Nothing can brighten up a cold, gray winter’s day like a drake Wood Duck! This hardy drake was toughing it out amongst the Mallards at the North River Road Boat Launch in Auburn on the 13th.
“Lingering” seasonal rarities and concentrating waterfowl with the growth of river and lake ice this week produced some great mid-January birds despite limited dedicated birding outings.
The Fox Sparrow continues at the store since 12/21, but has been very sporadic this week.
1 GRAY CATBIRD and 1 Fox Sparrow continue at our feeders in Durham through week’s end.
At least two Turkey Vultures continued in the I-295 corridor between Brunswick and Cumberland, and scattered others continue in the area as well.
2 Responses to “This Week’s Highlights, 1/11 to 1/17/2025”
Mr. Lovitch,
I was doing a google search to see if black-throated sparrows have ever been spotted in Maine after my husband and I went through a struggle determining what bird we saw at our feeder yesterday. We couldn’t find it in Sibley’s Eastern Birds book, so looked by shape on Cornell’s Bird ID site. We were so certain it was a black-throated sparrow, until we saw the map. Then, I realized that sometimes birds do go outside their typical areas, so I googled my question to see if anyone had ever seen these. Yeah! You did! So, I wanted you to know that on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, a black-throated sparrow was seen in Belfast, Maine on the Hunt Road in a grass and woods setting.
Indeed, I was lucky enough to see one of the two Black-throated Sparrows to ever be seen a few years back. In fact, there was just one previous record in the state, so this is a very rare bird indeed! Did you happen to snap a photo, even a horrific one with just a phone? If so, could you send it to us at info@freeportwildbirdsupply.com? And have you seen it again since your initial sighting?
Many thanks for reaching out and for any additional info!
Mr. Lovitch,
I was doing a google search to see if black-throated sparrows have ever been spotted in Maine after my husband and I went through a struggle determining what bird we saw at our feeder yesterday. We couldn’t find it in Sibley’s Eastern Birds book, so looked by shape on Cornell’s Bird ID site. We were so certain it was a black-throated sparrow, until we saw the map. Then, I realized that sometimes birds do go outside their typical areas, so I googled my question to see if anyone had ever seen these. Yeah! You did! So, I wanted you to know that on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, a black-throated sparrow was seen in Belfast, Maine on the Hunt Road in a grass and woods setting.
Melinda & Gary Bosk
By Melinda S Bosk on January 23, 2025 at 11:16 pm
Hello Melinda,
Indeed, I was lucky enough to see one of the two Black-throated Sparrows to ever be seen a few years back. In fact, there was just one previous record in the state, so this is a very rare bird indeed! Did you happen to snap a photo, even a horrific one with just a phone? If so, could you send it to us at info@freeportwildbirdsupply.com? And have you seen it again since your initial sighting?
Many thanks for reaching out and for any additional info!
-Derek
By Derek on January 25, 2025 at 2:06 am