Apparent Bicknell's Thrush Evergreen Cemetery

[David Rankin]

I just got back to Maine today after an 11 day absence (which start just when the warblers started arriving!), and I had to get out and do some birding. Headed over to Capisic Pond and say a good collection of warblers, highlighted by two Wilson's Warblers and a few Blackburnian's, as well as a SY male Orchard oriole and my FOY Olive-sided Flycatcher. A pair of Blue-winged teal were hanging out in the pond as well. 

By the time I got to evergreen this afternoon, it was pretty quiet, though a briefly glimpsed Canada Warbler was nice. The most interesting bird, however, was an apparent Bicknell's Thrush. The bird was a small overall grayish thrush, noticeably smaller than the Wood Thrush it was foraging with. The chest was densely spotted, with cold gray flanks. The back was a uniform gray, with reddish tones in the primaries and some slight reddish tones in the tail (but less than any Hermit Thrush I've seen). The face was plain and un-contrasting, with no noticeable eyering or buffy in the cheeks or spectacles. I'm 100% sure it was a Bicknell's/Gray-cheeked, and I strongly suspect Bicknell's based on the reddish wash to the tail and primaries. I tried playing songs and calls of both species, and the bird failed to respond in any way to either. Looking at Ebird, I see no records of Bicknell's along the coast in Maine, and few records before June in Maine. However, I also see very few spring records of Gray-cheeked.

Also of note was a good number of shorebirds at Pine Point, including 2 American Oystercatchers, plenty of dowitchers and Black-bellied Plovers, a single semipalmated Plover and about a dozen Least Terns.

Good Birding

David Rankin

Biddeford

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David Rankin

University of New England

Graduate Student