A walk around Hedgehog Mountain Park on Wednesday morning produced little of note, but a stroll at Florida Lake on Thursday was more rewarding with a fly-over White-winged Crossbill, a Barred Owl (my first for this patch) in flight in the woods just after sunrise, and two flocks of Common Redpolls (18 feeding in a Paper Birch at the lake’s edge and another flock of 12 passing overhead).

Last night, Rutgers football imploded once again, blowing an 18-point third quarter lead to Louisville, losing 41-38 on a field goal with 20 seconds remaining. Ugh. Really, it was a fitting end to a disappointing (regular) season. Luckily, a few hours before the game, Rutgers accepted a bid to play in the International Bowl in Toronto on January 5th.

As disappointed as I am that we are heading to the International Bowl, we are actually lucky to be going to any bowl, really, after a couple of the performances (like last night’s second half defensive meltdown) this season, and finished the season 7-5. While I do use the term “disappointing” for this season, when we consider that we’re going to a bowl for the third straight season and when I was in school they only managed 3 WINS in my final three years, we really can’t complain all that much. If only we didn't have such high hopes for this season; damn those expectations! But, the fact that RU fans are “disappointed” with 7 winds really says something – we’ve come a very long way! Yes, Ray Rice may enter the draft, and we’ll be losing 3 senior starters on the offensive line, and two critical starters on defense, but each of Schiano’s recruiting class gets better and better, so the future looks brighter for the program each and every year.

While I have heard a number of friends and fans complaining about the team going to the International Bowl – and yes, the Big East really needs, and deserves MUCH better bowl tie-ins – I for one will be there to support the team, and I will be quite happy to be going to my third bowl game in three years. Plus, Toronto is a beautiful city, and I really look forward to making my second visit to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Of course, I will also be scheduling an extra day or two for some birding – which, given the finchy-ness of this winter, could be a very good time to bird southern Ontario. The lakeshore of Toronto can offer excellent waterfowl and gull watching, plus, there’s also the chance of northern owls; maybe I’ll finally catch up with a Boreal Owl!

Speaking of birding in Ontario, and speaking of the potential for winter owls, here another one of Jean Iron’s great boreal irruptive updates from that province. Apparently, a crash in vole populations is fueling the very significant irruption of Northern Shrikes, which is quite evident here in Maine. The boom of reproduction of voles this spring led to a productive breeding season for predators, hence the quantity of immature shrikes that we are seeing. Hopefully, owls will be on the way soon!

Meanwhile, this morning, I stayed local again, and checked out the Harraseeket River in South Freeport to see if any Barrow’s Goldeneyes have arrived yet. I scanned from the town landing and from Winslow Park, but no Barrow’s yet. There were more Bufflehead and Common Goldeneyes around, however, so the first Barrow’s of the season can’t be too far behind.

And finally today, there’s finally some good news to report for the wintering Monarch Butterflies in Mexico.

From now through Christmas, the store will be open 7 days a week, so yesterday was out last Tuesday off to get out together. Therefore, despite a pessimistic forecast, Jeannette and I were out the door early, and one our way towards Camden.

Luckily, the rain came to an end just before sunrise, and after a leisurely breakfast at Moody’s Diner in Waldoboro and a quick stop to poke around Camden Harbor (I’m convinced that the small park between the library and the water will produce something really good someday – especially because of the good native fruit plants that have been planted there), we begun our hike in Camden Hills State Park under sunny skies, and rather balmy conditions, with temperatures already in the mid to upper 40’s.

We chose a hike that included the summit and ridgeline of Mount Megunticook, maximizing our time on the more coniferous north and west side of the mountain. One our way up a vociferous Pine Grosbeak flew over, and in the fog-shrouded summit 5 Pine Grosbeaks were perched atop spruces, calling back and forth.

While our time on the ridge was completely socked in with fog, once we began our decent, the sun began to peak out again as the last of the low clouds were being pushed offshore by a strengthening, and chillier, northwest wind.

So far, “Rarity Season” has been rather lackluster here in Maine. The 3 different Western Kingbirds is pretty good though, and the plethora of winter finches and other boreal irruptives has overshadowed everything else – and has made this November one for the books no matter what. However, this is the season of vagrants.

A look around us sees quite a few good to exceptional birds in the Northeast. New Hampshire has had a Lark Sparrow, Greater White-fronted Goose, Eared Grebe, and Eurasian Wigeon among others (and a boat load of winter finches as well), and to our northeast in New Brunswick, there’s a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Brewer’s Blackbird, and a Mew Gull. A little farther south, things really heat up with a Western Grebe, Cave Swallows, White-winged Dove, Western Kingbird, Hoary Redpoll, and Ash-throated Flycatcher in Massachusetts, a Bell’s Vireo in Rhode Island, Cave Swallows and a continuing Common Ground-Dove in Connecticut, Ash-throated Flycatchers, Cave Swallows, and a Pink-footed Goose in southeastern New York and Long Island, and in Jersey there’s Ash-throated Flycatchers, a Townsend’s Solitaire, an amazing _98_ Cave Swallows and a first state record Lesser Nighthawk in Cape May!

Hey folks, let’s get in on the act up here in Maine!

I for one, have been attempting to quench my Rarity Fever these last two days. I’ve come up with some very good birds, but nothing that has fired up the cell phones!

On Sunday, Luke and I spent most of the day scouring the southern York County Coast from Kittery through Kennebunk. We tallied a respectable 54 species by late afternoon, including some decent birds. Our list of highlights included:

- the family of 4 MUTE SWANS in Legion Pond, Kittery
- 1 Snow Bunting, Fort Foster, Kittery
- 20 Purple Sandpipers, Fort Foster, Kittery (my first of the fall)
- 1 immature WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, Seapoint Beach, Kittery (late)
- 2 White-rumped Sandpipers, Seapoint Beach, Kittery (late)
- 2 Snow Buntings and 3 Horned Larks, Seapoint Beach, Kittery
- 22 Purple Sandpipers and 3 Dunlin, Seapoint Beach, Kittery
- 1 immature NORTHERN SHRIKE, York Harbor marsh (my 7th so far this season)
- 5 drakes and 1 hen Harlequin Ducks, The Nubble (my first of the fall)
- 1 MERLIN, Community Park, Wells (getting late)
- 6 Horned Larks, Laudholm Farms, Wells
- 24 Red-necked Grebes, Parson's Beach, Kennebunk

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!

A damp and dreary Thanksgiving morning dog-walk at Old Townhouse Park in North Yarmouth was brightened by 5 Pine Grosbeaks (2 males and 3 females) feasting on some Highbush Cranberry, plus a late Wood Duck. Meanwhile, since we hosted turkey day, and therefore were spending a rare full-day at home, I decided to keep a feeder list:

Wild Turkey (most appropriate): 21
Mourning Dove: 4
Downy Woodpecker: 2+
Hairy Woodpecker: 2
Blue Jay: 2 (odd; we’ve usually been seeing 10-12 every day)
American Crow: 2
Black-capped Chickadee: 8+
Tufted Titmouse: 6
Red-breasted Nuthatch: 2-4
White-breasted Nuthatch: 2
Brown Creeper: 1
American Goldfinch: 4

Meanwhile, after a week-long absence, 2 Dark-eyed Juncos were under the feeders this morning. I wonder if these were new arrivals on the northwesterly winds overnight?

Other than a quick swing through the crabapples at the L.L.Bean headquarters in Freeport on my way to work this morning (they were bird-less), I spent the morning relaxing and visiting with family instead of hitting the field.

So, as fall rolls into winter, we have begun our spring planning. One of the first orders of business is to hire our second Official Counter for the Bradbury Mountain Spring Hawkwatch. In case you, or someone you know, is interested, here’s the job description:

HAWKCOUNTER needed to conduct the second official, full-season raptor migration count at Bradbury Mountain State Park in south-central Maine from 15 Mar – 15 May. Applicants must be adept at identifying eastern hawks, falcons, and eagles at a distance. This site is popular with birding and non-birding visitors, so good communication skills are a must, along with an enthusiasm for repeatedly answering, “How do you know you’re not counting the same birds?” Expect some brutally cold, windy, and slow days early on, with busy days of Northern Goshawks (hopefully) and Broad-winged Hawks, among others, as the season progresses. A stipend of $1250/month will be provided, plus free housing. Counter must be able to provide own transportation for the 3-mile commute between the count site and housing. There is the potential to share the season with another counter. Please send cover letter, resume, and 3 reference contacts to Jeannette and Derek Lovitch at wildbirdcenter@yarmouthbirds.com, or Bradbury Mtn Raptor Research Project, Wild Bird Center, 500 Route One, Suite 9, Yarmouth, ME 04096. Open until filled.

Unfortunately, I end today’s entry with the story of the toll that the recent San Fransisco Bay oil spill is taking on the Bay’s birds. Apparently, Surf Scoters are being hit especially hard.

Not long after posting my last blog entry on Sunday, my THIRD Northern Shrike of the day dropped into our store’s feeding station and grabbed an unsuspecting Song Sparrow. Although I admit that I’d have preferred the shrike to snag a House Sparrow, it was exciting nonetheless, and I was happy to add one of my favorite birds to our store’s yard list, which now stands at 115.

My sea-watching attempt from Dyer Point in Cape Elizabeth Monday morning was thwarted by distortion from heat shimmer, and a long walk through Kettle Cove and Crescent Beach State Park was rather fruitless, save for two small groups of Common Redpolls, a fly-by immature Northern Goshawk, and a very late Semipalmated Plover on the beach. Quick looks at a couple of land trust properties were fruitless, and a visit to Village Crossings was fruitful only in the literal sense – there was plenty of fruit, just no birds eating it! There was a Carolina Wren singing away, however, and I did spot two Pine Grosbeaks along Rte 77, just south of Fox Hill Rd feeding in a roadside crab apple tree. Funny how spoiled we are becoming so far this winter: only seeing two Pine Grosbeaks and two small groups of redpolls is considered a slow day!

No, a slow day of birding was Tuesday, when Jeannette and I decided to check out the trails of the Poland Spring Preservation Park. Now, THAT was unproductive. Walking just about all of the trails here produced exactly 1 Blue Jay, 1 American Crow, and 4 Black-capped Chickadees.

But, it wasn’t surprising given the habitat – few conifers (just a few hemlock and a scattering of White Pine) in a forest of oak, beech, and maple. There’s not a lot of food or cover in the deciduous woods in the winter. However, we made a note to check this place out in the breeding season. Plus, with the first snow of the season – for the coastal plain anyway – falling, it was still a pleasant outing. The first flurries began soon after we started the walk, and by the end, there was a thick coating on the ground – just enough to add to the silence of the woods as the fresh snow muffled the sound of crunching leaves.

Hedgehog Mountain Park was only a little birdier on Wednesday morning, but today’s auditory winter experience was the pitter-patter of sleet pellets bouncing off the ice-glazed forest floor.

It is a series of low pressure systems tracking along a stalled frontal boundary has produced this mixture of rain, freezing rain, sleet, and snow– depending on where you were in Maine. A complex system – with quite a bit of forecast uncertainty – is setting up for the next couple of days, so in between bites of Turkey and stuffing, keep an eye on those feeders!

And have a Happy Thanksgiving!

On Saturday, our store’s birdwalk visited Portland’s Dragon Field. We tallied a very good – for the date – 7 species of sparrows, including one Fox Sparrow. 2 Savannah Sparrows were foraging in the short mowed grass atop the hill, and a single Snow Bunting was circling overhead. Two Horned Larks flew over, and an American Pipit briefly landed on the dirt trail at the top of the hill. All four of these species are open field specialists, and I hypothesize that they were pushed farther south from the fields of Central and Northern Maine by the recent snowfall. It’s getting late for Savannah Sparrows and American Pipits in Maine, so my guess is that these birds were lingering in prime habitat that is now under snow (at least for the time being), and were “encouraged” by that to continue on south. Quite a few American Tree Sparrows there today (11), and two newly arrived Dark-eyed Juncos at the store’s feeders also suggested that birds were on the move Friday night after the southerly winds and rain/snow of the past couple of days.

Meanwhile, it took an interception in the end zone with 11 seconds to play for my day not to be ruined, as Rutgers held on to beat Pitt 20-16, and keep my Sun Bowl (life bird potential!) hopes alive!

On Sunday, I met Don in Bowdoinham for some birding and exploring. By far the highlight, as is often the case in the area, was the mouth of the Abagadasset River from Brown’s Point Rd. A very truant pair of Blue-winged Teal joined 232 Green-winged Teal and 69 American Coots. Three Bald Eagles were perched in the distance, and we had another down the road. As we headed back over the causeway, an immature Northern Shrike flew across the road and landed on a sapling next to the bridge, and only about 25 feet in front of us, for an excellent view.

We then took a walk at the Merrymeeting Bay WMA, where I have not been before, and Don hadn’t been in at least 15 years, he figured. We had been talking for weeks about checking this place out, and finally we made it there today. The brushy powerline cut was probably very good for migrant sparrows – back when we were talking about visiting here! – but it was pretty quiet today. There’s a great view of the bay at the end of the path, but it was 100% duck-free. However, on the way down a flock of 7 Red Crossbills flew by, and on the way back, a flock of about 15 Common Redpolls flew in, alighting briefly. There’s also an impressive old Shagbark Hickory here, a rather northerly outlier.

The only thing worse than being scooped on a “Patch Bird” is failing to successfully “twitch” it. Therefore, when a Boreal Chickadee was reported from Florida Lake Park on Wednesday, it wasn’t a surprise that I was there first thing on Thursday.

However, after a couple of hours intensely pishing every Black-capped Chickadee flock I encountered while walking each and every trail of the park, I was still "BoChick"-less. Oh well, there’s a lot of woods for the bird to be hiding in. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a whole lot else to show for the outing, save for a single Bohemian Waxwing.

The combination of an early morning meeting and steady cold rain today resulted in my first missed morning of birding in well over a month. But, feeder watching has been productive today. As the low-pressure system is pulling away, cold air is arriving on northwesterly winds, and rain is changing to, or at least mixing with snow. There’s snow on the ground even in the foothills, but along the coast, it has been all – or mostly – water.

Here in Yarmouth, we’ve only seen the occasional period with some light wet snow mixing in with the rain. However, even here the feeders have been much more active. Nothing “new” has shown up, but activity has been steady, and our Carolina Wren has been here on and off. With the colder temperatures coming up for the weekend, I would expect feeders to remain fairly active. Plus, if you do have snow on the ground, you want to pay particular attention to the feeding station. The first snowfall of the season often brings groundfeeders – like juncos and other sparrows to feeders, and even the occasional rarity! So, keep those feeders stocked and your eyes open!

A warm front that produced some light rain Tuesday morning ushered in some warmer southerly winds, and set up a very pleasant day for our day off on Tuesday. Skies were clearing, and temps were rising (reaching 55 in Portland by the early afternoon) as Jeannette and I headed to Portland to catch a ride aboard the Casco Bay Ferry’s Mailboat run.

It’s really tough to beat this deal: 3 hours on the water for $13! Gorgeous scenery and good birding add to the bargain. The Bay wasn’t too busy with birds yesterday, but a Northern Gannet off the western shore of Long Island was definitely a surprise – inshore gannets are usually only seen during or after storm events. The “buteo sp” that we tallied was probably a Rough-legged Hawk, but it was perched just too far away to be sure.

Here’s the tally from the outing:

On a brisk (welcomed by me!) Sunday morning, I ventured down to Scarborough Marsh. A few very good birds have been seen here of late, and I hoped to twitch them, and find a surprise or two for myself.

I began at Pine Point Beach, where a Western Grebe was discovered on Saturday. It was not seen on Sunday, and I – along with other birders out today – could not relocate it either. But, we tried – Robby and I worked the shoreline to and from Old Orchard Beach to no avail. The bay did have a lot of birds, however, including impressive numbers of Red-throated Loons, Red-necked and Horned Grebes, and Red-breasted Mergansers. (Complete list below).

We did see one of the other targets of the day – a very tardy Hudsonian Godwit that has been in the area for about a week and a half. The bird has a bum foot, but it can forage and fly just fine. However, it’s a long way to South America. That one worm that we watch it wrestle – a solid 10-12 incher – will help, no doubt! Meanwhile, the sandbars of the river were rather filthy – for such a late date – with other shorebirds: 275+ Dunlin and 100+ Black-bellied Plovers!

(based on how cooperative this bird was, I really should have gotten better shots than this; I’m rather disappointed with the my effort)

And the aforementioned bum wheel . . .

After a decent (for the second week of November) flight overnight Thursday into Friday, on light northerly winds, diurnal migrants were in the air Friday morning as well.

Here’s the midnight radar, for example:

What was supposed to be a “quick walk” at the Fore River Trail in Portland before getting some errands done turned into a 2+ hour event, with a lot of birds, including some real treats. I walked from near the Train Station almost all of the way to Jewell Falls. This was the first time that I have walked the length of the trail (including the dog-leg along Congress St for a little while). I had walked both sections on occasion in years past, with very little to show for it. However, on last weekend’s Rarity Roundup, Luke and I checked it out, and found a plethora of food sources, including lots of Speckled Alder catkins and an explosion of Oriental Bittersweet. I made a mental note to get back here soon, and I was very glad I did. Today’s highlights included both Red and White-winged Crossbills (single fly-overs of each), a flyover flock of Common Redpolls, an American Coot (this might be my first within Portland city limits), a Common Yellowthroat, and a very late, and very pale, first fall female Pine Warbler, that I had to chase around for quite some time to confirm its ID. (The complete total is below).

Then, what was in fact a quick walk through the area I call “Mercy Woods” along the new Commercial Street Extension yielded some more migrant sparrows, including a Fox Sparrow, and another real treat: a flock of 58 Common Redpolls feasting on Paper Birch catkins.

A very wet walk at Bradbury Mountain on Tuesday produced all of 2 species – Black-capped Chickadee and Golden-crowned Kinglet, but on our way to the movies later in the day (not a whole lot else to do on a day like Tuesday, and American Gangster, by the way, is definitely worth seeing), a Northern Shrike flew across the road, surely helping to brighten a very dreary, raw day.

On Wednesday, my morning stroll around Hedgehog Mountain Park was actually quite productive, even though the woods are getting pretty darn quiet this time of year. Highlights were a Fox Sparrow, 4 Snow Buntings, and a fly-over Red Crossbill, my #123rd “Hog Bird!”

Back on the prowl for rarities, I spent the morning birding the nooks and crannies of South Portland. It wasn’t a very birdy day, but I had a few decent sightings. At Bug Light Park there was a male Eastern Bluebird, an “Ipswich” Savannah Sparrow, and 4 Yellow-rumped Warblers. 9 Snow Buntings were at Spring Point Light, but Willard Beach and Pond Cove produced nothing of note. A quiet visit to Fort Williams park, however, was punctuated by a light morph Rough-legged Hawk, my first of the season, soaring overhead, being escorted out of the area by a handful of American Crows. This was an extremely pale bird, with as little marking below as any Rough-leg that I can remember seeing.

Now, with cold air filtering into the area – and our first spell of below-normal temperatures of the season – I would expect to see some changes in the local birdlife. Lingering migrants and most of our sparrows will likely depart. Plus, I would think more American Tree Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos will be arriving. With cold nights and chilly mornings, our hope is that any vagrants that are around the area will concentrate at warmer microclimates and edges and/or concentrated patched of food – like thickets of bittersweet or feeding stations.

By the way, if you’re REALLY bored, you could check out an interview with me in the Cape May Bird Observatory’s online magazine, the Tigrina Times.

For something much more exciting, check out this footage of a starling flock in flight in Scotland.

And finally, for some not-so-light (but very important) reading, there’s this tidbit from the latest Birding Community e-bulletin, which is particularly timely for us here in Maine.

CALIFORNIA WINDPOWER GUIDELINES RELEASED

Also from California, in late September the California Energy Commission voted unanimously to adopt voluntary windpower guidelines. The 80-page "Guidelines to Reduce Impacts of Windpower on Birds and Bats" is a joint product of the Commission and the California Department of Fish and Game. Regionally, Audubon California, the Golden Gate and Los Angeles Audubon chapters, Defenders of Wildlife, and Sierra Club all strongly supported the guidelines. Starting in 2006, key players from both the windpower industry and wildlife conservation groups met to discuss possible solutions to windpower problems. These initial discussions ultimately led to the 80-page set of guidelines.

The guidelines can be downloaded here

The extratropical storm – formerly known as Hurricane – Noel was slow in arriving, and light north winds and mostly clear skies allowed for a surprisingly good passerine flight Friday night into Saturday morning – likely of birds moving ahead of the approaching low pressure system. I was quite surprised at the volume of birds in the area, as shown by these two radar images, especially after I declared my radar-watching season “over” just yesterday.

Here’s the 10pm image from Friday night . . .

And the 4am image from Saturday morning . . .

Although there were some American Robins in the air over the store as we assembled for the birdwalk, our stroll at Pineland Farms was very, very quiet. However, we did see one of the species we had set out to find; two Northern Shrikes – one adult and one immature – were perched atop trees at a field edge.

The effects on Noel did finally reach us however, with winds picking up significantly in the early afternoon, and rain finally arriving. I simply couldn’t resist, and just HAD to spend a couple of hours in the afternoon seawatching at Dyer Point in Cape Elizabeth. Here’s the count:

Virtually nothing moved Wednesday night into Thursday morning, with a light to moderate south to south-southwest wind blowing. A morning visit to Freeport’s Florida Lake Park produced very, very little, but the 4 Bohemian Waxwings perched in a tree along the lake’s edge more than made up for that lack of overall diversity. This is the earliest that I have seen this northern, irruptive species in the state, and fits the larger pattern we’re seeing this year of early arrivals of irruptive species (small groups of Bohemians have been spotted as far south as Saco already).

A cold front passed Thursday evening, producing only a narrow line of light showers, but switching the southerly winds back around to the west and then northwest. Those winds, and clearing skies allowed for some bird movement overnight. In fact, it was perfect conditions for migration – except for the fact that it is November 2nd. By now, most of our migrants have already passed through. There’s still a wave of American Tree Sparrows to arrive, and there will be plenty of diurnal migrants (especially finches and robins) yet to come, but the night skies will not be as crowded as they have been. Therefore, this will be the last radar posting of the season – unless something noteworthy occurs.

Furthermore, the conditions overnight would have produced a great flight at Sandy Point, had it not been for the late date. I did have some stuff, however (complete totals below), with the highlight being a Tufted Titmouse making the crossing. While titmice are regularly seen in the woods on Cousin’s Island and around Sandy Point, most titmice are residents. Therefore, I rarely tally them as they are not deemed to be migrating. However, this morning, one bird – after making three false starts – took off from the bridge-side birch and left the island. This was my first titmouse that I have seen make the crossing here, and one of the very few – if any! – that I have ever seen crossing over water; this is not something titmice are very keen to do. But, despite the conditions, there were not a ton of birds, so I do believe this will be may last Morning Flight Count for the season.

After an hour at Sandy Point, I headed inland to wander the countryside in search of geese, shrikes, waxwings, etc. First, it was to Thornhurst Farm to look for the Cackling Geese – and hopefully find another rare goose or two – but most of the geese were out of view. The 11 Snow Geese were still present, however. Gillespie’s Farm on Mayhall Road was goose-less today, and so I headed over to the orchards in Cumberland to check on the fruit crop. There were still a lot of apples on the trees at the Whitney Rd orchard, and the trees at Double-T were absolutely dripping with unpicked apples. And, only one more house has been built, so we’ll have at least one more year of birding here. Today the only frugivores were a pair of House Finches, but this hotspot should be filled with Bohemian Waxwings, and hopefully Pine Grosbeaks, this winter. Finally, a second visit to Thornhurst Farm on the way to the store did confirm that the 3 Cacklers are in fact still present.

So, this weekend could be an interesting one. Hurricane Noel is forecasted to become an extremely powerful Extratropical Storm, and produce some rough weather on Saturday. Seawatching may be productive, but this might be a good day to enjoy college football (like Rutgers playing #16 Connecticut at 7:00pm!). Hopefully, the winds will subside enough to allow for productive birding on Sunday, when we hold our 4th Annual Rarity Roundup. Noel, and the strong N and NW winds that are expected to follow, could produce some great birds – as long as Sunday’s winds aren’t too fierce for us to find them!

And, between chasing rarities that will be found this weekend, please don’t forget to head to the polls on Tuesday. Of relevance to birders is the bond issue that will borrow $35.5 million dollars to replenish the Land for Maine’s Future program. While I’d love to avoid more borrowing by our government, I firmly believe that this critical program needs to be funded – now. Borrowing via public-approved bonds is the way to do that. Land isn’t getting any cheaper, and once a prime parcel is lost to development, we aren’t going to be getting it back. This bond proposal also allocated money for state parks, historic sites, and riverfront projects – all critical to Maine’s economy. So, as birders who regularly use state parks, local land trust properties (often purchased with funds from the Land for Maine’s Future program), etc, etc., I urge you to take a moment to vote YES on the bond issue (#3, I believe) to replenish the Land for Maine’s Future Program.