I hate to start by saying most of you missed one of the best walks of the year. The weather was perfect, sunny, warm, cool breeze, not too humid, and not a drop of rain. A day you can’t wait for in February! But only five people showed up at St. Peter’s Cemetery in Lewiston. As soon as we stepped from the car we had four Northern Flickers in a dead pine next to us. Then Gordon came and as soon as he stepped from the car found two Olive-sided Flycatchers … which were still there at the end of the walk, the first of 7 species of flycatchers. Our bird of the day was the Yellow-throated Vireo, uncommon in Maine. And we had 8 species of warblers including a somewhat cooperative Blackburnian and a Bay-breasted. All in all, 52 species. A great day to be out birding.

Birds seen and heard (H):
Mallard
Wild Turkey – Steve Reed on Deer Rd.
Common Loon – one flew over calling, another on the river
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Osprey – 2 near a now empty nest
Bald Eagle – 1 in a tree and another flew into the same tree, both adults
Spotted Sandpiper
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon – 150 or so ON Gulf Island Dam
Mourning Dove – 50 to 70, all along power lines
Ruby-throated Hummingbird – 2
Belted Kingfisher – 2
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker – 5? (saw a couple times)
Pileated Woodpecker – saw twice, same bird?
Olive-sided Flycatcher – 2 all morning
Eastern Wood-Pewee – 3, saw and kept calling
Trails Flycatcher (empid)
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe – 10?
Great Crested Flycatcher – 1
Eastern Kingbird – 10++
Yellow-throated Vireo – possibly 2, saw 1
Blue-headed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo – saw 4+
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse (H)
White-breasted Nuthatch
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing – 8, low!
Black-throated Green Warbler – 2+
Blackburnian Warbler – 1 fall male well
Pine Warbler – 6?
Prairie Warbler – 3
Bay-breasted Warbler – 1 seen briefly, best by Gordon
Black-and-white Warbler – 3
American Redstart – 3
Common Yellowthroat – 8?
plus one or two confusing fall warblers we were not sure about!
Eastern Towhee – saw 1 well, briefly, 3 total
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow – 4+
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow – 6
Northern Cardinal
Baltimore Oriole – 1 male, 1 female/young
American Goldfinch

Stan DeOrsey