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 are a treacherous icy mess . . . making searching for one on foot dangerous.
So I remain at 133 for the year, waiting for an early thaw and/or spring migration to begin.
On the plus side, it has allowed me to spend more time with my beautiful wife Ingrid. What do we do to spend time together during a pandemic you ask???? We go birding of course . . . and today we got Ingrid her 100th bird of the year (11 place in the state).
Truly amazing for a 4th grade teacher working 60 hours a week (hybrid model). The pandemic can’t end soon enough.
Anyway, #100 was an American Kestrel, a common summer resident of Maine but one that rarely winters over (although I saw one back on January 11).