Tag Archives: Killdeer

This Week’s Highlights 12/13– 12/19/2025.

Leave a reply

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!

Recent Highlights, 11/18 – 11/25, 2023

Leave a reply

In last week’s report, I complained about the dearth of vagrants in Maine this November, but that changed dramatically this week. Several rarities around the state included Maine’s first confirmed Spotted Towhee that I found at Fort Foster in Kittery on 11/19. A Prairie Warbler,  1-2 “Western” Palm Warblers, 1 Gray Catbird, 1 Hermit Thrush, Type 12 Red Crossbills, and 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet were also present that day.

Photos from myself and Luke Seitz, as well as observation notes and some information are all here:

Maine’s First Confirmed Spotted Towhee at Fort Foster!

My other observations of note over the past eight days included the following:

  • 1 Great Egret, Fore River from I-295S, South Portland, 11/19.
  • 1 SEMIPALMATED PLOVER and 1 White-rumped Sandpiper, Seapoint Beach, Kittery, 11/19.
  • 1 HOUSE WREN, 1 BLUE-HEADED VIREO, 1 Northern Flicker, and 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Bailey Island, Harpswell, 11/21 (with Jeannette).
  • Sabattus Pond, Sabattus, 11/23: 415 Ruddy Ducks, 383 Common Mergansers, 256 Mallards, 168 active mixed scaup, 105 Greater Scaup, 70 American Black Ducks, 63 Hooded Mergansers, 41 Buffleheads, 5 Ring-necked Ducks, 4 Common Goldeneyes, 2 continuing American Wigeon, 2 continuing KILLDEER, 2 Lesser Scaup, 1 continuing AMERICAN COOT, 1 American Pipit, etc.

Meanwhile, at our feeders in Durham, a nice uptick in sparrow activity including up to 14 Dark-eyed Juncos, 4 continuing White-throated and 1-2 continuing Song Sparrows, with our first American Tree Sparrow arriving on 11/22. 30+ American Goldfinches and 1-2 Purple Finches continue daily, but this week, we only had Pine Siskins in the woods and not at the feeders.

ISSUES and ADVOCACY:

The amazing birding and migration site – especially for fall “morning flights” – in the Mid-Coast is once again under direct threat. Birders need to help convince the state to find an alternative location for a massive new port and its infrastructure. Our most significant places of concentration for migratory birds need to be protected. Here is our Statement in Opposition to a New Port on Sears Island in Searsport.

Scarborough through South Portland: Signs of Spring!

1 Reply

I decided to blog about my birding outing today, if only to give people a little hope that spring is around the corner. As temperatures plummet once again this week, perhaps the knowledge that spring migration has actually begun will provide a little comfort…and warmth.

Phil McCormack and I birded from Scarborough Marsh into South Portland today, enjoying a very spring-like day (highs in the mid-40’s) and some great birding. A few “new arrivals” and continuing wintering species combined for a respectably tally of 54 species without trying – and with ending our birding at 1:30.

We began on the Eastern Road Trail. Within mere seconds of saying to Phil, “I expect some early migrant waterfowl like pintail and Gadwall today,” three drake Northern Pintails came cruising by. I love the look of pintails in flight; they’re so elegant.  The long tail, thin neck, and long, relatively narrow wings suggest a miniature loon, and they have one spiffy pattern. The sense of spring really kicked in when a Killdeer sounded off and came cruising in to an exposed muddy bank – my first of the spring, and a bit on the early side considering the abundant snow cover.

A pair of Gadwall (first of the year – although they were actually southbound) flew over Pine Point, as did at least one Snow Bunting.  Twenty-eight Common Loons were in the channel, while over on Western Beach, the dredging operation was pumping sand onto the beach, collecting a nice concentration of gulls.  Sifting through them yielded two 1st-winter Iceland and 1 1st-winter Glaucous Gull.  American Robins – overwintering birds, not northbound spring migrants – were widespread today, with a high count of 50-75 around Seavey’s Landing.

Rounding the north side of the marsh, we checked a couple of neighborhoods for frugivores, before arriving at Kettle Cove.  At Two Lights State Park, a raft of 150 Black Scoter loafed offshore, with 18 Harlequin Ducks in the surf.  A Porcupine at the edge of the parking lot was the star of the show, however.
DSC_0031_Porcupine1a,TwoLightsSP,2-23-14

Ten more Harlequin Ducks and a Northern Shrike (an immature; my 6th of the winter) at Dyer Point were signs of the continuing winter, but a Black Guillemot in full breeding plumage was suggestive of the advancing season.

Moving into South  Portland, a Red-bellied Woodpecker was among the usual denizens at Trout Brook Preserve, but Mill Creek and Mill Creek Cove were hopping!  286 Mallards and a growing legion of American Black Ducks were joined by a single drake Green-winged Teal, our third “FOY” of the day!  Meanwhile, the gull turnover in the cove eventually amounted to eight 1st-winter Iceland Gulls and two or three 1st-winter Glaucous Gulls.

But perhaps our last stop provided the “bird of the day:”
lunch…the fried chicken and waffle from Hot Suppa!