In 2000 and 2001, Scott Melvin documented breeding by a pair of Sandhill Cranes at the southern end of Messalonskee Lake in Kennebec Count.\u00a0 This exciting discovery was the first record of breeding by this species in the state.<\/p>\n
Multiple pairs now nest in this area.\u00a0 In addition, Maine birders have found other Sandhill Cranes in the late spring and summer.\u00a0 These locations include North Yarmouth, Auburn, Leeds, Chelsea, Manchester, Fryeburg, Smithfield, New Gloucester, Orland, Surry, Unity and Mount Desert Island.\u00a0 At least some of these cranes may be breeders as well.<\/p>\n
The breeding range of Sandhill Cranes spans the western two-thirds of Canada into Alaska with some birds breeding in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.\u00a0 Most of these birds winter in west Texas, southern New Mexico and northern Mexico.<\/p>\n
The birds migrate in groups with families staying together. The birds fly in the efficient V-formation.\u00a0 Birds tend to stop at traditional stop-over areas, the Platte River in Nebraska being one of the best known.\u00a0 In the spring, half a million cranes stop along 70 miles of the Platte River, delighting birders and naturalists.<\/p>\n
A resident, non-migratory population occurs in peninsular Florida.\u00a0 The first Sandhill Crane I ever saw flew above me when I was running a road race in Melbourne, Florida. The size, color and the extended neck (different from the S-shaped, recurved neck of a heron in flight) clinched the identification.<\/p>\n
We know that some bird ranges are expanding or changing. Most of these changes we attribute to global climate charge. Fifty years ago, Turkey Vultures, Tufted Titmice, Carolina Wrens, Northern Mockingbirds, Blue-winged Warblers and Northern Cardinals were not a part of Maine\u2019s avifauna.<\/p>\n
But how do we explain the arrival of Sandhill Cranes as breeders and migrants in Maine when Maine is south of most of their breeding areas?<\/p>\n
We know that the population of Sandhill Cranes in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and western Ontario is doing well.\u00a0 The populations there nearly doubled between 1980 and 1995 and continues to grow. Some of these birds seem to be dispersing east. Recent nesting has occurred in northwestern Pennsylvania, southeastern Ontario and Quebec.<\/p>\n
We do not know if the recent breeding in Maine represents a true range expansion or a recolonization of a species that was extirpated 200 years or more. We have some evidence from historical accounts from the 1600\u2019s and 1700\u2019s referring to cranes in Maine and Nova Scotia.\u00a0 However, those authors may have confused cranes with herons.\u00a0 It does seem clear that some cranes migrated all along the eastern seaboard in the 1600\u2019s before succumbing to human depredation.<\/p>\n
If you want to see these magnificent birds, Messalonskee Lake is the place to go.\u00a0 From I-95, take exit 112 in Augusta and head northwest on Route 27 for about 7 miles.\u00a0 On the right, there is a parking area where a former motorboat launch was located.\u00a0 Scan to the south from the floating dock.<\/p>\n
Then go 0.2 mile north to Hammonds Lumber. From the parking lot, scan the marsh.\u00a0 A little patience will usually reveal a crane or two.<\/p>\n
Mallards in Maine<\/strong><\/p>\n Mallards are common birds in Maine.\u00a0 Even the most casual Maine birder has likely seen this species in our state.\u00a0 However, you wouldn\u2019t think so based on the maps in several bird field guides.\u00a0 Jane Coryell has been enjoying Mallards for years on Togus Pond in Augusta.\u00a0 She happened to notice that the Peterson Field Guide, the Stokes Field Guide and the Sibley Guide to Birds (First Edition) all fail to show that Mallards occur in Maine on the range maps!\u00a0 Is this error a coincidence or perpetuation of an error by one author in other author\u2019s field guides?\u00a0 This oversight is yet one more example of why we should be skeptical about what we read.\u00a0 Paper does not refuse ink.<\/p>\n\n In 2000 and 2001, Scott Melvin documented breeding by a pair of Sandhill Cranes at the southern end of Messalonskee Lake in Kennebec Count.\u00a0 This exciting discovery was the first record of breeding by this species in the state. Multiple pairs now nest in this area.\u00a0 In addition, Maine birders have found other Sandhill Cranes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1281,420],"tags":[],"builder_content":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=809"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":810,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809\/revisions\/810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}