During a Kennebec Land Trust bird walk on the Webber Pond side of KLT's Vassalboro Wildlife Habitat we found a pair of merlins. We heard the ki ki kee call before seeing them. We had scoped this trail out a week ago and there was no sign of the merlins then. There were few songbirds evident at this site this weekend...due to presence of merlins and/or because it was a late afternoon walk on a cold day with a good crowd?
There were 14 of us on the bird walk. We tried not to stress the merlins; we watched them from a distance through a scope while they were perched, but the trail did go right by the area they were frequenting near the lakeshore. If they are going to nest in the area we may have unwittingly nudged them to relocate slightly.
Other birds seen on the Webber pond side of this site: Flyovers: adult bald eagle, D C cormorants, gull (likely Herring gull, given size compared to cormorants), unknown hawk soaring very high and American crows. In/on lake: Common Loons, tree swallows (dozens), (last week we had kingfishers). In woods/wetlands: ruby crowned kinglet, phoebe, white-throated sparrows, pine warbler, song sparrows, black-capped chickadee, significant signs of pileated. Last week we flushed a ruffed grouse and saw a half dozen N. flickers as well.
On the west side of the road, trail to the marsh observation platform: American robin, grouse drumming very frequently, RW blackbirds, eastern bluejays, unknown ducks flying over (bad light and no sound) and a very cold, still but breathing garter snake. Others on the hike, feel free to write in with additions/corrections.
-- There were 14 of us on the bird walk. We tried not to stress the merlins; we watched them from a distance through a scope while they were perched, but the trail did go right by the area they were frequenting near the lakeshore. If they are going to nest in the area we may have unwittingly nudged them to relocate slightly.
Other birds seen on the Webber pond side of this site: Flyovers: adult bald eagle, D C cormorants, gull (likely Herring gull, given size compared to cormorants), unknown hawk soaring very high and American crows. In/on lake: Common Loons, tree swallows (dozens), (last week we had kingfishers). In woods/wetlands: ruby crowned kinglet, phoebe, white-throated sparrows, pine warbler, song sparrows, black-capped chickadee, significant signs of pileated. Last week we flushed a ruffed grouse and saw a half dozen N. flickers as well.
On the west side of the road, trail to the marsh observation platform: American robin, grouse drumming very frequently, RW blackbirds, eastern bluejays, unknown ducks flying over (bad light and no sound) and a very cold, still but breathing garter snake. Others on the hike, feel free to write in with additions/corrections.
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