Birdwalk Highlights for 3/28: Maquoit Bay Conservation Land, Brunswick.

We had a really incredible outing...even before we made it to the day's destination.

While en route, I spotted a lump in the road ahead...which turned out to be an AMERICAN WOODCOCK! It finished crossing the road, and proceeded to forage at the edge of the road, walking down past our vehicles. Using our cars as a blind, photography opportunities were unrivaled!

A short while later, a pair of RED CROSSBILLS were in the road, well seen by my lead car, but departing before we could all pull over and get out for a longer look.

We eventually made it to the trail, where the walk through the woods was a little more productive than we expected, including a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER excavating a cavity, a courting pair of HAIRY WOODPECKERS, and a calling PILEATED WOODPECKER. We heard both GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS and BROWN CREEPERS, and upon returning to the parking lot, we watched a RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH excavate its nesting hole, too!

Of course we were here for the waterbirds at the end, however. We had a small group of about 30 GREATER SCAUP nearby, with a single drake LESSER SCAUP among them. In the distance, there was another 400 or so Scaup - undoubtably just about all Greater. There were also about 300 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, including some nice close ones, 400 AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS, 40 RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, 30 BUFFLEHEADS, and at least 12 GREEN-WINGED TEAL including some close fly-bys from two small groups.

The volume of waterfowl was even more impressive when one of the three BALD EAGLES we saw swept low over the masses, putting essentially the entire bay into the air!

Up the bay, about 200 RING-BILLED GULLS and about 50 HERRING GULLS were staging for the outgoing tide, with 16 CANADA GEESE along the shoreline. A pair of EASTERN BLUEBIRDS called overhead and a NORTHERN CARDINAL serenaded us.

Begrudgingly we had to leave - it was warm(ish) and calm on the sunny point - but the drive back did yield an AMERICAN KESTREL carrying off a vole!