It’s been a rather busy few days, and combined with the rather sloppy weather, has limited my birding – much to my dismay. Originally, Jeannette and I were planning to take a couple of days off to go to Belfast. With the weather, and some important business at hand, we postponed that trip to next week. As the weather forecast continued to decline – from a traveling perspective – this idea was looking better and better.

On Tuesday, Jeannette and I stuck close to home, spending a couple of hours out and about in the morning. (14 Pine Grosbeaks were in the crabapples at the Pine Tree Academy on Pownal Rd as we headed out, by the way.) We decided to check two “new” spots. First up was Hidden Pond preserve in Freeport. This park looks like it holds a lot of potential for migrants, and perhaps localized breeders. But, it sure didn’t shine this day: 1 bird – a heard-only American Crow – in 35 minutes of wandering.

The next stop was a trail off of Bunganuc Rd in Brunswick that I believe is owned by the local land trust. Although the woods weren’t very birdy today, as expected for the season, the 20-minute walk out to Maquoit Bay was enjoyable, and the view of the water was superb. Over 100 American Black Ducks and 50+ Red-breasted Mergansers, along with smaller numbers of Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, and Long-tailed Ducks were present, and I am intrigued about this overlooks potential for closer views of shorebirds at low tide (and therefore not visible from Wharton Point) in the proper season. We also flushed two Ruffed Grouse from the promontory.

Meanwhile, light snow continued to fall. At least in Pownal, it never completely turned to rain – as predicted – and we ended up with a total of 3 very heavy and slushy inches, which was a real pain in the butt to clear from the driveway!

During the course of the day, we kept a feeder list at home, which we continued on Wednesday morning:
18 American Goldfinch
8+ Black-capped Chickadees
8 Wild Turkeys (where was the rest of the flock today?)
3 Morning Doves (this was surprising, considering we have been seeing over 40 in the yard daily. A pile of MODO feathers near the feeders this morning may have something to do with our depressed count!)
2-4 Red-breasted Nuthatches
2 Hairy Woodpeckers
2 Downy Woodpeckers
2+ Tufted Titmice
2 White-breasted Nuthatches
1 lone Common Redpoll, hanging out with the goldfinches.

So, speaking of feeder birds, next weekend is the Great Backyard Bird Count (more on this next week). To help you prepare for this, we will be hosting a free workshop here at the store this Saturday at 11:00am. We’ll discuss the how-to’s and why-to’s of the GBBC, and we’ll use slides to practice our common feeder bird identification. Free shad-grown, organic, bird-friendly coffee will be served.

The weather got even sloppier on Wednesday, as rain – with temperatures in the mid 30’s – began to fall in the morning. Temperatures began to fall, but we only saw a few moments of snow, as rain fell throughout mid-afternoon, making for a nice slushy mess in the parking lot.

The next storm system arrived overnight, and 8 inches were on the ground in Pownal by morning. Therefore, another morning was spent clearing the driveway – with some more feeder-watching before and after.

Here at the store, our feeders are quite active as well – as expected with a heavy snow. In addition to our regulars – including our continuing Carolina Wren – two American Robins (apparently males from the Maritimes based on their brick-red chests and blacker backs) have been feasting on Black Chokeberry in the garden.

So, with more snow on the way, it looks like feeder-watching will be productive for the next few days, so keep an eye out. Also, with the volume of American Robins (birds that are now arriving from points north) around, along with continuing numbers of Pine Grosbeaks and Bohemian Waxwings, any and all fruit trees should be watched closely.

Yup, winter has returned. With a vengeance!

Meanwhile, there’s some good news for Albatrosses and other pelagic birds, as “fishing fleets around the world have agreed to use measures to prevent hooking albatross and other seabirds whose numbers are declining.”