[Maine-birds] Northern Maine Birds: Barrow's Goldeneye, Rough-legged Hawk, Red-bellied Woodpecker

Caribou wastewater treatment lagoons are my new favorite spot for duck spotting.  

Today at the treatment plant, there were a pair of newly-arrived Barrow's Goldeneyes, Greater and Lesser Scaup and the latest Wood Duck and Blue-winged Teal I have seen in Aroostook Co.  A very late Lesser Yellowlegs was also nibbling the goodness around the edges of the lagoon.  Drake Common Goldeneyes have also arrived and were seen on the Aroostook River just downstream of the treatment lagoons.   Here's the list: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S11889416

Nearby in north Fort Fairfield, I found several hundred gulls in a cow pasture not far from the Tri-Community Landfill.  I couldn't spot another white winged gull but a 3rd winter Lesser Black-backed was close to the road and an easy study.  Canada Geese are probably now at their peak numbers in the county and likely number 30,000+ at this point.   I scoped a single flock of 1,100+ in a potato field not far down the Murphy Road without turning up anything unusual.  A flock of 31 American Tree Sparrows was a good count for the species considering I'd only seen ones and twos so far this fall.  http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S11889403

St. Agatha also had a few good birds this AM.  I spotted my first Rough-legged Hawk of the season (a light phase) on the Chasse Road.  The Long Lake gull flock was greatly diminished from the mass seen here in the past few weeks, but 109 Great Black-backed Gulls seemed a good count.  A White-winged Scoter, a lingering Greater Yellowlegs and a single Bohemian Waxwing were the reward for birding the park by the Town Office here.  http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S11889373

Christina Reservoir had a few shorebirds on Friday the 26th.  These included my latest ever Spotted Sandpiper in Aroostook Co., as well as a White-rumped Sandpiper, a Dunlin and two very late Pectoral Sandpipers.  http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S11875959

A very rare find 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.

Cheers

Bill 

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Bill Sheehan
Woodland, Aroostook Co., Maine
http://northernmainebirds.blogspot.com/

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