by Marion Sprague
Eight of MYBC’s young birders ventured to Mt. Agamenticus on Saturday October 12th in an effort to do some hawk watching and catch some of the late fall migrants. The fog and rain made for less than stellar conditions for hawk watching so we took to the trails to see what we could find for fall migrants. We encountered a mixed flock of Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Song Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow and one White-Throated Sparrow. Many of us saw our first of the season Dark-eyed Juncos flitting among the bushes. The star of the show was a lone Blue-headed Vireo clinging to a sapling as it swayed in the winds. This was a lifter for a few of the birders!
We spent some time watching dozens of bumble bees as they clung to wet asters. The cold weather made them very lethargic. We talked about the importance of these late blooming flowers to pollinators such as migrating butterflies and bees.
The trails through the woods offered some shelter from the mist and rain. The birds were very quiet, but we encountered lots of other natural life as we walked. We entertained ourselves looking at the many other offerings of nature, such as mushrooms, insects and caterpillars.
We arrived back at the summit in time for a quick snack break before heading into the Learning Lodge. We spent some time pursuing the displays and learning a little more about the variety of wildlife living on Mt. A.
At the base, we made our yearly visit to Center for Wildlife to look at all the ambassador birds and wildlife there. It was exciting to get to see these birds up close and learn more about all the good that the center does for the animals in the area. We picked up a few additional “wild” species while there bribing our final species count to 15.
At the Center for Wildlife we watched as the volunteers cleaned our the enclosure for Bertram the non-releasable Raven ambassador. He was most displeased by the disruption to all of his hiding places and buried loot. We had a chance to talk to a few of the center’s staff about how what they do and how many of the animals have ended up at the center. We were surprised that the two most common reasons for being admitted to the center are 1) being raised by people as young and imprinting of humans and 2) run ins with cars. We talked about the importance of what to do if you find an injured or abandoned baby animal or bird and how getting them to a place like the center gives them their best chance or returning to the wild.
We had a blast, and can’t wait until next year to get to do it all over again! Our next trip will be in mid-November so be on the lookout for our trip announcement ~2 weeks prior to the event.
Mt. A Trip List Here: https://ebird.org/me/checklist/S60549552?share=true
