BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 24, 2026
I’ve seen a lot of evening grosbeaks in my life, but my latest sighting was a doozy. On a coastal road near Passamaquoddy Bay, there was a tree with so many birds in the branches, no more could fit. It was standing room only. The adjacent tree was equally full. Just down the road, a third tree had barely enough room to squeeze in a few more. It’s been 60 years since I’ve seen so many evening grosbeaks gathered in one place. It was a commonplace sight in my boyhood. Then they mostly disappeared from our state. What happened? I’m inclined to believe that they followed successive outbreaks of spruce budworm across Canada. ~ Bob Duchesne