After canceling plans with Mike to head farther a-field today due to predicted snowfall – which as of 2:30pm, had yet to arrive - Jeannette and I decided to spend the first hours of the day seawatching at Dyer Point in Cape Elizabeth. Dovekies, Jeannette’s nemesis, were our goal.

However, in addition to the lack of snow, this morning also failed to deliver its predicted northeasterly winds. Instead, the winds were light out of the north, less conducive to a good seabird show.

In fact, there wasn’t a whole lot going on offshore at all. 11 Harlequin Ducks rode the surf, while 5 Purple Sandpipers foraged on the rocks. In the next hour, we remained glued to our scopes, straining our eyes for a bird the size of a starling somewhere out in the surf and shimmer. No Dovekies were to be seen today, and only six Razorbills were spotted. 10 Red-necked Grebes, a handful of all three scoters, and some Long-tailed Ducks, and the rest of the expected cast of characters passed by as well. 3 of the 5 Great Cormorants that we saw were already in full breeding-plumage; spring can’t be that far away!

At nearby Kettle Cove, we enjoyed the 10 Brant loafing on the small patch of snow-free grass. Although this group has been present here for about 2 weeks, this is the first of this species that Jeannette and I have seen this year. 4 Horned Larks foraged along the margins of the parking lot.

The highlight of my walk around Crescent Beach State Park was a flyover by a light morph Rough-legged Hawk, and an even closer adult male Northern Harrier. I enjoyed this, but the local crows did not.

I then headed over to Two Lights State Park with some trepidation. Jeannette had left to head to the store, and I was afraid that I would turn up a Dovekie here – resulting in another trip to the dog house, no doubt. Lucky for me, I did not see a Dovekie, or much else for that matter. A male Northern Harrier, quite possibly the same bird from earlier made a very close pass, which provided a great ending to the morning’s outing.