Birding in a winter landscape

After a period of above normal temperatures, Mainers awoke to a fresh covering of snow, gusty winds and bitter temps Friday morning. Birds were flocking to area feeders in droves to replenish their energy for the short-lived cold snap. Forecasts call for above normal temperatures once again for the week ahead. (From reading posts in several professional weather forums, winter will come back and persist beginning the end of this month.)

My wife and I birded both Granite Point and the Gut at Pines Landing in Biddeford Pool these past two weekends. Etherington Pond held quite a few Bufflehead’s and some Ring-Necked Ducks last weekend, but this weekend all ponds in the area were frozen over, including the pannes at Granite Point. Makes it a little difficult for waterfowl to feed in a frozen pond. Curtis Cove held a few White-Winged Scoters, a Surf Scoter and quite a few Red-Breasted Mergansers and Common Eiders.

This Saturday morning and today, we birded the Gut at Pines Landing and saw the following:

• 100+ Common Eider
• 12 Common Loons
• 9 Horned Grebes
• 2 Red-Necked Grebes
• 4 Old Squaw (Long-Tailed Ducks)
• 3 White-Winged Scoters
• 4 Surf Scoters
• 7 Golden Eyes
• 30+ Canada Geese (South-eastern side of Stage Island)
• 20+ Bufflehead’s
• 10+ red-Breasted Mergansers
• 1 Double-Crested Cormorant (Eastern end of Great Pond)

Hunters kept the waterfowl flying, sometimes coming full speed up the Gut into Biddeford Pool. Not a bad two weekends birding, although the windchill yesterday required us to flee to our car for a period of needed warmth.

Below are a few pictures taken from Biddeford Pool and from our backyard. Click a thumbnail for a larger photo.

 

Happy birding!

Technorati Tags: Mainer, Birds, weather, winter, birded, Biddeford Pool, Ducks, waterfowl

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