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 31 Jan-13 Feb 2008

There appears to be no end in sight of the harsh weather northern Maine is experiencing this winter.

Snow fell in Caribou on eleven of the past 14 days,... three feet in the first half of February. Well over TEN feet of snow has now fallen here this season and the Caribou Office of the National Weather Service says we're on track to break the record for snow fall before it all ends. Temperatures have averaged slightly below normal, which means it has regularly dipped below zero over the past two weeks. There remains very little open water.

Another somewhat-dependable indicator of this winter's severity: my mailbox was flattened on Wednesday by the snow plow truck... for the fourth time this winter. A new season high record.

Bird-wise there have been no pronounced changes except for an apparent increase in the numbers of Common Redpolls in the area.

A few Common Goldeneyes and Common Mergansers continue to hang on at the dam in Caribou despite the ever decreasing pool of open water. Likewise the flock of Mallards and Black Ducks at Presque Isle is shrinking apparently due to regular visits by Bald Eagles.

The accipiters were well represented in the past week. A Northern Goshawk was reported from Westfield on Sunday the 10th. A Coopers Hawk was seen again this week in Presque Isle. A Sharp-shinned Hawk visited another location here.

Ruffed Grouse were mentioned for the first time in a while. One is visiting an in-town yard in Presque Isle and another burst from a roosting spot under the snow were it had spent a cold night.

Pileated Woodpeckers showed well over the past two weeks. The big birds were spotted in Caribou, Fort Fairfield, Mars Hill, Mt Chase Presque Isle, Westfield and Woodland. Alice Sheppard photographed this female that has been at her suet blocks daily. At least 5 Hairy and 4 Downy Woodpeckers are coming for the suet and seeds at my feeders in Woodland.

The first Golden-crowned Kinglets reported in central Aroostook in a while were seen at the Nordic Heritage Center ski trails in Presque Isle on the 1st. Four Bohemian Waxwings discovered some crabapples near Barren Lake in Caribou and were feeding on them in the chilly pre-dawn on the 8th.

The hardy Tufted Titmouse persists at its northern outpost in Presque Isle. The titmouse has been frequenting the yard since November. Some birders have noted the high counts of chickadees coming into feeders in the area. I estimated 40+ Black-cappeds in my yard today and I had a Boreal Chickadee feeding here on the first and second, but not since. Red-breasted Nuthatches have been widely reported and White-breasted Nuthatches were regular at feeders in Presque Isle, Chapman and Caribou. The Brown Creeper still shows intermittently in my yard.

Two Gray Jays were seen here dependably from the 1st through the 8th. A male Northern Cardinal remains regular at a Caribou feeder. Several reporters responded to my recent fretting over Mourning Dove declines and said the flocks at their locations were fine. A high count of 17 was reported at a Caribou yard. Ken Lamb took the top photo of one of his doves in Chapman late last month.

A high count of 6 American Tree Sparrows is the best I could gather by keeping the ground under my feeders snow free. The dropped seed that was tossed out in the yard by the snowblower has attracted a small gathering of seven Snow Buntings. Good yard birds! Counts of four and six Dark-eyed Juncos were the most recent tallys at feeders located in Caribou and Presque Isle respectively.

The female Rusty Blackbird continues its bid to successfully overwinter at its Presque Isle location. The bird sat for a photo session with Paul Cyr on the 12th. European Starlings in Mars Hill were heard warming up their repertoire of amorous vocalizations just in time for Valentines Day.

Pine Grosbeaks continue at many area feeders. Flocks were reported in Ashland, Caribou, Fort Fairfield, Portage Lake, Presque Isle and Woodland. The Evening Grosbeak flock here at my feeder has swelled a bit to about 80 birds now. Evening Grosbeaks are also being seen in Caribou Presque Isle, Westfield and Portage Lake.


As earlier mentioned Common Redpolls seemed to increase in numbers and distribution during the first half of February. Flocks of 20+ birds are regular at 3 locations in Fort Fairfield, 2 locations in Presque Isle, Houlton, Caribou, Chapman and New Sweden. Smaller sized flocks were reported in Castle Hill, Easton and Woodland. Ten year old, Kendra Coffin of Caribou snapped this picture of some redpolls associating with an attractive crowd of Pine Grosbeaks and a male Cardinal at her feeder. A few Pine Siskins are showing themselves in Caribou and Presque Isle. Rare north of Bangor, House Finches were reported at a Caribou feeder.