Long-tailed Ducks

Friday was a beautiful mid winter day and I had no classes. What should I do for a few hours between studying? How about some bird watching!  I drove to Pine Point near Scarborough, Maine to look for my favorite duck; the Long-tailed Duck. The dock at the Lobster Co-op is a favorite place of mine to see these comical, yet beautiful, ducks. The lower dock has plenty of stacked lobster traps to get behind to use as a sort of a blind.

Once I got settled in among the traps, I was hoping the ducks would be cooperative in short order. I quickly discovered that I was not dressed warm enough to last very long in the cold and blustery conditions. Winds were gusting in the 25 to 30 mph range and the temperature hovered around 15° F. Add to that a substantial snow pack and you having the makings for a very cold morning.

Fortunately, I didn’t have a long wait. A group of six ducks were approaching the pier, their calls echoing off of the boats anchored in the harbor. I took advantage of their diving for food to ready myself, and when they bobbed to the surface, I began taking photos of the little gems. After 20 minutes of taking photos, I had enough of the cold and headed back to the car. The only thought on my mind was finding a steaming, hot cup of coffee to warm my bones.

The following list represents the birds seen at Pine Point.

Long-tailed Duck – 16
Common Loon – 8
Horned Grebe – 5
Black Guillemot – 2
Common Eider – 41
American Robin – 15
Cedar Waxwing – 7
Black-capped Chickadee – 2
Northern Cardinal – 1
Blue Jay – 4
Downy Woodpecker – 1
3rd year Bald Eagle – 1
Red-tailed Hawk – 1

The following photos may be view full-size by simply clicking a thumbnail.

The following photos are ©2010 John Briggs Photography and may not be used in any way without written permission.

Happy birding!

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