Birding far and wide

My wife and I took a trip to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island in Massachusetts Saturday.

Anticipation of the trip led to a restless Friday evening and night. We rose from our slumber at 4:00 a.m., secured our home and headed south on I-95, discussing what birds we may see.

Driving into the refuge, we were greeted by the rising sun, which immediately began to thaw the heavy frost that nature had painted on the landscape. Killdeer struted along the road, allowing wonderful photographic opportunities in the morning light. A Northern Harrier was seen preening on a hillside. Northern Pintail, Black Ducks and Mallards fed in the pannes, and a lone Lesser Yellow Legs probed the muddy bottom for a delicious morsel.

As we approached the Hellcat Wildlife Observation Area, our excitement grew at what else was in store for us. And low and behold…. the gate was closed where the hard road ends and the dirt road begins! What on earth is going on, we thought. My wife was so excited about finding the owls that were reported in the area near Cross Hill Farm, and other birds that may be in the refuge. She was so disappointed, we almost turned around and went home.

We ended up walking the Marsh Loop at Hellcat, but that was very uneventful except for clumsy yours truly. While walking the narrow boardwalk through the marsh and woods looking all around for birds and not paying attention to what was in front of me, I stumbled not once but twice on seperate steps and just about ended up in the marsh. Believe me, when walking straight along and all of the sudden a step down appears and you are not paying attention, it feels like you are falling off the end of the world! At least Sharon thought it comical.

We talked to several birders who claimed the gate was closed because of the snow last weekend. Although all traces of snow were gone from the road, the gate remained closed well into late morning, and the barrier kept us from having a full day of birding on Plum Island.

We headed north via Routes 1 and 1A, looking for birds, any birds would do. In New Hampshire, near Ryes Beach, we saw a pair of Mute Swans. Red-Winged Blackbirds were everywhere. Common Eider and all types of Merganser were in the surf along the coasts of New Hampshire and Maine.

We stopped for lunch at Captain Simeons in Kittery Point, and I had the best fish sandwich ever. Sharon partook a spinach and mushroom quiche that was to die for. We shared stories with an old Englishman who came to this country after WWII, and had us both laughing with his anecdotes.

After lunch, we headed for Wells Harbor, and there we spied our first of the year Great Egret, standing in the marsh looking for unsuspecting prey. A Great Blue Heron glided to a landing in the distance.

Our last stop was Granite Point, and there we saw a Great Blue Heron in full breeding plummage. We promised to return in the morning hoping for better light and a closer view. We had a full day, and even with the disappointment at Plum Island, we had a very good birding trip.

This morning we rose to a fresh blanket of snow, clinging to the trees and lawns, but not the roads. The skies were cloudy, but the forecasters promised clearing skies later in the morning. Off to Granite Point we went.

A breeding pair of American Wigeons were in the pannes along with a Red-Breasted Merganser and plenty of Mallards and Black Ducks. Two pair of Hooded Mergansers were in the Little River just as we entered the refuge.

And in the distance we saw the flapping of a huge pair of wings, the Great Blue Heron was still there, but the lighting was horrible. Soon, we were rewarded with two more males, all in breeding plummage. A face off between two of the males happened before our very eyes, but no battle ensued, more than likely because no females were yet present in the marsh. We decided to come back when the sunshine was abundant to try and photograph these beautiful birds.

Later in the afternoon, we drove to Pine Point. There we spied several Old Squaw just off the pier. With plenty of sunshine and camera in hand, I made my way to the water-level dock, laid prone, and waited for them to come to me. And come they did! Some not more than 15 feet from me. I got some spectacular shots which can be seen posted below. The cropped images of these Old Squaw are much, much smaller than the original 10mb sized images, and believe me, the originals are far superior. I wish I could post the originals, but I would fill my bandwidth restrictions if I did this.

Leaving Pine Point, we headed to Camp Ellis, but the harbor was strangely devoid of any type of birds. So we decided to try Granite Point one more time before we loose the afternoon sun.

All three Great Blue Herons were present, but at too great a distance for photography. We parked and waited and low and behold, two of the males came to us! See photos below.

All in all a very productive birding weekend. Below are images of birds encountered during our journies. Simply click a thumbnail for a larger view. Comments and critiques are always appreciated!

 

Happy birding!

Technorati Tags: Massachusetts, birds, birders, New Hampshire, Maine, photograph, birding

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Ring-Necked Duck

Late this afternoon, we spotted a female Ring-Necked Duck behind the Pelreco building in Scarborough.

Enjoy!

Happy birding!

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Winter or Spring

In the last ten days, the area has experienced below zero lows, temps in the 60’s and a major snow storm, all in that order.

Birds that are absent in the winter are heading back to the area. Reports are received everyday from the Maine-Bird List that Robins, Red-Winged Blackbirds, Cowbirds and others are returning in droves.

This weekend, after the roads were cleared of the 11″ snowfall, we motored around our regular loop and saw these birds that beckon spring. Imagine the surprise these birds had when snow, sleet, freezing rain and high winds pelted the area. I am willing to bet that they wished they had stayed away a bit longer!

Saturday afternoon, my wife and I watched a male Harlequin Duck in the surf from our car parked along Ocean Avenue in Biddeford Pool. Although the lighting was awful, I managed to get a few pictures of him and they are posted at the end of this article.

We saw our first American Robin of the year at Fortunes Rock Beach this morning, along with first of the year Red-Winged Blackbirds and a Brown-Headed Cowbird.

Hooded Mergansers continue to be seen at the Scarborough Marsh, along with hundreds of Canada Geese. Very large rafts of Common Eider were seen at Pine Point and Camp Ellis. Common Loons seem to be congregating into large groups also, as 15 were seen together near Eastern Point in Biddeford Pool.

Yesterday it was Turkeys along Route 9, today it was Deer, as you can see in the photos below.

Please enjoy the following pictures, and you decide, is it Winter or Spring? The calendar says winter, but spring is just around the corner. Click a thumbnail for a larger view.

 

Happy birding!

Technorati Tags: Birds, Maine, Bird, Winter, Spring, birding

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Attacked

Today, Birding In Maine was attacked by comment spammers. 350 comments were submitted and every one was spam. But did they succeed?

No way no how! You see, what these idiots fail to realize is that I have to approve every and any comment that will appear on this site. With their pill popping, sex peddling links just itching to get onto this site, I did what I had to do…. marked every comment as spam and blocked the IP addresses of the spammers from ever coming to this site again. And the denial of service attacks will not work either, as I have special protection against this foolishness too.

I am protecting this site from the foul comments that are not fit for anyone to read. Birding In Maine is visited by birders of all ages, and I will not allow this filth to ruin what I have worked so hard to accomplish.

This message is basically for the lug heads who performed the actions against this site today. As you ill minded imbeciles can see, it does not work! GO AWAY!

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Hoodies Galore

Today was a much better bird watching day than yesterday, but clouds put a damper on the photography.

Our journey took us to Camp Ellis, where Mallards and Common Loons were plentiful. And of all things, there were people in the parking lot feeding the seagulls fudge! I think gulls leave enough of a mess without having to add fudge to the mix.

We then headed to Pine Point, where as always, Horned Grebes were the dominate species. Plenty of Old Squaw and Common Eiders floated around feeding in the harbor. Several birders with scopes lined the pier behind the lobster pound.

Our final destination was the Scarborough Marsh, where Hooded Mergansers were more than plentiful. I counted approx. 40 individuals, male and female. I managed to snap a few shots when the sun tried peeking out behind the clouds and the results are below. Click a thumbnail for a larger view.

 

I received a report from the Maine Bird List that a beautiful Northern Pintail in breeding plummage was spotted in the Cape Neddick River near York, Maine. Seems the fella was in love with a female Mallard. Maltail or Pinlard anyone? More and more species are moving north folks, keep an eye out and let us know what you are seeing.

Happy birding!

Technorati Tags: bird watching, birders, Bird, birding

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