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..

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.

Northern Maine Birds 23-30 Jan 2008

The achy-cold, sinus freezing weather northern Maine felt this week has got to be hard on birds. Taking in enough calories to sustain their bodies for another frigid night is serious business for the small passerines these days.

It was barely light enough to see, on another -20 morning this week, and the American Tree Sparrows were already hunched in the gloom, scratching under my feeders. Likewise, the ever-growing Black-capped Chickadee flock here in Woodland starts its sunflower seed-shuttle early and runs late. Feeding looks like desperate business for these birds and they’re singularly focused on the process of grabbing a seed, flying to a perch, shelling and eating it and getting back to the feeder for another…If the feeders run low, few will even flit in and grab a seed before I’m finished pouring the refill.

I noticed that, early in day, some of the chickadees tail feathers are bent in a curve, I assume from a night of roosting in a tight cavity somewhere.

The Pine and Evening Grosbeaks use a different tactic on really cold mornings. The birds arrive in small groups from their roosting spots down in the bog and assemble in the top of the tallest tree in my yard. Here they wait for the sun to crest the hill to the east and provide some solar heating prior to feeding. Once they warm up a bit, they’ll start to descend down to the platforms a few at a time.

My last remaining Mourning Dove just sits in the sun and looks miserable. Not much of a cold weather survival strategy for these late-comers to northern Maine... Though the dove population has seemed to build in the area in the past few years, the reports would indicate they are taking a hit this year.

Most water remains frozen. This should be no surprise, when you look at the map of low temperatures for the 24^th and 25^th prepared by the NOAA weather guys in Caribou.

Snow levels remained about the same as last report (prior to the current rainy weather we had today). There is about 2 to 2.5 feet in the woods and around a foot in the open areas.

The Common Goldeneyes haven’t been reported in Caribou this week, but a few Common Mergansers continue there. The regular crowd of Mallards and Black Ducks continue on Presque Isle Stream An adult Bald Eagle was seen on Sunday near the nest east of Presque Isle.

This apparent Sharp-shinned Hawk was puffed up against the cold in a yard in Presque Isle when Alice Sheppard photographed it. The dark red iris indicates the little hawk is an adult.

Unusual in January, 17 Great Black-backed Gulls were spotted on the ice of the Aroostook River in Presque Isle on the 28^th.

As previously mentioned, Mourning Dove numbers have been thinning out in January’s cold weather.

10 Bohemian Waxwings were seen in Caribou on the 28^th. Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches are frequenting feeders in Caribou and Presque Isle. The Tufted Titmouse continues to over winter in Presque Isle and was visiting as recently as the 26^th.

Northern Cardinals are still being spotted at two locations in Presque Isle. No reports of this species were received this week from other locales. Snow Bunting flocks were seen in Cross Lake (T17R5), Van Buren and Easton. A White-throated Sparrow lingers on in a yard in Presque Isle.

The Sherman Eastern Towhee was photographed again this week by Patty Jennings. The bird obligingly showed off its diagnostic wing pattern that separates this species from its western counterpart, the Spotted Towhee. A sparrow authority looked at Patty’s pictures of the Sherman bird and noted the white on the bases of the primary wing feathers. The degree of white varies geographically and he indicated this bird appeared typical of northern populations of the Eastern Towhee.

Pine Grosbeaks continue to be so common and widespread that they are barely noteworthy. An unusually bright yellow Evening Grosbeak showed up in the flock at my feeder in Woodland this week. The bird didn’t have the usual “sooty” look to the yellow of the upper parts. Pine Siskins are increasing but still only showing in single digit flock sizes. No new Hoary Redpolls were reported but some bright male Common Redpolls are being seen. Ken Lamb photographed this guy at his feeder in Chapman.

A Mid-Winter Report

The days are noticeably longer and small hints of things to come are evident from local bird behavior. I’ve heard male Black-capped Chickadees doing some tentative singing and the Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers have been drumming a bit as the sun rises. I’ve also noted the Common Ravens are starting to get a little territorial and crabby about trespass by others. Optimistic observations, yes…, but I know there’s still plenty of winter left.

So far, January weather has been quite varied. A record breaking warm spell in the second week brought steady rain and dropped snow levels by about half. The ice cover on some area streams opened up and wintering waterfowl took advantage and moved around a bit. Some icing at the tail end of the warm spell probably made it difficult for the birds that make a living picking cocoons and pupae out of crevices on trees... Recently, its been bitterly cold and snow depths have resurged back to their early January depths.

A notable observation this month, is the dramatic lack of birds out in the woods. Several northern Maine birders, who spend significant time outdoors, have noted the dearth of birdlife in most woodlots in eastern Aroostook County. The near complete cone failure coupled with an early winter onslaught of frugivores and finches have left little in the forest for passerines to eat. I’m sure the ice cover didn’t help the few gleaning species like chickadees, nuthatches and Brown Creepers.

The good news is, that things are busy at area feeders. Some county birders are reporting a fairly dynamic feeder population with regular changes in species and overall numbers. Seed sales have been brisk at the Presque Isle seed store.

The Mallard and American Black Duck flock has held steady in Presque Isle. Black Ducks were seen in Fort Fairfield and Mars Hill during the thaw. The Common Goldeneye flock at Caribou Dam on the Aroostook River grew to over 50 birds following the warm spell. A few Common Mergansers continued here as well. Some Common Goldeneyes were seen on the open water on the St. John River in Madawaska.

Bald Eagles continue to be seen in Ashland, Caribou, Fort Fairfield, Presque Isle, Island Falls and near Oxbow. An adult was eyeing the aforementioned Goldeneyes at the Caribou Dam on the 15^th. The Coopers Hawk was reported in Presque Isle in the first week of January but not since.

A Ruffed Grouse was seen sunning itself in Westmanland on the 20^th. Barred Owls were heard in Fort Fairfield in early January.

The Three-toed Woodpecker was seen on the 5^th at the usual spot along the Muscovic Road in Stockholm. A group of three Gray Jays were also seen here. Pileated Woodpeckers were seen in Presque Isle, New Sweden and Woodland.

Blue Jays were one of the most widely reported bird species in Aroostook County this month. Ken Lamb photographed this jay at his feeder in Chapman. A few American Crows continue to winter all they way up to Madawaska and Fort Kent. The only waxwing reported so far this month was a window-killed Bohemian Waxwing found in Caribou on the 9^th. Northern Cardinals were reported in Caribou and Presque Isle.

Several observers reported declining Mourning Dove flocks recently.

Large numbers of Black-capped Chickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches have been reported at feeders across the area. White-breasted Nuthatches are being seen at feeders in Caribou and Presque Isle. An uncommon Brown Creeper was a one-day visitor to my yard in Woodland on the 6^th.

An adult Northern Shrike was chasing redpolls at a feeder in Mt Chase.

Sparrow species seem well represented so far this winter. This is surprising considering the duration and depth of the snow cover we’ve experienced so far.

A sharp looking male Eastern Towhee over-wintering at a feeder in Sherman is only the fifth winter record/report for this species in Aroostook County. The bird was first seen in early fall and continues to show at this time. Patty Jennings got this great image on the 11th.

A White-throated Sparrow was reported in Presque Isle and American Tree Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos were seen in several locations in the past week. Reports of Snow Bunting flocks have declined a bit but single birds were seen over last weekend in Caribou and Woodland.

Large numbers of Pine Grosbeaks continue to be reported from across the area. High counts included 35 in Mt Chase, 30+ in Castle Hill, 20+ in Portage Lake and 45+ in Woodland. Smaller counts were reported from Ashland, Caribou, Presque Isle and Stacyville, St. Agatha and Sherman. 62 Evening Grosbeaks were counted at my feeder in Woodland on the 17^th.

Common Redpolls have been frequently reported in northern Maine this month, but the distribution has been spotty. One observer complained that he’d yet to refill his nyger feeder this winter and others, nearby, reported good numbers of the finches in their yards. A few American Goldfinches are visiting feeders in Presque Isle and Caribou. Purple Finches remain unseen.

Its not often that there are as many Hoary Redpolls to report as Pine Siskins but this was the case this week. Usually rare, Hoarys have been seen recently at feeders in New Sweden, Castle Hill and Mt Chase. Russell Mount got this good shot of "his" Hoary holding its own against the Pine Grosbeaks at his feeder in Castle Hill on the 22nd.

(The Siskins were visiting in Caribou, New Sweden and Woodland.)

Presque Isle, Maine Christmas Bird Count 29 December 2007

Despite the snow that fell for most of the day on Saturday, the 2007 Presque Isle Christmas Bird Count broke a couple of records and produced some noteworthy finds.

As expected on a day of less-than-ideal weather, the number of individual birds found in the count circle was lower than the past few years totals. However we managed to tally 35 species which wasn’t too shabby for this northern count. (The average species count for the past eight years is exactly 35 species).

The conditions this year were tough for the birds and the birders. The snow was nearly two feet deep in fields and woods and most water was frozen. Natural food sources were very limited with almost no cones, seeds buried in deep snow and very few berries or small fruit left after the waxwing onslaught earlier this fall. Field observers noted that the woods and fields were very quiet and most of the birds were found around yards with feeders.

New high tallys were made for Mallard and Rock Pigeon this year…ugh. The pigeon’s numbers were almost twice the previous high count. Despite some bold predictions, the Pine Grosbeak numbers were just a bit shy of the record set back in 1987.

The big news of the day was THREE species seen for the first time ever this count. Two staked-out birds: a Rusty Blackbird and a Tufted Titmouse, obligingly lingered long enough to be counted. In addition, a count-first Hoary Redpoll serendipitously showed up at the same feeder as the Titmouse. This was a nice surprise indeed.

If that wasn’t enough, this yard also produced the Presque Isle count’s second-ever Cooper’s Hawk. The hawk buzzed through the yard, as if on cue, while the local television crew was filming the titmouse for news piece on the Christmas Bird Count. The camera man did an impressive job of quickly getting the camera on the streaking accipiter and, it too, made the evening news!

Other notables included the rare Aroostook winterers: Brown Creeper, American Robin and Hooded Merganser. Two Northern Shrikes and three Bald Eagles were also nice finds.

Remarkable in their absence were waxwings of any sort, Purple Finches and Pine Siskins. Common Redpoll numbers were surprisingly low for an “on” year and nowhere near the numbers being tallied on counts to the south. Only a single American Goldfinch was found.

The preliminary numbers:

Mallard 39

American Black Duck 46

Hooded Merganser 1

Ruffed Grouse 3

Bald Eagle 3

Cooper’s Hawk 1

Great Black-backed Gull 1

Mourning Dove 90

Rock Pigeon 617

Downy Woodpecker 4

Hairy Woodpecker 18

Pileated Woodpecker 3

Northern Shrike 2

Blue Jay 40

Common Raven 139

American Crow 138

Black-capped Chickadee 333

Tufted Titmouse 1

Red-breasted Nuthatch 9

White-breasted Nuthatch 2

Brown Creeper 1

European Starling 292

American Robin 1

Northern Cardinal 1

American Tree Sparrow 3

White-throated Sparrow 2

Dark-eyed Junco 6

Snow Bunting 223

Rusty Blackbird 1

Pine Grosbeak 148

Hoary Redpoll 1

Common Redpoll 79

American Goldfinch 1

Evening Grosbeak 25

House Sparrow 19

Total Species 35

Total Individuals 2264

Northern Maine Birds 22-28 December 2007

The weather warmed significantly in the past week in northern Maine and precipitation came in form of a soaking rain on the 23^rd and 24^th. This settled the snow down to about 18 inches locally and opened up a few holes in the ice on the rivers. Despite the break in the cold weather, the numbers of birds at my feeding station in Woodland seemed to increase again with Grosbeaks dominating

A very late juvie Hooded Merganser on Presque Isle Stream appears determined to linger for the Christmas Bird Count this weekend. Plenty of American Black Ducks and Mallards are keeping it company. In Caribou, a Red-breasted Merganser was reported below the Aroostook River dam mixed in with a dozen or so Common Mergansers and Common Goldeneyes.

There were quite a few Bald Eagles seen this week in central Aroostook County. Locations included Caribou, Easton, Fort Fairfield, Presque Isle and Washburn. Several were squabbling over a Red Fox carcass (including this apparent young female photographed by Paul Cyr) last Friday, the 21^st. Rough-legged Hawks were reported from Easton and Westfield. A Red-tailed Hawk was seen in Presque Isle over the weekend. A Cooper’s Hawk continues to be seen in Presque Isle and an apparent Sharp-shinned was seen in Portage Lake over the weekend.

Barred Owls were reported from Fort Fairfield and Presque Isle again this week. Mark Bloomer got this eerie image during a storm a couple of weeks ago as the Barred Owl stalked the Northern Flying Squirrels that frequent his feeders at night.

A pair of vocal Black-backed Woodpeckers were seen on the Ouellette Crossroad in T17R5 near Dickey Brook on the 22^nd. Bohemian Waxwings are still finding food and being spotted in small groups this week. Pairs were seen in Mt. Chase, Presque Isle and Woodland and a flock of 40+ were seen in Caribou on the 22^nd. The intrepid Tufted Titmouse hangs on in Presque Isle and was present as recently as the 27^th.

Both Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches were well reported this week from Caribou, Mapleton, and Presque Isle.

Formerly a rare find in winter in Aroostook County, American Crow flocks are being spotted from Sherman to Fort Kent this year. Groups of 100+ crows were reported near roosting sites in Caribou and Presque Isle this week. 22 were seen in Fort Kent on the 22^nd.

A few American Tree Sparrows visiting regularly at my feeders in Woodland and in Caribou, Chapman and Presque Isle. A single male Dark-eyed Junco was not put off by the recent deep snow and persists at a feeder in PI. Snow Bunting flocks were seen in Mapleton, Mt Chase, New Sweden, Patten, Woodland and T17R4 near Cross Lake this week. The larger group seen at Cross Lake on the 22^nd was about 70 birds.

Northern Cardinal reports continue to pour in and pairs have been showing now in Fort Fairfield, Caribou (2+ pairs), Mapleton, Mars Hill, and Presque Isle (3+ pairs). Prior to this winter, one or two reports of a cardinal at a local feeder was the norm for the whole season. This year, so far, it seems there are quite a few of the red birds about!

Probably the most exciting find of the week was the discovery of a Rusty Blackbird at a feeding station in Presque Isle. This species is rare enough in summer in northern Maine, but a winter record is probably unprecedented. Paul Cyrs photo shows off the understated beauty of this birds winter plumage. The bird may have been present for several weeks now and was seen through the 27^th.

As in the rest of New England, the burgeoning winter finch show continues to draw attention of area birders. The finch highlight this week was a Hoary Redpoll found with 50+ Common Redpolls at a feeder in Mt Chase. Redpoll numbers seem to be increasing this week in the area. Four White-winged Crossbills were spotted gathering grit on a Westmanland Road on the 23^rd. American Goldfinches are still being seen in small numbers with reports coming in from Westfield, Caribou and Fort Fairfield. Large mixed flocks of Pine and Evening Grosbeaks are brightening many feeders in the area. These were enjoying some seed in my backyard in Woodland

on Christmas Day.

Presque Isle Christmas Bird Count is Saturday the 29^th!

Cheers

Bill Sheehan
Woodland, Aroostook Co.