Northern kingfish

Friday, January 6, 2012

First Week of the New Year

No fish yet.

Plenty of great birds and mammals however.

I was in Maine for the New Year and particpated in the Forks/Misery Township Christmas Bird Count on Christmas Day. Despite the northern setting, it was very warm with about 4" of snow cover. Ten species of birds total including two pine grosbeaks, 50 pine siskins, ravens and  for mammals; antlered deer, red squirrel, and red fox. I had tried to get to Cold Stream waterfall, however never could find it despite approaching from two seperate directions and bushwacking.

The rest of the time in Maine was highligted by a snowy owl seen in a stack of auto tires at the Flood Farm in Clinton, a Northern hawk-owl in West Palmyra, rough-legged hawk in Benton, and four eagles at Unity pond. Two of the eagles locked talons in mid-air and plunged to the earth, somersaulting over one another repeatedly. For mammals, at Eva's house on the Sebasticook River, watched a mink run across the ice and disappear into a hole on the riverbank 's edge. Also saw a porcupine along the side of the highway in
Bowdoinham.

I looked for fish into the water at a few spots along the Sebasticook and Kennebec Rivers, the 25-Mile Stream, Unity Pond, and smaller stream to no avail. Hadn't really expected to see any.

Once back in Newport, saw another snowy owl with Greg Carter at Sachuest Point NWR. Also a Cooper's hawk and common mergansers.

At dusk yesterday, I looked unsuccessfully for silversides and cuunners down on the docks.

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