On a cold, mid-winter morning, there is little that I enjoy more than a visit to Freeport’s Winslow Park. And this morning was no exception.

Waterfowl are abundant at Winslow in winter. In another few weeks, as the ice of the upper rivers, bays, and coves freeze, ducks will be even more concentrated here. At the tip of the park, between the park and Pound of Tea Island, a strong current keeps the water open in all but the coldest of seasons. While there isn’t too much ice on the bay yet, there are still plenty of ducks around Winslow right now.

This morning, two huge flocks of Common Eiders totaled at least 3,000 birds – an impressive sight. Among about 1,000 of them, at the tip of the park, I found a needle in a haystack – a Common Eider of the northern “borealis” subspecies. The drakes of this subspecies differ by having an orange-yellow shield (instead of the pea green) above the bill that tapers to a fine point (as opposed to rounded on the “regular” eiders). Borealis Common Eiders are very rare south of Downeast Maine, but they are probably a bit more regular than reports would suggest (how many of us really take the time to look at Eider noses – I know I usually don’t!). They breed in high Arctic Canada, and are sometimes known as “Arctic” or “Northern” Common Eider.

And of course, there are the local Barrow’s Goldeneyes. I have mentioned these gorgeous ducks a few times before, but I will mention them again – and likely mention them again and again for the next few months. For one thing, I like them. Two, they’re absolutely stunning. And three, they’re not all that common. In fact, the flock that overwinters at Winslow Park is the southernmost wintering flock on the East Coast. Last year, I had up to 24 birds at one time, with the high count coming in the midst of a deep freeze in late February. Today, I had my largest count so far this season - 15 ¾. 9 adult males, 1 subadult male, and 5 females, along with a continuing hybrid that appears (after some lengthy discussion with a number of excellent birders) to be a hybrid between a Common and a Barrow’s Goldeneye that then backcrossed with a Barrow’s – or so we hypothesize anyway.

And let’s not forget the dozens of Mallards, American Black Ducks, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneyes, and Red-breasted Mergansers, as well as Long-tailed Ducks, Canada Geese, Surf Scoters, Common Loons, the occasional Bald Eagle and all sorts of other fun things.