Nothing Beats Local Knowledge: Birding with Locals Rocks

Yellow-throated Vireo Vireo flavifrons in Flight

Today I went out with two local birders here in Kennebec County, ME. Don Mairs is a top local birder who went to high school with my Dad, and played trombone in Dad's dance band. I only met him recently when introduced by another Maine birder, but he is always gracious enough to let me tag along when I'm in town. We met Robert Lewis, another local birder and headed out to look for a Yellow-throated Vireo at a site Don discovered a few years ago. After a bit of looking we managed to hear the bird singing, and finally get good looks. It sounds almost like a Blue-headed Vireo, and it was good to get to hear and see it today. We found it on a woods road near the stream where the eBird checklist pin is dropped. https://ebird.org/atlasme/view/checklist/S46540377

Yellow-throated Vireo singing overhead.

At the same location we saw a Hairy Woodpecker, Black-and-white Warbler, Baltimore Oriole, American Redstart, Black-capped Chickadees, and heard many other species.

Baltimore Oriole * Icterus galbula*

Next stop was at the Vile's Arboretum in Augusta, ME. This is a top birding location, and has been allowed to stay wild, with paths, but not the groomed and sterilized look of many arboretums. There we heard and saw Don's target species, a Willow Flycatcher, along with a Bobolink fluttering overhead (see yesterday's post on this species), but could not get any response to recordings of Sora or Virginia Rail.

While there we did get to watch this Osprey Pandion haliaetus eating what appears to be a species of carp.

On the way home we stopped at the Messalonskee Lake boat ramp, and shortly after that Don spotted the pair of Sandhill Cranes shown at the top of this article flying in front of the car and let us stop so I could grab a photo.

Sandhill Cranes. * Grus canadensis*

It also seemed like big Snapping Turtles were out after the rain last night in any place with sand to lay eggs.

Common Snapping Turtle Chelydra serpentina using her hind legs to dig a hole in the sand to lay her eggs. It seemed like she is mostly feeding the local raccoons, as all around we saw egg shells from recent raccoon feasts.

Lots of turtle egg shells from last night's raccoon meal.

Until next time, good birding. Steem on!

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