[Maine-birds] Finchlessness

I brought some Miami folks into the North Maine Woods today, off the Telos Road, and before lunch we were able to pick up a couple of very entertaining male Spruce Grouse, distant Gray Jays, close Boreal Chickadees, and a pair of cooperative Black-backed Woodpeckers (mother and daughter, I think). But what struck me most was the scarcity of finches. No purples. No crossbills. No grosbeaks. Just a couple of siskins and a few goldfinches. We were in all the right places and the finches were absent. It’s like a functional U.S. Congress. Hypothetically, you know that it could and should exist, but you can’t find evidence. Is this what winter is going to be like? Well, one cause for optimism: the red-breasted nuthatches aren’t fleeing the state again this year. They were abundant and noisy all morning.

 

Bob Duchesne