Yesterday’s Greater Portland Christmas Bird Count was a great success, with a preliminary total of 101 species being recorded. Ridiculously mild weather helped to increase participation and coverage, while the complete lack of ice or snow allowed many species (especially waterfowl) to linger much later than usual. Some great birds were found by the group as a whole (I’ll summarize this for Thursday’s Southcoastal Maine Rare Bird Alert), and my effort on the Portland Peninsula was extremely fruitful.

I began at dawn on the Eastern Promenade, birded lots on the East End, walked the piers of the Old Port, birded West Commercial Street and along the new Commercial Street extension, along with the Western Promenade, Western Cemetery, a few blocks of the West End, and finished up at Deering Oaks Park. In 5 1/3 hours, I covered 7 miles by foot, and 7.6 miles by car. Despite being confined to the urban Portland Peninsula, I managed to tease out 35 species.

I had the highest totals for Rock Pigeon, Northern Cardinal, and House Sparrow. I also lucked into the 2nd count records of Orange-crowned Warbler and Chipping Sparrow – great birds indeed. I couldn’t find my Baltimore Oriole from Friday’s scouting, but I think I made up for it! Plus, the fact that I was participating in a CBC in Maine without a jacket on was amazing – we just missed another new record high, falling a degree short at 52F. Actually, I thought it was TOO nice – a CBC isn’t the same without a little suffering!

Here’s the tally for my section:

American Black Duck: 4
Mallard: 36
American Black Duck x Mallard hybrid: 1
Common Eider: 80
Long-tailed Duck: 115
Bufflehead: 42
Common Goldeneye: 1
Hooded Merganser: 1
Red-breasted Merganser: 119
Common Loon: 1
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT: 1
TURKEY VULTURE: 1; one of three on the day; only 1 previous Portland CBC record.
Cooper’s Hawk: 1
Ring-billed Gull: 172
Herring Gull: 407
Great Black-backed Gull: 34
Rock Pigeon: 387 (count high)
Mourning Dove: 1
Downy Woodpecker: 2
Blue Jay: 6
American Crow: 56
Black-capped Chickadee: 31
Tufted Titmouse: 3
American Robin: 2
Northern Mockingbird: 4
European Starling: 230
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER: 1 (2nd Count Record)
American Tree Sparrow: 5
CHIPPING SPARROW: 1 (2nd Count Record)
Song Sparrow: 15
White-throated Sparrow: 3
Northern Cardinal: 23 (count high)
House Finch: 35
American Goldfinch: 57
House Sparrow: 351 (count high)

One of the highlights from the other groups were 4 Dovekies and a Pacific Loon off of Two Lights State Park. Therefore, Jeannette – still seeking her lifer Dovekie – and I went down there this morning, meeting up with E.J. and Hannah, and Lysle, and Luke and Stella – a party at Two Lights S.P.! No Dovekies there though, but a steady flight of Razorbills was nice, and although we didn’t see the Pacific Loon, E.J, Jeannette, Hannah, and I studied a smallish, dark, small-billed-looking Common Loon for quite some time.

Then, Jeannette headed into the store, while I dilly-dallied a little longer. The rest of us then went to Dyer Point, where two Dovekies were within a few feet of the shore – crippling views of this deep-water surf nymph. (Jeannette is not real happy with me at the moment!)

After taking Sasha for a good run at Scarborough Beach State Park, I visited Grondin and Prout’s Ponds to check out the diversity of ducks that have been lingering here. I checked out the hen Canvasback at Grondin – my first of the entire year in Maine, and enjoyed the diversity at Prout’s: 3 late Gadwall, a late pair of American Wigeon, a late pair of Ring-necked Ducks, 10 Hooded Mergansers, 9 American Black Ducks, 2 Canada Geese, 1 Common Merganser, and 1 Mallard.

Two great days of birding!