Jeannette and I squeaked in a quick hour and a half of seawatching this morning at Dyer Point in Cape Elizabeth, as the strong northeasterly winds continue. Unfortunately for us, they were more north-northeast this morning, reducing the flight of seabirds. Our total from this morning:
Common Loon: 3
Unidentified loon: 1
Sooty Shearwater: 1
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel: 15
Unidentified storm-petrel: 1
Northern Gannet: 27
Double-crested Cormorant: 7
Laughing Gull: 2
Roseate Tern: 3
Common Tern: 18
Black Guillemot: 3
Razorbill: 1
Unidentified waterbird: 1

Especially with the repeated sightings of a Yellow-nosed Albatross along the New England Coast (one sighting in Cape Ann, Massachusetts this week, and 2 in New Hampshire), seawatching is a good way to enjoy these otherwise wet and dreary mornings!

Some News and Notes:

Scientists in Mauritius have launched a project to discover why the Dodo became extinct.

Meanwhile, we struggle to stop other species from “going the way of the Dodo”, but the Red Knot continues to decline precipitously. Recent studies are showing a serious declining trend that is following a model published in 2004 that predicts that the Eastern North American subspecies of the Red Knot could become extinct by 2010.

On Saturday, here at the store, Jeannette and I will be welcoming Rodney Polland to our 3rd Maine Artist Feature Day. Rodney will be here from 10-4 displaying his handmade rustic, decorative birdhouses.