Monthly Archives: April 2020

Louisiana Waterthrush

A couple Christmas’s ago Ingrid gave me a book Birdwatching in Maine: A Site Guide by Derek  Lovitch which discusses birding hot spots all over the state in incredible detail.  Directions, time of day to go, where to park, what birds you’ll find when, rarities, bathroom availability, nearby restaurants, etc.  It’s a great companion when […]

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Prothonotary Warbler

  In October 2018, I saw my first Prothonotary Warbler in Kennebunkport after five years of trying. It was a fleeting, but diagnostic glimpse of one of the most beautiful birds in the world, and one rarely seen north of New Jersey. A couple days ago, a Prothonotary, who had clearly over shot his migration […]

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Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Let’s face it . . . there is no bird with a funnier name than the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. As a kid, I remember cartoons where the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was mentioned and I’ve sure that Miss Jane Hathaway of Beverly Hillbillies fame went looking for one. Miss Jane Hathaway and Jethro Today I was out birding […]

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April Migration

We still have a few weeks to go before the first big wave of warblers sweeps through Maine but if you know where to look, there are lots of migrating birds around. In the last few days We’ve seen three first of the year Sparrows: Fox, Field and Chipping Three wadders: Glossy Ibis, Snow Egret […]

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Yellow-throated Warbler

Yesterday late afternoon, Ingrid told me a Yellow-throated Warbler had been seen on the ledge of a 4th floor office building in Brunswick. I laughed and suggested the bird was probably just moving through and would be long gone before I got there. So this morning as I sat through conference calls from 7 am […]

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Palm Warbler and Others Move North

  This is the time of the year that FOY (First of the Year) Birds seemed to appear everywhere.  Yesterday a Palm Warbler and an American Kestrel, today it was a Palm Warbler and a Pied Grebe. And lots of other birds that were FOY just a few days ago I love Spring!!!!

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The Ospreys Return to Maine

Sometime each year right around opening day of the baseball season, the Ospreys return to the coast of Maine.  The Bath Shaws complex has a nest that is very visible from the highway and each year there is excitement (even among non-birders) when they return. Today they returned to Shaws and a handful of other […]

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Hermit Thrush – April Migration Begins

I think of Spring Migration as a series of waves.  In Maine, March sees Red-winged Blackbirds, Turkey Vultures and Great Egrets moving north.  April one sees Thrushes, Sparrows, and Palm/Pine Warblers coming through.  In May everything else comes through . . . yeah!!!! Today, Ingrid and I were out birding in Boothbay Harbor and Ingrid […]

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Eastern Phoebes are Back!

Today was the first day of Maine’s Shelter in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately I work at home and Ingrid has been teaching remotely for weeks and the order allows you to go out for exercise so it won’t affect us that much. Today in the pouring rain I started out on my […]

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