Popham Beach Birding

The days are beginning to get shorter now that the first day of summer has passed. With the sun still rising a few minutes before 5 a.m. and the roads tourist-free, Sharon and I headed to Popham Beach for some bird watching.

A fog bank played tag with the coast line, but the sun eventually won out and clear skies prevailed. The tide was coming in, thus fishermen, Harbor Seals and Double-Crested Cormorants took advantage of the concentration of fish in the current. Seagulls screamed at each other for who knows why, and a pair of Fish Crows explored a moored boat.

We watched Harbor Seals surface, looking like a lost puppy dog, then rolling over to disappear into the cold waters of the sea. (This mornings water temperature was 52° F.) A lone adult Bald Eagle flew in from one of the islands with a Herring Gull in hot pursuit. Later, from the opposite direction, an Osprey flew by close enough to get good views.

Not a particularly birdy morning, but good enough for a day that was supposed to be rainy.

• Double-Crested Cormorants
• Bald Eagle (adult)
• Osprey
• Least Terns
• Common Eiders
• Black Ducks
• Great Blue Heron
• Snowy Egrets
• Eastern Phoebe
• Red-Winged Blackbirds (+fledglings)
• Northern Cardinal
• Northern Mockingbird
• Gray Catbird
• Black-Capped Chickadee
• Bluejay

Some scenes from this morning, including Osprey, Harbor Seal and some wildflowers.

 

Happy birding!

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