When we began planning my Maine Big Year, we always knew there would be quiet times . . . weeks where there were no new birds being seen. As expected, the end of February has been one such time. It’s been 5 days since I identified my last new bird and the woods and meadows […]
Spent the day birding the State’s south coast starting in Kittery where I could see New Hampshire across the river. It was windy and overcast which drove birds close to shore and I got some nice photos. The first advance scout of spring migration arrived today as I saw two Red-winged Blackbirds sitting on […]
Today was Ingrid’s last day of vacation before she returns to pandemic hybrid teaching . . . so we spent the day birding . . . I’m sure she wishes we could bird for another week. We saw amazing birds . . . dozens of incredible birds . . . but nothing we didn’t expect […]
Every winter about mid-February the birding slows down here in Maine. It’s cold, one has seen most of the seasonal birds and reports of rarities seem to stop (cause even the birds are hunkering down to stay warm). Species that winter in Maine haven’t begun their migration north to their breeding grounds in the Arctic […]
When Ingrid and I began discussing the my Maine Big Year we realized we should control what we could control: bird knowledge, technology, contacts and accept what we couldn’t control: weather, our health and rarities. Little did we know, but the winter of 2020-2021 would be a “Superflight Year”, he biggest irruption of northern finches and […]
I tend to post stories about successful birding ventures . . . but to be honest, I fail as often as I succeed. Yesterday was a case in point. An Eastern Screech Owl has been reported a handful of times in a tree on Peaks Island. Peaks Island could have been painted by Norman Rockwell […]
The rareties continue . . . it appears I picked the right year to do a Maine Big Year (at least so far). In the last month I’ve managed to twitch the following birds that have no reason to be in Maine during the winter. Western Tanager – Should be wintering in Mexico Rock Wren […]
When I tell my friends about my Maine Big Year and they look at the photos . . . there is a certain romanticism about the whole thing. What they don’t know is how much effort goes into getting some birds. For instance a Black-headed Grosbeak that has been visiting a park in Portland took […]
Three years ago when Ingrid and I decide I would do my Maine Big Year in 2021 . . . we had no way to know that this would be a Finch Irruption Year . . . but it’s better to be lucky than smart. The poor spruce cone crop in Canada has pushed Crossbills […]
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