I've walked over ten miles this week along a major logging road east of Milford. The Stud Mill Road is one of my playgrounds, and with the last date for the Winter Bird Atlas coming up on Sunday, I felt the urge to log some more hours. I was justly rewarded this morning while still driving, when I spied a black-backed woodpecker flying over the spot where I planned to park the car. It was a female. She landed in a dead tree and started drumming. About five minutes later, two hairy woodpeckers joined the BBWO on the same dead tree, long enough to investigate, but with no apparent antagonism. This is at least the fourth time I've seen black-backed and hairy woodpeckers together on the same branch.
Meanwhile, the finches are prolific for the 6 miles beyond the Maine Youth Fish & Game Association at Pickerel Pond. On Tuesday, I had 29 pine siskins, 13 purple finches, and 12 red crossbills. My count of 11 Canada jays prompted eBird to briefly question my sanity. The tally also included 34 black-capped chickadees and 15 red-breasted nuthatches.
Today, I spent three hours on the next atlas block, and although the habitat was generally similar, the birds weren't. Where I had only red crossbills on Tuesday, I had only white-winged crossbills (6) today. And no Canada jays today, despite having an abundance nearby on Tuesday. The siskins were still copious (35). Purple finches were noisy (11). And then there was the black-backed woodpecker…
I wonder if I can squeeze in one more block before the winter atlas season ends…
Bob Duchesne
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