by Laurie Pocher
The Maine Young Birders Club spent two hours hiking around the summit of Mount Agamenticus on a bright, chilly, fall morning. We covered the Big A Trail and spent some time on the observation platforms, looking for fall migrants. It wasn’t the birdiest day ever, but we saw some unexpected birds.
Early morning brought us some Yellow-Rumped Warblers, Dark-Eyed Juncos, Black-Capped Chickadees, both White-Breasted and Red-Breasted Nuthatches, and both Ruby-Crowned and Golden-Crowned Kinglets.
As we rounded the bend near the observation decks — where a snow-capped Mt Washington was visible on the horizon — a huge flock of migrating American Robins flew overhead. It was the first of several, and we ended up seeing 77 Robins in two hours.
We saw more than two dozen Yellow-Rumped Warblers, and kept reminding ourselves to check every one. That paid off when we found a Black-Throated Green Warbler on the west side of the summit, an uncommon sight this late in the season.
Right near the parking area there was a mini-hot spot with lots of Eastern Bluebirds, a couple of Savannah Sparrows, a Song Sparrow and a Swamp Sparrow. We turned toward the observation tower and were suprised by three Horned Larks.
Other species included Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, European Starling, American Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrow, and White-Throated Sparrow. In total, we saw 20 species at Mount A. You can see the full checklist here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S199451062
We spent the last 90 minutes of our outing at the Center for Wildlife, where Dennis gave us a tour of the facility, and introduced us to Rusty, the resident Red-Shouldered Hawk in training to be an ambassador. We wrapped up the morning visiting with the other ambassadors in their enclosures. What a fun day!
Stay tuned for the trip announcement for our November outing coming soon!
