One of the loudest and most colorful birds
found here year-round is the blue jay. Their loud
jay! jay! call is unmistakable, but these birds make
a variety of sounds and can even imitate the calls of
some other birds. Like the chickadee, blue jays hide
acorns, beechnuts and seeds for winter. They eat
almost anything and are common in backyards and
readily visit feeders.
Gray jays while not as colorful as blue jays
are friendly and some say fearless. Gray jays are
opportunists, flying from tree to tree often near hikers,
woodcutters and campsites in the hope of stealing food
earning the nickname “camp robber.” These birds will
eat almost anything in winter including small rodents,
seeds and carrion left by predators. Like other winter
birds, they store food items during the summer months
to feed on during severe cold weather.
The slate colored junco lives among the brush
and undergrowth near pine and spruce forests
in the summer, but in the winter they gather
in flocks in weedy fields near woodlands
and backyards. Their head, back and chest
are slate gray in color with a light gray
to white under belly. Juncos are fun to
watch at feeders as they use both feet
to hop and scratch at the ground for
seed.
Ranging throughout the United
States and parts of Canada are two
common woodpeckers, the hairy and
the downy. Hanging suet outside
will guarantee a visit from these
local woodpeckers. Their coloring
of black and white is amazingly
similar, but the downy is much
smaller at 5 ¼ inches and the
hairy woodpecker is up to 7
½ inches long. The male
of both species has a red
patch on the back of its
head, while the female
does not. These two birds will grab big bites of suet
and fly to a nearby tree, wedge the suet into a crack in
the bark and peck away. Blue jays watch this process
with interest and given half a chance, will swoop in to
steal the tasty morsel. They put on quite a show.
As some birds migrate south to warmer
climates, there are a number of birds who fly here for
the winter, including the snow bunting, better known
as the snow bird. The snow bird is approximately 6 ¾
inches long with notable black and white wings. They
are frequently seen in flocks, flying across roadways
from field to field. They have large feet enabling them
to walk across the snow as if wearing snowshoes.
Another wintering bird, is the snowy owl. It is
a large powerful owl of the Arctic Tundra in summer,
but in winter can sometimes be found in parts of
northern and north western Maine. The snowy owl
appears majestic in flight with its fifty-five inch wing
span gliding over open fields and small meadows. It
flies in search of rodents and other small mammals like
rabbits which makes up its diet. The snowy owl is an
awesome sight to behold for those lucky enough to see
one.
This is just a small list of the number of birds
common to our neck-of-the- woods. It is remarkable
how these birds can survive in an extremely cold
climate. One strategy for their survival is the ability
to store foo