MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • January 1, 2023
2022 was an amazing year for notable birds and birding events in Maine. The final year of the Maine Breeding Bird Atlas took place. A parallel project is the Maine Winter Bird Atlas, now in its final year. Avian Haven in Freedom administered wild bird care to 3,200 injured birds during the past year. Twenty new volunteers joined the team and there are now 350 drivers who transport injured birds to the facility. As far as rare birds in Maine in 2022, the Steller’s sea eagle must be the undisputed star. A barnacle goose that appeared in Rockland in November 2021 lingered into 2022. A Henslow’s sparrow, a grassland sparrow that nests in the Midwest, was recognized by its song in Brunswick. Northern lapwings, a large plover found in Europe and Asia, appeared in Thomaston and Aroostook County. A broad-tailed hummingbird appeared in Freeport. ~ Herb Wilson