American Woodcock peenting

MaineNatureDiary · 230323 American Woodcock Peenting

 This evening, I went out looking for amphibians for a Maine Big Night survey. That part of the evening was a bust. But, Caroline, my companion for the survey, heard a woodcock peenting. My hearing is not the best, so she had to point me in the direction of the sound. Eventually, I heard it myself and was able to record a short snippet before a car passed by.

It is breeding season for woodcocks, and the easiest way to find them is to listen for the "Peent" call while the males are on the ground. At dawn and dusk, males perform their mating display flight where they spiral upward into the sky, and back down again. Caroline actually heard and saw the display flight of a couple of woodcocks this evening. They display in fields and openings in the forest.

This is one of a couple of photos that I took when we spied a woodcock in our woods in 2005.

Woodcocks eat earthworms and other invertebrates that they find in the soil. They will nest on the ground and it is important for the female to be perfectly camouflaged. Their coloration is key to rarely being seen in the forest. Click here to gain more knowledge about the American Woodcock.

Grackles at the feeder, Red-winged Blackbirds, and Robin Redbreast

Note that this is an old photo as I didn't get a chance to photograph the grackles today.

We saw the first grackles of springtime at the feeder today.

I used an old photo of the red-winged blackbird as I did not get a photo today.

And, red-winged blackbirds flew in with them. I heard a blackbird calling over at the pond. The call of the red-winged blackbirds is one of my favorites and really tells me that spring has sprung.

I also saw the first robin of the season poking around in a small part of the front yard that is free of snow.

Slate-colored Junco

Even though Slate-colored Juncos are supposed to be in our section of the state all year long, I don't see them very often at our feeders during winter. But, one did sit on the railing of our front deck and flew down to a stump. It is a sign of springtime for me.

Ice Out Prediction for Caesar Pond

Here is the state of Caesar Pond today. Good solid ice, but it has been so warm of late that I think that it will be an early ice out.

I have been asked when I think Ice Out will occur on Caesar Pond. Hmmm... Let me ponder that a moment. With all the above freezing daytime temps and sunshine, I am going out on a limb and predict March 27th!

Happy Superb Owl Sunday!

 Isn't it great to have a day dedicated to owls! We love them so much.

I wish that we could see more of them in our woods, but at least we hear the barred owls almost nightly, especially in January-April, as they are thinking about mating and nesting.

I would love to see and hear a Great Horned Owl in Maine, but have yet to have this experience. I will have to settle with having seen this one in Florida while visiting with my mother years ago.

Vegetable Growing Chart for 2023

Yes, it is early, but I am already planning on the vegetables that I am going to plant this summer. I am going to attempt to grow my plants from seed in the basement. But, first I have to have my chart of which veggies to grow and their requirements.

Barred Owl call

A pair of barred owls were hooting and hollering in the trees that border our property. I was able to capture some audio of their calls. You are probably most used to hearing the "Who Cooks For You, Who Cooks For You All" call. They have many calls in their repertoire and the one that I captured this evening is one of the most common.

Click on this link to hear the more traditional "Who Cooks for You" call that I captured in 2020.

Milkweed Seeds

I love milkweed, plain and simple.  It has gorgeous flowers that when fertilized yield dried seed pods containing a multitude of brown seeds.

The seeds are arranged in layers, all neat and orderly, and each seed is attached to a bundle of delicate strands of silky, yellowish white fibers.

The fiber bundles act like parachutes and carry the seeds as they get picked up by the wind.

The seeds eventually fall to the ground and if the soil conditions are just right, they take root to grow new milkweed plants.

January Weather Update

The historical monthly average high temperature for January is 30F, while the historical monthly average low temperature is 12F. This month our averages were higher in both regards. The average high temp was 35.6F, while the average low temp was a whopping 20.6F.  So we were 5.6F and 8.6F above normal for the high and low temperatures, respectively. CRAZY!

As far as precipitation goes, the average precipitation should be around 3.46". Luckily, we had a lot of rain along with a few good snowstorms for a total of 8.55" of precipitation in all forms. I wish I could say that this would cure the drought, but we are still way below normal.

Snowy day with piles of snow!

Wowee, what a series of storms. Between Jan. 20 and 23 we had 19.5" of snow! It just keeps piling up! Luckily, my birding bench is strong!

As I was looking at the feeder area, I saw an Evening Grosbeak hanging out on a limb. He did not look amused!

In the mounds of snow below the seed feeder, I saw a series of tunnel openings from which an adorable red squirrel popped out! They keep me chuckling at their antics.