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Beautiful spring sightings

5 mins read
In Farmington (Rachel J. Decker/Farmington)
Colorful Farmington. (Rachel J. Decker/Farmington)
A Belted Kingfisher; It always looks like they could comb that hair a little more...Farmington area....Jim.
A belted kingfisher in the Farmington area. Kingfisher always looks like it could comb that hair a little more. (Jim Knox/Wilton)
Lunch time for this female hooded merganser. (© jane naliboff photo)
Lunch time for this female hooded merganser. (© jane naliboff photo)
I recently had some great views of a Red-Tailed Hawk.   The bird was perched and also hunting just outside of downtown Farmington.   People most often see these birds on high perches watching for prey.  Red-tailed Hawks are the most common hawk in North America, and they're the most common hawk in our area, often seen perched along Rt. 95.
I recently had some great views of a red-tailed hawk. The bird was perched and also hunting just outside of downtown Farmington. People most often see these birds on high perches watching for prey. Red-tailed hawks are the most common hawk in North America, and they’re the most common hawk in our area, often seen perched along Interstate 95. (Steve Muise/Farmington)
Red-Tailed Hawk Hunting Dive
Red-tailed hawk hunting dive. (Steve Muise/Farmington)
Red-Tailed Hawk small perch
Red-tailed hawk small perch. (Steve Muise/Farmington)
Red-Tailed Hawk leaving perch
Red-tailed hawk leaving perch. (Steve Muise/Farmington)
Red-Tailed Hawk in Flight
Red-tailed hawk in flight. (Steve Muise/Farmington)
A male hooded merganser looked like he was having a bit of a struggle with his catch of the day. (© jane naliboff photo)
A male hooded merganser looked like he was having a bit of a struggle with his catch of the day. (© jane naliboff photo)
Warm temperatures, then snow, then rain brought flood levels to the raging currents. 2. But reflections of the watery other world are beautiful. (Jane Knox/Brunswick)
Warm temperatures, then snow, then rain brought high water to flood levels, but reflections of the watery other world are beautiful. (Jane Knox/Brunswick)
Chickadee showing off its pretty tail and wing feathers. (© jane naliboff photo)
Chickadee showing off its pretty tail and wing feathers. (© jane naliboff photo)
Where's Waldo? (© jane naliboff photo)
Where’s Waldo? (© jane naliboff photo)
Common male merganser with its reflection and water trails. (© jane naliboff photo)
Common male merganser with its reflection and water trails. (© jane naliboff photo)
Northern Saw-whet Owl.   These small owls are around 5" tall from head to talons when fully grown.   One is much more likely to hear their call than to see a Northern Saw-whet Owl.   Their call is a very steady single pitched whistle that kind of sounds like the warning signal that a large vehicle or bus makes backing up.   They can "whistle" or call roughly 2 times per second.  Often, the brief, pure whistles are more or less paired.  Having never found a visible Northern Saw-whet Owl in the wild (I've conversed with a few. . . ), I was lucky enough to be invited to the release of a bird rehabilitated by Dr. Jim Parker of Aerie East, in Farmington.   Dr. Parker said that releases are very unpredictable. . . many times the birds fly immediately away.   This particular Northern Saw-whet Owl left the enclosure, and luckily stopped to give some great looks (for about 3 or so minutes) before flying off into the sunset.  Thank you Dr. Parker for the great follow-up information for this article, and for a treat that I'll never forget. (Steve Muise/Farmington)
Northern saw-whet owl. These small owls are around 5 inches tall from head to talons when fully grown. One is much more likely to hear their call than to see a northern saw-whet owl. Their call is a very steady single pitched whistle that kind of sounds like the warning signal that a large vehicle or bus makes backing up. They can “whistle” or call roughly 2 times per second. Often, the brief, pure whistles are more or less paired. Having never found a visible northern saw-whet owl in the wild (I’ve conversed with a few. . . ), I was lucky enough to be invited to the release of a bird rehabilitated by Dr. Jim Parker of Aerie East, in Farmington. Dr. Parker said that releases are very unpredictable; many times the birds fly immediately away. This particular northern saw-whet owl left the enclosure, and luckily stopped to give some great looks (for about 3 or so minutes) before flying off into the sunset. Thank you, Dr. Parker for the great follow-up information for this article, and for a treat that I’ll never forget. (Steve Muise/Farmington)
Staring contest. Can someone help me to identify the upper bird? (© jane naliboff photo)
Staring contest. Can someone help me to identify the upper bird? (© jane naliboff photo)
A male hooded merganser took his reflection along for a swim. (© jane naliboff photo)
A male hooded merganser took his reflection along for a swim. (© jane naliboff photo)
A pileated woodpecker looking for breakfast this morning near my feeders in Wilton. (Tony Nazar/Wilton)
A pileated woodpecker looking for breakfast this morning near my feeders in Wilton. (Tony Nazar/Wilton)
With Rt 43 closed it was easier to take this picture of Crowell Pond at flood stage. The white dots are drops of ice. Elizabeth (Stu) Mehlin New Sharon
With Rt 43 closed it was easier to take this picture of Crowell Pond at flood stage. (Elizabeth (Stu) Mehlin/New Sharon)
By the light of the silvery moon. (© jane naliboff photo)
By the light of the silvery moon. (© jane naliboff photo)
Turkey vultures soaring over Couber’s Stream woods between Sunset Ave and the Weld Rd. in Wilton. Ugly bird that does an essential job and is a magnificent flyer. (Tony Nazar/Wilton)
Turkey vultures soaring over Couber’s Stream woods between Sunset Avenue and the Weld Road in Wilton. Ugly bird that does an essential job and is a magnificent flyer. (Tony Nazar/Wilton)
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19 Comments

  1. I believe the top bird is a Kestrel or commonly known as Sparrow Hawk.
    Thank you all for the weekly pictures.
    Enjoy, Jane

  2. We frequently see Kestrels all summer over in Wilton (near the Wilson Stream area), up the Weld Road (156) once your past Pond Rd. on the left heading towards Weld. Check both sides of the farm hay fields, if your lucky you can see one on the power lines or hovering (they are the only raptor who can do this, if there is a slight headwind) looking for it’s dinner.

  3. At this time of year you can drive down Osborne Rd. and almost between every utility pole on the wires will be a sparrow hawk. If you sit for a while and watch them you will see them catching bugs and other larger insects with the occasional vole or mouse if you are lucky.

  4. Northern Harriers, Red-tailed Hawks, White-tailed Kites, and Rough-legged Hawks, all hover, unless, Chris, you are using the word, “hover” differently than I have heard it used when referring to bird behavior. (There are likely other raptors that hover too, but those are the ones that come to mind at the moment.)

    To all who post, I look forward to the pictures each week. What a joy!

    And, Steve – lucky you – Saw-whet Owl – and such and excellent shot!!!!

  5. The photographers do such a wonderful job. I can’t emphasize too much how much I enjoy them, and I can see by the comments how much company I have in that. Wonderful wonderful. THANKS!!!!

  6. While sitting on a tree stump, deer hunting or should I say sleeping. A saw-whet came in and perched arms length away. he made for a quite conversation. tiny little fellas!

  7. This is, indeed, a male American kestrel. It is no longer commonly known as the “sparrow hawk”. It never was a hawk; it’s a falcon, and the official common name was changed many years ago to American kestrel by the American Ornithological Union (AOU). The AOU is the band of thousands of merry brothers and sisters who have made their professional careers and life-long devotion the study of birds. Many began and remain “bird watchers”, or “birders”, and some of them were the first to discover how pesticides poisons birds, and people. The, or one of the, major reasons for such name changes is to make it easier for people to understand the bird species, their genetic relationships, differences in anatomy, in behavior, etc.

    So, a “true” hawk in Maine is only one of the three species of the genus Accipiter – that means “true hawk”, as in sharp-shinned, coopers, and goshawk. You can look them up in your dandy bird guides. Falcons are in the genus Falco, and are more different from true hawks than we are (at least some of us) from chimps, gorillas, orangutans, gibbons, and probably most monkeys. Falcons behave very differently from hawks and usually seek prey in different habitats and situations … because they’re very different sorts of birds.

    “Always learning” was generally correct. There are several other N. American diurnal raptors that hover, although some do it better, more frequently, and for longer time periods than others. What we call red-tails don’t do it very often; they usually spot prey while soaring when they’re not perch hunting. Kingfishers do it a lot.

    And if you want to be bored even more, you might want to know that what we call Red-tailed, broad-winged, red-shouldered, rough-legged, etc . “hawks” should really be called “buzzards”, which could translate nicely as “little eagles” in terms of their appearance when soaring. They are in the genus Buteo, and are very different from the falcons and true hawks in a lot of behaviors that we can observe. Their original genus name in merry old Europe was “buzzard”. Apparently the white guys who came over here thought our vultures were buzzards and incorrectly called N. American vultures (like that turkey vulture which Yule Brenner thought was a beautiful bald guy) … turkey buzzards, which they ain’t. Now, when many of us see an old, bald geezer, we call him “y’ole buzzard”, which suits me fine if you mean I look like a “red-tailed buzzard”.

    If Steve meant that red-tailed buzzards are the most commonly seen N. American buzzard in Maine, he would be correct, but broad-winged buzzards are undoubtedly more numerous in Maine than red-tails. They just don’t get seen and identified as often.

    Did you know Northern harriers commonly used to be called “marsh hawks”. No longer. They ain’t hawks. Really different. It’s a good thing we don’t call bald eagles, big “bald hawks”, right?. Yuck!

    Kestrels, hawks, buzzards, kites, and even owls; all are raptors with raptorial, taloned toes for snatching and killing prey (vultures not). Words matter in the greater world of learning and understanding. Remember the movie.”Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”? No! It’s, “Honey, I Shrank the Kids.” Or, “Honey, I Have Shrunk the Kids”. Or perhaps, “Honey, the Kids Have Been Shrunken by Me”? Better look that up. Nothing like dumbing down and passing it around by accepting what’s incorrect as correct. The media and politicians are very good at it (yes, media are very good at it; it’s a plural noun). I just love calling torture “inhanced interrogation”. Don’t tell me words don’t count.

  8. Thanks Jim for setting the record straight. My Red-tailed Hawk comment should’ve mentioned Buteo and “commonly seen”. Even though I don’t post as “always learning”. I am always learning!

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