Name: Maine Audubon Rare Bird Alert
Reporting Period: October 22 – 28, 2012
Area: State of Maine
Compilers: Doug Hitchcox
Noteworthy Species Mentioned:
Greater White-fronted Goose
Snow Goose
Northern Pintail
Ruddy Duck
Manx Shearwater
Golden Eagle
Rough-legged Hawk
American Coot
Little Gull
Iceland Gull
Forster's Tern
Parasitic Jaeger
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Selasphorus hummingbird
Black-backed Woodpecker
Northern Shrike
Cape May Warbler
Clay-colored Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Dickcissel
Baltimore Oriole
Pine Grosbeak
Evening Grosbeak
Seasonal Notes
The irruptions continue this week with EVENING GROSBEAKS being reported widely across the state, including in: Bangor, Waterville, Greenville, Unity, New Castle and Cherryfield. Other winter arrivals included an increase of NORTHERN SHRIKES, AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS, WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS and an apparent NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL movement in the early part of the week.
York County
A GOLDEN EAGLE was reported from Bauneg Beg Mountain on the 22nd.
Waterfowl diversity continues to increase at the Sanford Sewerage District highlighted by a report of over 100 RUDDY DUCKS on the 22nd, two NORTHERN PINTAILS on the 23rd, and up to three AMERICAN COOTS on the 24th. This site is at the end of Gavel Road, off Route 4 in Sanford. Visitation is limited to 6 a.m.-4:30 p.m. M-F and 7-8:30 a.m. only on the weekend.
A SELASPHORUS HUMMINGBIRD continues to visit feeders along Hills Beach in Biddeford since it was first seen on the 17th. The feeders are along Hills Beach Road and can be viewed from the road.
Up to nine FORSTER'S TERNS were seen on Hills Beach on the 26th.
On the 28th a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was reported from Yates Street in Biddeford Pool.
A late female BALTIMORE ORIOLE spent the 24th and 25th visiting feeders in Kennebunk.
Greater Portland
A second GOLDEN EAGLE report for the week came from Broadturn Road in Scarborough on the 23rd.
On the 27th a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was at the feeders of the Freeport Wild Bid Supply store off Route 1.
An adult GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was found at Thornhurst Farm off Route 115 in North Yarmouth on the 22nd and continued through at least the 27th.
Kennebec River Valley (Augusta-Waterville)
A LARK SPARROW was reported from Piggery Road at the Viles Arboretum on the 23rd. A lone PINE GROSBEAK was also reported from this road on the 26th.
Midcoast
A group of 50 AMERICAN PIPITS were in a field just south of Reed Rock Road in Dresden on the 23rd.
A late CAPE MAY WARBLER was photographed off Brown Point Road in Bowdoinham on the 23rd.
Two male PINE GROSBEAKS were reported from Totman Cove in Phippsburg on the 26th.
On the 27th a male BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER was seen in Bouyun Preserve in Westport.
Penobscot Bay
Feeders of Kaler Street in Winterport hosted an immature male DICKCISSEL on the 27th. Three EVENING GROSBEAKS were also seen here that day.
Central Maine
PINE GROSBEAKS were reported in Hudson on the 24th, the Bangor City Forest on the 25th, and at the University of Maine on the 27th.
Continuing for a second week, a pair of SNOW GEESE was with about 200 CANADA GEESE in a pond in Jackson.
Unity Pond held 100 BLACK SCOTERS, three SURF SCOTERS, one WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, and an adult male COMMON EIDER on the 25th.
On the 26th a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was seen from the north end of Sebasticook Lake in Newport.
Downeast
Birds seen from a boat out of Eastport and cruising around Head Harbor Passage included: one LITTLE GULL, one PARASITIC JAEGER, and two MANX SHEARWATERS.
Western Mountains
On the morning of the 23rd, two groups comprising around 200 SNOW GEESE passed over Rangeley.
A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was reported off River Road in Fryeburg on the 27th.
Northern Maine
Rare this far north, a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER has been sporadically coming to a feeder in Presque Isle. The bird has been seen in the vicinity of Mantle Lake Park and Canterbury Street.
A light phase ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was reported from Chasse Road in St. Agatha on the 28th.
Collins Pond in Caribou hosted an AMERICAN COOT and an immature ICELAND GULL on the 23rd.
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