Josh and all,
I was in downtown Houlton for the eclipse, a 600-mile round trip lasting 18 hours.
Birding was slow. A few crows and pigeons were the only consistent species around town and along the river. I don't recall hearing any bird song over 6 hours. As totality approached, the pigeons got a little more insistent in their circling and when darkness fell a gull moseyed downriver, my first of the day.
With the time of year and time of day I didn't expect much birdwise, but celestially it was spectacular.
Scott
On Fri, Apr 12, 2024 at 2:38 PM Josh Fecteau <joshuafecteau@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi all,
On Monday, Jenny and I drove a few hours from our home in
Kennebunkport to Oxford County, to view the total solar eclipse, and,
of course, we birded along the way and during the special event!
Here are a few notes from our day:
On Route 16, in Wilson's Mills, we did some roadside birding after
hearing Evening Grosbeaks near North Woods Quilting. We're pretty sure
they were visiting an out-of-view feeder, but we were able to glimpse
both a male and female near the shop.
We walked Littlehale Road through Aziscoos Valley Campground (which
opens in late May) to check out the historic covered bridge.
Highlights were a Green Comma butterfly along Bennett Road (after
crossing the covered bridge) and a single Tree Swallow flying over the
campground when we got back to our car.
Pine Siskins and Red-breasted Nuthatches may have hitched a ride in
our car, because we heard them just about everywhere we stopped!
We settled on a quiet stream crossing in Magalloway Plantation to view
the eclipse. We ate a snack, took a twenty minute nap, and settled in
for the experience. When the daylight just began to fade, an American
Robin started tutting (sounds we typically hear at dusk), and a Red
Squirrel seemed to express agitation. As totality began, the most
amazing surprise of the day occurred when a Winter Wren sang one
clear, beautiful song!
On our way home in Grafton Township, I spotted a Ruffed Grouse sitting
very still in a tree over the road. He or she appeared to be observing
the unusually long stream of cars traveling south through his or her
mountain pass home.
We'd enjoying hearing from others about their experiences birding the eclipse!
Wildly,
Josh
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