Cackling Goose, Rough-legged Hawk and Iceland Gull

After a week of slow birding, I had a good day in the field. There were a bunch of new arrivals in central Aroostook county... and good ones at that.

Just after sunup I located my first Cackling Goose of the year among a few hundred Canada Geese at Collins Pond in Caribou. A Bald Eagle had the flock quite nervous and the geese were leaving the pond in 10s and 20's. We were able to snap a few photos of the little goose before it departed.

In the cropped shots you can see the bird's small size, short neck, stubby bill, steep forhead and overall silvery tone of the plumage are all visible in the photos...enough to make this tough ID.

A single Lesser Scaup and a few dozen Hooded Mergansers were also milling with the geese.

Over in Easton at Lake Josephine, the duck flock seems to be reassembling after retreating from the gunfire earlier this month. Best of these was seven American Wigeon and 18 late Gadwall. 11 Lesser Scaup, 70 or so Ring-necked Ducks and 25 Common Goldeneyes were also present. My first-of-the-season Rough-legged Hawk was hovering over the field just north of Lake Jo. The dark phase hawk allowed a long viewing session and was quite spectacular in the morning sun.

Just north at Christina Reservoir my first-of-the-season Iceland Gull flew up as if to greet me when I had just arrived. The first winter bird did a lap around the pond with a small flock of Herring Gulls and then headed out towards the potato fields to the north. A White-rumped Sandpiper was a bit of a surprise as were a few lingering Lesser Yellowlegs. The Common Mergansers here numbered over 90.

In the afternoon I also found a medium sized flock of Horned Larks in a potato field on the Limestone and Fort Fairfield town line. Mixed in with the larks were 18 Snow Buntings and two colorful Lapland Longspurs. The longspurs landed very near the road and treated me to some of the better looks of these that I've had in a while.

Not too shabby.

Northern Maine Birds 10-20 April 2009

The past ten days was a cool dry stretch here in northern Maine. Temperatures averaged a few degrees lower than normal. Slow melting occurred in the afternoons and night time lows in the mid twenties re-formed ice when the sun went down. A three inch snow on the 13th was the only precipitation of significance during the period.

All streams and rivers are open and water levels have remained stable or dropped. Most ponds and lakes remain predominantly ice covered. Snow cover has retreated from most open areas but more than a foot remains in the woods.


A couple small pulses of migrants occurred during the past 10 days but generally migration has been a slow and steady affair so far.

New and arriving species during this period:

Brant (4/10)
Blue-winged Teal (4/18)
Redhead (4/18)
Lesser Scaup (4/18)
Osprey (4/16)
Broad-winged Hawk (4/18)
Iceland Gull (4/13)
Northern Saw-whet Owl (4/14)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (4/12)
Eastern Phoebe (4/14)
Tree Swallow (4/11)
Brown Creeper (4/19)
Fox Sparrow (4/19)
Purple Finch (4/17)

Waterfowl migration hasn't been much to talk about yet this season but what has showed up included some great birds. The highlight of period was certainly a wayward Brant found in association with some Canada Geese in Washburn on the 10th. The little goose remained here through at least the 13th. A flock of about 800-1000 Snow Geese is feeding on the flats along the St. John River in Grand Isle. The group was spotted from the Canadian side of the river by Roy and Charlotte LaPointe. Between 12 and 14 "Blue" Geese were seen in the horde. Canada Goose migrants continue to pass thorugh and some residents are already acting territorial.

A pair of drake Redheads were discovered on the 18th at Puddledock Pond in Fort Fairfield. The handsome males were loafing in the pond with a newly arrived drake Lesser Scaup and Ring-necked Duck. The tall wooden fence that was put up to exclude geese from the park here worked effectively as a blind and allowed Peter Vickery to get good photos of this fine looking pair.






Another good find was a crisp drake Barrow's Goldeneye that remained at Collins Pond from the 12th through the 15th. The bird was courting a hen Common Goldeneye which was clearly not to the liking of a nearby drake Common.

Seen first on the 18th, a newly-arrived Blue-winged Teal on a small pond near Trafton Lake in Limestone was early by a week. Wood Duck, American Wigeon and Green-winged Teal numbers are increasing. An apparent Green-winged Teal X Eurasian (Common) Teal hybrid was seen at the same small pond near Trafton Lake. The male possessed both a white vertical stripe on the side and a partial white horizontal scapular stripe along the wing. Unfortunately no photos were possible before the bird flushed and flew away (thanks to an eagle).

Lots of Common and Hooded Mergansers are being seen throughout the area. Paul Cyr captured the great images of drake Hooded Mergansers at the top and bottom of this post.

Great Blue Herons were reported from Caribou, Grand Isle, Presque Isle and Mars Hill. Paul Cyr also sent along the image of the flying heron above.

For the first time since last year, ten species of raptors were encountered in the county this week. Rare in northern Maine, Turkey Vultures were seen in Monticello and Sherman on the 17th. Newly arrived Ospreys went right to work sprucing up their nests in Easton and Island Falls. Other Ospreys were seen in Caribou and Fort Fairfield. Patty Jennings got this great action shot of an Osprey about to add another twig to the nest in Island Falls. The first Broad-winged Hawk of the season was spotted in Easton on the 18th. Following the trend this spring, it was also an early arrival by about a week.

A substantial wave of American Kestrels, Northern Harriers, Sharp-shinned and Rough-legged Hawks moved into the area over the weekend. On the 18th, Rough-legs were seen in Caribou, Fort Fairfield, Presque Isle, Van Buren and Woodland (one each). A pair of Kestrels has set up residence in a nest box in Portage Lake over the weekend. Other raptor species encountered were Merlin, Bald Eagle and Red-tailed Hawk.

American Woodcock have not been reported much yet this season here in the north. A twittering male was heard in Woodland on the 17th. A handful of Wilson's Snipe and Killdeer remain the only other shorebird types mentioned so far.

The two Lesser Black-backed Gulls mentioned earlier this month at Collins Pond in Caribou were joined by a third (!) adult bird on the 11th and all continued through at least the 18th. A first cycle Iceland Gull also joined the flock on the 13th and was spotted several times around Caribou through the week. Migrant Ring-billed Gull numbers are near peak and these now dominate the gull flocks in central Aroostook.

Two nights (4/17-18) of owl surveys in New Sweden, Perham, Stockholm, Westmanland, Woodland and T14 R5 produced 11 Barred and 4 Northern Saw-whet Owls. Other than the owls and an occasional coyote it was still very quiet in the woods.

Several American Crows were seen attacking a Rock Pigeon in Caribou this week. The ultimate fate of the unlucky bird was unknown.

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers had reached the central Aroostook area (my yard in Woodland) by the 12th. Eastern Phoebes were seen in Linneus on the 14th, Caribou on the 18th and Woodland by the 19th. A mid-spring surge of northbound Bohemian Waxwings was noted this week. 30+ Bohemians were seen at Lake Josephine in Easton and others were encountered in Fort Fairfield and Presque Isle.

Newly returned Tree Swallows also overspread the area quickly this week. A Brown Creeper was heard singing near the Woodland Bog in Woodland on the 19th.

In my yard in Woodland, the first Fox Sparrows (2) and a Rusty Blackbird were right on schedule. Dark-eyed Junco numbers continue to build and American Tree Sparrows show no signs of dwindling through today.

A good assortment of finches continue to show well at central Aroostook feeding stations. The first Purple Finches seen since last fall arrived at area feeders on the 17th. Common Redpoll numbers seemed to surge and wane quickly in a weeks time. My thistle feeder went from hosting a few to 200+ bird and then down to about 40 redpolls in about 8 days. A sickly redpoll, an apparent victim of the recent avian salmonella outbreak, was huddled in a bush in my yard on the 20th. A few Pine Siskins were reported at Ashland, Presque Isle and Woodland. White-winged Crossbills were heard in Woodland on the 19th. Evening Grosbeaks were seen in Caribou (3), Fort Fairfield (12) and Woodland (20).

A House Sparrow male has successfully dodged two Sharp-shinned Hawk assaults thus far this week.

Good Birding

Bill

Redhead Breeding Confirmed (the DUCKS)

Yesterday 26 July 2008, I was finally able to find and photograph a hen Redhead with young here in Aroostook County! These may be the first confirmed breeding Redheads in Maine and possibly New England...

Since 2004, when a flock of a dozen Redheads appeared in May at Lake Josephine in Easton, I have thought that maybe they might try to nest in the area. A pair lingered for a while in the area that year, but had apparently departed by late June and July when all the other ducks were showing up with nestlings.

In 2005, the Redhead pair lingered in the area longer into the year. I even saw the hen with some young ducklings in one of the nearby wetlands but I couldn't confirm they were hers for sure. They might have belonged to one of the very-similar Ring-necked Ducks that were nearby.

Last year, 2007, Redheads were in the area again and I searched but couldn't find any evidence of breeding other than their presence what appeared to be the right habitat for nesting.

The hen and her 13 young were found in the wetland area south of Lake Josephine-very near the McCain Foods plant. I was actually looking for shorebirds and Ruddy Ducks (which also breed only here) and decided to check this one last (and usually mostly empty) lagoon. Due to all the rain we've gotten recently, the lagoon had plenty of water and quite a few ducks. In addition to the Redhead and brood, there were two broods of Ring-necked Ducks and lots of molting dabbling ducks including Mallards, American Black Ducks and Green-Winged Teal.

Unlike all the molting ducks, which bailed out of the pond as soon as I approached, the hens with broods moved out to the middle of the pond. I think that if there were more cover vegetation on the sides, they would have moved their young into it shortly after I showed up, but there wasn't much available because the pond is usually dry.

Initially I stayed 100+ yards away as I scoped the 40+ juvies and their parents. The adults obviously knew I was there, but they didn't do much and seemed to be watching to see what I was going to do. It was interesting (if not a bit frustrating) that the hens seemed to purposefully drift so that some sprig of vegetation stayed in my line of sight to them. Many of the pictures I took later have a burdock or ragweed stem obscuring some of the ducks.

The ID of a female Redhead is tough one for me and I've spent alot of time studying the females of this species and the Ring-necked Ducks so I could hopefully tell them apart if I ever came upon them. What also makes it difficult is this is the time of year when these diving ducks molt, so they look unlike most reference pictures I could find.

The hen Redhead was slightly larger than the nearby Ring-necked. It had a rounded head rather than the peaked look of the Ring-necked crown. Overall the Redhead seemed to be a lighter more uniform tan color than the Ring-necked hens. There was a whitish band around the Redheads bill that was a bit more pronounced than the light colored band on the other species. I was able to get a decent digiscoped image with both the hens in similar positions. The Ring-necked Duck is in the upper left hand corner.


As for the young birds, the Redhead chicks were a week or two older than the downy Ring-necked ducklings. They were substantially larger and already possessed alot of their juvenal feathers on the sides and tail. I would guess the Redheads were 3 or 4 weeks along. I was able to get a decent shot of the two families beside each other for comparison. The Redhead hen and older brood is in the front and the Ring-necked Duck and her more strongly marked downy young are behind.


After I had taken a bunch of pictures, I approached a bit closer to exit the area along the dike beside the pond. When I did this the hen Redhead swam/splashed and flew towards me and did an excellent distraction display. I guess she was convinced I was after the hatchlings and her show would certainly have grabbed my attention if I hadn't already noticed her! I've never seen a Ring-necked Duck do a distraction display.

Found some online sources about the breeding range of the Redhead. Here's a copy of the USGS Breeding Bird Survey Distribution Map for the duck.

Good stuff.

Northern Maine Birds 9 -22 May 2008

Slow to post lately. Its been a busy couple of weeks...

Almost two weeks of sunny weather and light breezes made short work of most of the remaining snowbanks in northern Maine. Temperatures were generally in the 50's and 60's with a couple days creeping up to 70. The 12th was the only night that I've seen frost here in Woodland. The only precipitation during the period was a good soaking rain shower on the 19th and some showers lately. A decent migrant pulse was sandwiched between weather systems to the north and south on the 17th and 18th and made for good birding on those days.

Water levels on area streams and rivers have receded but some lake levels remain higher than normal. Leaf-out remains less than 50% in northern and central Aroostook Co. Areas in southern Aroostook are over 50%.

New and arriving species

Redhead 5/17
Black Scoter 5/17
Sora 5/15
Semipalmated Plover 5/15
Spotted Sandpiper 5/11
Common Nighthawk 5/14
Chimney Swift 5/17
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 5/14
Olive-sided Flycatcher 5/17
Least Flycatcher 5/15
Great-crested Flycatcher 5/17
Eastern Kingbird 5/17
Eastern Bluebird 5/12
Veery 5/18
Swainson's Thrush 5/17
Brown Creeper 5/17
Warbling Vireo 5/15
Red-eyed Vireo 5/12
Nashville Warbler 5/17
Northern Parula 5/11
Yellow Warbler 5/15
Chestnut-sided Warbler 5/15
Magnolia Warbler 5/15
Black-throated Blue Warbler 5/17
Black-throated Green Warbler 5/11
Black-and-White Warbler 5/10
American Redstart 5/17
Common Yellowthroat 5/15
Wilson's Warbler 5/17
Lincoln's Sparrow 5/11
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 5/11
Bobolink 5/15
Baltimore Oriole 5/15



The waterfowl highlight this time is certainly the returning pair of Redheads at Lake Josephine in Easton. This is the fifth spring this species has appeared. The birds appear to be settling in and were first seen on the 17th and were observed copulating in a small pond nearby on the 19th. They were joined by a second pair on the 22nd! I was able to get a digiscoped documentation photo of the new arrivals with a drake Ring-necked Duck (and a speeding Bank Swallow). Also at Lake Jo, Ruddy Duck numbers jumped with a high count of 10 birds including 3 females.

Male Ruddies were displaying and jostling for the attention of the females. Other good finds here were 2 Black Scoters on the 17th and 19th, high counts of Blue-winged Teal (12), Gadwall (20+), American Wigeon (40+), Northern Shovelers (30+) and a lingering Lesser Scaup on the 17th. Canada Goose nests seem to be everywhere this year and more than one birder has reported exciting encounters with the agitated parents. Ken lamb got this action shot in Caribou...



Another Red-necked Grebe in alternate plumage was seen at Christina Reservoir in Fort Fairfield on the 19th. The Great Egret remained at the ponds in Easton where it was found through at least the 15th. Ken Lamb got this great shot of the bird on the 9th. American Bitterns were found in Woodland, New Sweden and Fort Fairfield. Great Blue Herons remain on the nests at the rookery in Easton. The image above of an incubating heron comes from the camera (and big lens) of Paul Cyr.

A couple of late-ish Rough-legged Hawks were notable finds. A dark phase was seen on the 16th in Presque Isle and a light phase bird was hunting near Christina Reservoir on the 19th. Single northward straying Turkey Vultures were seen in Mars Hill and Island Falls on the 21st.

Bald Eagles were seen at the nests in Fort Fairfield and Presque Isle but it appears both have failed this year. The Fort Fairfield nest is tilting precariously after one of the supporting branches appears to have broken in the recent wind. The female continues to sit in the leaning collection of branches... Interestingly, a Common Grackle appears to be building a nest of its own in the underside of the eagle nest. Red-tails seem to continue to increase their presence in central and northern Aroostook. In addition to birds found at nests in Westfield, New Canada and T16R4, individual Red-tailed Hawks were reported in Ashland, Caribou and Oakfield. These hawks were uncommon in the area in the 90's. Northern Harriers were also well represented recently with individuals at Dyer Brook (5/9), Presque Isle (5/11), Madawaska (5/15), Washburn (5/17), Woodland (5/17) and a pair at Christina Reservoir on the 17th. The Northern Goshawk is aggressively defending its territory at the Maine Winter Sports Center in Presque Isle. Several mountain bikers have reported close calls with the female on the trails here. American Kestrels were reported throughout the area from Sherman Station (Stacyville) in northern Penobscot County (5/9) to St. John Plantation on the northern border (5/19). Merlins were seen in Caribou, Presque Isle, New Sweden and Castle Hill.

A newly arrived Sora was well seen at a wetland near Lake Josephine on the 19th. Virginia Rails were heard here as well.

A decent assortment of shorebirds were seen recently including a rare-in-spring Semi-palmated Plover at Lake Jo from the 15th to the 17th. High counts of other species reported were: 6 Killdeer in Easton (5/15);10+ American Woodcock along the Sullivan Road in T17R5 (5/12);14 Greater Yellowlegs at Christina Reservoir (5/15) and 4 Lesser Yellowlegs and 11 Least Sandpipers at Lake Jo (5/15).

On the 17th I finally achieved a long time goal of seeing all seven of northern Maine's breeding woodpeckers in one day. That is, Northern Flicker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and Downy, Hairy, Pileated, Black-backed and Three-toed Woodpeckers. 5 Three-toed Woodpeckers in the Irving woodlot in New Sweden and 3 Black-backeds at the Muscovic Road in Stockholm were my highest counts ever for these species.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds seemed to arrive all at once this year with males and females reported. Patty Jennings got this stunning image at her yard in Stacyville in northern Penobscot Co. Arriving flycatcher species included Least Flycatchers on the 15th and Eastern Kingbird, Olive-sided and Great-crested Flycatchers on the 17th. Boreal Chickadees were seen near LaPomkeag Lake in T8R7 and a pair of Gray Jays were spotted along the Muscovic Road.

Only fourteen species of warbler have been seen in the area now. None of their arrival dates were particularly notable. Two singing male Wilson's Warblers in Stockholm were good finds amongst the commoner species. 2 Yellow-rumped Warblers were hard at work on a nest already on the Sullivan Road in T16R4 on the 17th. The nest was only about 6 feet off the ground in a small spruce tree.

American Tree Sparrows lingered through at least the 11th and the first Lincolns Sparrow arrived at my feeders on the same date. Mary Collishaw snapped one last picture of her departing Tree Sparrow in Caribou last week. Another Lincoln's was singing on territory in a regenerating clearcut on the Sullivan Road in T17R3 on the 17th. 17 Chipping Sparrows at my feeder on the 10th was a high count. White -crowned Sparrows built in numbers through the 15th and have seemed to dwindle in numbers since then.

Arriving Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were noted in Caribou, Houlton, New Sweden, Presque Isle and Woodland on the 11th and 12th. Singing Bobolinks have been heard in several locations in central Aroostook. Several were seen along the dike of Lake Josephine in Easton on the 19th. 6 Baltimore Orioles are visiting a feeder in Presque Isle. 4 Rusty Blackbirds were seen in Madawaska on the 15th and another was heard in a small wetland in T17R3. Small mixed flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles and Brown-headed Cowbirds continue to make their way through the area and don't appear particularly anxious to get about the business of breeding.

What was probably the last Common Redpoll of the season, was lingering at a feeder near Echo Lake in Presque Isle on the 11th. Large numbers of Purple Finches (30+) and American Goldfinches (20+) arrived at my feeder over the past two weeks. A few Pine Siskins continue to be seen as well. Evening Grosbeaks continue to be widespread visitiors at feeding stations but no one has noted high counts. Evening Grosbeaks were reported at Caribou, Chapman Fort Kent, Frenchville, Madawaska, St. John, T17R3, Presque Isle, Mars Hill, Houlton and Oakfield.

Northern Maine Birds 1 - 8 May 2008

Hola.

Northern Maine enjoyed quiet weather this week. Temperatures were in the 50's and 60's during the day and dipped below freezing a couple times early in the period. Rain fell only twice this week but both were steady rains. A bit of a migrant wave was seen on the 7th and increased on the 8th. Otherwise, most migrants seemed to be moving through at a steady pace.

Almost all open areas are now snow free. Wooded areas in central and southern Aroostook have snow in isolated spots. Up to a foot still hangs on in the north Maine woods but the warm temperatures and predicted rain should finish it off within the next week. The ice melted off of most of the lakes this week.

Water levels remain high in northern-most Aroostook along the St. John and Fish Rivers following the record breaking flooding. Most damaged roads have been repaired in the settled areas, but dozens of wood roads and bridges were trashed and this will probably affect access to the North Maine Woods throughout the summer in places. The flood has left acres of standing water throughout the region and waterbirds are well dispersed across the region.

Deciduous trees are flowering across county and leaf buds are starting to open in south Aroostook locales.

New and Arriving Species this week:

Northern Pintail 5/7
Lesser Scaup 5/7
Surf Scoter 5/8
White-winged Scoter 5/8
Red-necked Grebe 5/4
Great Egret 5/8
Glossy Ibis 4/29
Broad-winged Hawk 5/1
Virginia Rail 5/4
Lesser Yellowlegs 5/8
Solitary Sandpiper 5/8
Least Sandpiper 5/8
Great-horned Owl 5/6
Northern Saw-whet Owl 5/8
Cliff Swallow 5/8
Bank Swallow 5/8
Blue-headed Vireo 5/7
American Pipit 5/6
Gray Catbird 5/2
Brown Thrasher 5/6
Hermit Thrush 5/4
Northern Parula 5/7
Northern Waterthrush 5/7
White-crowned Sparrow 5/7

The first week of May in northern Maine is usually a time when numbers and diversity of waterfowl are at their peak. This may be the case this year, but its hard to find any concentrations of waterfowl thanks to all the water left after the flood. Geese, dabblers and the fish eating diving ducks all seem to find the new habitat to their liking. It seems like only Common Goldeneyes, Ring-necked and Ruddy Ducks are sticking mostly to their usual haunts.

A Canada Goose nest with two eggs was found on the 2nd near still-partially-ice-covered Barren Lake in Caribou. Another was found with 6 eggs on the 8th. The results of Ken Lamb's recent Canada Goose portrait session is above. Quite a bit of oil was spilled during the flood along the St. John River. An oil covered Snow Goose was recovered on the 4th in Van Buren during the cleanup.

Newly arrived species this week were pairs of Northern Pintails and Lesser Scaup on Lake Josephine in Easton. A Surf Scoter also at Easton and a pair of White-winged Scoters on Arnold Brook Lake in Presque Isle were firsts of the season. 6 Gadwalls and 3 Ruddy Ducks were also seen at Lake Jo on the 7th and 8th. Blue-winged Teal were spotted in Eagle Lake (5/6) and Christina Reservoir in Fort Fairfield (5/7). Noteworthy high counts this week included 22 American Wigeons, 15 Northern Shovelers, 60+ Common Goldeneyes and 280+ Ring-necked Ducks at Lake Josephine.

Common Loons arrived at area lakes immediately after (during?) the rain and subsequent ice-outs. 5 were on Eagle Lake and 3 were seen at Arnold Brook. Very rare inland, 3 Red-necked Grebes found at Christina Reservoir on the 4th and another on Arnold Brook Lake on the 8th were good finds. Pied-billed Grebes were also found at Christina Res.

The avian highlights this week were a couple of rare waders. A Glossy Ibis in Hodgdon from 30 April through 3 May was only the second record for Aroostook County and likely the northernmost record in the eastern US. Almost as rare, a Great Egret was discovered in a wetland near Lake Josephine on the 8th. Bill Daniels was able to document the big white bird with the image above.


Great Blue Herons are on the nests at a rookery in Easton and American Bitterns were seen and heard in Caribou, Easton and Woodland. Paul Cyr caught up with some courting herons on the 8th.

Eight raptor species were seen in the area this week. A high count of 6 Northern Harriers were seen in southern and central Aroostook county on the 4th. A Red-tailed Hawk was found on a nest in Westfield on the 8th.

A Virgina Rail calling in a wetland near Lake Josephine on the 4th was an early surprise. Wild Turkeys seen in the Sheridan section of Ashland and along Route 1 in Bridgewater show the birds are continuing to expand northward despite the severe winter. Drumming Ruffed Grouse were widely reported. A Chukar photographed by Alan Chalou at his feeder in Castle Hill in mid April was almost certainly an escapee, but noteworthy none-the-less.

Some newly arrived shorebirds set early date records. Four Least Sandpipers and two Solitary Sandpipers at Lake Jo on the 8th were the earliest ever by my records. Arriving Lesser Yellowlegs here were also a bit early. Greater Yellowlegs were seen in twos and threes in Caribou, Eagle Lake, St. Agatha, Houlton, Mars Hill and Easton this week. 6 Wilson's Snipe together in a wet pasture in Presque Isle led me to suspect that migrants of this species continue to pass through the area.

Owls made a good showing this week in the county. A Barred Owl was calling in the Woodland Bog most nights and a Barred and Great Horned Owls were heard in Amity in southern Aroostook county on the 6th. A Northern Saw-whet Owl calling at 3 in the afternoon was a first of the season for me. The bird was winding up some Northern Flickers and American Robins near Arnold Brook Lake in Presque Isle.

Belted Kingfishers were widely reported. Ken Lamb sent along this great shot of a kingfisher playing with her food.

A singing Blue-headed Vireo was reported in Caribou

Swallow numbers jumped this week with the warming weather and Cliff and Bank Swallows joined the Tree and Barn Swallows on the 8th. The Cliff's arrival date was the earliest ever for me in Aroostook Co. Rare in spring, an American Pipit was heard over Eagle Lake on the 6th. A Gray Catbird in Hodgdon on the 2nd and a Brown Thrasher in Bancroft on the 6th were new arrivals in this neck of the woods. Also in Bancroft, an Eastern Bluebird found on the 8th was the first report for the county this year. Hermit Thrushes are still only trickling in, but vocal.

The increasing numbers of Yellow-rumped Warblers were joined by only two other species of warbler this week. A Northern Parula and a Northern Waterthrush were both first heard this season in Caribou on the 7th.

American Tree Sparrow numbers waned but they lingered through at least the 6th. Increasing Chipping Sparrows were quick to take their place. 13 was a high count in my yard on the 8th. Fox Sparrows also lingered through the 6th here in Woodland. White-crowned Sparrows arrived all at once on the 7th when flocks were seen in Caribou, Presque Isle and Woodland.

Common Redpolls were still being seen as of the 3rd in Caribou and the 2nd in Woodland. Purple Finches continue to increase throughout the area. Trina Coffin photographed both species at her feeder in Caribou. The Evening Grosbeak flocks were widely reported but seem to be dispersing. The grosbeaks were seen in Caribou, Chapman, Easton, Fort Kent, Eagle Lake, Presque Isle and Woodland.

A Glossy Ibis in Northern Maine

Sue Young, in southern Aroostook county, has discovered a Glossy Ibis in Hodgdon just south of Houlton. The bird is visiting one of the many huge puddles formed during the recent deluge of rain and snowmelt that hit the county. Sue's birdy puddle is located out on the Lincoln Road right along the Canadian border...The water is literally within 100 feet of Canada.

The bird was first seen on the April 30th but has remained through at least the 3rd of May.




The Glossy Ibis was probing around the margin of the puddle in the company of Canada Geese, Green-winged Teal, Mallards and Ring-billed Gulls. According to Sue, it didn't appreciate the attention she offered and stayed on the far side of the pool when she was trying to photograph it.
Even though it was uncooperative, Sue was able to document the bird well enough to eliminate the possibility of the similar (but much less likely) White-faced Ibis. A White-faced Ibis would show a more...white face(!) and pinkish rather than the gray legs seen on the bird in Sue's pics.

I checked with a few sources and it looks like Sue's ibis is not the first for Aroostook County. On 21 April 2002, Joe McDonald found the county-first ibis just a few miles away in Amity!

The Hodgdon bird does get the distinction of being the northern most record in Maine and the eastern US. The nearest breeding population of Glossy Ibises is 200+ miles to the south at Stratton Island just off the coast of Maine near Scarborough and Old Orchard Beach. Back in the 1980's a Glossy Ibis had a failed nesting attempt on the southern coast of New Brunswick near St. John.

Anyone interesting in looking for the bird shouldn't have much of a problem finding the spot. Sue sent along a great map showing the exact location. The pond is in a private farm field but easily visible from the very quiet Lincoln Road. Stay out of the wet field, even on foot... Birders shouldn't be surprised if they draw the attention of the Border Patrol at this location. There are remotely monitored cameras on the utility poles nearby!

Northern Maine Birds 12-26 March 2008

Its still winter in northern Maine.

The Easter Weekend Blizzard dropped 14+ inches of snow in Caribou pushing the tally to a record 185+ inches (over fifteen feet). More snow fell in the St. John Valley. Record low temperatures (down to -14 F) were hit on the past three evenings. Snow depths range from 2 to 5 feet from north to south. Even open areas have a deep snow cover.

Some streams in southern and central Aroostook have opened up but overall there remains little open water available.

Despite all local meterological evidence to the contrary, the spring migration season is finally upon us and a few early scouts are arriving in southern areas of the region.

Arriving Species :
Canada Goose 3/26
Turkey Vulture 3/25
Merlin 3/26
Horned Lark 3/14
Song Sparrow 3/16
Red-winged Blackbird 3/20

15 arriving Canada Geese were seen on the edge of a narrow lead in the ice of the Aroostook River in Presque Isle. A single goose was also seen in another part of town on the same day (26th). This date tied last years record for an early arrival. Common Goldeneyes were spotted on Presque Isle Stream in Presque Isle on the 25 and below the Aroostook River dam in Caribou on the 16th. Common Mergansers were at the dam on the 19th. There were 27 American Black Ducks and 20 Mallards at a small pond near the hospital in Presque Isle on the 26th. Ken Lamb noted this Black Duck appeared a bit hard of hearing...

A skier at Mars Hill Mountain was enjoying the post-blizzard powder on Saturday the 22nd when they flushed a roosting Ruffed Grouse from the deep snow on an ungroomed trail.

Raptor reports are trickling in. Bald Eagles continue sprucing up the nests in the area, but we've yet to hear of any settling in to incubate eggs. Ken Lamb photographed the eagle above in Presque Isle on the 25th.

Reports of injured and killed eagles, ravens and crows on stretches of I-95 in southern Aroostook and northern Penobscot continue. The Department of Transportation's unfortunate decision to log and thin the median strips near deer wintering areas between Benedicta and Medway, this winter, has resulted in numerous (dozens) of road killed deer. The deer which are struggling with a particularly tough winter, are tempted to cross the interstate to get to the tasty tree tops that are being stacked here. Though it appears some of the deer carcasses are removed, enough have remained and are an attractant to these scavenging birds. Ironically, DOT says the purpose of the thinning project was to reduce wildlife injury and accidents....

In Caribou a newly arrived Merlin was photographed on the 26th. The female/juvenile appeared to have an injured or frozen foot but still managed to take a Mourning Dove at a feeder here. Carroll Knox was able to get a picture as the bird digested its meal on the phone lines in front of his house.

A few blocks over, a Sharp-shinned Hawk scattered the flocks of finches at Trina Coffin's busy feeder and then posed for the image below.











An arriving Turkey Vulture was seen over Hersey in southern Aroostook on the 25th.

19 Great Black-backed Gulls were seen at the dam in Caribou on the 18th and a single was seen over Presque Isle on the 20th. No other gull species have been reported yet.

All the regular corvids were noted. A Gray Jay was seen in Westmanland on the 15th. Crow numbers continue to increase. Common Ravens continue to work on a nest in Castle Hill and others were observed carrying sticks in Chapman and Easton. A returning flock of four Horned Larks was first spotted along the snowbank-bound roads in Mapleton on the 14th. The birds have subsequently been seen in open fields in Limestone and Caribou.

The Presque Isle Tufted Titmouse survived the blizzard and stretched out its overwinter stay here. 10+ Boreal Chickadees encountered in a woodlot in Westmanland on the 16th, was a high count for this usually-less-than-gregarious species

Snow Buntings have been seen in small numbers in Caribou, Limestone, Presque Isle and Woodland. A vocal Song Sparrow in Mt Chase on the 16th was a bit early in its arrival. Overwintering American Tree Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos were still visiting feeding stations in Caribou and Presque Isle.

The female Rusty Blackbird continues at a feeding station in rural Presque Isle. An arriving Red-winged Blackbird stopped briefly in Mt Chase on the 20th. This too, was slightly early.

Pine Grosbeaks were still being seen in Caribou, Fort Fairfield, Presque Isle and Woodland but numbers have dropped and several reporters have noted their complete departure from their yards. Pine Siskins, American Goldfinches and Common Redpolls continue to increase throughout the area with redpolls dominating the counts. Trina Coffin, in Caribou photographed her goldfinch which is starting to change to summer plumage.

A Hoary Redpoll joined a flock of 60+ Commons in my yard in Woodland for one day on the 22nd. Also seen was an interesting "yellow"-poll which had a bright yellow cap replacing the normal red spot on this Common Redpoll.

Evening Grosbeak numbers also seemed to have waned though as many as 12 were still visiting my feeders as late as the 25th.

Northern Maine Birds 28 Feb-11 March 2008

I'll be away (spending a couple days skiing in Baxter State Park) this week, so thought I'd get a report out a bit early.

Winter's kept a firm grip on northern Maine so far this March. Temperatures continue to run below normal, almost all water is frozen and another 2 feet of snow have fallen in the first 10 days of the month. As a matter of fact, the meteorologists say fourteen FEET of the white stuff has landed in central Aroostook this winter. Only about 13 inches to the total snowfall record...great....

Needless to say, there is little change to report in the numbers or diversity of birds. Generally, a trend towards increasing numbers of American Crows and less Pine and Evening Grosbeaks was noted by several reporters.

Two Hooded Mergansers photographed by Ken Lamb on Arnold Brook in Presque Isle may have been over-winterers rather than early migrants. The birds were photographed on the 28th but had been seen at this location for almost a month. Mallards and American Black Ducks continue in Presque Isle stream in PI. Since the Aroostook River has almost completely frozen over at the Caribou Dam, no Common Goldeneyes or Mergansers have been seen here in over a week.



An apparent Sharp-shinned Hawk was photographed by Russ Mount in Castle Hill on the 2nd following a big snowstorm. The hawk was attracted to a good sized collection of Pine Grosbeaks, Mourning Doves and Common Redpolls at a feeder here. Bald Eagles have been seen recently adding sticks to the nest on the Aroostook River in the Stevensville section of Fort Fairfield.

A Snowy Owl was reported at an in-town location in Presque Isle on the 1st.

Also in Castle Hill, a Common Raven pair has been observed constructing a nest in a dense stand of mature spruce trees. As previously noted, the number of American Crow arrivals continues to increase.

Blue Jays are increasingly vocal.

Over fifty Bohemian Waxwings were seen in Mount Chase on the 10th. The Northern Shrike continues to thin the chickadee flock at my yard in Woodland.

Paul Cyr found a gorgeous male Pileated Woodpecker excavating a hole in Presque Isle on the 8th and was kind enough to share what he saw.


This has been an exceptional winter for Northern Cardinal reports in Aroostook County with as many as a dozen different birds being reported from around the region. Again, this week, we hear of these birds in Caribou, Houlton, Island Falls, Fort Fairfield and Presque Isle. Ted Roberts recently snapped a picture of this brilliant male wallowing in the snow with a group of Mourning Doves in Presque Isle

Small Snow Bunting flocks have been reported regularly from throughout the region, with larger flocks being seen in the vicinities of feedlots and horse barns (Oakfield, Fort Fairfield, Woodland). I imagine with 3+ feet of snow in the fields that its difficult to find seeds elsewhere. I suspect if the snow cover continues for more than few more weeks, we may find an abundance of migrating sparrows visiting our feeders by necessity.

On a sad note, the intrepid Eastern Towhee that was overwintering in Sherman was killed by a neighbor's cat on the 28th.

Pine and Evening Grosbeaks are still widespread. In Bancroft, a Pine Grosbeak flock grew to its greatest numbers of the season (20+), but overall numbers continue to drop a bit. A nearly all white (leucistic) Pine Grosbeak was photographed in Fort Fairfield on the 2nd (See previous post).

A few American Goldfinches (Presque Isle, Fort Fairfield) and Pine Siskins (Presque Isle) were reported this week. Common Redpolls seem to be conducting guerrilla-style raids on unattended thistle feeders around the area. One observer said their long-neglected feed sock was emptied in a single day but that the flock did not return once it was refilled. I wonder if these are not flocks on the move.

We should have some migrants to talk about next time!

A leucistic Pine Grosbeak

Earlier this week, I recieved some images of a strange canary-looking bird taken by Joe and Penny Bernard in Fort Fairfield. The bird has been coming to their yard for a while and they were only just recently able to get some pictures of it. It was a bit of a puzzler and not like anything I've seen in northern Maine before... exciting stuff for a bird nerd.

As you can see from Joe's picture, the medium sized bird was mostly white with some light yellow on the head, rump and breast and black and white on the wings. The beak and legs were pink. Unfortunately the bird was all alone, so there were no clues to its identity to be gotten from its associates...

There aren't too many species of birds that can reasonably be considered as candidates in Aroostook county in the winter...The closest looking normal-plumaged bird common in this area is probably the Snow Bunting. By comparing the Fort Fairfield bird to Paul Cyr's Snow Bunting photo in the previous post, you can see that this ID wasn't a good fit. Northern Shrikes have black wings and a lighter body, but they also have a black mask and a black tail which this bird didn't have. Young shrikes also have some brownish tint to some of the plumage but not the lemon-y yellow Joe's bird showed.

The only other birds with white, black and yellow plumage that came to mind were Evening Grosbeak and American Goldfinch. This bird was too big, mis-proportioned and way too light to be a goldfinch. All the white on the upper wing looked good for an aberrant plumaged Evening Grosbeak but the tail was too long....hmmm

On closer look, I found some clues to the birds identity. The bird looked like it had a thick, stubby beak. Medium sized birds with this kind of bill around northern Maine right now are Evening and Pine Grosbeaks and Northern Cardinals. As I said the long tail didn't work for Evening Grosbeaks, and the bird obviously didn't have the crest of a cardinal...Pine Grosbeak?

The shape/morphology was right, but the color? I got thinking about the yellow color. The head, breast and rump were yellow in the same places as a normally colored female/young male Pine Grosbeak. (See the bird in Paul Cyr's photo here) What appeared to be missing was the gray pigment that dominates the appearance of a female Pine Grosbeak. Missing pigment would also explain the beak and legs being pink rather than dark gray/black.

As I understand it, when birds appear to have reduced or partially missing dark pigments (melanin) most ornithologists call it leucism. For some reason the use of this term gets the hackles up on some people who prefer to call birds with lighter than normal plumage partial albino. I've used the term partial albino for such birds before, and had it explained to me that albinism is an all or nothing affair. Either the bird has two recessive genes and NO pigment(=albino), or not. A bird cannot be partially albino.

So, anyway... Joe's bird with some black and yellow pigments looked like it could be a leucistic Pine Grosbeak.

I hadn't heard of one before so I googled around for a while and found several references to such a bird. In our geographical area, there was one collected in Massachusetts in 1965 and a couple others reported in New Brunswick in the past five years. Most surprising was a photo of one taken just a couple of weeks ago (February 23rd) in Quispamsis, NB that looked alot like Joe's bird! This bird was decent enough to be photographed in the company of three other Pine Grosbeaks.

I sent the pics around to a few Maine bird experts and they all concurred with my suspicion that this was a very rare, leucistic Pine Grosbeak. Thats a really good find. Thanks for sharing it Joe and Penny!

Northern Maine Birds 14-27 February 2008

The pattern of regular precipitation in northern Maine continued in the second half of February. Of course, most of that precip has come down in the form of snow. Despite a brief thaw and rain event on the 18^th, snow depths weren’t impacted much and remain at about four feet in the woods. The Caribou weather station noted a couple of daily record snowfalls during the period and totals now stand at about 12 feet of snow this season. About four feet of this snow came down in February. Southern portions of Aroostook County seemed to get more snow than the north. A couple of recent storms also resulted in some significant icing there. Patty Jennings photographed this Hairy Woodpecker in Stacyville after one of the ice storms.

Though the expected late-February warming trend is being experienced, most streams and rivers remain locked up in a thick layer of ice. The lowest and warmest temperatures of the month occurred on Presidents Day weekend (16-18^th) and made it interesting for travelers.

With the increasing day length and sun intensity, the birds appear to be getting restless and some movement is already being seen. Some early bird song, territorial behavior and breeding displays were noted by reporters. The Great Backyard Bird Count turned up some good birds in northern Maine this year.

Common Goldeneye drakes have started doing their bizarre breeding display for the hens at the Aroostook River dam in Caribou. Mallards and American Black Ducks were seen in a couple of locations in Presque Isle. A mixed flock of ~30 were seen in a pond behind the hospital here.

Judging from the up tick in reports, it appears that Bald Eagles have begun returning to the area and have even started to show up at some nest sites. Adults were seen at the nest on Crystal Lake in Hersey in southern Aroostook County and at the nest on the Aroostook River in Fort Fairfield. Others were seen Ashland, Caribou, Island Falls, Houlton, Littleton and Presque Isle. Paul Cyr photographed this adult in Fort Fairfield on the 17th.

A Northern Goshawk buzzed some feeders in Caribou on Sunday the 24th. An early (overwintering?) Red-tailed Hawk was spotted along Interstate 95 in New Limerick on the 26^th. The Presque Isle Cooper’s Hawk continues.

The only gull species reported in the area was a small flock of 16 Great Black-backeds that returned this week. They have been seen in Caribou and at the Tri-Community Landfill in Fort Fairfield.

A Barred Owl was heard calling in the Woodland Bog Preserve in Woodland on the 24^th.

With the onset of the breeding season, the woodpecker species have featured prominently in many reports. Literally dozens of Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers were reported drumming from around the county. Pileated Woodpeckers were also seen in good numbers especially at in-town locations.

Northern Shrikes were seen in Caribou (21^st), Woodland (23^rd) and Chapman (24^th). As Ken Lamb's picture shows, the weak mask, barring on the belly and bi-colored bill all indicate the Chapman Shrike was an immature bird.

As of yet unsubstantiated, a Black-billed Magpie was reported to have been photographed in Limestone on the 18^th. If it can be confirmed, this would be a first for northern Maine.

Gray Jays were seen last week near Chamberlain Lake in northern Piscataquis county and 5 were reported from the Houlton area over the President’s Day weekend. American Crows appear to be increasing in numbers and spreading out around the countryside. A Common Raven was seen carrying a stick in Mount Chase…an early nest builder for sure!

The Great Backyard Bird Count produced a bunch of interesting discoveries during the count weekend of the 15^th through the 18th. Reports included the first returning Horned Larks in Fort Fairfield, Boreal Chickadees found in Mars Hill and a Brown Creeper in Island Falls. A second over-wintering Tufted Titmouse for northern Maine, was reported in Island Falls on the count. The long-staying Presque Isle titmouse continues as the northern-most in the US!

Both White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches turned up on the count in good numbers. Rare away from feeders in northern Maine, a White-breasted Nuthatch was seen near Chamberlain Lake northwest of Baxter Park last week. Ken Lamb and Trina Coffin photographed these nuthatches in Presque Isle (White-breasted)and Caribou (Red-breasted).

Northern Cardinals were seen in Caribou, Houlton and Presque Isle. The Caribou bird has begun to sing.

The Eastern Towhee continues on in Sherman Mills and according to the GBBC maps, appears to be the northern-most individual of this species on the continent! The bird is reported to be coming to the feeder daily.

Snow Buntings are reappearing in good numbers as winter winds down. Double digit counts were reported from flocks in Ashland, Caribou, Patten, Presque Isle, Smyrna, Washburn and Woodland. Paul Cyrs Game camera captured a couple of squabbling buntings at one of his feeding stations in Presque Isle.

The over-wintering Rusty Blackbird continues in Presque Isle and was seen as recently as the 26^th.

Finch highlights this period included three Hoary Redpolls at a feeder in Mount Chase, a Red Crossbill in Island Falls and House Finches at northern outposts in Caribou and Houlton. Carroll Knox documented his House Finch in Caribou with this photo. Both American Goldfinches and Pine Siskins were seen as increasing in numbers, following the lead of Common Redpolls which are dominating counts at many area feeders. Rare this winter, Purple Finches were seen in Washburn and Mars Hill.

Pine Grosbeaks remain widespread and numerous throughout the county. Evening Grosbeaks are more spotty, but good sized flocks are still being reported. 50+ of each species visit my feeders daily in Woodland.

Loons of Lower LaPomkeag (guest post)

Many (most) of the bird sightings and pictures for the reports here come from a small network of birders/naturalists here in northern Maine. A longtime friend, Bill Hersey, of Caribou, is one of those reporters. Bill regularly keeps me up to date with the bird life he sees at his home, camp and as he travels around the county. Like most of us, Bill has been thinking of the warmer days to come and reflecting back on the past year. I thought I'd share (with his permission) some very interesting Common Loon observations Bill recently recounted... Enjoy...

Hi Bill;

Finally am getting around to writing to you about my observations at Lower Lapomkeag Lake in T8 R7. This is the same little (100 acres + or -) mud bottom lake where I saw 6 ospreys fishing at the same time the day after ice out last spring. I’m not sure whether the early morning of August 11, 2007 was the most exciting time of my life, or whether it was another early morning while serving in South Vietnam in 1969.

Things started to happen shortly after 7:00 A.M. while sitting on the dock having a coffee in the early morning sun; and while watching a loon and her about 2 week old chick. The dad was aimlessly floating about 500' away from the mom (presumably), and her little, black fluff ball.

Before I get to the exciting part, I’ll bore you with:

THE LOONS OF LOWER LaPOMKEAG

My brother-in-law (now deceased) and I inquired about obtaining a camp lease in 1986. In 1987 we obtained a lease and put in the access road during the summer of 1988, followed by a camp platform in 1989, a privy in ‘90 and construction of the camp on the platform in ‘91. We built a small 4' by 10' dock in ‘95. We noticed during these years that there were 2 - 4 loons on the lake most of the time, but never saw any evidence of any nesting, or of chicks.

One of us had read somewhere that some ponds were bachelor ponds for loons, so we never thought much about there not being any nesting activity. Until I read that at some lakes and ponds there was no nesting due to a lack of suitable nesting sites (or site). And in some places - especially New Hampshire - rafts were placed in protected coves to provide a nesting site.

So in 2000 I decided to place a raft in a protected cove. During Memorial weekend my sister-in-law and nephew and I (my brother-in-law had died of colon cancer in April) built a 4' by 4' raft from eastern white cedar logs. We covered the bottom with mesh wire to hold the bark gathered from a near-by wood harvesting site. And put a couple of inches of blueboard under the raft to supply additional floatation, then hauling it with a canoe to a protected cove near the south shore of the lake. During the summer we gathered wetland plants like sedges, blue flag, cattails (they grew great for 2 years then died out), and other plants from wet areas. We planted small eastern white cedar in the 4 corners, all of which died. Over the years, the raft picked seeds out of the air and became well vegetated with “volunteers”.

And wouldn’t you know it , that year (2000) a loon nested on a small peat island near the lake inlet. She incubated 2 eggs, both of which hatched. A dead chick was found on the nest. The second chick was seen riding on its mom’s back. Trips to camp only occur about once/month so a lot happens that is not seen. There are only two other camps on the lake - no one has ever been seen at one, and the other only gets visited on some long weekends. The next trip to camp revealed no chick. It must have died or been predated by an eagle or turtle.

In 2001 a Canada goose purloined the nest. In 2002 and 2003 (6 eggs) a Canada goose again used the nest. It is not known if the eggs hatched and the goose left the lake with her brood, or disappeared as the result of predation. No goslings were seen in either of the 3 years. In 2004 there were 2 loon eggs in a new location on a nearby peat island at the inlet . Again, the egg shells remained but no chicks were seen (presumably they hatched, but did not survive). And something dined on fresh water clams, leaving the shells on the nest. 2005 resulted in 2 loon eggs on the peat island. It is not known whether the eggs hatched or not, but no chicks were seen. No nesting activity was seen in 2006.

No nesting activity was seen on the 4^th of July weekend in 2007 at the peat island near the inlet. Only one loon call was heard that weekend, which I thought came from the upper lake. And since no loons were seen, I thought the lake was inactive again as far as loon nesting was concerned. I decided to take a trip to the raft just before leaving to go home at the end of the weekend to see what might be there; as often there are fish skeletons left from where eagles (there is a bald eagle nest on the upper lake, and eagles are often seen fishing or perched beside the lower lake), or otters have used the raft for a feeding platform. Also, the biggest bull frogs in Maine sun themselves on the logs.

A good variety of vegetation has seeded in on the raft over the years, so during the summer it is now well vegetated to a height of about 3', so one must round the raft to see what is there. We rounded the far side of the raft and low and behold - surprise - there was a loon nest with two olive, brown, spotted eggs. We boogied out of there pretty damn fast. Never did see the loons, and never heard a peep from them either. In fact, at the time I thought the nest had been abandoned due to the lack if loons. But after 7 years, the raft was being used.

I returned to the lake on August 1^st with my grandson and never saw or heard any loons. On August 4 we jumped into a couple of kayaks and circled the lake looking at the 2 nests near the inlet - no activity. We then circled the loon nesting raft. Both eggs had only shells remaining. Since I had not seen any loons, I supposed the nest had been parasitized by the eagles, or other animal. We headed toward camp, as the wind was coming up. On the way, I noticed the loons at the far southerly end of the lake where the water was more calm. Looking at them through my unsteady, rocking binocs I saw a small, black, fuzz ball which I assumed was only a couple of days old. The loons had hatched at least one of the eggs, and it was still alive (I suspect both eggs hatched but one chick was lost).

In the 20 years we have been at the lake no chicks had survived. The only time I knew for sure they hatched an egg (2000), the chick did not survive. No chicks were seen the other years the loons had nested, though the eggs apparently had hatched. Until this year. I did not expect to see the chick when I next returned the evening of August 10. But, looking through the gathering darkness, there was the chick swimming beside its parents in the middle of the lake.

So on a nice, warm, sunny morning on August 11, 2007 at about 7:00 A.M. I carried a coffee down and sat on the dock watching through my binocs the mother loon near the southerly side of the lake with her nearby chick. Dad was aimlessly floating about 500' away.

Mom (I assume the one tending the chick was the mom) had a fish about 10" long in her beak, and was swinging her head side to side. You could see its white sides and belly flashing in the early morning sun as she did so. I remember asking myself why she had such a big fish, since it was much too big to feed to Junior, but figured she was teaching the chick something. All of a sudden - simultaneously with her alarm cry - a mature bald eagle followed by an immature swooped down from the easterly lake shore. Upon hearing mom’s shriek or wail , the male loon immediately started running on the water, shrieking, beating its wing tips on the water, presumably to make himself more fierce. As the mature eagle got to the mother loon, she (the loon) jumped out of the water to deflect him (or her), dropping the fish. The eagle flew by and did a F-16 loop, and came back to the loon and her chick, with the male loon still walking on water, beating it wings, and making a helleva noise. The eagle lowered to the lake surface (the immature eagle had turned around and headed back east) and picked something out of the lake. I said to myself “holy shit he got the baby loon”. I could see something in his talons as he left. About 5 seconds later (about the same time dad arrived on the scene) the baby loon popped to the surface. The baby apparently dove to escape the eagle; and the eagle must have taken off with the fish mom had been displaying. The mature eagle then flew off easterly from where it came, and disappeared around the corner into the woods.

Exciting, but it does not end. About 5 minutes later what I assume was the same mature eagle reappeared, and perched in a big pine tree on the south shore about 400' away from the 3 loons. In about another 5 minutes (how does one tell time when one is having so much fun?) an osprey flew in from its usual direction across the northeast corner of the lake. Hovering over the lake near the inlet (near the original loon nest), it dove and came up with a fish, again about 8" long. It headed back from where it came (since it comes from the same direction most of the time I assume there is a nearby nest) carrying the fish. Immediately, the eagle took off from its perch to intercept the osprey. As it neared the osprey the osprey cried out and the male loon again walked on the water, vocalized, and beat his wingtips on the water while “running” to the aid of the osprey. As the eagle neared the osprey, the osprey dropped the fish (the osprey never gained much altitude as it was still below the tree tops); which the eagle tried to retrieve, from the lake. The osprey started dive bombing the eagle, forcing it down into the water. The osprey dive bombed the eagle about a half dozen more times, and took off in the direction from where it originally came, presumably somewhat pissed. The male loon stopped its approach about 200' away from the eagle and osprey. The eagle seemed to rest for awhile. As it was in water to deep to apparently take flight, it walked to the shore. In about a minute, the eagle flew off without the fish. The male loon had since returned to mom and chick.

The end result - besides about 15 minutes of sheer delight - was the eagle got the fish from the loon, but did not retrieve the one from the osprey.

After the excitement, I went back up to the camp and pulled out the topo map. I scaled off the distance from the map covered by the osprey and the eagle; as I knew where the eagle was perched, about where the osprey caught the fish, and where the eagle caught up with the osprey. In the pursuit, the eagle covered about 1000' while the osprey was covering about 600'.

Time for breakfast and another coffee!

I made it a point to return to the lake at least once per week - even if only for 15 minutes - to check on the chick. It kept growing, though slower than I thought it should. One time during its early flight training, I heard what I thought was a lynx or bobcat on the far shore, meowing softly, until I noticed that the sound seemed to move with the mom and the chick (dad was almost always away goofing off). All of a sudden the chick took off and flew about 300'. Apparently mom was making a deep guttural sound, encouraging her chick to fly. The next time I was at the camp the chick flew and circled the lake three times. Dad had left by this time - or at least was not around. I was unable to get to camp the weekend of Nov. 3. By the next weekend mom and chick were no where to be seen. I expect (hope) they are swimming off of Schoodic Peninsula.

I’m going to forward this to The Cornell Lab. They ran an article in the Autumn issue of Living Bird about eagles stealing from ospreys. This puts a little different twist on it.

I doubt if I’ll ever see two geographic moments together like this again. Glad I had the one chance.

Bill Hersey..