Birding the Northeast

Portland Head Light

The temperature was 9 degrees when I checked the weather in Portland, Maine the day before my trip. Yikes. I had a crazy weekend planned in the city. I scored a great deal on a flight and rental car for the weekend, so like a rational person I decided to go to Maine in the winter. My plan was to spend Friday afternoon looking for the first ever ABA record of Great Black Hawk that had been seen in a local park, then try to get Snowy Owl at the Portland Jetport. What I didn't realize was that the sun starts setting around 4 PM, and I got off the plane after 3. I was exhausted after getting up at 4:30 to fly to Philly then connect to Portland, and in the fading I did not see the star bird. The weather was actually very pleasant, but it gets COLD once that sun goes down. It got into the low 30s while I was there but during the day it was in the 40s. I decided for a lobster roll, settled in at the Airbnb, and I was in bed at 8:30.

My plan for the weekend was to drive 90 minutes South to Parker River NWR and then work my way north and stop at various places in New Hampshire and Maine. I wanted to spend Sunday in the general area of Portland to make sure I got to my flight in time. I was going to start at Biddleford Pool before heading to Dyer Point and fitting Scarbrough Marsh in if I had time. I was refreshing eBird in case the Great Black Hawk returned, but I booked my flight before it was rediscovered in the area so wasn't gonna spend all day chasing it. No way I would miss it if it showed up, but I came in expecting to not see it.

The High Roller Lobster Roll

A not so great picture of a White-winged Scoter, but a lifer is a lifer!

Lifer Common Loon! I snapped this through my scope

Parker River is a must see. It boasts a species list that is second only to the legendary Cape May. It's as birdy as it is beautiful. Wow. I spent the first chunk of the morning scoping the beach by the entrance, immediately getting lifer Common Loon and Black Scoter. Long-tailed Duck and Herring weren't too far behind. The coastal dunes were picturesque, and it's easy to see why this place draws nature lovers from across the region. A fellow birder pointed me in the direction of a King Eider and Snowy Owl, and although they were gone by the time I got there I got excellent looks at all 3 scoters, Common Eider, and Red-breasted Merganser. American Tree Sparrow was present as well in the lot. Off the beach there was various waterfowl including a ton of American Black Duck. Northern Harriers hovered over the fields and a Bald Eagle scared off a flock of Canada Geese. I will definitely be back at some point. It is gorgeous and there's not a bad place to see birds at all. Overall I had 29 species.
I had such a great time that I ran out of light. I raced across the state line to New Hampshire to go to Hampton Harbor to look for my lifer Glaucous Gull. As the sun went down it got freezing, but I was out there in a parking lot scoping for gulls. The best way for me to tell the difference was the lack of black on the wings. Herring Gulls and Great Black-backed Gulls were abundant, and a Common Loon was floating around. Then in the fading light I looked up and it was right above me! Glaucous Gull! It flew up to a post and I enjoyed good looks of it, but the wind was whipping up and I had to go back and get me a lobster roll!

Sunday was another early morning. I stopped in Saco along the river to get Common Goldeneye on my way to East Point in Biddleford, which is supposed to be a can't miss in the winter. A snowstorm was blowing in, and the wind was bone chilling. East Point has little tree cover and my scope couldn't even stay straight. Staying out of the wind I was able to get up close views of White-winged Scoter and Red-necked Grebe. Just as I was packing up to move on I saw a white flash along the ground. That could only be one thing, SNOW BUNTING. It was right in front of me and I missed the picture. I pretty much walked right over it. I set my scope back up on the other side and I saw plenty of ducks bouncing around, including Razorbill! In the span of 10 minutes I got 2 of the birds I was dying to see. I was the crazy man laughing into the freezing wind. It was glorious. I then drove north to Dyer Point, Portland Head Light, and 2 Lights State Park to get the stunning Harlequin Duck. That was another bird I used to longingly look at in my field guide as a kid.

I've dreamed of seeing Harlequin Ducks, I could not have asked for better looks

As unforgettable as the trip was, there were a few disappointing moments. I couldn't find Common Redpoll, as you either find a flock of 50 or see none. Surprisingly I missed Black Guillemot. I missed Snowy Owl despite chasing it on Saturday and going to the Jetport where it is supposed to be reliable. The worst miss was Great Black Hawk. It had been seen pretty much every day leading up to the trip, and it disappeared the day my flight landed. I looked as I rushed to the airport on Sunday and it wasn't there on Sunday as well. Someone reported it 30 minutes after I had gone through security at the airport. I was crushed. It had been in an adjacent yard all weekend and the owner got around to reporting it at sunset on Sunday. I was frustrated, but that's how birding goes. I had a brutal year with rarities and I'll write a post about that later on.

Long-tailed Duck! This is an immature or female but I got fantastic looks at the long-tailed males as well

This trip was incredible. The Maine/Massachusetts birders were incredibly friendly and extremely helpful with finding some incredible birds. The lobster is out of this world and I got to try an authentic Philly cheesesteak when I stopped in Philadelphia. The Razorbill and Snow Bunting were 100% worth the freezing winds, and the Harlequin Ducks were so stunning that I sat and watched them swim for an hour. Maine in the winter sounds a little insane, but it is a must do and I can't wait to go back!

Still can't get over the Harlequin Ducks!