Daily Archives: January 2, 2021

Derek’s Birding This Week, 12/26-1/1/2021

Maine’s second-ever Rock Wren continues in Ogunquit. With the changing calendar, birders returned en masse on January 1st. Jeannette and I avoided the crowds to spend some quality time with the bird on our day off on Tuesday.
It’s always fascinating how vagrants survive. This Western Conifer Seed Bug was a nice, hearty meal.

A little more time this week in the field produced the following observations of note:

  • 678 Scaup (too far to sort through, but probably 5-10% Lessers, which are regular to even common within these early winter scaup flocks on Casco Bay contrary to recently published information), Simpson’s Point, Brunswick, 1/1 (with Jeannette).  Another smaller raft of scaup continue at Wharton Point (12/27 and 1/1 with Jeannette), but too far to sort through.
  • 1 1st winter male Red-winged Blackbird, feeders here at the store, 12/27.
  • Continuing ROCK WREN, Marginal Way, Ogunquit, 12/29 (with Jeannette). Highlight includes watching it ravage a Western Conifer Seed Bug.
  • 1 Peregrine Falcon, odd location in a tree along Pennell Way, Brunswick, 1/1 (with Jeannette).

This Week in Finches:

  • EVENING GROSBEAK: 0
  • Red Crossbill: 2 (our yard in Pownal, 12/27).
  • WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL:  4 (Furbish Avenue, Wells, 12/29 with Jeannette).
  • PINE GROSBEAK: up to 10 daily (in and around the yard here at the store all week); up to 18 daily all week (Pine Tree Academy, Freeport); 2 (Route 1, Brunswick, 12/28).
  • Purple Finch: 0
  • Common Redpoll High Count This Week: 6 (Simpson’s Point, Brunswick, 12/27).
  • Pine Siskin High Count This Week: 0