During the spring of 2011, Canadian lighthouse keeper Ralph Eldridge caused raised eyebrows around New England. Some might say he was responsible for dropped jaws. Lucky to be positioned in the right place at the right time, that exact spot where all birders want to be, he was able to witness a major warbler migration fallout on Machias Seal Island. During a spring storm, hundreds of birds dove desperately for the jumble ofrocks off the coast of Jonesport, Maine. His photographs, posted on mainebirds.net and later forwarded to subscribers of the massbird listserv, showed dozens of individual birds of numerous species clinging to the lighthouse's window ledges, perching on fence rails, and finding any available space on the ground. Some, he noted in his brief posting to mainebirds, grasped onto his beard and clothing.
- Log in to post comments