Although our Saturday morning birdwalk was not very birdy, it was very instructive. After seeing surprisingly few birds, we sat down at the computer when we returned to the store and tested our hypothesis by viewing the overnight radar images. My suspicions were confirmed – some birds departed, but almost nothing arrived overnight. The highlight was an Eastern Towhee at the Sligo Rd Property in Yarmouth, as we spent the morning exploring a couple of “new” locations.

Meanwhile, light rain and drizzle continued throughout the day (so much for the prediction of partly sunny skies and rain not developing until nightfall). Dane survived 6 damp hours, with limited visibility at the Bradbury Mountain Hawkwatch before calling it quits, without a single migrant raptor tallied. Sunday was a complete washout. The good news, however, is that the next two days (Monday and Tuesday) look fantastic for a good hawk flight, and since the birds have been backed up for 2 days, I expect some fun and excitement. We’re still 39 birds away from the 3,000 milestone, and the weather this weekend will allow me to be present for #3,000, which should pass sometime late Monday morning, me thinks.

But, as for Sunday morning, well, it wasn’t very nice out! Periods of rain, heavy at times, precluded the movement of any migrants overnight, and drizzle, fog, and a raw easterly wind (with temperatures only in the mid-40’s) greeted our first seasonal, Sunday morning Eastern Promenade Birdwalk, with the Friends of the Eastern Promenade.

I must say, I was very impressed by the hardiness of the 22 (and ½!) folks who turned out for the outing despite the conditions. While only 11 “survived” to the end, the group should be congratulated for their dedication.

Despite these aforementioned conditions, we spotted 24 species, included 8 Laughing Gulls – my first of the spring in the Casco Bay area – roosting on the train bridge. Today was not about a big list, however, but simply getting to know the birds and habitat of the Prom, so scope views of copulating Ospreys, courtship-begging by Northern Mockingbirds, and singing Song Sparrows were just as important.

We also were looking at the various plants that are both valuable for birds – non-native crabapple and native American Mountain Ash for examples - and destructive to the overall quality of the habitat here, including invasive Japanese Knotweed and Oriental/Asiatic Bittersweet (yup, I ranted about invasive plants yet again; go figure!) Some lingering Long-tailed Ducks (about 15) and 4 Red-breasted Mergansers, along with Common Eiders and others in the water offshore were examples of the diverse birding opportunities afforded by this urban oasis.

The survivors of my march returned to the Gazebo at Fort Allen Park to enjoy hot coffee and treats graciously provided by some local businesses. We also discussed the habitat of the Prom, and the weather and geography factors that influence the birding at this locale. We’ll be doing three more of these walks, one each season, and the next one is scheduled for Sunday, July 20th, to increase awareness of the birding potential of one of my favorite “patches,” and also to increase awareness of the issues involving the management of this park for both birds and birding (readers of this blog and/or participants of my birdwalks have heard this soapboxing before!). Hopefully, the weather will be nicer next time!

By the way, since I had directed some of the participants in this morning’s walk to various links for more information about some of the topics we discussed this morning, I thought I would make it easy and list some of the more pertinent ones here for quick reference:
“Patch Listing Revisited” blog entry.

“Birding by Radar Tutorial” blog entry.

My (and my colleague’s) article on invasive plants and birds/birding from North American Birds journal.

And, in the shameless self-promotion category, my upcoming trips and tours, including our ride to Outer Green Island aboard the Lucky Catch in June.