[Maine-birds] FOY magic today

Greetings, birding friends! The return of our breeding birds is a magical time, as reconnection makes our hearts leap! This morning was too bizzy for me to "bird" per se. But even as I zoomed past spots I longed to check, awesome FOY birds kept popping up around the edges of my errands.

The best FOY was the first. As Tashi and I were leaving the house I glimpsed through a window some leaves flying up as though kicked by backwards-scuttling avian feet — Yes! My FOY Fox Sparrow and a long-awaited addition to the yard list!

Cruising over the mountain into Farmington past Clearwater Lake I tallied 3 Bald Eagles (not FOY but still cool :-), a kettle of 9 FOY Turkey Vultures with a bonus FOY Red-tailed Hawk, plus my FOY American Kestrel and FOY Northern Flicker in a nearby field. 

Then walking with Tashi along the Sandy River turned up 1 male + 1 female FOY Common Merganser and a raucous FOY Belted Kingfisher along with heaps of singing Song Sparrows, Northern Cardinals and American Robins. But the big surprise down there was an FOY American Pipit flushed from the corn stubble.  

And greeting us as we got home, the FOY squeak of a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Looking forward to Eastern Phoebe, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird and more in the next few days. Though it's tough to top the return of my nest box Tree Swallows!

Whew… I don't know how much more birding wonderment I can take… 

Peace & good FOY birding,

Scott Cronenweth

Industry, ME

scottcronenweth@icloud.com