It looks like winter weather has arrived here in Maine, and I for one, am quite happy about it. Hopefully, it will last . . .

Jeannette and I enjoyed a wintry hike in the cold air and snow-dusted woods of Camden Hills State Park yesterday. We spent the morning hiking around the park. As expected this time of year, few birds were encountered in the woods, but we had a very pleasant surprise as we summitted Mount Battie.

Crossbills! In the distance, we heard some chatter of a flock of birds. By the time the synapses finally fired up and we realized that the calls were from a flock of 18 White-winged Crossbills, they were now passing overhead, heading south over the summit. We just got our bins on the tail end of the flock, as they disappeared into the distance. Then, a short while later, when we were just below the summit, we heard – but this time did not see – a Red Crossbill as it also passed overhead. There are some finches around this year!

After lunch in Camden – and a quick check of the harbor area, we slowly meandered south, checking a number of coastal sites along the way. We explored a few side roads in Camden and Rockport, with Lily Pond (2 Hooded Mergansers and 4 Bufflehead today) being a site worth remembering, along with the Rockport Marine Park, which gave me a “good bird someday” vibe.

We birded Rockland Harbor for a while, but gull numbers were not very large yet. The highlight were two Razorbills off of the Breakwater, and lots of Black Guillemots and Long-tailed Ducks from most viewing locations.

An active pocket of birds at Owl’s Head Light State Park included 8-10 Dark-eyed Juncos and 1 Song Sparrow, but also a late Yellow-rumped Warbler, along with Black-capped Chickadees and Golden-crowned Kinglets, of course.

A quick stop at Owl’s Head Harbor yielded more of the same waterbirds that we had been enjoying all day, but by now the light was fading fast. I do love winter, but I wouldn’t mind if the sun set a little later!

And, the wintry feel to the air and to the birding was definitely reinforced today, when I finally was forced to break out the parka, lined jeans, and insulated boots for the morning’s outing (temps were in the teens, with a noticeable wind chill). Plus, this was my first walk of the season at Hedgehog Mountain Park that failed to produce anything other than resident birds – yup, winter is here!