February 2019

This post is the last of three reporting highlights of some of the Maine Christmas Bird Counts. This counts, conducted on a single day within a permanent circle with a 15 mile diameter, are compiled by the National Audubon Society. We’ll jump all around the state today.

The Waterville Count, held on December 16, was exceptionally good this year with 59 species found. That species total equals the totals from several coastal counts.

Two dams on the Kennebec usually keep some water open. This year the open water yielded 217 Common Goldeneye, six Barrow’s Goldeneye, seven Hooded Mergansers and 32 Common Mergansers.

Predatory birds included 15 Bald Eagles, a Merlin, a Peregrine Falcon and a Northern Shrike.

Both waxwings were present with Bohemians outnumbering Cedars, 341 to 18. A single Snow Bunting was seen, unusual for this species that flocks in the winter.

Irruptive finches were represented by 20 Pine Grosbeaks and our Pine Siskins.

Lingering birds included a Belted Kingfisher, a Northern Flicker, five Eastern Bluebirds, four Savannah Sparrows, two Swamp Sparrows, a Brown-headed Cowbird and a Rusty Blackbird.

We’ll head northwest to Hartland where counters there found 33 species on December 22. With most water frozen, Mallards and American Black Ducks were the only waterbirds.

Highlights included a lingering Northern Flicker, 38 Bohemian Waxwings, a single Purple Finch and a dozen Common Redpolls.

Proceeding southwest, we come to Farmington where 39 species were found on December 27. Not a single waterbird was detected.

The counters did get the trifecta of woodland hawks: one Sharp-shinned Hawk, two Cooper’s Hawk and a single Northern Goshawk. A hawk wannabe, a Northern Shrike, was found as well.

Four lingering Eastern Bluebirds were remarkable for this part of the state. Bohemian Waxwings were present to the tune of 310 individuals. The northern finch list was impressive: 33 Pine Grosbeaks, 15 Common Redpolls and 37 Evening Grosbeaks.

The Misery Township count was held on December 23. About 30 miles of Jackman, this area is the least developed of any Christmas Count circle in Maine. The human population is sparse and most of the area is timberland. The low habitat diversity and the harsh climate is reflected in a modest species count every year. But the quality of the birds is outstanding.

Fourteen species were found this year: seven Ruffed Grouse, three Bald Eagles, two Downy Woodpeckers, two Hairy Woodpeckers, ten Canada Jays (formerly Gray Jays), 20 Blue Jays, one American Crow, 24 Northern Ravens, 123 Black-capped Chickadee and a single Boreal Chickadee, 24 Red-breasted Nuthatches, three White-breasted Nuthatches, two Northern Cardinals and five Pine Grosbeaks.

Note the absence of birds of open countryside like Snow Buntings or sparrows and the lack of birds associated with human developments (gulls, Rock Pigeon, European Starling, House Sparrow).

We’ll continue with a coastal trip to Thomaston-Rockland where a count there on December 15 yielded a list of 68 species.

Fourteen species of waterfowl were present with 14 American Wigeons being the most unusual.

Lingering breeders included five Great Blue Herons, a Belted Kingfisher, a Northern Flicker, an American Kestrel, two Carolina Wrens, eight Eastern Bluebirds, three Northern Mockingbirds and a Savannah Sparrow. An Eastern Phoebe was a nice found during count week but was not seen on count day.

Notable birds seen from shore included five Razorbills and three Bonaparte’s Gulls. A Peregrine Falcon and a Northern Shrike were sighted.

A pair of Snow Buntings were welcome sights in a winter where these winter visitors are not very common this year. Four Pine Grosbeaks were the only northern finches sighted.

Bopping over to Sweden in Oxford County, we discover their count on December 27 produced a list of 31 species. American Black Ducks and Mallards were the only waterfowl found with much of the water frozen over.

Three Red-bellied Woodpeckers were good finds for this part of the state. Northern finches found were three Evening Grosbeaks, one Red Crossbill and one Pine Siskin.

This post is the second of three reporting highlights of some of the Maine Christmas Bird Counts. We’ll take a tour along the coast in this account.

Let’s begin with the York County count, conducted on December 17. This region has the most moderate climate in the state so we always expect a diversity of lingering breeding birds and migrants. This year did not disappoint.

Eastern Bluebirds have become dependable birds in December along the southern Maine coast. This year, 110 were found on this count. Other lingering species included two Great Blue Herons, three Northern Harriers, five Belted Kingfishers, four Northern Flickers, eight Carolina Wrens, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, four Gray Catbirds, 23 Northern Mockingbirds and a Chipping Sparrow.

Fourteen species of waterfowl were present with Mallards being most abundant with 1109 observed. A Northern Pintail was a nice find.

Grebes were hard to come by. Only two Red-necked Grebes and a dozen Horned Grebes were seen. Twenty-nine Great Cormorants represents a fine total.

Other highlights along the shore were 118 Sanderlings, five Dunlin, ten Black-legged Kittiwakes, a Dovekie and 17 Razorbills.

Three Merlins, a Peregrine Falcon and two Northern Shrikes (uncommon this winter) were no doubt terrorizing smaller birds.

The Biddeford/Kennebunkport count yielded 80 species on December 29. Highlights of the fine total of 18 waterfowl species were a Eurasian Wigeon, seven Harlequin Ducks and a Barrow’s Goldeneye. Ten Northern Gannets were detected just offshore.

Three Dunlin were nice finds in the Maine winter. A Peregrine Falcon was found as well.

Eastern Bluebirds put in a good appearance with 132 seen. Other lingering birds included a Great Blue Heron, an American Woodcock, a Northern Flicker, two Carolina Wrens, 18 Northern Mockingbirds, a Yellow-rumped Warbler, two Fox Sparrows, a Savannah Sparrow and a Common Grackle.

Finches were scarce with the highlight being 18 Evening Grosbeaks.

The North Penobscot Bay Count in the Belfast area resulted in a tally of 61 species on December 29. Two Wood Ducks were the only unexpected finds among 13 species of waterfowl.

Five Razorbills were a delightful surprise as was a Peregrine Falcon. Two Northern Shrikes were notable.

Lingering birds included a Belted Kingfisher, two Northern Flickers and a hardy Carolina Wren.

Among the finches, the 68 Pine Grosbeaks and 23 Evening Grosbeaks were stand-outs.

The Mt. Desert Island count on December 15 produced a list of 57 species. Twelve species of waterfowl were tallied. This area is usually good for Common Eiders in the winter and the 1502 on the count confirmed the pattern. A Barrow’s Goldeneye was present.

Four Great Cormorants were unsurprising but the two Double-crested Cormorants were for this time of year.

A single Bonaparte’s Gull added a fourth gull species to the count along with the more common Herring Gulls, Ring-billed Gulls and Great Black-backed Gulls.

The highlight had to be a rare Red-headed Woodpecker. Lingering species were few and far between with a Belted Kingfisher being most notable.

Northern finches were represented by 40 Purple Finches, a White-winged Crossbill and 19 Pine Siskins.

Just a bit to the north and east, the Schoodic Count on New Year’s Day, produced a list of 62 species in the rain and snow. Fourteen species of waterfowl were highlighted by 54 Harlequin Ducks.

The count of 93 Red-necked Grebes was a fine total. The highlight of the count was the discovery of four species of alcids. In addition to the expected Black Guillemots, the Schoodic teams found 55 Razorbills, three Thick-billed Murres and, best of all, three Dovekies.

The gull count included 113 Black-legged Kittiwakes and two Iceland Gulls (uncommon this winter in Maine).

A Northern Harrier, a Red-winged Blackbird and a Common Grackle were hardy lingerers. Winter visitors from the north included a Northern Shrike and 22 Pine Grosbeaks.

This column is the first of three reviewing the highlights of some of Maine Christmas Bird Counts. This count season spanned December 15 through January 5.

The Greater Portland count was held on December 15. The count yielded 102 species. The highlight of the count was Great Black Hawk, still present on count day in the Deering Oaks Park area in downtown Portland. This record represents not only a first for the count and for Maine CBCs but for the United States!

Nineteen species of waterfowl were found. Uncommon ducks for this time of year included a Wood Duck, an American Wigeon, six Gadwall, three Northern Pintail and a Barrow’s Goldeneye. Sixty-three Horned Grebes and 36 Red-necked Grebes were normal counts. Both of our expected loons were present: five Red-throated Loons and 224 Common Loons.

Shorebirds included a single Killdeer, a single Sanderling and 57 Purple Sandpipers. A single Dovekie and 32 Razorbills along with 15 Black Guillemots made for a nice alcid count.

Lingering breeding birds are always of interest. This year’s count produced a rich diversity of such hardy (or foolhardy!) birds: 10 Great Blue Herons, a Turkey Vulture, four Northern Harriers, a Red-shouldered Hawk, 10 Belted Kingfishers, 10 Northern Flickers, three Winter Wrens, 19 Hermit Thrushes, 10 Gray Catbirds, two Brown Thrashers, four Savannah Sparrows, a Lincoln’s Sparrow, three Swamp Sparrows, a Baltimore Oriole and five Red-winged Blackbirds. Amazing!

Northern finches were mostly absent with a Pine Grosbeak and 15 Pine Siskins present.  Bohemian Waxwings and Snow Buntings, present in other parts of the state, were no-shows.

The Augusta Count was also held on December 15, yielding 52 species. Still and moving water was mostly frozen so the modest waterfowl count was expected. Six species were found with Mallards (152) being the most common.

The expected winter gulls (Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull) were joined by one Lesser Black-backed Gull and one Iceland Gull.

A lone Northern Shrike was a nice sighting of this erratic winter visitor. A whopping 308 Bohemian Waxwings were tallied for an excellent early winter total. Their cousin, the Cedar Waxwing, was represented by 38 individuals. Irruptive finches were sparse with 11 Pine Grosbeaks and 13 Pine Siskins present.

Lingering birds from the fall included three Belted Kingfishers, 16 Eastern Bluebirds, a Chipping Sparrow and a Fox Sparrow. A single White-crowned Sparrow was a surprise; these birds don’t breed in Maine and usually pass through in migration by early November.

The Unity CBC was also held on December 15, producing a list 47 species. With most water frozen, waterfowl were hard to find and only five species were tallied: five Canada Geese, 10 Mallards, four American Black Ducks, one Hooded Merganser and two Common Mergansers. A Glaucous Gull among the 503 Herring Gulls was a nice find.

The Unity counters put in some nocturnal birding time and found a Great Horned Owl and four Barred Owls.

Lingering migrants were absent, a striking contrast to the earlier counts in this column. Bohemian Waxwings were common with 184 showing off their beautiful plumage.

In what will I think become a common refrain, northern finches were present but not in the numbers we saw in November. In Unity, 70 Pine Grosbeaks, five Pine Siskins and 17 Evening Grosbeaks were present.

The Moose Island-Jonesport count was also conducted on December 15. That count produced a list of 65 species.

Sixteen species of waterfowl included 21 Harlequin Ducks and a Barrow’s Goldeneye among the more common coastal ducks. A single Red-throated Loon was found. Alcids included a Thick-billed Murre and three Razorbills.

A Snowy Owl was a treat. One Northern Shrike was found, no doubt terrorizing small songbirds and mammals.

Three Belted Kingfishers were late for this area. Irruptive finches included 17 Purple Finches, 11 Red Crossbills and 6 Pine Siskins.