Northern Maine Birds: 23 April- 4 May 2011

Northern Maine is slowly emerging from winter.  The past ten days passed without a flake of snow falling and the temperature pushed up into the 60's on several days.  April ended with slightly above normal precipitation total (2.95 inches at Caribou) and slightly cooler temps for the month.

Only the bigger lakes in the region are still ice covered.  Our favorite central Aroostook impoundments Christina Reservoir and Lake Josephine, lost their ice on the 28th this year.  Water levels in streams and rivers remains quite high with the St John River just reaching flood stage late last week due to snowmelt.

Hardwoods have begun to flower and amphibian and insect activity has increased substantially.

New and arriving species seen during this period:

Snow Goose             4/27
Gadwall                      4/26
American Wigeon       4/23
Northern Pintail          4/23
Blue-winged Teal       5/1
Redhead                    4/23
Lesser Scaup             4/29
Greater Scaup           5/1
Black Scoter              5/4
Surf Scoter                5/4
Barrow's Goldeneye   4/26
Bufflehead                  4/29
Ruddy Duck               5/4
Red-necked Grebe     5/1
Pied-billed Grebe       4/26
Broad-winged Hawk    4/23
Peregrine Falcon           5/3
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  5/3
Blue-headed Vireo        5/1
Brown Thrasher            5/4
Palm Warbler                5/1
Northern Parula           5/3
Yellow-rumped Warbler     4/27
Black-and-White Warbler  5/1
Northern Waterthrush     5/3
Fox Sparrow                4/23
Chipping Sparrow         4/23
Swamp Sparrow           4/28

Waterfowl diversity took a big jump in the county this week with ice-out occurring at the premier duck ponds: Lake Josephine in Easton and Christina Reservior in Fort Fairfield.  Eighteen species of waterfowl have been reported this period.

Snow Geese returned to the St. John River flats in Grand Isle last week.  Over 500 were estimated to be feeding in the potato fields there on the 27th.  13 including one Blue phase were also spotted in Madawaska on the 3rd. Flocks of Canada Geese continue to be reported as they move through.  As mentioned earlier, many locally breeding Canadas are already on nests.

Expected arrivals this week included Gadwall and Blue-winged Teal (at Lake Jo), American Wigeon (at Collins Pond in Caribou) and Lesser Scaup (at Lake Jo and Christina Reservoir).     Most noteworthy of the ducks was a  pair of Redheads returning on the 23rd to a pond near Lake Josephine.  Paul Cyr photographed the pair on the 25th.  Among numbers of Commons, three Barrows Goldeneye's (26-29th) were nice finds at Lake Jo.

A Long-tailed Duck and a Bufflehead arriving as the ice left Christina Reservoir on the 29th were also notable.  These were joined by more of their kind by May 4th at Lake Josephine.  Yet another Long-tail was spotted by the UMPI Ornithology class on Presque Isle Stream in Presque Isle on the 3rd.  Greater Scaup were spotted in Grand Isle 3 May and at Lake Jo 4 May.  Black and Surf Scoters  put down into Christina Reservoir on the 4th.  Three males were the first Ruddy Duck arrivals at Lake Jo on the 4th.

The first Pied-billed Grebe was heard calling at Christina Reservoir on the 26th.  Another was heard near the Muscovic Road in Stockholm on May 1st.  A special discovery was a Red-necked Grebe photographed  in breeding plumage on Lake Josephine on the 1st.  The attractive diver is seen in Paul Cyr's photo at the top of this post

Double-crested Cormorants and Common Loons were quick to crowd into open water as the await the opening of the ice cover on the larger lakes.  This nice breeding plumaged adult was photographed by Paul Cyr.  You can even seen one of its "crests"!

A Great Blue Heron was photographed in Littleton on the 27th and other was seen at Easton on the 2nd.  A Turkey Vulture was seen feeding on the roadside in Conner Twp on the 4th.

Birders found a good diversity of raptors in northern Maine this week with 11 species noted.  Bald Eagles continue on the nests at Ashland, Fort Fairfield, Presque Isle and Van Buren. Ospreys are also now occupying most nest sites in the area including the large nest on the power poles near Route 1 in Van Buren.  A previous report noted a young Bald Eagle adding sticks to the structure...

 Sharp-shinned Hawks were seen in Fort Fairfield on the 23rd, as was the first arriving Broad-winged Hawk of the year. A Red-tailed Hawk was a Square Lake Township on 1 May and a Northern Goshawk flew over Barren Lake in Caribou on the 28th.  A large Coopers Hawk was chased by an American Kestrel near the Presque Isle Airport on Wednesday the 4th.

Always a notable sight in Aroostook, an adult Peregrine Falcon was spotted feeding on a Ring-billed Gull beside the Roosevelt School in Hamlin on the 3rd.  Merlins were seen and heard in Caribou on May 1, Quimby (Winterville) on 25 April  and Stockholm on the 25 April and 1 May.  American Kestrels were widely reported.  

Boreal Chickadees were heard on the Muscovic Road on the 1st of May and Gray Jays were spotted in New Sweden on May 1.  Both Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets are singing loudly the conifer woods these days.  The first Ruby-throated Hummingbird for the county was reported from Stockholm on the 3rd...early for sure.

The first Blue-headed Vireo of the year arrived on schedule at New Sweden on 1st.  Loud couplets announced the arrival of a Brown Thrasher at Presque Isle Airport on the 4th.

The first warblers of the season were trickling in to northern Maine as April gave way to May.  Yellow-rumps were reported across the area in moderate numbers.  Other warbler arrivals in central Aroostook included Palm Warblers at the Muscovic Road in Stockholm and the Burnt Landing Road in Cross Lake Twp on the 1st; a Black-and-White Warbler at Mantle Lake Park in PI on the 1st; a Northern Parula at Madawaska Lake on the 3rd; a Black-throated Green Warbler at Barren Lake in Caribou on the 3rd;  Northern Waterthrushes at Arnold Brook Lake in Presque Isle on the 3rd and Collins Pond in Caribou and Christina Reservoir in Fort Fairfield on the 4th.

A pair of Northern Cardinals are visiting a Presque Isle feeder.  Ted Roberts got this shot of the pair on Wednesday the 4th.

Blackbird numbers continued to increase as territories are occupied in area marshes.   Paul Cyr sent over this nice shot of a singing male.

Notable change in the finch department were lots of Purple Finches arriving at the end of the month.

Evening Grosbeaks continue in pairs and small flocks at Castle Hill, Caribou, Fort Fairfield, Fort Kent, New Sweden, Portage Lake, Presque Isle, St. Francis, St. John Stockholm, Winterville and Woodland.  Though most have now departed, small numbers of Common Redpolls are still being reported around the area.  A Hoary Redpoll was part of one of the last flocks to visit my feeders in Woodland on the 23rd.  A handful of Pine Siskins were seen (Caribou, Madawaska Lake, Presque Isle, Woodland) and numbers of these seem to be increasing.

Northern Maine Birds 22-28 May 2009

It was alternately cold, wet or windy for most of the past week in northern Maine, making it a tough week for birding. Nonetheless, a bunch of new arrivals were discovered.

For the month thus far, temperatures were slightly cooler than normal and we had just a bit above average rainfall (3.14 inches). The cool weather slowed leaf development, which was helpful for getting looks at the newly arrived passerines. The chilly temps also caused some birds to concentrate around available food sources.

New and arriving birds this week:

Chimney Swift (5/25)
Great Horned Owl (5/26)
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (5/24)
Alder Flycatcher (5/23)
Olive-sided Flycatcher (5/21)
Great-crested Flycatcher (5/23)
Eastern Bluebird (5/24)
Swainson's Thrush (5/24)
Wood Thrush (5/27)
Cedar Waxwing (5/21)
Philadelphia Vireo (5/24)
Blackpoll Warbler (5/28)
Mourning Warbler (5/21)
Wilson's Warbler (5/28)

Seventeen species of waterfowl were reported in Aroostook county this week. As usual, the highlights are the continuing Ruddy Ducks and Redhead pair at Lake Josephine in Easton. The Easton Redheads were present at dawn recently when Paul Cyr showed up with his camera. Noteworthy was a flock of 14 Common Eiders on Christina Reservoir on the 22nd. 2 White-winged Scoters at Lake Jo on the 22nd and 8 at Madawaska Lake on the 21st were also good finds this far inland. An uptick in the number of male Common Mergansers was noted in the area this week by several reporters. Small flotillas of the drakes were seen on waterways in Connor, Fort Fairfield, Limestone and Presque Isle.

Wood Ducks, American Wigeon, Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, both species of teal, Ring-necked Ducks and Common Goldeneyes were all seen in good numbers at Lake Josephine this week.

One of the nesting pairs of Bald Eagles in Presque Isle has ceased incubating their eggs and abandoned their nest. The pair in Fort Fairfield continues to sit on their nest, but it appears that the time for hatching has come and gone and they too, may fail to produce young again this year. For the third year in a row, a Northern Goshawk has nested on the hardwood ridge at the Maine Winter Sports Center in Presque Isle. As before, the bird does not take kindly to visitors near the nest whether they are on foot or pedaling mountain bikes.

A decent (and likely, final) wave of northbound shorebird migration moved through the area in the past few days. High counts of 22 Least Sandpipers and 80+ Short-billed Dowitchers were the peak numbers at Lake Jo on the 22nd. The last migrant Solitary Sandpiper was seen on the 25th in the Connor unit of the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge.

A Great-horned Owl nest with an almost-ready-to-fledge youngster was found by a couple picking fiddleheads near the Aroostook River in Presque Isle. Paul Cyr checked it out and sent along a picture of the nest.

One last Snowy Owl was reported in Fort Fairfield on the 25th!

A few arriving Chimney Swifts were seen despite the nasty weather. The first arrivals include one in Sinclair on the 25th, another in Fort Fairfield on the 26th and numbers reported in Patten on the 27th.

The cold weather produced lots of action around area hummingbird feeders this week. Several observers noted highest-ever Ruby-throated counts in their yards as the birds struggled with the low temperatures and limited food availability. Nadeen Plourde sent over a shot of the activity at her feeder at Square Lake. The first females were reported over the Memorial Day weekend.

Most of the remaining breeding flycatchers arrived on schedule in central Aroostook. Alder Flycatchers were first heard near the Little Madawaska River Dam in Caribou on the 23nd, Great-crested's were loudly announcing their presence in Woodland on the 24th and Yellow-bellied's were picked up in a bog in New Sweden on the 25th. Still no sign of Eastern Wood Pewee or Willow Flycatchers...yet.

A Horned Lark was singing in a potato field near the Caribou Airport on the 25th. After a long absence, the first Cedar Waxwings have begun to reappear in the area. The first arrivals I found were a group feeding over a wetland in Cross Lake Township on the 21st.

A Gray Jay family, including at least 3 just-off-the-nest youngsters, was encountered near the Madawaska Dam in Caribou. The big sooty gray fledglings were clumsily crashing though the underbrush as they followed their parents around the woods. Blue Jays are busy gathering food for their nestlings which should start to appear away from the nests in the next week or so. One of Mary Collishaw's Blue Jays posed for her recently.

A pair of Eastern Bluebirds arrived in my yard in Woodland and checked out the accomodations for a while. Apparently they found none of my nest boxes to their liking and moved on. Other bluebirds were reported in Portage Lake, Stockholm and Oxbow. Swainson's Thrushes were quick to establish themselves in wooded wetlands across the area and a Wood Thrush was heard singing in Mt Chase.

Warbler migration has probably peaked this week with the arrival of Mourning, Blackpoll and Wilson's Warblers... In all, twenty one species of warblers were seen in northern Maine this week. Mourning Warblers were heard in Cross Lake Township (formerly T17R5) and at the Connor unit of the Aroostook NWR. Blackpoll Warblers were heard in Cyr Plantation and a male Wilson's Warbler was back on territory along the Muscovic Road in Stockholm.

Small mixed groups of migrant blackbirds are still showing up at my feeders in Woodland. These include Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds and Brown-headed Cowbirds. The earliest-arriving local grackles have completed their nesting and are already feeding fledglings. Nadeen Plourde nicely documented a hungry fledgling on her hedge in Caribou

American Goldfinches and Purple Finches have started to disperse away from feeders but several of each are still making daily visits to my feeders.

A pair of Evening Grosbeaks are also stopping by, albeit more intermittently. Other Evening Grosbeaks were seen in Caribou, Cyr Plantation and New Sweden. After quite a few hours in the big woods this week I failed to encounter any White-winged Crossbills this week.

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

Northern Maine Birds 23 October-6 November 2008

The last days of October brought unusually warm weather as well as a dusting of short-lived snow to Aroostook County and other parts of northern Maine. Patty Jennings shared her view of Mt Katahdin from Stacyville at sun up. Once again the precipitation totals for the month were well above average. A few cold nights early in the period produced a skim of ice on smaller ponds and wetlands but warm weather has kept everything open since. Almost all deciduous trees in Aroostook have shed their foliage. Fruit supplies remain good. Crabapples were mostly consumed by a wave of migrant American Robins but apple varieties with larger fruit as well as Mountain Ash and Highbush Cranberries remain plentiful. As mentioned before, cones are available but spotty.

The freeze up in mid October seemed to push a few birds out of the area but generally there seems to be quite a few lingering half-hardy bird species.

Canada Geese continue to dominate the waterfowl numbers in northern Maine. Large flocks are still being seen through out the area and I estimate numbers at about 8-9,000, down from last month's peak at about 26,000. The yellow collared Canada Geese from Greenland were last seen on the 27th at Collins Pond in Caribou. Paul Cyr found this horde over Presque Isle.

Small numbers of Snow Geese were reported with the last bird being a single juvenile seen at Collins Pond on the 24th

The waterfowl highlight for the period is certainly the lingering drake Redhead at St. Agatha. The duck was one of two originally seen back on 13 October at the tern nesting island on the north end of Long Lake. The Redhead was seen here again on 6 November.
Also noteworthy were Northern Pintails including two drakes at Presque Isle on Oct 23rd and 4 hens at Trafton Lake in Limestone on the 23rd. Nine Greater Scaup were seen on Long Lake and a single drake was also seen at Trafton Lake on November 6th. Lake Josephine hosted a handful of its usual noteworthy species through the end of the month. These included 9 Ruddy Ducks, 4 Buffleheads, 4 Gadwall and 9 Lesser Scaup.

Large numbers of Mallards and Hooded Mergansers have been noted lately. Trafton Lake held over 120 Mallards and 86 Hoodies on the 6th.

Warm weather has encouraged tardiness with other waterbirds. Double-crested Cormorants (2), Great Blue Herons (2) and a Pied-billed Grebe were all seen at St. Agatha on the 6th of November. 12 Common Loons was a barely note-able tally for this date and location.

Its been slim pickings for raptors recently. Northern Harriers have been in steady supply with birds seen in Bridgewater, Caribou, Easton, Fort Fairfield, Limestone, Presque Isle and Woodland. A dark phase Rough-legged Hawk was hunting near Christina Reservoir on the 28th. The Bald Eagle pair in Presque Isle has been sprucing up their nest recently. Ken Lamb got a series of great photos documenting their efforts. The birds were seen lugging sticks and lichens to the nest. Afterward the little male was snuggling up to the big female...

Except for single Wilson's Snipe and Greater Yellowlegs lingering through 25th at Collins Pond, no shorebirds have been reported. The 2+ inch deluge on the 26th brought water levels up across the area and seems to have flooded most shorebirds out.

Gull numbers have just about peaked and large numbers of Herring, Great Black-backed and Ring-billed Gulls are being seen in Fort Fairfield, Presque Isle, Caribou and St. Agatha. Two juvenile Iceland Gulls on the 5th at Collins Pond were the firsts for me this season.

Several Snowy Owls were spotted around the area already this season. In addition to the previously reported sighting in Woodland on the 19th, Snowy's were seen in two locations in Presque Isle and in Fort Fairfield. A shopper at the Presque Isle reported a white owl dropping from a light pole and taking an American Crow in the mall parking lot on the 25th and this Snowy was photographed by Paul Cyr about a mile or so away on the 27th. A Great-horned Owl was heard in the Woodland Bog Preserve in Woodland on the 25th and a Barred Owl was heard in Caribou. Another screeching owl of unknown identity, was heard in New Sweden.

An American Three-toed Woodpecker was encountered in Haynesville during the first week of November. A check of the Muscovic Road in Stockholm yielded only a Hairy Woodpecker on the 6th.

Large flocks of American Crows (300+) were noted in Presque Isle during the last week of October and Common Ravens have become more noticeable as the crow numbers thinned out. Large numbers of Blue Jays seemed to pass through the area during this period and many birders noted a marked increase of this species at feeders.

A Gray Jay and Boreal Chickadee were seen in the woods near Haynesville. Red-breasted Nuthatches are being reported in moderate numbers. Patty Jennings photographed her Black-capped Chickadees cleaning out a few remaining sunflower stalks in Stacyville on the 25th

As previously mentioned, larger flocks of American Robins cleaned up some of the preferred fruit supplies and numbers seemed to thin out by month's end. Handfuls of robins continue to be seen. American Pipits were still being heard through the 6th. A pipit flew over Collins Pond on the 3rd and another was heard at Lake Josephine on the 6th. Mid sized Horned Lark flocks were seen in Fort Fairfield, Limestone, St. Agatha and Presque Isle

Fox Sparrows continued at my feeder in Woodland until at least the 5th. The peak number of 6 was tallied on the 26th of October. A few White-throated Sparrows and a Song Sparrow also stayed behind at my yard through the end of the period. Dark-eyed Juncos and American Tree Sparrows both appeared in numbers on the 26th. The tree sparrows were right on schedule according to my records.

Though I have still yet to see any, arriving Snow Buntings were reported in Bridgewater, Caribou and Presque Isle.

A late Red-winged Blackbird was seen in a yard New Sweden on the 4th and 3 tardy Common Grackles were seen the following day in Woodland.

My first of season Evening Grosbeaks (8) were heard flying over Caribou on the 6th. Other than abundant supplies of Pine Siskins and American Goldfinches the only finch sightings were a few Purple Finches at feeders in Presque Isle and Fort Fairfield and a flock of White-winged Crossbills on November 2nd in Woodland.

Finally I can't help but report this one non-avian flying species: A peanut rustling Northern Flying Squirrel captured mid-glide by Paul Cyr!