Birds of Merrymeeting Bay

• Links of Interest
  • Bird Pictures at North American Birds
  • Peterson Online
  • Bird Source at Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology

BIRDS OBSERVED AT THE SWAN ISLAND GAME MANAGEMENT AREA

SPECIES

STATUS 2

Common Loon Occasional Visitant

Double-crested Cormorant Common Visitant (summer) Fairly Common (August)

Great Blue Heron Common Visitant, Probable Breeder

Green Heron Fairly Common, Probable Breeder

Black-crowned Night Heron Uncommon Visitant

American Bittern Occasional Visitant

Canada Goose Fairly Common Breeder

Snow Goose Fairly Common Migrant

Mallard Common Visitant

Black Duck Numerous Probable Breeder Abundant Migrant

Pintail Fairly Common Migrant

Green-winged Teal Uncommon Visitant Common Migrant

Blue-winged Teal Numerous Visitant, Abundant Migrant

Wood Duck Common Breeder

Ring-necked Duck Fairly Common Migrant

Scaup Occasional Visitant

Common Goldeneye (Whistler) Numerous Migrant

Hooded Merganser Occasional Visitant

Bufflehead Occasional Visitant

Goshawk Occasional Visitant

Red-Shouldered Hawk Uncommon Migrant

Broad-winged Hawk Common Breeder

Bald Eagle Uncommon Visitant; Breeds

Marsh Hawk Uncommon Visitant

Osprey Uncommon Visitant

Sparrow Hawk Common Probable Breeder (Kestral)

Peregrine Falcon Uncommon Migrant

Ruffed Grouse Fairly Common Breeder

Semipalmated Plover Fairly Common Migrant

Killdeer Common Probable Breeder

Common Snipe Uncommon Migrant

Spotted Sandpiper Common Probable Breeder

Solitary Sandpiper Fairly Common Migrant

Greater Yellowlegs Fairly Common Migrant

Lesser Yellowlegs Numerous Migrant

Pectoral Sandpiper Fairly Common Migrant

Least Sandpiper Aundant Migrant

Short-billed Dowitcher Uncommon Migrant

Semipalmated Sandpiper Abundant Migrant

Wilson's Phalarope Uncommon Migrant

Great Black-backed Gull Common Visitant

Herring Gull Numerous Visitant

Ring-billed Gull Fairly Common Visitant (or Migrant)

Bonaparte's Gull Uncommon Migrant

Common Tern Common Visitant

Forster's Tern Uncommon Migrant

Mourning Dove Fairly Common Probably Breeder

Black-billed Cuckoo Occasional Visitant

Great Horned Owl Fairly Common, Probable Breeder

Whip-Poor-Will Uncommon Migrant

Nighthawk Fairly Common Migrant

Chimney Swift Numerous Visitant

Ruby-throated Hummingbird Occasional Visitant

Belted Kingfisher Common Probable Breeder

Yellow-shafted Flicker Common Probable Breeder

Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker Fairly Common Migrant

Hairy Woodpecker Common Probable Breeder

Downy Woodpecker Common Probable Breeder

Eastern Kingbird Common Probable Breeder

Crested Flycatcher Common Probable Breeder

Eastern Phoebe Numerous Breeder

Least Flycatcher Fairly Common, Probable Breeder

Eastern Wood Pewee Numerous Probable Breeder

Tree Swallow Abundant Probable Breeder

Bank Swallow Numerous Visitant

Barn Swallow Common Breeder

Cliff Swallow Occasional Visitant

Blue Jay Numerous Probable Breeder

Eastern Crow Common Probable Breeder

Black-capped Chickadee Common Probable Breeder

White-breasted Nuthatch Common Probable Breeder

Red-breasted Nuthatch Fairly Common, Probable Breeder

Brown Creeper Fairly Common, Probable Breeder

Winter Wren Uncommon Probable Breeder

Mockingbird Occasional Visitant

Catbird Occasional Visitant

Brown Thrasher Fairly Common, Probable Breeder

Robin Numerous Probable Breeder

Wood Thrush Uncommon Probable Breeder

Hermit Thrush Common Probable Breeder

Veery Fairly Common, Probable Breeder

Cedar Waxwing Numerous Breeder

Starling Numerous Probable Breeder

Solitary Vireo Fairly Common, Probable Breeder

Red-eyed Vireo Numerous Probable Breeder

Black-and-White Warbler Common Probable Breeder

Tennessee Warbler Uncommon Migrant

Nashville Warbler Uncommon Migrant

Parula Warbler Common Probable Breeder Fairly Common Migrant

Yellow Warbler Common Probable Breeder

Magnolia Warbler Fairly Common Migrant (could breed)

Myrtle Warbler Fairly Common, Probable Breeder

Black-throated Green Warbler Common Probable Breeder

Blackburnian Warbler Common Probable Breeder

Chestnut-sided Warbler Uncommon Probable Breeder (?) Common Migrant

Blackpoll Warbler Fairly Common Migrant

Pine Warbler Fairly Common, Probable Breeder

Palm Warbler Common Migrant

Ovenbird Common Probable Breeder

Yellowthroat Numerous Probable Breeder

Wilson's Warbler Uncommon Probable Breeder

Canada Warbler Fairly Common, Probable Breeder

Redstart Numerous Probable Breeder

House Sparrow Numerous

Boblink Common Probable Breeder

Eastern Meadowlark Occasional Visitant

Red-winged Blackbird Numerous Probable Breeder

Baltimore Oriole Common Probable Breeder

Grackle Uncommon Visitant

Cowbird Numerous Probable Breeder

Scarlet Tanager Common Probable Breeder

Rose-breasted Grosbeak Fairly Common, Probable Breeder

Purple Finch Fairly Common, Probable Breeder

Goldfinch Numerous Probable Breeder

Towhee Occasional Visitant

Savannah Sparrow Fairly Common, Probable Breeder

Slate-colored Junco Fairly Common, Probable Breeder

Chipping Sparrow Numerous Probable Breeder

White-throated Sparrow Common Probable Breeder

Swamp Sparrow Occasional Visitant

Song Sparrow Numerous Breeder

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Prepared by Paul R. Adamus for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Augusta. (before 1972)

Status indicates the occurrence & relative abundance of each species. Status classifications are broken down as follows:

• Visitants (a species which is regularly found on the mainland, whether breeding or not, in the immediate vicinity of Swan Island)
• Probable Breeder (a species which one might reasonably expect to find nesting on Swan Island due to favorable habitat or presence of singing males)
  • Occasional- seen 1 to 2 times during observation period
  • Uncommon- seen 1 to 3 times per month
  • Fairly Common- seen 1 to 3 times per week
  • Common- seen 4 to 6 6imes per week
  • Numerous- 1 to 30 individuals seen per day
  • Abundant- 31+ individuals seen per day
• Migrants (a bird not breeding on Swan Island or immediate main land vicinity)
  • Uncommon - 1 to 5 individuals seen during entire period when species is expected as a migrant.
  • Fairly common - 1 to 20 individuals seen in one day during expected migrating period
  • Common - 21 to 50 individuals seen per day during migrating period
  • Numerous - 51 to 200 individuals seen per day during migrating period
  • Abundant - 201+ individuals seen per day during migrating period

APPENDIX C: Reed & D'Andrea Merrymeeting Bay

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ADDITIONS TO THIS LIST

A number of species such as osprey and bald eagles have made a significant comeback in the last twenty years.

1996 (All observed at or near a feeding area overlooking the Bay in Bowdoinham)

Pileated Woodpecker

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Evening Grosbeak

Indigo Bunting

White-crowned Sparrow

Eastern Bluebird (Nesting more and more commonly)

Cardinal

Tufted Titmouse

House Finch

Fox Sparrow

Pheasant

Wild Turkey

Snow Bunting (flock after a winter storm, one time)

Snowy Owl

Wild Turkey

Bobwhite