Not so Northern Boreal Forest Birding Today

Blackburnian Warbler Setophaga fusca is one of the more special of the wood warblers, with it's orange breast and head stripes. Don found this guy high in a fir tree.

Today a birding friend Don Mairs took me to a little patch of boreal forest that was only a 70 minute drive from where I am staying in central Maine. Most of the boreal habitat in Maine is much farther north than this area, and I was excited to learn of this area as I visit Maine often to see family.

This White AdmiralLimenitis arthemis was one of many of this species and lots of other butterflies all over the place today.

On one of our first stops we saw a Gray Jay flying between distant trees, a Maine first sighting for me. Too distant for photos. Shortly later we stopped at a clearcut area with raspberry vines growing, and heard a Mourning Warbler singing. I managed a brief look at a female but again no photos. This was a trip primarily to show me this new area, and I was really pleased to see both the area and several species of birds I'd not seen in Maine before. Here are a few of the photos I manged.

Swamp Sparrows Melospiza georgiana were singing and moving around the many marshy areas seen today.

Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens seen at the area where I saw the Mourning Warbler

The Purple Finches Haemorhous purpureus here in the east are so much brighter and paler in the white areas than I'm used to in Washington that I had trouble with the ID.

Let's finish with a really cool dragonfly. I believe this is a n Ebony Jewelwing Calopteryx maculata

Until next time, good birding. Steem on!

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