In the calm before the storm this morning, I birded from Biddeford Pool through Saco, and into Scarborough. I began at the East Point Sanctuary, with a short (1/2 hr) spell of seawatching. 303 Double-crested Cormorants passed during this short time, along with a handful of other things, like 2 Brant, 3 Razorbills, and my first northbound Northern Gannet of the spring.

Spiffy breeding-plumaged Horned and Red-necked Grebes were scattered along the shoreline and a lone Yellow-rumped Warbler. There was a lot of activity around the neighborhood, but not including anything unusual. My first 2 Black-bellied Plovers (still in basic plumage, except one had about 3 new black feathers on its breast!) of the spring, along with 2 Greater Yellowlegs, were in the marsh behind Hattie’s Deli, but there wasn’t much at all – other than some Bufflehead and two Common Goldeneyes in the ponds at Fortunes Rocks Beach.

After a few stops along the Saco River, I turned inland, to check the wet fields of Boom Rd in Saco. A few large puddles and muddy areas held a few nice birds, including a Pied-billed Grebe, my first Eastern Meadowlark of the spring, and an adult Snow Goose. The highlight however, was the volume of American Robins (at least 600 total) in many of the fields.

Crossing back to the Oceanside, I poked around Camp Ellis (for the “before” view - and yes, the road has been repaired just in time for this next storm), then Goosefare Brook, and then up into Scarborough Marsh. A pair of Gadwall continue behind the Pelreco building, and the out-of-place American Coot was back in the Jones Creek area. Wading birds are definitely increasing, with a total of 9 Great and 10 Snowy Egrets, and 47 Glossy Ibis (45 of which were at Dunstan Landing) in my few stops along the marsh’s south shore. But, by now the rain had begun – and it was a cold rain (which soon turned to snow), and it wasn’t nice to be out in. Plus, it was just about time for me to head back, so I called it a day.

Although I skipped Prout’s Pond today, I soon found that the Franken-Aythya (Ayhtya is the genus for Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, scaup, etc, by the way) debate has gone nationwide. Discussion on the bird’s identity is now underway on the ID-Frontiers listserve. Take a look, especially, at the comments by Chris Vogel (the first one in particular) and Louis Bevier.

So, with the – uh, let’s say, “less than pleasant” weather being predicted for the next few days, I do have a few suggestions for potentially productive birding, at least during the slightly-less-wet periods. For one, with the stiff easterly winds, seawatching may be very good. Also, as the rain falls and snow melts, we’ll see lots of fields – like those along Boom Rd – flooding. Keep an eye out for ducks and early shorebirds (like yellowlegs and snipe). Driving rural roads looking for large puddles may be a good way to find some good birds while staying dry!