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Birding Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Maine

April 23, 2007

During the last two weeks, my wife and I have been very busy with visits to Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. Of course, we found time to do some birding in these locals and we were not disappointed with the bird activity despite the horrendous weather.

Last weekend, we visited Presque Isle State Park in Erie, PA. and saw tens of thousands of Red-Breasted Mergansers, Lesser and Greater Scaup, Buffleheads, Coots, Canada Geese and Grebes. We enjoyed a total of 3 hours of sunshine last Saturday morning, which allowed me to photograph most of the above species. After that, snow, rain and wind greeted anyone brave enough to venture into the park.

Our return trip from the Keystone State was a journey through every type of weather imaginable! On the New York Thruway, between Buffalo and Albany, a raging snowstorm kept traffic to a crawl with numerous accidents. Once entering Massachusetts on the MassPike, heavy rain and high winds wracked us and persisted the rest of the way home. Maine was a disaster area, with homes washed into the sea, downed trees and powerlines which led to power outages affecting 300,000 homes and businesses and major flooding. It was a mess! I saw a dead seagull entangled in powerlines on Pool Street here in Biddeford, and another dead gull laying in a yard. I recorded a 68 m.p.h. wind gust here at home, which in turn, knocked over my instrument tower. No damage was done.

This past weekend, we birded the Biddeford Pool area on Saturday and then made a trip to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island in Massachusetts on Sunday. Activity was light all around this weekend, but the weather was beautiful.

Below are photographs I took over the last 2 weeks. Simply click a thumbnail for a larger view. Comments and criticisms are always welcomed.

Presque Isle State Park - Erie Pennsylvania

Flight of the Bufflehead - Presque Isle, Erie, Pennsylvania. Bufflehead Pair - Presque Isle, Erie, Pennsylvania. Canada Goose Profile - Presque Isle, Erie, Pennsylvania.
Female Red-Breasted Merganser - Presque Isle, Erie, Pennsylvania. Horned Grebe (Breeding Plummage) - Presque Isle, Erie, Pennsylvania. Horned Grebe (Breeding Plummage) - Presque Isle, Erie, Pennsylvania.
Horned Grebe (Breeding Plummage) - Presque Isle, Erie, Pennsylvania. Horned Grebe Flight (Breeding Plummage) - Presque Isle, Erie, Pennsylvania. Horned Grebe Molting (Breeding Plummage) - Presque Isle, Erie, Pennsylvania.
Lesser Scaup Pair - Presque Isle, Erie, Pennsylvania. Lesser and Greater Scaup - Presque Isle, Erie, Pennsylvania. Lesser Scaup - Presque Isle, Erie, Pennsylvania.

 

Biddeford Pool, Maine

Which end is up? - Black Duck Pair - Granite Point, Biddeford Pool, Maine. Whitetail Deer - Biddeford Pool, Maine. House Finch - Biddeford Pool, Maine.
Male Common Loon - Camp Ellis, Maine. Male Common Loon - Camp Ellis, Maine. Northern Mockingbird - Biddeford Pool, Maine.
Mourning Dove - Biddeford Pool, Maine. Snowy Egret - Granite Point, Biddeford Pool, Maine. Singing Song Sparrow - Biddeford Pool, Maine.

 

PRNWR - Plum Island, Massachusetts

Female American Goldfinch - PRNWR, Plum Island, Massachusetts. Female American Goldfinch - PRNWR, Plum Island, Massachusetts. Grackle - PRNWR, Plum Island, Massachusetts.
Greater Yellow Legs Pair - PRNWR, Plum Island, Massachusetts. Brown-Headed Cowbird - PRNWR, Plum Island, Massachusetts. Brown-Headed Cowbird Displaying - PRNWR, Plum Island, Massachusetts.
Male American Goldfinch - PRNWR, Plum Island, Massachusetts. Male Red-Winged Blackbird Displaying - PRNWR, Plum Island, Massachusetts. Mute Swan - PRNWR, Plum Island, Massachusetts.
Snowy Egret - PRNWR, Plum Island, Massachusetts. Snowy Egret Pair - PRNWR, Plum Island, Massachusetts.

 

Happy birding!

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