Elaine Elkin of Orrington called in a report of a great egret. She was sure that it was a great egret. It was like a great blue heron, but a little shorter and pure white, with a long yellow bill and black legs. She and her husband, Ronald, both are interested in birds and all wildlife.

“It arrived here about a week ago. We’ve seen many deer and eagles in the 28 years we’ve lived here, but this is our first great egret,” she said. “It flies into a beaver flowage behind our house. It stands there for about three hours, and sometimes preens its feathers. Then it flies southward.”

What a treat to get that call. Elkin and I surmised that it heads for a cove on the Penobscot River after feasting on fish and frogs in the beaver flowage.

A few great egrets come to Greater Bangor every August or September. They are very noticeable, and it is a thrill to see them. The phenomenon is called the “post-nesting dispersal,” and it is common to many bird species. That’s why birders keep a sharp eye out for rarities at this time.

The next phone call was from Linda Garnet of Bangor, calling about a tree that was about to be cut down. Her husband, grown son and several other relatives had gathered with all the equipment and vehicles needed. They were about to start. Then Garnet’s husband noticed a nest in the tree. It contained two robin nestlings. What to do?

I asked if they could put off the tree removal till next week, when the birds would likely fledge. The answer was, not likely, with all the equipment and vehicles there. I asked if the branch with the nest could be carefully cut, and tied to a nearby tree, at the same angle and height if possible.

With care and trepidation, Garnet held the branch and her husband cut it off. They carefully carried the branch at the same angle, to a nearby lilac bush, where they tied it.

“Yes, the mother robin is still feeding the young in the new location,” said Garnet when I called her back that afternoon. And then Garnet saw the young fledge a week later.

Another caller asked how he could keep one male hummingbird from keeping all the females from the hummingbird feeder. The answer is: The adult male is trying to keep all other hummingbirds, females and young of the year – which look like females – away from your feeder.

It helps, and is lots of fun, to have hummingbird feeders on all sides of the house so that one male cannot dominate all those feeders.

Fields Pond sells hummingbird feeders, and we also have many hummingbirds to see around the building. It is a lot of work for you, too, rinsing out and refilling the feeders every three days. I have a relatively easy “system” to get that done – e-mail fieldspond@juno.com or call 989-2591.

It is also lots of fun to have a dozen or more hummingbirds in your yard. These are hummingbirds that come from nearby, and also from northern Maine and Canada. They are headed for the Yucatan for the winter, and it takes lots of energy to get there. They will be gone from the Bangor area by about Sept. 10.

For information on Fields Pond Audubon Center, call 989-2591.