A blustery birdwalk on Saturday was warmed up by a flock of 15 Pine Grosbeaks and some Common Redpolls at Pratt’s Brook Park in Yarmouth. In the calm before the storm on Sunday, I debated between looking for vagrants seeking food and shelter in Portland-area migrant traps, or heading inland looking for waterfowl and irruptives. I chose the latter. I should have chosen the former!

I’ve been meaning to make the time to do a Bowdoinham-Sabattus-Auburn loop, and so that’s where I headed today. My fear was that I would find more ice and birds; my fear was realized. The Bowdoinham town landing and the mouth of the Abagadasset were frozen, with only a handful of distant ducks visible in the heat shimmer off of Brown’s Point Rd, including 26 Common Mergansers. Six more Common Mergs were in the river at the Richmond Town Landing, but then I turned west towards Sabattus, looking for shrikes and frugivores along the way. I was surprised to find that deep Sabattus Pond was just about completely frozen, with the only waterfowl being 102 Canada Geese and 10 Mallards sleeping on the ice off of Sawyer Rd.

Heading into the “twin cities,” I encountered a flock of 75 Cedar Waxwings – the largest flock of this species that I have seen in a while – feeding on crabapples next to the Bates College campus along College Street, while 113 Mallards and 2 American Black Ducks had congregated in Andrews Pond. I then checked a few sites along the Androscoggin River, where there was too LITTLE ice, and therefore nothing to concentrate ducks at various rips and rapids. A few Common Goldeneyes, Common Mergansers, American Black Ducks, and 2 Hooded Mergansers were noted at various stops including the Androscoggin River Preserve and along Switzerland Road below the Gulf Island Dam.

My most productive stop of the morning was my last – the Auburn riverwalk. 177 Mallards and 6 American Black Ducks were loafing along the shore. I always make a point of checking flocks of Mallards at this time of year, as they can easily have lingering individuals of various other species (not to mention the fact that they are darn pretty birds!). Two more Common Goldeneyes were in the river as well.

I was thinking that I couldn’t possibly go an entire morning without seeing any boreal irruptives this season, could I? “Phew!” I thought, as a flock of about 30 Bohemian Waxwings flew overhead. Soon thereafter a single Common Redpoll dropped into the top of a riverside birch. I then made a quick loop around the Auburn-Lewiston Airport, in case and big, white owls were hanging out. And finally this morning, as I headed into the store, I spotted a lingering American Kestrel on a telephone wire along Rte 202/4/100, just north of the Cumberland/Androscoggin County line.

Today’s New York Times had an excellent article about the issue of feral cats and their impact on birds, with a taste of the political and social issues also involved, including the resolution – or lackthereof – in the case of the birder who shot a feral cat that was hunting endangered species in Texas. I think it was a very good article, and more than worth the read.

Also in the NYT was coverage of the latest edition of the Audubon Watchlist of endangered and threatened birds.

So, it looks like we’re going to be getting a bona fide winter storm tonight and tomorrow! Bring it on, I say! Personally, I love snowstorms, and will be happy to get the cross-country skies dusted off. Also, I would expect a great couple of days of feederwatching, especially if this snowfall is as significant as some models are predicting. Top off those feeders, grab a cup of tea/coffee/hot buttered rum, sit back, and enjoy! Birds will be sensing the pressure drop today, and will be tanking up in advance of the storm. In lulls of the storm tomorrow, I would expect good activity, as birds fuel up for the night. Tuesday morning could also be quite good, as birds replenish depleted reserves. I’ll post my feeder lists here, and I’d love to hear what everyone else has been seeing. Enjoy!