Months from now, when May is a mere memory for most, you can be sure that the state’s bird hunters will still be talking about the last full month of spring.

That’s how bird hunting works, you see.

A nice, mild spring leads to good nesting conditions, which (hopefully) leads to plenty of woodcock and grouse to pursue.

Cold, wet springs? Not so good … and hunters will continue to (sorry) grouse about the weather well into autumn.

Wednesday, I stopped by the regional Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife headquarters to talk to a man who keeps a close eye on the state’s avian populations.

Biologist Brad Allen, the DIF&W’s bird group leader, had plenty of good news to share.

Yes, the weather patterns may change – this is Maine, after all – but for now, Allen couldn’t be more pleased by what he has been seeing.

“I think conditions this spring have been just fantastic,” Allen said. “And if this progresses through June, we can only say that nesting conditions are wonderful.”

The first bird on our agenda: woodcock. Allen said those migratory birds benefited from a warm, dry month of May.

“Woodcock have all hatched out by now, for the most part, and they’ve probably had a glorious May,” Allen said. “Conditions, I think, have been excellent for nesting birds and hatching, so anything that hatched in May should be doing very well.”

Allen explained that when Maine’s birds experience a wet May, a couple of dangerous things happen. First, the cold weather can eventually take its toll.

And second, the birds may find themselves with some unwanted company.

“A really wet May is dangerous for incubating birds, because you’ve got a partridge sitting on a nest, incubating her eggs in May, and when it’s wet and damp, scenting conditions are really, really good for predators, and they can find [the birds] better,” Allen said.

Allen said owners of bird dogs and bear hounds often say that the hunting conditions are better (and the dogs are able to pick up more scent) when the woods are moist.

“When it’s dry and droughty, I think foxes, raccoons, skunks, coyotes, bobcats don’t find as many nesting hens,” Allen said. “If you have good nest success, that’s the key. If you have cold weather after [the birds] have hatched, that’s tough on little birds, but they’ve got to hatch in the first place.”

And May’s conditions were prime for a good hatch, Allen said.

But the hatching season has just begun, and other species are still sitting on nests. Continued good weather is a key to their success.

“Turkeys and grouse, it remains to be seen, because [the hatching] is probably starting now,” Allen said, pointing out that even substantial rainstorms need not have a negative effect on hatching success.

Tuesday’s torrential downpour, for instance, shouldn’t have much of an effect at all, Allen said.

“This deluge that we had [Tuesday], as long as the rain comes like that, it’s no problem,” Allen said. “It’s cold, wet weather, of course, that bothers them, and we haven’ had that. We’ve had great conditions.”

In fact, Allen said that a solid soaking that takes place quickly can be a good thing for the hatching birds.

“It actually creates favorable conditions for the young afterward,” Allen said. “If you’re a young woodcock and the soil is really moist, it’s easier to find earthworms. If you’re a robin, it’s easier to find earthworms.”

Two or three days of prolonged rain and cold weather, however, is another story.

“[Weather] where even us Mainers in June start our wood stoves to keep the house warm, that’s what’s really tough on birds,” Allen said.

As far as other birds, go, the news has also been good, Allen said.

“We’ve got eider ducks hatching on the coast, and they’re doing real well,” said Allen, who spent Tuesday on an island, observing the eiders.

“Eagles, I think, had a pretty good year this year so far, and their young are quite large right now,” Allen said.

Canada geese are plentiful as well, and Allen said he’s just starting to see the first breeds of certain ducks, including mallards.

Maine’s bird biologists are also preparing to begin work with partners in an effort to band peregrine falcons. Allen said that most falcons have already hatched their young, although some are still incubating eggs on their nests.

So while hunters can choose to wait until autumn to begin remembering May’s weather, and what it meant to the state’s various bird species, it’s not too early to be optimistic.

The weather is getting warmer. We’re getting a bit of rain, now and then, and our local meteorologists keep reminding us that we need it.

And the birds are doing fine … so far.

“Everything is really set up to be really good for birds, and game birds particularly,” Allen said.

jholyoke@bangordailynews.net

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