Birdwalk Highlights for 3/21: Town Landing Tour.

Waterbird migration is in full swing, and many of our wintering birds are on the move. We decided to do our Town Landing Tour for likely the last time this season, taking advantage of what's left of the winter denizens and the migration this week of many of them.

We began with a MINK running across the parking lot at the Freeport Town Wharf, and finished with an unexpected migrant FISH CROW at the Cumberland Town Landing. In between, we enjoyed a BALD EAGLE at its nest and a impressive and unexpected flock of 80 CEDAR WAXWINGS at the the Yarmouth Town Landing, and a whole lot of waterbirds! Some "vismig" was evident as well, with flocks of AMERICAN ROBINS (103 total) and scattered COMMON GRACKLES on the move overhead. We had a lot of singing NORTHERN CARDINALS today, one each of RED-TAILED HAWK and TURKEY VULTURE, and a smattering of SONG SPARROWS.

Between migrants and residents, we had excellent tallies of many of our common waterbirds today: 360 COMMON EIDER, 131 RING-BILLED GULLS, 110 HERRING GULLS, 110 BUFFLHEADS, 90 LONG-TAILED DUCKS, 37 CANADA GEESE, 33 COMMON GOLDENEYES, 31 GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULLS, 16 COMMON LOONS, 16 RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, 6 AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS, 2 COMMON MERGANSERS, and most surprisingly: only a single MALLARD!