Hello again:
First, I forgot to add a link to eBird's 2013 Snowy Owl map to my last post. Available and automatically updated at:
http://tinyurl.com/lhuwoss
So you may notice Gilsland Farm doesn't have any Snowy Owls on this winter's map... yet! We sure did try today: birding was slow but we did find a few 'pockets' that allowed us to tally 28 species throughout the walk. A personal highlight was a 'life-behavior' from a Tufted Titmouse: In the orchard we watched two titmice chasing one another until one stopped, leaned towards the other, and started trembling its raised wings while giving a very harsh scold. Gary O. Wallace wrote about this aggressive display here:
https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/wilson/v079n01/p0118-p0118.pdf
And while I've got your attention, there is going to be a showing of New Hampshire Public Television's 'Counting on Birds' documentary about Christmas Bird Counts at Gilsland Farm next Thursday, December 12th. The hour-long film follows Willem Lang's travels to Keene & Errol, New Hampshire, Mount Desert, Maine, Ecuador and Cuba to meet people who participate in National Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count. This should be a fun night to get ready for the CBC season (plus see some beautiful footage of birds from Ecuador and Cuba!). I hope you can join us; more information is available at:
http://maineaudubon.org/events/film-screening-counting-on-birds/
Good birding,
Doug Hitchcox
Staff Naturalist
Maine Audubon