Man, I have not been that sick for that long in quite some time! I had heard rumors that this year’s flu strain was a nasty one, and I must now concur. Anyway, I’m just happy to be (mostly) back in the game now.

Unfortunately, I still had to spend my morning indoors again, getting some minor work done on my car. Well, at least I spied two Common Grackles as they passed by the car dealership. I did take a quick look at Mill Creek Cove and Park while running another errand in South Portland, so at least there was a brief entry in my journal for the day. 212 Mallards, 2 American Black Ducks, and two hybrids thereof were in the creek, while a small number of the usual gulls were roosting in the cove.

At least the weather forecast for the upcoming week will provide ample opportunities to catch up on my birding. Sure it’s a bit cold – highs a bit below, and lows well below normal for most of the week – but, hey, it ain’t snowing (or icing!). And, with at least some sun most days – and just one or two potential very light snow events – there will be some melting going on. In fact, just yesterday, we saw our first few patches of pavement on our driveway. It must be spring! (Well, at least until this weekend, when another significant storm is being predicted. Once again, depending on its track, there’s much uncertainty about precipitation type.

So, with benign conditions over the next week, I would expect to see a very slow trickle of migrants into the area, despite the cold temperatures. We need a good warm spell and bought of southerly winds to bring in any significant numbers, but I would expect to see a slow but steady increase in Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, Brown-headed Cowbirds, and Turkey Vultures. Sea ducks are thinning out, but migrant ducks – especially dabblers – will be slowly filling in.

Also, it will be interesting to see what the irruptive species that we have been seeing so many of this winter do. Will we notice another pulse of finches and frugivores as they begin to head back north? Or, will they just slowly dissipate? Will we see big flocks of waxwings heading north, high overhead? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Furthermore, raptors will be on the move when winds are light this week, and if I get a chance I may head up to Bradbury Mountain for some early-season data. But, we’re only 5 days away from the start of the 2nd Annual Bradbury Mountain Spring Hawkwatch, sponsored by the Wild Bird Center of Yarmouth. The count kicks off on Saturday at 9:00am, but much more on this later in the week!