Hey everyone:
I spoke too soon when I said it felt 'balmy' in the parking lot this morning. There was no frost at Gilsland Farm with the thermometer right at 32F when we started, but as we approached the river a crisp breeze was a stark reminder that winter is here. We did manage to tally 32 species during the walk, here are a few highlights:
A surprisingly late Chipping Sparrow, shockingly early in its prebasic molt, was seen around the apple trees near the building and then fortunately posed for everyone under our feeders. One other interesting sparrow was in the swale in the North Meadow - I'll leave it unidentified but would encourage anyone visiting to keep an eye out for a skulky (possibly Ammodramus) sparrow in that area.
Only one Double-crested Cormorant was spotted in the river. For a little eBird fun, here is a line graph of DCCO frequency at Gilsland Farm: http://tinyurl.com/kqb6d8g So this may be the last week we see them here until March!
We did find some remains in the North Meadow that look perfect for a Yellow-breasted Chat - possibly our bird from 31 Oct? I was more surprised to see a living Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme) in the Pond Meadow at the end of our walk.
Here is a complete checklist from the walk: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S15665273
Good birding,
Doug Hitchcox
Staff Naturalist
Maine Audubon
207-781-2330 x237
dhitchcox@maineaudubon.org
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