Rare Birds in The Great State of Maine
I grew up in Falmouth, Maine and preach its gospel to whoever will listen. I love Maine so much that a year ago I got the state's outline tatooed on my arm (sorry, don't have a picture). Maine has it all: Ocean, woods, lakes and streams, nice little cities, hardworking villages, hicks and metropolitans, beaches and mountains. And, recently, some incredible birds.
A post yesterday (the 23rd) on the
Maine Birding List from
birdingonthe.net details a spotting on Maine's first ever
Burrowing Owl, which usually occurs in the American west and Florida. The bird is located on a piece of land that borders a military instillation and a private blueberry field (Maine's got the nation's best blueberries...) in the town of Columbia, up near Ellsworth in the DownEast area of the state. I'd estimate driving time from Portland to be about 2 hours and from the NH/ME border to be an hour longer (Mainers don't use MapQuest.)
If that wasn't enough, a
Western Reef Heron, whcih usually hangs out in India and Africa, was seen in the southern town of Kittery. The bird, dubbed
"The Bird of the Decade" by some local birders, was originally spotted in New Brunswick and has been working its way down the coast through Maine and into New Hampshire, where
these pictures were taken. Maybe it'll keep moving down to DC?
