Date: 3/29/26 12:14 pm From: Bob Knight <bob...> Subject: [Maine-birds] Brooksville 50+ Common Mergansers
Wow This morning I watched a phalanx of 50+ common mergansers feeding in the Bagaduce river. We have had them for a week or two but I have never seen this many at once. Quite exciting. We also have Hooded Mergansers now and countless Robins. Here comes Spring!
Been negligent on posting--sorry.
But on March 10 ± 2 wood ducks went cruising through my trees--hopefully
looking for a snag to nest in. Hope spring eternal.
And on 13th the spring mergansers arrived off our shore in the Bagaduce
river. Both Common Mergansers and at least one Hooded.
Hoping this spring rain storm will take the big ice flows out of the river!
Date: 3/13/26 2:39 pm From: 'Derek and Jeannette Lovitch' via Maine birds <maine-birds...> Subject: [Maine-birds] This "Week's" Highlights, 3/10-3/13.
Hi all,Here are a few of my observations of note over the last few days since getting back to the state. More importantly, I just wanted to remind everyone that the Bradbury Mountain Spring Hawkwatch starts on Sunday! See you there!
https://mebirdingfieldnotes.blog/2026/03/13/this-weeks-highlights-3-10-3-13-2026/ Sincerely,Derek
Jeff had the Black Vulture again just now, heading to roost near the new Sunrise Bagel place along Cobbossee Stream near downtown Gardiner.
Allison Wells
From: <maine-birds...> <maine-birds...> On Behalf Of Julia Hanauer-Milne
Sent: Thursday, March 12, 2026 5:13 PM
To: Jeff Wells <jwboreal...>
Cc: Birds Maine <maine-birds...>; <augusta-birds...>
Subject: Re: [Maine-birds] Black Vulture
I had six turkey vultures circling over Oakland yesterday along with a dozen bohemian waxwings in a tree near my classroom.
On Thu, Mar 12, 2026 at 4:18 PM Jeff Wells <jwboreal...><mailto:<jwboreal...>> wrote:
A black vulture just flew over (3;30) with a turkey vulture at the corner of Elm Street in Washington Avenue and Gardiner. While it was flying over, there were about 50 Bohemian wax wings just a few houses down on Elm Street towards the north. Writing this using the voice to text option while walking the dog so apologies that the bird names are not capitalized.
Date: 3/12/26 2:13 pm From: Julia Hanauer-Milne <windyridgemaine...> Subject: Re: [Maine-birds] Black Vulture
I had six turkey vultures circling over Oakland yesterday along with a
dozen bohemian waxwings in a tree near my classroom.
On Thu, Mar 12, 2026 at 4:18 PM Jeff Wells <jwboreal...> wrote:
> A black vulture just flew over (3;30) with a turkey vulture at the corner
> of Elm Street in Washington Avenue and Gardiner. While it was flying over,
> there were about 50 Bohemian wax wings just a few houses down on Elm Street
> towards the north. Writing this using the voice to text option while
> walking the dog so apologies that the bird names are not capitalized.
>
> --
> Maine birds mailing list
> <maine-birds...>
> http://groups.google.com/group/maine-birds > https://sites.google.com/site/birding207 > ---
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "Maine birds" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
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> To view this discussion visit
> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/maine-birds/<77975309-3636-4EBE-9889-F80DA0942F77...> > .
>
Date: 3/12/26 1:18 pm From: Jeff Wells <jwboreal...> Subject: [Maine-birds] Black Vulture
A black vulture just flew over (3;30) with a turkey vulture at the corner of Elm Street in Washington Avenue and Gardiner. While it was flying over, there were about 50 Bohemian wax wings just a few houses down on Elm Street towards the north. Writing this using the voice to text option while walking the dog so apologies that the bird names are not capitalized.
Date: 3/10/26 7:39 am From: Loring Danforth <ldanfort...> Subject: [Maine-birds] Black Vulture in Lewiston
Among 12 or so Turkey Vultures roosting in some Pines just to the south of my house at 446 College St. Lewiston, was a single Black Vulture. Black head, very short tail, darker black than Turkey Vultures and white patch in extended wing as it was soaking up the sun. They may be back this evening. The birds were visible from College St. Danny Danforth -- Loring M. Danforth Charles A. Dana Professor of Anthropology Emeritus 446 College St. Lewiston, ME 04240
Date: 3/9/26 2:54 am From: Cathie Murray <cathie.murray...> Subject: [Maine-birds] Thick-billed murres in Rockland
Two murres in Rockland, off the Breakwater at turning of high tide Sunday afternoon. The bird in foreground was very actively foraging. The other bird seemed to be resting but dove occasionally. Saw on eBird that same species were found in small numbers at other coastal locations and one was found inland.
Date: 3/8/26 4:53 am From: Susan Davies <spdbbh...> Subject: [Maine-birds] Pine Siskins, Liberty, Waldo Cty
First time this winter- seeing 5 or 6 Pine Siskins in the large flock of Goldfinches this week, on the platform feeder. Also have been getting Evening Grosbeakes every few weeks, as well as Bluebirds, who like my mealworms.
Date: 3/4/26 12:57 pm From: Sean S <therefromhere168...> Subject: Re: [Maine-birds] Re: Unclear on eBird rules re. Sensitive Species
Louis,
Thanks for providing a full clear rundown of this topic. While Gemini says
eBird moderators can see all data from hidden lists, I didn't think that
was the case.
Sean Smith
On Wed, Mar 4, 2026 at 3:01 PM Louis Bevier <lrbevier...> wrote:
> Sean,
>
> Birds designated Sensitive Species in eBird are hidden automatically. The
> exact location cannot be seen, except by you and reviewers, who are needed
> to verify the report. The species will not show up in any public eBird
> outputs. How these reports are handled is explained in the link below.
> Suggestions for how to treat reports of birds that might not be assigned as
> sensitive but still need protection from undue disturbance are also
> provided, along with a link to the list of species designated Sensitive:
>
>
> https://support.ebird.org/en/support/solutions/articles/48000803210-sensitive-species-in-ebird >
> It is appropriate to reach out to trusted contacts who might help gather
> data and relay it to wildlife managers and analysts who can help designate
> areas of importance to scarce species.
>
> Hiding a checklist is useful in cases where access to private property
> needs to be guarded or if the checklist is not appropriate for analysis of
> eBird data, e.g. list-building checklists. I think the wording one sees
> when attempting to “Hide” a checklist is there to make sure it is for
> appropriate reasons and is not there to discourage one from doing so. You
> can read an explanation here:
>
>
> https://support.ebird.org/en/support/solutions/articles/48000948757-ebird-faqs#anchorHiddenChecklist >
> Doug Hitchcox, who established and moderates this listserv, would be an
> appropriate contact at Maine Audubon. He is aware of the issues involved
> with sensitive birds and access to private property if it is a concern.
> Doug has an excellent video about the issue of how information about
> rarities gets reported and shared in the birding community. Use the link
> below to see this video, and please consider subscribing to his channel,
> which has other informative videos, including about eBird and the eBird
> review process.
>
> https://youtu.be/buJ6c-qDHd4?si=gzUFZ2zJ06YGVDYA >
> Feel free to contact me privately if you have any questions or want help
> with the issue here that concerns you.
>
> Louis Bevier
> Fairfield
>
> On Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at 3:19:25 PM UTC-5 Sean S wrote:
>
>> Basically, a query to eBird moderators but anyone with knowledge of the
>> workings of reporting sensitive species is welcome to respond. Do I, or do
>> I not, hide checklists with Sensitive Species from the public feed?
>> eBird's help section says yes, but when I go to do so, I receive prompts
>> discouraging me from doing so.
>>
>> Additionally, when a Sensitive Species is present in an area, should I be
>> reaching out to anyone about sharing the exact location so that others may
>> try to find it? What I don't want to do is draw excessive attention to the
>> bird's presence, but I also don't want this to be a missed opportunity for
>> data collection and study.
>>
>> Sean Smith
>>
> --
> Maine birds mailing list
> <maine-birds...>
> http://groups.google.com/group/maine-birds > https://sites.google.com/site/birding207 > ---
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "Maine birds" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
> email to maine-birds+<unsubscribe...>
> To view this discussion visit
> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/maine-birds/<39f3e843-1d8a-4bb2-ae2d-3f9afcc82555n...> > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/maine-birds/<39f3e843-1d8a-4bb2-ae2d-3f9afcc82555n...>?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > .
>
Date: 3/4/26 12:34 pm From: Louis Bevier <lrbevier...> Subject: [Maine-birds] Re: Unclear on eBird rules re. Sensitive Species
I should have added that hiding a checklist and its data means the information is NOT available for analysis and study. Hidden lists are basically a way to keep the input private (and there are good reasons for that at times). If there is a sensitive species involved, then it is better to report it and not hide the list so that the information is available for anyone seeking research data. Given sensitive species are hidden automatically, additionally setting a checklist to hidden is unnecessary. That might better answer your question directly.
Date: 3/4/26 12:01 pm From: Louis Bevier <lrbevier...> Subject: [Maine-birds] Re: Unclear on eBird rules re. Sensitive Species
Sean,
Birds designated Sensitive Species in eBird are hidden automatically. The
exact location cannot be seen, except by you and reviewers, who are needed
to verify the report. The species will not show up in any public eBird
outputs. How these reports are handled is explained in the link below.
Suggestions for how to treat reports of birds that might not be assigned as
sensitive but still need protection from undue disturbance are also
provided, along with a link to the list of species designated Sensitive:
It is appropriate to reach out to trusted contacts who might help gather
data and relay it to wildlife managers and analysts who can help designate
areas of importance to scarce species.
Hiding a checklist is useful in cases where access to private property
needs to be guarded or if the checklist is not appropriate for analysis of
eBird data, e.g. list-building checklists. I think the wording one sees
when attempting to “Hide” a checklist is there to make sure it is for
appropriate reasons and is not there to discourage one from doing so. You
can read an explanation here:
Doug Hitchcox, who established and moderates this listserv, would be an
appropriate contact at Maine Audubon. He is aware of the issues involved
with sensitive birds and access to private property if it is a concern.
Doug has an excellent video about the issue of how information about
rarities gets reported and shared in the birding community. Use the link
below to see this video, and please consider subscribing to his channel,
which has other informative videos, including about eBird and the eBird
review process.
Feel free to contact me privately if you have any questions or want help
with the issue here that concerns you.
Louis Bevier
Fairfield
On Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at 3:19:25 PM UTC-5 Sean S wrote:
> Basically, a query to eBird moderators but anyone with knowledge of the
> workings of reporting sensitive species is welcome to respond. Do I, or do
> I not, hide checklists with Sensitive Species from the public feed?
> eBird's help section says yes, but when I go to do so, I receive prompts
> discouraging me from doing so.
>
> Additionally, when a Sensitive Species is present in an area, should I be
> reaching out to anyone about sharing the exact location so that others may
> try to find it? What I don't want to do is draw excessive attention to the
> bird's presence, but I also don't want this to be a missed opportunity for
> data collection and study.
>
> Sean Smith
>
