Cormorant Carvings

My good friend Russell Mount, from Castle Hill, sent me some pictures of a couple of Double-crested Cormorant carvings he just finished up. Since I like these birds so much I thought I'd share. The birds are hand carved northern Maine cedar, painted in artist oils.

Northern Maine Birds 1-15 February 2009

Temperatures see-sawed over the first two weeks of February and on eight nights I saw sub-zero temps in my little valley. The National Weather Service recently confirmed the -50 degree temperature recorded at the Big Black River in late January so that becomes Maine's official record lowest temperature ever. The birds have definitely been sticking close to feeders wherever they are available.

With the exception of a bit of rain on the 12th, there hasn't been much precipitation. Snow depth remains at about 2-2.5 feet in the woods in central Aroostook County and 3+ north and west. A few spots of water opened on streams in the area, but otherwise all remains frozen. Ice fishermen are reporting 36+ inches of ice on lakes.

Waterfowl seen so far this month were a dozen each of Mallards and American Black Ducks that are splitting their time at various patches of open water in Presque Isle. Only two hen Common Goldeneyes are left in the water below the Aroostook River dam in Caribou and a single drake goldeneye was seen on the 5th on Presque Isle Stream in PI.

Bald Eagles (adults) were reported from Ashland, Fort Fairfield, Presque Isle and Stockolm. A young Northern Goshawk was seen on the 2nd 3rd and 7th in Caribou. An adult Goshawk was visiting a yard full of birds in another Caribou locale early in the month. A Sharp-shinned Hawk was seen over downtown Presque Isle on the 5th and 13th. Rare in the middle of winter, a Rough-legged Hawk was spotted near the landfill in Limestone on the 9th.

Two first winter Iceland Gulls amongst 30+ Great Black-backed Gulls circling over Caribou on the 9th were a nice surprise . The flock of gulls was the first seen in the area since mid December.

The young male Snowy Owl continues to be seen daily at the intersection of Route 10 and the Cleaves Road in southeast Presque Isle. Ken Lamb got this great flight shot...impressive toenails!






Caribou's overwintering Northern Flicker continued through the period. The bird is surviving on a suet/seed diet and is no doubt, looking forward to warmer days with tasty ants on the menu. Bill Hersey got this shot through his office window this week.

No Pileated Woodpeckers were seen but one was heard drumming in Mars Hill. Downy's and Hairy's were widely reported.

A Northern Shrike, ineffectually chasing Mourning Doves around a feeder in Caribou on the 6th, was the only one reported. Two Gray Jays were regular visitors to a feeder at Madawaska Lake in T16R5.


Blue Jays continue to be seen in large numbers across the area. Mary Collishaw sent along this fun shot from north Caribou.

In addition to the usual horde of Black-cappeds, a Boreal Chickadee was seen at a feeder in St David in Madawaska on the 8th. Both varieties of nuthatches were reported in low numbers. Always uncommon in northern Maine, a Brown Creeper was a noteworthy visitor at a yard in Presque Isle in late January.


Small flocks of Bohemian Waxwings were seen on 8th and 14th in Presque Isle. More Northern Cardinal reports came in this week. 2 females were visiting feeders at an intown location in Caribou on the 6th, a male continues at a feeder in rural Caribou and another female was seen in a yard in Presque Isle.

The overwintering White-throated Sparrow continued to show up intermittently at my feeders in Woodland. I last spied the bird on Valentines Day. Small groups of American Tree Sparrows were part of most reports recieved in the past two weeks. The huge flock of Snow Buntings continues at a feedlot on Route 1A in Easton. 1,000+ were counted here as recently as the 13th. At least one Lapland Longspur also continues amongst the Easton Snow Buntings.

Snow Buntings were also seen in Caribou, Chapman, Presque Isle and Fort Fairfield. An ermine was reported to have made an unsuccessful try to catch a Snow Bunting last week at a feeder in Caribou. Dark-eyed Juncos are usually quite uncommon in northern Maine in all but the most snow-less winters. However, a few are still being seen this winter in Aroostook county: reports of single birds this week came from Linneus and Presque Isle.

Pine Grosbeaks continue to be one of the more commonly reported species. Flocks numbering up into the mid 20's were visiting yards in Stockholm, Caribou, Portage Lake, Chapman, Mapleton, Mars Hill, Presque Isle, Westfield and Woodland. Craig Robinson captured the Pine Grosbeak image at the top of this post just before a wild snow squall hit. Patty Jennings got this great action shot in her yard in Stacyville. Evening Grosbeaks were less widely reported with small groups and singles noted in Island Falls, Linneus, New Sweden, Presque Isle and Caribou. Twenty six are visiting my feeders in Woodland.

Pine Siskins appeared in numbers across the area over the last two weeks. Large flocks (50+) are cleaning out feeders in Presque Isle and Caribou. Common Redpolls and American Goldfinches are also being seen in numbers but their distribution remains spotty. 12 White-winged Crossbills were in Woodland on the 14th and single female is coming to a feeder in Chapman. A rare find this far north, a female House Finch was photographed in Presque Isle.

Also rare in northern Maine, a small flock of House Sparrows was working the parking lot at McDonalds in Presque Isle.

Birding Opportunity in northern Maine

Here is a great opportunity for birder/volunteer at the State Park here in northern Maine. Please spread the word. Sounds great for a retired couple with an RV or any adventuresome birder looking for a place to spend the summer and ornithologically explore northern Maine.


Looks like a sweet gig to me!

Aroostook State Park, Presque Isle, Maine

Birding / Campground Host Needed:

The Maine Department of Conservation is seeking applicants for campground host for the
2009 camping season at Aroostook State Park in northern Maine. This volunteer position
is provided a free campground site with water, power, and sewer hookup. Season runs from approximately mid May through mid Sept.

Prefer active birder or birding couple familiar with northern Maine bird identification to
lead weekly bird walks in the Park and to assist Park staff in campground maintenance.
Work schedule is 20 hrs. / 5 days per week per volunteer. Work schedule is very flexible.
Host will also assist in the organization and presentation of Aroostook Park Birding Festival on June 13th, 2009. Aroostook Park Birding Festival is a day long program that focuses on the native birds of northern Maine and includes bird walks and an informational program for campers and local residents.


Aroostook State Park is comprised of 800 acres with a 30 site campground. The Park is
located in Presque Isle, Maine along the western shore of Echo Lake, The oldest park in
Maine’s System, Aroostook State Park is mostly forested and includes 7 miles
of hiking trails on and around Quoggy Jo Mountain. Over 100 species of birds have been
identified at Aroostook State Park.

To apply, send resume, arriving no later than February 28, 2009 to:

Scott Thompson
Park Manager
Aroostook State Park
87 State Park Rd.
Presque Isle, Maine 04757
Phone:207-768-8341
Email: Scott.P.Thompson@maine.gov

Up on the roof and another Snowy Owl

Here in northern Maine, a few times a winter, I have to spend a day and shovel off the roof of my house...and porch...and parts of my barn..and shed. On the out-buildings its done purely to relieve the snow load (literally tons of weight from the snow).

On the house, the snow cover provides insulation which is good... to a degree. Unfortunately, I've found, if left unattended, the attractive snow blanket on my less-than-fully-insulated house roof melts on the bottom layers. The melt water travels down to the eave where it refreezes in breathtakingly large ice dams. The ice dams create awesome leaks during melting times and cleave off gutters, railings and other parts of my house when they eventually fall off so,... off the snow must come.

Its hard work but I really don't mind it. Particularly because it gives me an good opportunity to watch my yard birds from an unusual perspective... at and below eye level.

On Sunday I had a large flock of Snow Buntings and Evening Grosbeaks with a handful of Pine Grosbeaks, American Goldfinches, Common Redpolls and American Tree Sparrows working the feeders while I scraped up the snow above them. A handful of White-winged Crossbills buzzed me and lit in my nieghbor's pines to feed. Best of all was Gray Jay that emerged from the Woodland Bog across the street and gnawed on my suet bags for a while.

Today on my way back from an afternoon meeting I stopped at a feedlot in Easton and watched an impressive aggregation of Snow Buntings that has been feeding here for about a month. Though even a marginally accurate count was impossible with some portion of the flock always in motion, I would say 2,500+ buntings are present here. There were at least two Lapland Longspurs in the horde. Starlings, Ravens and American Crows made up the balance of the bird life here.

Late in the afternoon, the Snowy Owl was back at the curve on Route 10 between Easton and Presque Isle. Paul Cyr was able to come over and got these great pictures of the apparent young male before the sun faded.

Northern Maine Birds 15-30 January 2009

The second half of January was bitterly cold and snowy in northern Maine.

Temperatures remained well below average most of the period with temps below zero (F) on 12 of the past fourteen nights and -40 F widely reported on a couple nights. It has not yet reached above freezing at any time so far this year.

Some snow fell on 12 days during the past two weeks with the most recent storm (on the 28th) dropping about a foot. There is currently between 30 to 36 inches of snow in the woods and about 15 to 18 inches in windswept open areas.

As previously reported, most bird observations are being made around feeding stations and at in-town locations. Natural food sources remain limited. The chilly American Tree Sparrow, pictured above was at Patty Jenning's feeders in Stacyville in northern Penobscot County. The finches have been a dynamic group with flocks of different species appearing and leaving at some feeders. A few signs of breeding behavior were reported.

Waterfowl were in short supply in northern Maine. Nearly all water is now frozen with the exception of a few short leads along the swiftest stretches of water and a spring hole or two. Only Mallards and American Black Ducks were reported.

The only Ruffed Grouse reported were in Reed Plantation on the 16th and Woodland on the 24th

Bald Eagle reports have dropped a bit since early in the month. The loss of most of the open water and the dwindling supply of waterfowl in the area probably had something to do with this.
Again, reports are of adult eagles only. Bald Eagles were seen in Presque Isle (~1/16), Benedicta (1/21), Bridgewater (1/29), Hersey (1/18) and Island Falls (1/21). A Northern Goshawk was cruising along the ridge of Mars Hill on the 17th, staying well clear of the wind turbines there. A apparent Sharp-shinned Hawk continues to hunt around the feeding stations in Presque Isle and was most recently seen on the 22nd. On the 16th, an other (an adult) was marauding some chickadees at a feeder on Hardison Road on Green Ridge in Caribou. Bill Hersey was able to get its mugshot with the help of his spotting scope.

Though Mourning Doves were thought to be dwindling by some observers, reports of flocks at a couple feeders in southern Aroostook still number over 30. 41 were counted at a feeder in Littleton on the 29th.

Another Snowy Owl was seen along Route 10 in Easton on the 30th. Paul Cyr was able to snap this shot before the bird was flushed by a loud log truck. This is at least the 10th reported in Aroostook county so far this season. A species that hasn't been mentioned in a while, a Barred Owl was seen in Linneus on the 19th of January. Sue Young sent along this image of the nocturnal hooter. The Stockholm Northern Hawk Owl was not seen.

The hardy Northern Flicker survived some -30 F nights and continued at a feeder in Caribou through the 30th. Downy, Hairy and Pileated were all well reported again!

In Fort Fairfield, a Northern Shrike was chasing chickadees around the feeders on the 19th.

After my comments about the dearth of White-breasted Nuthatches being reported at mid-month, I have been made aware they are well and thriving here in northern Maine! White-breasts were reported from Caribou, Easton, Presque Isle and Washburn. Red-breasted Nuthatches were also noted from across the region.

Bohemian Waxwings are all over the area but numbers seem highest in the south. Multiple flocks numbering 50-70, were seen in Caribou, Houlton and Presque Isle. Other smaller groups were seen in Amity, Fort Fairfield, Hodgdon, Mapleton, Portage Lake and Woodland. Two Northern Cardinals continue near Mantle Lake Park in Presque Isle and another is being seen in Caribou.

A single Lapland Longspur was hiding in a huge flock (1,200+) of Snow Buntings at a small feedlot along Route 1A in Easton. The flock was seen on the 17th and again on the 29th. My overwintering White-throated Sparrow continues to make forays out to the feeders from under my deck here in Woodland. The bird was seen as recently as the 29th. American Tree Sparrow numbers remain high across the area.

Rare anytime of year, but truly noteworthy is a Rusty Blackbird that has been reported overwintering at a feeder in Easton. The bird was most recently observed last week. this comes on the heels of Aroostook's first wintering record last year!

The northern finch show continues to please area birders. Pine Grosbeaks were reported in good numbers from Benedicta and Amity north to Fort Kent. A large flock of 40+ was seen in Washburn on the 22nd. Trina Coffin has this nice male visiting her feeders in Caribou. White-winged Crossbills were reported from Caribou, Easton, New Sweden, Presque Isle, and Woodland. Of the smaller finches, American Goldfinches are the most widely reported but Pine Siskins and Common Redpolls are being seen regularly as well. Larger Evening Grosbeak flocks seen were: 30+ in Chapman on the 18th, 18 in Stockholm on the 19th and 19 in Woodland on the 24th.

A pair of possible House Finches were well described as they visited at a feeder in Presque Isle on the 17th. The sighting was noteworthy considering the rareity of this species in northern Maine.

Northern Maine Birds 1-14 Jan 2009

The first couple of weeks of January were a bit colder than average in northern Maine. Recent nightime temperatures reached -20 F in my valley. Obviously, all precipitation in this period came in the form of snow. The snowstorm on the 7th and 8th dropped about 4 inches in southern parts of the county but almost a foot in the St. John River valley.

Most water is frozen now and snow depths range from about 10 inches in some open fields up to 2+ feet in the woods in the northern parts of the county.

As previously mentioned, I've received lots of reports of very busy feeders. Though I haven't been spending much time off of the plowed roads, my impression is that the woods are still very quiet. The increasing daylength has apparently helped to get some chickadees singing and woodpeckers drumming.

Despite the dwindling open water, there are still a few waterfowl being seen in the area. A small group of Mallards and American Black Ducks is wintering in Presque Isle and appearing near the hospital there. Several male Common Mergansers and a four Common Goldeneyes were seen recently at the dam in Caribou. Three Common Goldeneyes were also seen feeding just below the dam on Presque Isle Stream in Presque Isle.

Ruffed Grouse have been widely reported and the population appears to have done well surviving the winter thus far. Four were seen together "budding" in some alders at dusk in Caribou on the 3rd. Others were seen in Chapman, Reed Plantation and Stockholm. Paul Cyr got the nice picture above of a high stepping grouse earlier in the winter.

A few raptors have been observed Aroostook county lately. An adult Northern Goshawk was spotted cruising low over the woods on a ridgetop in New Sweden on the 10th. Bald Eagles continue to be spotted around the county (though they seemed to have dispersed a bit since early December when the concentrations of waterfowl were easy pickings). Most sightings are of adult birds and their appearance well away from open water would suggest these birds are now scavenging. Bald Eagles were seen in Caribou (1/9), Monticello (1/9), Presque Isle (Jan 2,3,6,7,9) and Stockholm (1/3). A Sharp-shinned Hawk has been spotted around the Mantle Lake area of Presque Isle (1/2). Though numbers of Red-tailed Hawks lingered into December, no new reports have come in in January.

No gulls (of any type) have been reported in the area in January.

Mourning Doves were well reported lately but a couple observers who live out of town noted a drop in numbers with the declines in temperatures.

The Stockholm Northern Hawk Owl continues and was spotted as recently as the 10th of January but it appears to be roaming a bit more than when it was intially seen. There have been no new reports of Snowy Owls since the last update.

Vying for the notable bird of the month, the hardiest Northern Flicker in the state continues to be seen at a feeder off the Hardison Road in Caribou. First seen in early December, the bird has survived some painfully cold weather so far. Bill Hersey sent me some photos of the bird last weekend. The other common woodpeckers (Downy, Hairy and Pileated) were all well represented in the reports I received. All three species have already begun to drum. On January 4th, some noise from an unknown woodpecker in the Stockholm area was suspected to be an Black-backed or American Three-toed Woodpecker but the bird remained un-ID'ed.

Plenty of Northern Shrikes are being reported. Adults were seen in Caribou (1 Jan)Presque Isle (9 Jan), New Canada (10 Jan) and Woodland (11 Jan). The Presque Isle shrike was chasing a chickadee. Another shrike was harassing the small finches at a feeder in Mapleton last week.

Bohemian Waxwings continue their strong showing in central and southern Aroostook county in early January. In addition to undated reports last week in Fort Fairfield and Caribou, 50+ were seen in Hodgdon on January 9th and 87 were in Presque Isle on January 11th. No Cedar Waxwings were mentioned in this neck of the woods.

Several Gray Jays were spotted in Stockholm on the 3rd and one was heard in the Woodland Bog in Woodland on the 11th. However, Blue Jays continue to dominate many area feeders. Substantially fewer American Crows have been reported thus far this winter, as compared to the last two winters. Common Ravens are a bit more vocal and visible recently as their early breeding season approaches.

Three Horned Larks were feeding in a windswept potato field on Green Ridge in Caribou on the 3rd. These birds are an uncommon sight in winter in northern Maine

A couple of interesting plumaged Black-capped Chickdees have showed up recently. In Caribou an exceptionally white-tailed chickadee was found and photographed by Bill Hersey. This picture, taken on the 7th shows the normally black tail is clearly lacking some pigment. Six miles south in Presque Isle, individuals of the melanistic population continue to be spotted. These chickadees are showing all black head though an entirely black individual was reported.

Several Boreal Chickadees were encountered in the Stockholm area on the 3rd. Remaining in the hard-to-find category lately, a few White-breasted Nuthatches were finally reported this winter. One was seen in Presque Isle and 2 in Caribou on the 3rd and another visited a feeder for a single day in Mapleton last week.

A male Northern Cardinal appeared at a feeder in Caribou last week. There have been substantially less reports of cardinals in the county this winter after a couple of banner years.

American Tree Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos of the slate-colored type continue in small numbers at many locales. Snow Bunting numbers also remain good across the county. Larger flocks were 80+ at Westfield on the 3rd, 120 in Presque Isle on the 9th and 60+ in Chapman on the 11th. Patty Jennings found this handsome couple of Snow Buntings visiting her feeder in Stacyville. Patty's photo even made the local evening news!

A single American Robin lingering in Linneus was spotted near Grammies Restaurant on the 9th. One of a pair of hardy Common Grackles that showed up on the Presque Isle Christmas Bird Count continues to visit a feeder off the Chapman Road in Presque Isle.

There has been a steady increase in the numbers and diversity of finch species observed around the county. Pine and Evening Grosbeaks are widespread and numerous. Flocks of Pines were seen in Ashland, Bridgewater, Caribou, Chapman, Easton, Fort Kent, Haynesville, Houlton, Perham, Presque Isle, Stockholm, Washburn and Woodland. A few Common Redpolls have joined the American Goldfinches at the thistle socks. Numbers of Pine Siskins are being seen in southern Aroostook but only a few have be reported in central and northern parst of the region. Small numbers of White-winged Crossbills have been encountered lately, pairs were seen in Presque Isle and Washburn on the 12th and a flock was reported from Stockholm on the 2nd and 3rd.

Purple Finches remain undetected this winter.

Snowy, Boreal and Northern Hawk Owls in Northern Maine

Northern owls have been making a great showing in Aroostook county this season. Most everyone has heard the populations of the birds' normal food supplies in the north (lemmings, voles and other small rodents) are apparently in a cyclic low and these predators are roaming south to avoid starvation. Luckily for the owls (and local birders) the rodent populations are doing very well in northern Maine and lots of these owls are showing up.

In their high latitude habitats, some of these birds experience extra long day lengths and are comfortable being out and about in the daylight... and so they are a bit more detectable than our more common locally breeding species which are active in the dark.

Up until last week, Snowy Owls were the story. At least eight have been seen in the central Aroostook area and there are plenty of second-hand accounts and rumors of more in other northern Maine locales. The first of these showed up back in October and new Snowys continue to be found. Recently new birds were discovered by Paul Cyr in Easton and Presque Isle. Above is one of Pauls photos of the Easton owl.

On the Presque Isle Christmas Bird Count last Saturday, Linda Alverson and George McPherson glimpsed a Snowy Owl flying over an unharvested corn field in Washburn. The bird was quick to disappear down into the corn (to catch a rodent attracted by the grain no doubt).


Early last week, the Reynolds family in New Sweden discovered a small owl in their yard as they dug out from the latest blizzard.

They tentatively narrowed the identity of the owl down to either Saw-whet or Boreal Owl (very similar species). The Reynolds were able to get some great pictures and circulated them around and quickly confirmed the bird's ID as a Boreal.




Here's a great shot of the little owl taken by Wanda Reynolds:



















A close look revealed a few flecks of blood in the snow and a rodent tail protruding from under the little owl!

The Boreal is one of the most rarely detected species of the northern owls in this neck of the woods. They prefer denser cover and usually do their hunting in night.

Chelsea Reynolds offered this account of the discovery:

"This was the first time we saw this type of owl at our house. My father noticed the owl around 8am on Tuesday. The owl was in the same spot for approximately five hours. It seemed alert and knew we were around but never moved from the spot. My father was snowblowing the driveway and had the tractor on next to him and it didn't seem to phase the owl (that's when he noticed it). Originally he thought it was a Barred Owl but then suggested it might be a Saw-Whet Owl. My mom suggested possibly a Boreal Owl. My parents have observed other types of owls over the years but never one as petite and tame as this one. Another item to point out - my father feeds all types of birds in a tree approximately 10 feet from where the picture was taken."

Unfortunately the bird has not been seen again since the 23rd.

As if the Boreal Owl wasn't enough, Wanda Reynolds went on to discover a Northern Hawk Owl just a couple of miles from their house a few days later. Another rare species of owl in Maine, these birds are much more active during the daylight and not shy about perching out in the open so they are seen a bit more frequently than the Boreal Owl. As is the case with the Snowy and Boreal Owls, the Northern Hawk Owl rarely wanders this far south unless there is a shortage of food in the north.


This owl has been staying around the brushy field where it was first discovered near the intersection of the West Road and Route 161 in Stockholm (DeLorme Atlas Map 68). Paul Cyr visited the field at sun up today and was able to get this great shot of the bird.