Yesterday, I enjoyed the balmy (a new record high of 55 in Portland) day and spent the morning walking my long loop around Pownal (6-7 miles). I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of activity, with lots of Black-capped Chickadees, Golden-crowned Kinglets, and the usual winter residents out and about. A flock of 20+ Wild Turkeys were fun to watch, and two flyover Purple Finches were the first that I have seen in a couple of weeks.

Today, I spent the morning scouting the Portland Peninsula for tomorrow’s Christmas Bird Count. The bird of the morning was a Baltimore Oriole that I found in the same Sheridan Street lot that produced the Yellow-breasted Chat earlier this fall – this place has been on fire this fall! Hopefully, I’ll be able to refind the oriole tomorrow, and I wouldn’t mind a better look than I had today (there was one view that seemed to suggest that there was a lot of white in the wing. . . hmmmm.)

I checked a number of other lots in the East End. Since you can’t possibly check every single nook and cranny during a CBC, scouting in the days before help to refine your route to maximize you time in the most productive places. These places often change from year to year, and besides, since this is only my fourth time doing this section, I am still refining my route. I then scouted some of the piers of Old Port, and some of the side streets in the West End (looking for active feeders in particular).

I checked Deering Oaks Park, hoping to see where the resident Red-tailed Hawks were hanging out, but I was happy to see open water in the park this year – which will bolster my Mallard, American Black Duck, and Ring-billed Gull counts tomorrow. I also checked here and there for where the rambunctious European Starling flock is feeding these days (on Hawthorns on Munjoy Hill).

Finally, while multi-tasking in Old Port (checking gardens and courtyards while Christmas Shopping), I spotted a Peregrine Falcon overhead.