Tag Archives: Birdwatching in Maine:The Complete Site Guide

This Week’s Highlights, 4/27– 5/3/2024

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Yellow-rumped Warblers have been inundating our feeding station in Durham this week, feasting on nut blocks, insect suet, mealworms, jelly, and just about everything else.

Feeder-watching continues to be great, with lots of Pine Siskins, new arrivals, migrant White-throated Sparrows, and, at our home in Durham, up to a dozen Yellow-rumped Warblers daily – especially during the cool and often wet days we had this week. Meanwhile, Red Crossbills continue to be widespread in the area. There were no huge flights of migrants this week, but new arrivals were trickling in.

My other observations of note over the past seven days also included:

  • 1 LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH, Morgan Meadow WMA, 5/1.
  • 6 total LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSHES, via “The Louie Loop” (Site AN4 in Birdwatching in Maine: The Complete Site Guide), Androscoggin County, 5/3 (with Noah Gibb).

One of the six individuals, a singing and mate-guarding male, paused just long enough for a snapshot in Mechanic Falls on the 3rd.

As is typical of the season, new arrivals were the headliners of most days of birding. Additional personal first-of-years this week also included:

  • 1 Bank Swallow, Bradbury Mountain Hawkwatch, 4/29.
  • 1 pair Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, our property in Durham, 4/30.
  • 4 Black-and-white Warblers, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 4/30
  • 1 Great-crested Flycatcher, our property in Durham, 4/30.
  • 1 Northern Waterthrush, our property in Durham, 5/1.
  • 1 Common Yellowthroat, Morgan Meadow WMA, 5/1.
  • 1 Wood Thrush, our property in Durham, 5/2.
  • 1 Gray Catbird (first of spring), our property in Durham, 5/2.
  • 1 Ovenbird, our property in Durham, 5/3.
  • 1 Black-throated Blue Warbler, Shaker Bog, Poland, 5/3 (with Noah Gibb).
  • 1 Nashville Warbler, Shaker Bog, 5/3 (with Noah Gibb)
  • 1 BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, Little Andy River Boat Launch, Mechanic Falls, 5/3 (with Noah Gibb)
  • 2 Eastern Kingbird, Little Andy River Boat Launch, 5/3 (with Noah Gibb)
  • 1 White-crowned Sparrow, Bucknam Bridge Road, Mechanic Falls, 5/3 (with Noah Gibb).
  • 1 Brown Thrasher, Pottle Hill Road, Mechanic Falls, 5/3 (with Noah Gibb).

TOURS AND EVENTS:

Recent Highlights, 2/15 – 2/23/2024

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Barrow’s Goldeneyes will be departing soon, so I needed to get my fill while I still can. This pair (left) was with 17 Common Goldeneyes and a drake Hooded Merganser at Anniversary Park in Auburn on the 20th.

A very busy couple of weeks precluded much birding away from our yard recently. Luckily, the feeder-watching was excellent, as were my few dedicated outings over the past ten days.

  • 1 Red Crossbill, over our yard in Durham, 2/15.
  • 1 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, over Richmond Island from Kettle Cove, Cape Elizabeth, 2/19 (with Paul Doiron, Kristen Lindquist, and Jeannette).
  • 1 pair BARROW’S GOLDENEYES, Anniversary Park, Auburn, 2/19 (with Jeannette). Photo above.
  • 1 continuing hen COMMON EIDER SPP BOREALIS and 6 BARROW’S GOLDENEYES (4 drakes, 2 hens), Winslow Park, Freeport, 2/21. Barrow’s usually peak here at the end of February.

FEEDER BIRDS UPDATE:

There was a widespread dearth of feeder birds in most yards throughout the region this past fall. While a few people are still mentioning a lack of feeder birds this winter, many others are telling us they are seeing a lot of birds now. At our home in Durham, this winter our feeders have been very busy. But just how busy is it, and how does that compare to last winter? I did some feeder watching and counted a bunch of birds to find out.

Are There Actually Fewer Birds at Feeders in the Winter of 2023-24?

After the 16th, activity remained strong, with another surge of Dark-eyed Juncos bringing the total to a high count of 72 on the 17th, along with an increase to 13 American Tree Sparrows. A new peark of 70++ American Goldfinches was reached on 2/21. And our first Red-winged Blackbird of the year appeared in the snow on the 23rd.

Meanwhile, here at the store, the 24 White-throated Sparrows at the feeders 2/16 was a new all-time high count for the winter season for us here.  

TOURS AND EVENTS:

Please join me on Thursday, February 29th at Maine Beer Company to celebrate the release of the completely revised 2nd Edition of Birdwatching in Maine: The Complete Site Guide! 

By the way, the book is now available here at the store.

And, in case you missed it, I was on 207 last night talking about the new edition.