These tarrying drake Green-winged Teal were snoozing in the Mallard flock along the Auburn Riverwalk on the 16th (above) and at Mill Creek Cove in South Portland on the 18th (below). I don’t like to disturb birds, so I have lots of sleeping duck photos! I enjoy the calmness of it, and one can really take in the intricacies of the rest of the plumage that way.
A frigid start to the week yielded to a warming trend by week’s end. Will we see a “stirring of the pot” with the warm-up and upcoming storm system? My observations of note from the past seven days included concentrating waterfowl and a brutal, but productive day on the Southern York County CBC. Here are the highlights:
- 1 drake BARROW’S GOLDENEYE (first of season locally), Broad Cove Preserve, Cumberland, 12/13 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
- Southern York County CBC, 12/15: Moody Sector with Jeannette:
2,168 individuals of 54 species, led by 440 Mallards, 272 Canada Geese, and 258 European Starlings. Landbirds – especially resident “yard birds” – and oceanfront waterbirds were insanely low, even given challenges of a bitter cold day with strong winds. Almost all landbirds besides starlings, Rock Pigeon, House Sparrow, and Song Sparrow were very low for us. Exceptions include a very high count of 23 Yellow-rumped Warblers (Ogunquit Beach dunes) and a total of 28 Horned Larks. Nonetheless, our roster of notable birds was above recent average, with highlights including:
_2_ ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS (been a long time for us in this territory! Only 2nd time there was been more than on on this CBC!) one dark morph (probable immature) and 1 light morph immature, both seen soaring and hunting late in the afternoon from the north end of the Footbridge parking lot. Dark-morph spotted around 2:30pm, and seen again at about 3:30pm when the light morph appeared. We lost the dark morph, but the light bird eventually glided overhead and disappeared over the treeline, heading south.
1 KILLDEER, Ogunquit River Marsh from Bourne Ave
2 hen and 1 drake NORTHERN PINTAIL, Ogunquit Rivermouth
2+ Red Crossbills, flying over Bourne Ave.
1 Savannah Sparrow, Furbish Ave.
13 Sanderlings, Ogunquit Beach.
- 2+ Fish Crows, Anniversary Park, Auburn, and 2-3 along Auburn Riverwalk, 12/16 (see last week’s Highlights for a FICR discussion).
- 1 drake GREEN-WINGED TEAL, Auburn Riverwalk, 12/16. Photo above.
- 16 Snow Buntings, North River Road (in parking lot next to boat launch), Auburn, 12/16.
- 1 Swamp Sparrow, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 12/17
- 1 Evening Grosbeak, here at the store, 12/17.
- 2 drake GADWALLS, 1 continuing pair Green-winged Teal, and 1 1st-cycle Iceland Gull, Mill Creek Cove, South Portland, 12/18 (photos above and below).
This hen Green-winged Teal, her plumage no less detailed and intricate than the male’s, was also dozing at Mill Creek Cove on the 18th. She woke up and took a swim though!
Maine Birding Field Notes 