There is water just across Ocean Avenue. Down stream of the Little Forrest on both sides. The condominiums across Ocean water their grass relentlessly. So that there is water in Fall Brook on one side of their property and water in the unnamed creek on the other. They must have a large water bill!

As I was moving out from under the canopy I heard the screech of a hawk. Merlin says Broad-winged Hawk! I looked up and saw it! I could not get the camera to focus on it when it was close enough to get a usable photo. I did however get to watch it in the binoculars for a bit. The third hawk in the Little Forrest! It will be headed to Central or South America soon. 

Merlin Identified 13 bird species. I am not buying the Northern Waterthrush. It really wants that bird. Almost every time Merlin lights up the bird, the sound is coming from a high spot. Not where the water would be if there was water. Added Broad-winged Hawk and Belted Kingfisher to the Sit Spot Bird List.

Active Afternoon

 

12:05 to 1:25pm, 71 Degrees, Partly Cloudy, Wind 9mph N, Bar 29.97 fall

A really active afternoon for the birds. When I got to the sit spot the Black-capped Chickadees were starting to hit the feeder. I try not to look much or raise the camera towards them. Ignoring them seems to make them more active. The chickadees seem to be a (touchstone?) species. If the chickadees are feeding and moving about the other birds seem to feel safe to do so as well. There was new behavior by the chickadees. Usually, they get close to the feeder and then drop on it. Today, some were flying from over the flood plane of Fall Brook all the way to the feeder. Also, their flight path was directly in front of me! Not all of the chickadees were doing this but enough to notice that this was a new thing. The birds know which way I am looking. Most of the time when the chickadees are at the feeder I can hear Tufted Titmice. Usually behind me. (above) Today one came down to the feeder and I saw it. Took the pictures of this one after it moved off a bit. Then more came! One was less than ten feet right in front of my face! I did not try for a picture. I want them comfortable with me. 

The Blue Jays came down into The Little Forrest in a way they never have before. They flew through at one point. At another one was low where it had a view of me. Was definitely checking me out. Mostly it had a view but its body was on the far side of a branch. One even was on Pinky just above the feeder. It declined to get on the feeder however. 

This Northern Cardinal was also checking me out. It is rare that I get an unobstructed view of a cardinal. It is even more rare that they are as close as this one. I could not resist a picture. It flew off pretty fast. It landed a bit further off. It was mostly behind some branches but had a small direct view of me. It was still checking me out. The birds were comfortable with me today. At one point I saw three Downy Woodpeckers at the same time. They were moving about together. Neat to watch that. 

Jon Young in his book What the Robin Knows talks about base line behavior. The more I sit in The Little Forrest the more I see. I do not really know what base line is. It has been incredibly different so many times. My guess is that it may take a few full years to really know what baseline is. 

Merlin Identified 14 bird species. Most were the normal suspects. Yellow Billed Cuckoo came up. Red dot. It could have been traveling through on their way to South America.

And then...

 

4:15 to 5:00pm, 71 Degrees, Mostly Cloudy, Wind 8mph NNE, Bar 29.86 rise

The birds were chattering normally for a half hour and then.... they went quiet. Not sure why. There were no alarm calls, just quiet. It will remain a mystery. Picture is of a female Downy Woodpecker in the tree I call Pinky. Most days I sit a downy will appear in this tree. Some great dead branches for a woodpecker. And it is on the way from the deeper woods across Fall Brook to the feeder ant Number 1. 

Just because the birds are quiet does not mean they are gone. Or out of my sight. I saw what I think was a song sparrow in the detritus on the side of the Gulley. A two inch bird moving amongst leaves and twigs is hard to spot at 200 feet. It was motion. It hopped a few times. Then I used the binoculars to see it. In its own way it was very exciting to see and identify a bird that way. The hoping motion gave it away. 

Merlin Identified 15 bird species. Most of them were probably there. I still do not think the Northern Waterthrush is there no matter how many times Merlin says it. But you never know. The song sparrow was not on Merlin. I also saw a Mourning Dove. Not on Merlin. 

Subdued

 

 

8:00 to 8:40am, 65 Degrees, Cloudy, Wind 3mph NW, Bar 29.79 even, 

It felt really subdued in the sit spot this morning. As quiet as it gets at this time of day. The normal cardinal chatter was not even there. Does the barometer have something to do with bird activity? It is pretty low. Moon phase? Even the cars on Ocean Avenue seemed quiet. High humiidity and fog warning on the coast can dampen sounds. 

Merlin Identifies 15 species. I got a Carolina Wren, My bird of the day! A year round resident of Maine. It was the highlight of the morning. The little guys can really belt it out! 

Wow!

 6:20 to 7:10am, 63 Degrees, Cloudy, Wind 5 SSE, Bar 30.00 falling

I talked to a neighbor yesterday and she suggested I sit behind Number 1.No body is in Number 1. It has a nice view of the Fall Brook valley. Fall Brook rises to the east and drops off to the south, running down to Back Cove in Casco Bay. It is definitely more wild back there. Fall Brook is part of Canco Woods there. I am going to have to walk and explore back there at some time. I did not like the sound of the cars coming from Ocean Avenue. I can still hear the car pollution from my normal sit spot. However, it is less. So, I decided to move back to my regular spot. 

I am glad I moved back to my normal spot. I like feeling that I am in the woods. At Number 1, I am on manicured grass above a retaining wall. Shortly after moving to my regular spot, I saw a large bird fluter to the top of Old Red. I could not see it through the leaves. Way to many Norwegian Maples. Then it took off heading west. Large hawk! In The Little Forrest. The light was not great. When I looked at Merlin It had added Red Tailed Hawk. So I am going with that. I have heard them overhead but not seen one in the Little Forrest. Thinking of moving my sit spot to below the retaining wall so I can see the Crick in the Gulley and Fall Brook Valley. Some exploring will happen. 

It was a subdued morning. Storm is coming. It looks from radar mostly north and south of here. Birds still moving about. A few birds flying from the feeder at Number 1 to the dense copse of trees. I noticed a spot that needs a name. At the end of the back yards where it gets wild again. I saw a few birds moving about there. I do not have a great line of sight. However it needs to be checked out. At one point I could hear Downy Woodpeckers calling back and forth. One was over by the feeder at Number 1. And the other at the spot where it starts to get wild. Then the downy at the feeder flew through the Gulley into the wild where its partner was. Pretty cool. Also, there was another close pass. A dark bird flew within five feet of me below head hight. Moving fast. Maybe a catbird. 

Merlin Identified 15 bird species. Mostly the normal suspects. I saw the Red-tailed Hawk. It will be moving south soon. It will probably stay in the States. Northern Water Thrush, Merlin really wants that one. They migrate to Central America. It is possible one is here and remembers when there was water here. And again with the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. 

Dreary

 

6:40 to 8:00 am, 64 Degrees, Cloudy, Wind 8mph E, 

There is a a storm coming. I think I need to start adding barometric pressure to the top line. I suspect birds are far more attune to that than modern humans are. Should start raining after dark tonight. I may have felt some heavy mist or a drop in my sit spot. The birds seemed subdued. There was chatter just not that much. Also, I do not think it was blowing 8 mph like the app said. 

As I said yesterday, I moved the sit spot ten feet to the east. And was rewarded with a view of this hole in a tree. Maybe a white oak. Will definitely investigate more. It looks as if there is a whole on the left hand side as well. A green leaf in there makes me think it is in use. Perhaps a woodpecker? A squirrel hole? I saw nothing come or go, yet. More will be revealed if I just sit and let it happen.

Since the birds were quiet this morning I was sitting very still. No turning, shifting, craning my neck, just still. At one point I turned and a small greenish yellow bird was coming right for me. It was perhaps five or six feet from me when I picked it up. It flew within two feet of my face and it was moving. I never really got to focus on it. It came and went in about a second. One of those did this just happen moments. Wild! I am guessing Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. Unlikely in Portland today. I am only guessing this as Merlin Identified it today. The Little Forrest is wild. 

I am once again reminded by how much can be learned by sitting quietly and listening. Not just learning about birds. I never once learned anything by speaking. It is by listening that I learn. Folks will talk to fill the void. It is amazing what can be learned by sitting quietly and letting life happen around you. 

Merlin heard 23 species. It did not pick up Herring Gull. I heard a few on the wind. Northern Waterthrush again. This was a mis identification today. It was picking up a chipping noise at the top of the Gulley. Not where the waterthrush would be. It heard a Great Egret for the first time in The Little Forrest. This I will add to the list. Very plausible one was flying over. Not going to add the fly catcher to the list. It is plausible that the flycatcher was migrating to its wintering grounds in Southern Mexico and Central America. Wildly connected to the world is The Little Forrest.

Small Changes, Big Rewards

 

3:40 to 5:00pm, 68 Degrees, Partly Cloudy, Wind 7mph E

Wow! Another Black_capped Chickadee feeding frenzy. I moved another ten feet to the east. A seemingly small change. Big difference. The chickadees fed for a long time. My small change made a large difference to the inhabitants of The Little Forrest. I am closer to where the crick turns south into Fall Brook. Or would if there was any water. I could hear the chickadees off to the east. Then see them is silhouette on the far side of The Little Forrest. Near the yards of the houses on the other side of the Gulley. Into the dense copse of trees. Into Old Red, Into Pinky, then everywhere! Mostly I sat still and let them be. From their perches near the feeder to the feeder and back they went. At times they would perch on a branch less that five feet from my face! Too close for me to move. Sometimes flying just feet over my head. On and on they sang and flew. The Little Forrest was alive with bird song and activity. It became contagious. Then came the White-breasted Nuthatches. 

And then the Downy Woodpeckers

It was amazing at one point there were maybe thirty chickadees, two nuthatches, and two downys that I could see at once. Just alive and letting it be. I think letting the chickadees feed freely allowed the others to feel safe. The Blue Jays came lower into The Little Forrest than they usually do. I saw more of the jays than I ever have. Maybe five at one time. I suspect some of that was my small move, ten feet, to the right.Small change, big reward! A better advantage point of seeing where Fall Brook is. Fall Brook comes out of Canco Woods and the south into Casco Bay, in the Gulf of Maine, in the Atlantic Ocean. 

The Little Forrest is connected to the larger world. And the larger world affects The Little Forrest. At one point I could hear the Norwegian Cruise ship blow its horn. More than two miles away as the crows from The Little Forrest flies. Do the people of Norway think of The Little Forrest when they send their ships here. Probably not. However their noise pollution comes anyway. Today the Little Forrest was connected to Norway. It is all connected. I have a meditation teacher named Devon who says, "if a butterfly flaps its wings in China it affects us here."

Merlin heard 21 species. Most were probably there. I question the wild turkey. I know I put it on the list for the Little Forrest. However, I am thinking of taking it off. Northern Waterthrush came up again. No water in the crick or Fall Brook so... I did see a bird down where it is clearly damp and water would be. It was the size and shape of a waterthrush and the colors were right. I can't say for sure. A little move in the right direction and was rewarded with a new sight.