Maine Whale Watch Highlights

I'm still sorting through our Maine photos. We went on a whale watch out of Bar Harbor. We had done this in 2005 and we saw Fin Whales, Minke Whales, Humpback Whales, and several sea birds very close the boat. We had a great time again. We didn't see as many whales this time and the wind was blowing extremely hard, but it was cool nonetheless. The only whales we saw this time were Fin Whales, which are the second largest creatures in the world. We had 4-5 of them around the boat and in the distance. Here's a picture that Beth took of one.


We also saw our first Grey Seal, a life mammal for us. As for birds, the most interesting sighting was a hummingbird about 25 miles out to sea! It buzzed the boat a few times and kept on going. There are some islands nearby that it must have used for a nest or a resting spot during migration. We saw 6 unidentified songbirds migrate over as well. Real seabirds included Greater Shearwaters, a lone Puffin, a flock of White-winged Scoters, and small flocks of Phalaropes (I assume "Red"?). I was happy to find that I didn't get any queasiness at all, despite making no efforts to stem seasickness. I always have a patch or meds for it, but I risked it this time and was happy to see that I was seaworthy on pretty rough seas.

Another highlight of the whale watch was this boat we saw on the way out. The boat was called "Beth Said Yes."

Maine ID Challenge Answer

Well, ladies and gentlemen, sometimes in the birding world we just have to let one go. I want my mystery bird to be a Cape May more than anything, but I can't rule out Black-throated Green, Magnolia, Blackburnian, or others. I've asked my readers, several forums, and a few others and I have not received a consistent answer. The bird was covorting with a Black-throated Green and the chip notes it was making don't sound anything like the Cape May on my CD. BUT, the bird did have a gray back as I recall. I would expect a BT Green to have an olive-green back. We can go on and on and look at Blackburnian, Magnolia, and the others that were suggested. I won't do that though since the photos are poor, the bird's plumage is poor, and everything is just speculation. So, in conclusion, I'm calling it "unidentified ratty warbler".

World's Most Pathetic Common Eider

Yum

When visiting Kennebunkport, Maine, it is mandatory to stop at The Clam Shack to dine on their fried clams and lobster rolls. It'll cost you an arm and a leg, but their food is outstanding. A small group of Mallards hangs out next to the shack. They eat the scraps that people throw over the deck (or the scraps the gulls don't get). While we were chowing down, the Mallards were joined by none other than a Common Eider! He was hanging out with them and dining on chunks of bread and fried batter. It was kind of pathetic seeing a duck that I would expect to be bobbing along the rocky coast cavorting with a group of hoodlum Mallards. I guess he's developed a taste for carbs to go along with his usual fresh mussels.

Is that fried clam I smell on your breath?

Bar Harbor Arachnid

While sampling the delightful brews and insanely tasty sodas at Bar Harbor's Atlantic Brewing Company, we spied a very large spider staked out near our car. This is a female Black & Yellow Argiope (pronounced ar-GUY-o-pee), Argiope aurantia. It's also known as the Writing Spider due to the interesting patterns it makes in its web. The body on this baby was about an inch long. Don't worry, they're harmless to humans unless extremely provoked.

Back from Maine with an ID Challenge

Hey everybody... Beth and I got back from Maine late last night. I hope that you never have to find a new tire on Labor Day in Maine. We had a bubble on our tire and it was quite a task to find a new one. Anyway, we had an amazing time and I'll be posting some highlights of the trip over the next few days. Here's an ID challenge for you all. I saw this bird (and Beth photographed it) on Monhegan Island. Monhegan Island is an amazing migrant trap located about 12 miles from any land. I'm pretty sure I know what it is, but I'd like to get some more opinions.





Time to go catch up on some blog reading...