Jeannette and I began the day yesterday at Reid State Park. Reid was very productive this day, with a good mix of migrant landbirds, lingering shorebirds, and newly arriving seabirds.

As we walked down the road to Todd’s Head (closed to vehicles at this time of year), we hit a couple of pockets of migrants. LOTS of Yellow-rumped Warblers and Golden-crowned Kinglets were joined by a few Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and a single Blackpoll Warbler. A smattering of Red-breasted Nuthatches and Hermit Thrushes were mixed in as well. Brushy areas, especially at the edges of the saltmarsh, had good numbers of sparrows: lots of White-throats, Song, and especially Dark-eyed Juncos. We spotted our first Fox Sparrow of the season, and we noted a late Chipping Sparrow as well.

The sandbars and mudflats at the mouth of the Little River held 12 Greater Yellowlegs and 14 Black-bellied Plovers, and at least one Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow was in the spartina. A total of 6 “Ipswich” Savannah Sparrows were in the dunes, a very good count of this uncommon migrant. A large flock of about 175 Sanderling raced the waves along the beach, with one lone Dunlin feeling a touch out-of-place among them.

Meanwhile, the water was getting busier: Horned (our first of the season) and Red-necked Grebes, Common Loons, and three Long-tailed Ducks joined growing numbers of Common Eider and all three scoters. Overhead, a Merlin and an American Kestrel passed by, heading south.

We then headed west to Sabattus Pond. Sabattus Pond is one of the best places in this area to observe waterfowl, especially the cute (scientifically speaking) Ruddy Duck. And, it did not disappoint yesterday. In addition to 227 Ruddy Ducks, we tallied 8 other species: Mallard (68), American Black Duck (17), Greater Scaup (27), Hooded Merganser (10), Red-breasted Mergansers (6), our first three Common Goldeneyes of the season, and one Lesser Scaup. However, a large, distant raft of about 115 scaup may have all been Lessers, but were just too far to be sure.

If the arrival of so many ducks wasn’t enough to convince me winter was closing in, I had loads of Dark-eyed Juncos and my first SNOW Bunting of the season at Hedgehog Mountain Park this morning.