Maine
Out-of-Place 'Devil Bird' Wows Spectators in Maine, the First Anhinga Ever Seen in the State
/https%3A%2F%2Ftf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffiler_public%2F59%2F78%2F59780ece-bf45-4aa3-82da-6a1efd0f682e%2F20240723-3c3a5756.jpg?ssl=1 "Out-of-Place 'Devil Bird' Wows Spectators in Maine, the First Anhinga Ever Seen in the State")
The out-of-place anhinga, spotted in Maine
Doug Hitchcox
A large water bird usually found in Central and South America and Florida recently made its way to Maine—and birders have been flocking for a chance to see the unusual visitor.
Last week, wildlife enthusiasts were surprised to find an anhinga resting on a log in Somerville, a small town in the south-central part of the state about 70 miles northeast of Portland.
Anhingas are conspicuous birds with long, slender necks and turkey-like tails. Though their feathers are not waterproof, they spend much of their time swimming and stabbing fish with their pointy bills. When they resurface, they clamber onto sun-bathed logs, rocks and other places, spread their wings and let the warmth dry their plumage.
The species’ striking aesthetic and eye-catching poses have earned it several nicknames over the years, including “water turkey” and “snake bird.” (Some onlookers have even compared anhingas to the fictitious Loch Ness monster.) Their name comes from the Indigenous Tupi people of Brazil, who called them “devil birds” or “evil spirit of the woods.”
They look similar to double-crested cormorants, but can be distinguished by their appearance and their range, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Anhingas live year-round in northern South America, Central America, Florida and Cuba, as well as along the coastlines hugging the Gulf of Mexico in the southern United States. During breeding season, their range extends northward along the Atlantic coast, but they rarely travel beyond Maryland. So, spotting one in Maine was “totally unexpected,” says Charles Duncan, a Maine birder and co-author of Birds of Maine, to the Portland Press Herald’s Ella Spitz.
“Anhingas have no business being in Maine,” he adds. The sighting is the first recorded instance of an anhinga in the state.
The out-of-place creature started making waves on July 23, when a woman posted a photo of it in a local Facebook group. It was hanging out in a flooded meadow next to a narrow dirt road.
Soon, other birders began showing up to take a look at the interloper. The last reported sighting of the anhinga in the meadow was on July 26, so it appears to have moved along.
“Who knows when we might ever see another anhinga up here?” says Doug Hitchcox, staff naturalist for Maine Audubon, to the Bangor Daily News’ Jules Walkup.
Based on its plumage, birders say the anhinga is a young female that was likely born last year. So, what was it doing so far north? It’s possible the bird overshot its migration target and accidentally flew farther than it intended. It may also have traveled into Maine for a temporary abundance of food, or because it’s scoping out the area as a possible new habitat.
Other North American birds—including blue-winged warblers, Carolina chickadees, inca doves and orchard orioles—have been expanding their ranges northward in recent years, possibly because of human-caused global warming.
“Climate change is a big driver in northward expansion of bird ranges, and this fits within that pattern,” Hitchcox tells the Portland Press Herald. “It is definitely a factor, but it’s hard to know with a sample size of one. A lot of these waterbirds have weird expansions and retractions.”
The anhinga isn’t the first rare bird to make an appearance in the Pine Tree State in recent years. In 2018, a great black hawk showed up in Biddeford, marking just the second known U.S. sighting of the species, which normally dwells in Central and South America. In late 2021, a Steller’s sea eagle—a massive bird of prey that hails from Asia—touched down in Georgetown after traversing the continent. That bird came back in February 2023.
As summer gives way to autumn over the next few months, Mainers—and birders in other parts of the country—might experience even more memorable sightings.
“The fun thing to think about this time of year, fall migration is already upon us,” Hitchcox tells WGME. “A bunch of birds are already starting to head south for the winter, so that usually means this tends to be what we call our rarity season, when it seems like just about anything can show up anytime, anywhere.”
When BDN shines a light, policymakers act. Make a gift to help our reporters keep Maine’s leaders informed. Make a donation now.
This story will be updated.
The Maine Department of Transportation is moving to slash up to $400 million in projects from its agenda, a shocking and abrupt cutback that is rattling the state’s construction industry at the start of building season.
Roughly $50 million across six pavement projects have already been delayed, according to a memo exclusively obtained by the Bangor Daily News. The agency plans to cut or delay another $150 million in bridge, highway, intersection and multimodal projects later this month. A further $200 million or more in cuts are planned in the next three-year work plan.
Those figures were outlined by Transportation Commissioner Dale Doughty in the May 18 memo to Gov. Janet Mills that has since circulated widely in the transportation sector, which has been getting drip-by-drip details on the wide scope of the cuts over the past three weeks.
It comes at the beginning of the state’s relatively narrow construction season. Companies have hired workers and ordered materials for projects they expected to begin this summer. The severity of the transportation budget problems was not raised to lawmakers during the 2026 legislative session.
Kelly Flagg, executive director of the Associated General Contractors of Maine, called the shortfall “deeply troubling” in a statement.
“We stand ready to work with policymakers, stakeholders, and industry partners to identify both immediate and long-term solutions,” Flagg said. “Maine cannot afford to fall further behind.”
Insiders saw this first.
This story was broken in Maine Politics Insider, the BDN’s daily premium newsletter for the most ardent political news followers. If you are a new BDN subscriber, you can sign up here. Current subscribers can contact our customer service team to upgrade.
The cuts stem from a structural funding gap of at least $130 million in the state’s current work plan, according to Doughty’s memo. Losses are magnified because state money from the gas tax and other revenue sources is matched by federal funds. Lawmakers have long grappled with politically difficult long-term problems with the state’s transportation budget.
A Mills spokesperson said Wednesday morning that the administration was working on a response to questions from the BDN. The department says it needs roughly $240 million more in state capital funding annually to maintain the existing system, and that anything less than $200 million will erode it over time.
Doughty’s memo the only near-term solution is a series of bonds beginning as soon as possible. Lawmakers would have to return to Augusta to authorize that if one is going to appear on the November ballot.
The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Michael Capeci is the former chairman of the Bangor GOP.
Let’s be honest about Maine’s current state.
For many families, the cost of living has become unsustainable. Housing is out of reach for many young people. Energy bills keep rising. Many small businesses are struggling under taxes and regulations that make it harder to grow. Rural hospitals are under strain and despite years of increased state spending, the results are not showing up in people’s daily lives.
Concurrently, Maine continues to lose young workers to other states. That is not a statistic, it is a warning sign.
To me, the question in this Republican primary for governor is not about slogans. It is whether we continue with a political approach that has failed to reverse these trends, or whether we nominate someone with new ideas. I think that someone is Owen McCarthy.
Owen is not a political insider. He is an entrepreneur from Patten, a small town where opportunity is not assumed, it is built. He grew up in a working-class family, became the first in his family to graduate from college graduating from the University of Maine, and founded MedRhythms, a healthcare technology company focused on neurological treatment.
He didn’t just talk about opportunity. He built it. That distinction matters, because Maine’s problem is not a lack of debate it is a lack of results. We have seen the trajectory: higher costs, slower growth, and a steady outmigration of young workers. I believe Owen McCarthy represents a break from that pattern.
His Maine 2040 plan focuses on creating 50,000 new jobs in sectors where Maine has real advantages — maritime and defense, advanced forest products, and life sciences. These are export-driven industries tied directly to Maine’s workforce, geography, and institutions. What sets Owen apart is not only what he proposes, but how he approaches governing.
He prioritizes modernizing permitting so projects do not stall. He supports using technology to reduce costs and increase efficiency. He focuses on making it easier to build, hire, and expand in Maine.
That same practical mindset extends to healthcare. Expanding telehealth, strengthening EMS systems, improving provider flexibility, and shifting toward earlier intervention are not abstract reforms. They are system upgrades designed to improve access while controlling costs.
Maine voters consistently respond to competence. They reward candidates who understand problems and present plans to solve them. I believe they are tired of rhetoric that does not translate into results, and skeptical of politics that prioritizes messaging over execution.
Owen’s approach is grounded in solving the issues that shape daily life — affordability, healthcare access, job creation, and government efficiency. That is not just policy positioning. It is a governing model that speaks directly to voters.
Some will point to his lack of political experience. But I believe Maine’s core problems are not the result of insufficient political experience; they are the result of policies that have failed to deliver measurable improvement. Experience inside a broken system, by itself, is not a solution.
If Republicans want to win, this primary must be taken seriously. From my perspective, it is not about choosing a nominee for governor who can energize the base. It is about selecting someone who can compete in a broader electorate that is frustrated and looking for change.
That requires a candidate who can speak beyond the base, not by abandoning principles, but by demonstrating competence and a credible plan to address Maine’s challenges. I believe Owen McCarthy offers that combination. He represents a shift away from managed decline and toward economic execution.
This is not just another primary. It is a decision about whether Republicans position themselves to win Maine or whether they remain trapped in a cycle of repeating the same strategies and expecting different outcomes.
If Republicans want to compete for Maine’s future, they cannot afford to nominate a candidate who only motivates part of the electorate. They need someone who expands it.
I believe Owen McCarthy is that candidate.
And if the goal is to win Maine, then the choice should be unmistakable
The only notable change in the top-seven of the Varsity Maine baseball poll is that Gorham now has eight first-place votes, two more than last week. The order of the seven teams is identical. In fact, the only change in the top-seven over the past three polls is the swap at the top after Gorham’s win over South Portland on May 19.
Furthermore, Gorham, South Portland, Oxford Hills, Cheverus, Bangor, Mt. Ararat and Fryeburg have been ranked in the top seven for four straight weeks, and six of those squads have been among the top seven in every poll this spring.
Meanwhile, Scarborough is ranked for the first time since May 5, and Ellsworth and Thornton swapped spots.
The Varsity Maine baseball poll is based on games played before June 2, 2026. The top 10 teams are voted on by the Varsity Maine staff, with first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points.
1. Gorham (8) 89
2. South Portland 79
3. Oxford Hills (1) 75
4. Cheverus 55
5. Bangor 42
6. Mt. Ararat 41
7. Fryeburg Academy 30
8. Ellsworth 27
9. Thornton Academy 25
10. Scarborough 12
Also receiving votes: Washington Academy 8, Monmouth Academy 4, Cony 4, Leavitt 2, Falmouth 2.
-
South Dakota29 seconds agoTornado watch in effect as severe storms target South Dakota
-
Tennessee3 minutes agoTennessee Baseball Breakout Star Announces He Won’t Enter the Transfer Portal
-
Texas9 minutes agoCentral Texas soldier dies in Iraq during training incident, Department of Defense says
-
Utah16 minutes agoNew program at University of Utah aims to keep up with growing Utah industry
-
Vermont18 minutes agoVermont seeks dynamic pricing for state park access
-
Virginia23 minutes agoWest Virginia commit announces decision by blasting ‘Country Roads,’ lighting a couch on fire
-
Washington30 minutes agoSteelers Sign TE Darnell Washington to Four-Year Extension
-
Wisconsin34 minutes agoWisconsin DNR reminding ATV and UTV drivers that more wardens will be out this weekend
