BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 28, 2026
Last Saturday evening was ideal for hearing owls as they announced their breeding territories and wooed mates. It was one of those rare times when I heard all three of our common owls calling in one night, and it all happened before 9 p.m. Barred owls are the most frequently seen and heard owls in Maine. The main reason for me to be out on a winter evening was to listen for northern saw-whet owls. Great horned and barred owls don’t migrate, but most Maine-breeding saw-whet owls do. It’ll be about two more weeks before the next signs of spring arrive. That will be a race between common grackles and turkey vultures to see who gets here first. In truth, some are already here, since they never left the state. While politicians may decry climate change as a hoax, birders are watching it happen in real time. Winter doesn’t last as long as it once did. Birders already notice the little signs of spring. ~ Bob Duchesne