This morning’s destination was Biddeford Pool. Light snow began to fall soon after I arrived. It was cold, temperatures were only around 20. It was gray. It felt like, looked like, and smelled like winter in Maine. It just had that feel of a day meant for sightings of Shrikes, Redpolls, alcids, Rough-legged Hawks, and maybe even a Gyrfalcon! It was a day to look for birds from the north.

I began at East Point Sanctuary, searching through hundreds of Common Eiders, hoping to find a King Eider. No luck. One Razorbill fed close to shore and at least 4 Black Guillemots loafed on the calm ocean waters. On the exposed rocks offshore a flock of about 75 Purple Sandpipers were scattered by a hunting Northern Harrier.

A lone Snow Bunting flew over the neighborhood, and one Yellow-rumped Warbler foraged in some Pitch Pines. The “bird of the day” honors goes to an immature Northern Shrike that perched atop a small tree at the corner of Ocean Avenue and L.B. Orcutt Boulevard, looking for birds or rodents in the bushes below.

Not much was to be seen at Hattie’s Deli, one male Harlequin Duck was off of Biddeford Pool Beach, and Hill’s Beach only hosted the usual cast of characters today. I poked around various access points to the Saco River – nothing out of the ordinary there, and a quick spin through Laurel Hill Cemetery produced plenty of fruit, but no fruit-eaters.

Well, I got a shrike and some alcids on this wintery day - guess a Gyrfalcon will have to wait.