Orono bird count spots 53 species

On Dec. 20, 23 birders searched forests, field and the Penobscot River from Old Town to Bangor for birds in the Orono Christmas Bird Count. They trudged through snow (up to 8 miles) and drove back roads, searching for birds that do not come to feeders, such as golden-crowned kinglets, Barrow’s goldeneyes and common mergansers. High water on the Penobscot River made ducks look elsewhere for open water; about a third of the usual numbers were found.

Thirty-four people watched their feeders carefully, trying to count chickadees, which is not easy. Chickadees move quickly.

Counters also tallied mourning doves, blue jays, cardinals, nuthatches, woodpeckers and other birds that frequent bird feeders.

Fifty-three different species is a high number to see; the average number for the Orono count is 45, and the record is 56. Two owl species were found; a barred owl was seen at dusk, and a great horned owl was heard after dark. The most abundant species was the crow. The most unusual bird for this count was the northern harrier. Many migrate through in fall, but it is seldom that one stays this late in the area. One was spotted by a birder on his first Christmas bird count.

Birds found were:

Black duck, 4; mallard, 180; common goldeneye, 42; Barrow’s goldeneye, 16; hooded merganser, 2; common merganser, 15; bald eagle, 5; Cooper’s hawk, 1; goshawk, 1; northern harrier, 1; ruffed grouse, 6; turkey, 13; pheasant, 1; herring gull, 66; great black-backed gull, 9; ring-billed gull, 38; glaucous gull, 1; Iceland gull, 1; rock dove, 270; mourning dove, 435; barred owl, 1; great horned owl, 1; downy woodpecker, 31; hairy woodpecker, 42; pileated woodpecker, 4; blue jay, 159; crow, 1,077; raven, 11; chickadee, 552; tufted titmouse, 21; red-breasted nuthatch, 34; white-breasted nuthatch, 58; brown creeper, 9; golden-crowned kinglet, 10; robin, 12; mockingbird, 2; Bohemian waxwing, 4; cedar waxwing, 15; shrike, 1; starling, 1,036; cardinal, 21; tree sparrow, 51; white-throated sparrow, 7; junco, 16; snow bunting, 149; common grackle, 1; pine grosbeak, 21; purple finch, 12; house finch, 48; redpoll, 123; goldfinch, 138; evening grosbeak, 35; house sparrow, 68.

The 23 birders who assigned territories to search were: Jim Bird, Hope Brogunier, Kathy Burns, Evelyn and Vance Dearborn, Rose Gilbert, Bill Glanz, John Halloran, Clay Hardy, Jim Hinds, Alma Homola, Leslie Hudson, Ken Kudrak, June Larouche, Mary Lee, Judy Kellogg Markowsky, Katherine Marston, Bob Milardo, Bill Meloy, Dianna Queheillalt, Jerry Smith, Sean Smith and Jeff Webb.

The 34 people who counted birds at their feeders were: Lee and May Alexander, Rose Caldwell, Aram Calhoun, Chris Corio, Beverley and Alan Greenleaf, George and Abbie Greenwood, Charles and Barbara Guidotti, Gayland Hachey, Dorothy Henderson, Kathy Hodgdon, Sharon Jackiw, Jane Jenson, Marjorie Jordan, Alice Kelley, June Larouche, Nancy and Al Larson, Ron Logan, John Maddaus, Mary Metcalf, Warren Nestler, Anders and Joan Netland, Eben Osgood, Anne Pilcher, Alice and Charles Smith, Bonnie Wood, Lewis Wyman.

Christmas Bird Counts are run by the Audubon Society and are used by ornithologists to track winter bird populations. The compiler of the Orono count is Judy Kellogg Markowsky, director of the Fields Pond Audubon Center in Holden.

Those who would like to participate in the Bangor-Bucksport Christmas Bird Count on Jan. 3 can call the Fields Pond Audubon Center at 989-2591.