Hello Maine-birds:
The snow was nice enough to hold off until we finished the walk this morning, though activity at the feeders has certainly increased since. The recent thaw has reopened the river allowing us to add species like Common Loon but also resulting in others (Common Goldeneye) being absent as they probably moved further up river. We missed a few regular birds (or maybe I forgot to write down Blue Jay...) but still managed 27 species throughout the walk. Here are a few of the highlights:
Presumably the same male Norther Flicker that has been present for a couple weeks in the West Meadow was spotted again today perched atop a birch in the North Meadow.
We found a very late Marsh Wren calling from the phragmites in the North Meadow, close to the Big Sit location. Interestingly, this is the same stand of phrags where a Marsh Wren was on 7 Dec 2013 but has not been seen since. I'd guess this coincidence is a result of proper habitat rather than a continuing bird.
And a personal highlight was a flyover Lapland Longspur, a new patch bird for me at Gilsland Farm as I dream of catching up to Eric's impressive total.
A complete checklist from the walk is available at: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S16414460
If you are not already following the fun with Project SNOWstorm, you should definitely check these interactive maps of where their tagged owls are going: http://www.projectsnowstorm.org/posts/release-maps/. And if you have no idea what Project SNOWstorm is, an intro was posted earlier this month on the Maine eBird portal: http://ebird.org/content/me/news/project-snowstorm/
And I wanted to let everyone know about some trips/events coming up: Tuesday morning (21 Jan) I'll be leading a walk around Reid State Park to look for grebes, alcids, and other birds at this mid-coast hotspot: http://maineaudubon.org/events/rafting-grebes-at-reid/. Turk and Linda are doing their annual Wings of Winter trip next Saturday (25 Jan); register soon if you want a spot in the van: http://maineaudubon.org/events/wings-of-winter-field-trip/ And the next part of my 'Birding in a Digital Age' series which will focus on birding with your smartphone will be on the evening of January 30th, more details at: http://maineaudubon.org/events/birding-in-a-digital-age-part-three/
I'll try to get more links in my next post so it goes straight to your spam folder...
Good birding everyone!
Doug Hitchcox
Staff Naturalist
Maine Audubon
207-781-2330 x237
dhitchcox@maineaudubon.org
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