After fearing we would be rained out, the weather was near perfect. We
walked up and around Mt. Gile in East Auburn, the first time at this
location. When we started the top was in low clouds but the sun soon
came out to burn it off. No wind and most definitely no rain. However
birds were a bit on the slow side, 32 in total. On the way out we
stopped with Gordon at the pond near the entrance and saw one Rusty
Blackbird, likely the best bird of the day.
But this was also a history walk. We walked where Stanton walks were
held from 1925 to 1950 by Willard Waterman, then visited the Louise
Greene memorial, the site of the Mt. Gile Observatory, and finally we
walked down the Mt. Gile Ski Area slope. Everyone enjoyed seeing and
learning about a new place with much history associated with it.
A special thank you to Bill Saucier for welcoming us to walk his property.
The birds seen and heard (H) were:
Mallard – 8 in the “pond” by the road entry
Black Duck – 2 in same pond
Green-winged Teal – 1 in same pond as we left
Mourning Dove
Ring-billed Gull – far over Lake Auburn!
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue-headed Vireo – 1 near the top singing, and seen by some
Blue Jay – many, 15 perhaps
American Crow
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee – many, a good Maine bird
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 5 here and there, but generally high in trees
American Robin – 10+ in one flock
European Starling
Purple Finch – 4 flying over
American Goldfinch – at Bill’s feeder
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow – 3 by pond at entry
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco – 5+ in flowers as we pulled in then gone
Rusty Blackbird – 1 by entry pond on way out with Gordon
Tennessee Warbler – 1 high in trees (with too many leaves)
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Parula – 1 high in trees
Blackpoll Warbler – 1 high in trees
Yellow-rumped Warbler – many in a variety of places
Stan DeOrsey