Category Archives: Observations

NORTHERN LAPWING – Berwick, 11/3

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On November 3rd, Andy Aldrich and Ken Janes found a Northern Lapwing at the Tuckahoe Turf Farm in Berwick. The bird was observed first around 10:50am and was last seen as it flew of towards the southwest at 12:30pm. I believe this is only the second record for Maine; one was collected in December 1927 in Aroostook County. Here are a few notes from Andy on birding Tuckahoe Turf Farm: NEVER DRIVE ON THE GRASS, OR PARK ON GRASS. Birders and walkers are welcomed to come and walk any where you wish to. You may drive on all the roads, … Continue reading →

Quest for 300, 2011

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This year’s Quest for 300 lists have been updated, with 261 species seen so far and 60 others not yet seen from the master county list (per eBird). Here are five we expect should already have gotten a 2011 tick… Common Gallinule Sandhill Crane Caspian Tern Common Murre Cape May Warbler

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Bird Day Draws a Crowd

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The Birding Challenge dovetailed nicely with an International Migratory Bird Day event held at the Wells Reserve on May 14. June Ficker and her bird-banding crew set up in the Laudholm barn, demonstrating their data-gathering procedures for curious onlookers. Their several captures included eastern wood-pewee and northern waterthrush. At the other end of the barn, a dozen kids put together free nest boxes while young brothers and sisters worked on cute bird crafts. Outside, several people went on a bird walk that netted a nice list of warblers in addition to a white-eyed vireo and dozens of other species. Throughout … Continue reading →

Quest for 300 Gets Tougher

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Last time I wrote that in 2010, birders using eBird had reported seeing 298 species in York County. Since then, I’ve discovered a quirk in that data: In eBird, “species” is more than species. The tally is not as close to 300 as I thought! Most birders have spotted birds that they couldn’t nail down to species, but many still make note of them. Rare is the field notebook without any “accipiter sp.” or “empidonax sp.” to account for those hawks or flycatchers that just didn’t reveal enough for a positive identification. Those entries and many similar ones are still … Continue reading →

Who did you introduce to birding today?

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I had a call at at 8:30 this morning. It was my 7-year-old granddaughter excitedly telling me that they had a Barred Owl in their yard (Maine woods)… right then! She wanted me to bring her little Peterson bird book over that I started for her, so she could put a Barred Owl in it. I did, and gave her a little notebook to write in, since she is now learning to read and write. I was nearly 50 before I was introduced to birding, thanks to the Beaver Lake Nature Center near me in central New York. So, here … Continue reading →