Bird watchers take to the fields
Area bird watchers took to the fields and feeders recently as two Audubon Christmas bird counts were conducted over the holidays in Aroostook County. The counts, held in Presque Isle and the Caribou/Limestone area, were coordinated by Aroostook Birders, a local bird-watching club. In spite of frigid temperatures, volunteers tallied a respectable combined total of over 7,000 individual birds for both counts.
Photo courtesy of Paul Cyr
Snowy Owl — This was one of six recorded on Aroostook Birders’ recent Audubon Christmas Bird Count. To date, a record 16 “Snowies” have been seen in the central Aroostook area. 
Presque Isle counters spotted 3,150 of those individual birds and 34 different species. Most agreed the highlight of the day’s count was the abundance of Snowy Owls recorded within the count circle, a seven-and-a-half-mile radius from downtown Presque Isle.
Aroostook Birders President and count organizer Bill Sheehan noted, “Though there were possibly more, we can confirm at least six Snowies seen on the count, which beats the old record of two from back in 1987.”
At least one, a dark young owl, is a regular visitor to the “PT Barn” along Route 1 just north of Presque Isle. As of mid-January, at least 16 different Snowy Owls have been seen in central Aroostook.
“A record number for sure,” Sheehan says.
Another record high was set with a huge flock of 132 Mallard ducks concentrated in a small pocket of open water in a local pond; only 12 Black ducks were seen — well below average. Other notable sightings included 23 Horned Larks, the second-most ever recorded on a count; and Snow Bunting, Blue Jay and Mourning Dove tallies which were all higher than average. Other rarer finds this year included a Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red Crossbills, a Brown Creeper, White-throated Sparrow and an American Robin. In addition, a Lapland Longspur was photographed by Paul Cyr among a Snow Bunting flock.
Along with cold temperatures, organizers noted that snow cover was deep, limiting walking and access to forest birds by those in the field. As a result, woodpecker sightings were down, with a Pileated Woodpecker completely missed on the count. Yet organizers felt it was a rewarding day for all who participated.
“All in all it was a count with some fun surprises,” said Sheehan.
For more information about Audubon’s counts, visit www.birds.audubon.org. To see a complete listing of species recorded on both local counts, visit www.aroostookbirders.com.
