Bird Watching Pine Point

Clear skies and a temperature of 22 F. greeted us at Scarborough’s Pine Point this morning. Very light northwest winds made it bearable. In the distance, Mt. Washington’s snow covered peaks along with ponds in the area that are ice covered, reminded us that winters’ icy grip is not too far behind.

Sharon and I birded with Bob Malbon this morning. (Bob, by the way, has some great birding pictures at his site.) While Bob and I went one way on the beach in search of birds to photograph, Sharon strolled along the Pine Point Neck looking for Harbor Seals. With an outgoing tide concentrating fish through the neck, the Seals had a wonderful feast. Sharon saw no fewer than 21 Seals and a slew of White Winged Scoters on her side of the beach.

Meanwhile, Bob and I stalked a few Black Bellied Plovers and Dunlins. A large group of Buffleheads did not feel photogenic, and felt obligated to head for the middle of the harbor before we got within a hundred yards of them. These ducks are very difficult to get near, and most of the time, nothing short of popping up in the middle of them with a submarine will get you anywhere near them. It also does not help with duck hunting season being back in progress.

A strange sight this morning had us scratching our heads as we were driving back to Route 1 via Black Point Road. A large flock of Canada Geese were standing on the ice on a pond. This, in itself, is not unusual but among them were 4 wild Turkey. This situation had me wondering what the Turkeys were doing on the ice and what would happen if the ice broke and they fell into the water. As far as I know, Turkeys are not good swimmers.

All and all not a bad morning as you can see with the following species list.

Location:     Pine Point, Scarborough
Observation date:     11/18/07
Notes:     Clear skies, light NW winds with a morning temp of 22 F. Observers: John Briggs | Sharon Briggs | Bob Malbon
Number of species:     26

Canada Goose     22
American Black Duck     12
Mallard     3
Common Eider     8
White-winged Scoter     16
Long-tailed Duck     4
Bufflehead     30
Common Merganser     1
Red-breasted Merganser     2
Wild Turkey     7
Common Loon     4
Horned Grebe     1
Great Blue Heron     1
Black-bellied Plover     6
Semipalmated Plover     1
Dunlin     175
Mourning Dove     2
Blue Jay     4
American Crow     10
Black-capped Chickadee     5
White-breasted Nuthatch     1
Northern Mockingbird     2
Snow Bunting     9
Northern Cardinal     1
Pine Siskin     2
House Sparrow     20

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2

While nothing spectacular was photographed, I did happen across a very late Semipalmated Plover who was very friendly. Enjoy our bird pictures by clicking a thumbnail for a larger view.

Note: Sharon and I will be in Pennsylvania for the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday, until Sunday November 25th. Our bird report and any photos from the Keystone state will be the following week.

Happy birding!

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