Winter at Mere Point Boat Launch

 Buffleheads in Mere Point Bay 12-21-14

On the first day of winter I took a walk to Mere Point Boat Launch. Gray skies predominated the landscape, and though it was cold, I bundled up and enjoyed my walk.

 A tangle of bittersweet vines was visible as I started down the road. I knew that later in the season these would be frequented by robins and waxwings. However, I never would have thought I would see an Eastern Bluebird feeding here on February of this year, my first sighting of that species at this location!

 But for today, I just watched as a female Hairy Woodpecker chipped away at an insect infested tree trunk!

 Below the woodpecker a black-capped chickadee foraged in the brush.

 As I neared the boat launch I sighted a red-tailed hawk!

Though I had seen many hawks fly over my yard, this was the first time I had seen a Red-tail at the boat launch!

 Down in the bay some surf scoters paddled 12-21-14

 And while I was watching birds, the crows were watching me!

I have seen crows at the boat launch almost every time I count here!

 Today the shallow cove was filled with female buffleheads.

 While out in deeper water a Common Loon drifted.

 I heard the whistle of wings as a black duck and a mallard landed in the cove. I counted 24 species of birds here on this winter afternoon. By early January I was back again. I was not here at this time of year last year and I wanted to be sure to get a record of the species that were being seen. I wanted to add some data to the Mere Point Life List on eBird.

January 6th was a gray and dreary day.

 A distant immature bald eagle was little more than a fuzzy speck in the sky as it flew ponderously over the bay! The flat gray light made for lousy photos, but I still enjoyed seeing and counting birds.

 I spotted a couple of Common Goldeneyes paddling by.

 A few of the buffleheads were still around 1-6-15

January 11, 2015

I had barely started down the road when I saw a pair of red foxes crossing the parking lot of the boat launch. I could only get one in the frame as the other was farther ahead and behind a snow bank.

 Sunset on the icy water of Mere Point Bay at 4:27 PM.

All the boats were out of the water by now.

Soon this bay would ice over for good.

 I could see a few ducks in the water near Birch Island.

 A small flock of Greater Scaup rode the waves.

 Other flocks of ducks took to the sky and disappeared towards Simpson’s Point and Middle Bay.

I took my cue from the red fox and headed home.

• Mere Point Boat Launch—all posts on this subject
• eBird Hotspot—Mere Point Boat Launch (click this link to see a complete list of birds from this location)
• Red-tailed Hawk at Mere Point Boat Launch—additional hawk photos
• Autumn at the Boat Launch—previous post
• My eBird Checklist for December 21, 2014
• My eBird Checklist for January 6, 2015
• My eBird Checklist for January 11, 2015

  American Crow at Mere Point Bay 12-21-14

Autumn at Mere Point Boat Launch

 Mere Point Boat Launch 12-21-14

It’s been a full year now that I have been monitoring and counting birds at the Mere Point Boat Launch in Brunswick, Maine. I first suggested it as an eBird Hotspot shortly after moving here in February of 2014. It has been exciting to seen the list of birds at this location grow, and even more exciting for me to share it with friends. I loved having Chris Rohrer bird here with me last summer. Since then other birders have come and added to the data. We are currently up to 100 species for this location, of which I have seen 96, and I can only hope more species will be added as the birding continues! Here are just some of the species I observed last fall, along with the seasonal changes.

October 2014

Leaves were starting to turn, and there were a few boats still moored in the bay.

 

 Double-crested cormorants still glided through calm waters.

 

 Song Sparrows still foraged on green grass!

 Canada Geese take wing 10-12-14

November 2014

 Low tide in the bay exposes the golden eel grass on the rocks.

 A female Common Eider paddles off the point 11-13-14

 Winter preparations are underway and the buoys have been pulled from the water 11-13-14.

I spotted the first Horned Grebes down where Mere Point Bay joins with Casco Bay 11-13-14.

 I was not happy to see this domestic cat walking across the boat launch area since I know how many sparrows and finches are still around! Domestic cats belong indoors and not out hunting song birds!

 Just 2 weeks later the barriers were up and we had snow 11-29-14!

 No more walking out on the floating dock!

They remove this for the winter. It will be reinstalled in the spring.

 Long-tailed Ducks flying over the bay are another sign of the coming winter!

 Hundreds of ducks and geese are in the bay far across the water where I cannot identify them all!

 But it’s easy to identify these Canada Geese!

 I went back to count birds the next day and found this Blue Jay…

 …and this blue snow! 11-30-14

 The parking lot still sported a melting layer of slush in front of the out houses and information boards. 11-30-14

 It was starting to look like a bleak November day.

 As always, the sentinel crow was there to keep an eye on things!

Soon Winter would come and change the boat launch even more.

• eBird Hotspot—Mere Point Boat Launch
• Mere Point Boat Launch—all posts
• Red-tailed Hawk at the Boat Launch
• Feathers on Friday

Ducks and geese in the bay 11-29-14

Morning Notes on a Winter’s Morn

It’s that first hint of light in the sky when all the world becomes the same flat shade of gray. Just a hint of shapes is happening as trees, bushes and houses start to separate themselves from the night. The birds have not yet begun to move through the dawn, but soon they will be here at my feeders. I shake the cobwebs from my own brain and pour a cup of tea, a morning ritual that I love. Here in Maine on this winter morning, I need all the warmth I can get.

It has been a long, hard winter here in New England. Portland and Bangor have just registered the coldest February on record. Boston is about to break the record for the snowiest winter ever. They just need about 3 inches of new snow, which is headed their way later this week. But, in spite of the snow and cold, the birds have started to sing like it’s already spring. I have seen the male cardinals chasing each other around the yard, trying to establish who rules their territory. The song of the tufted titmouse can be heard even through my closed windows, though I love to open the door and just listen for a moment. On Sunday I saw a male mourning dove puffing out his breast and pursuing an uninterested female across the driveway. She looked a bit terrified as she walked away while he hopped behind her crooning. Yes, love is in the air here in the snow covered landscape of Maine.

 Pale morning light 3-3-15

I took a drive yesterday to go find some birds. The temperature was up and the day partly sunny and I just wanted to get out of the house. However, just as I decided to leave I heard the rush of wind hitting the yard and trees started to bend and wave in the gale. My thoughts of walking along the Androscoggin River Trail were dashed. I decided to bird from the car instead, but the wind kept the birds down, and though I drove all of Rossmore and Mere Point Roads, I only counted 4 species the 30 minutes it took me to drive the six miles.

 Winter Woods on Rossmore Road 3-2-15

This prompted me to drive to Bath where I was able to count birds at the south boat launch on Washington Street, but the North Boat Launch was not plowed out, so I could not drive in. However, I was able to see mergansers, Canada goose, and goldeneyes at the south boat launch along with mallards and black ducks as an adult Bald Eagle circled overhead. The water of the Kennebec looked like liquid steel, but icy cold as it churned in the fast current. At this location the river is affected by the ocean tides and as the tide ebbed, the mudflats on its banks were revealed. In the marsh, the golden tops of marsh grasses waved like little golden flags above the unbroken snow. As I was admiring this, a gust of wind blew grains of snow like sand into the air and pelted me in the face. This is winter birding in Maine. I turned my back against the assault, then jumped in the car and turned on the engine to warm myself. Yes, it was time to go, but I was glad I came. Glad I saw these birds. Glad to get out of the house!

In the time it has taken me to write this, the sun has risen and the sky has turned a shade of pale blue. Sunlight between the trees is casting long shadows with bits of gold on lumpy snow. Today the wind has calmed but the temperature has dropped. I remind myself that we are one day closer to spring. It’s about to get exciting around here!

A hint of dawn 3-3-15 at 6:09 A.M.

Notes from My Nest: Healing

It’s a mostly sunny but cold day here on Mere Point. I awoke to temps of -10F but now it has warmed up to 13 degrees!

There was frost on the windowpanes when I first got up, but now that the sun is shining it has started to melt. The bird activity has been up and down all day with a flock of 30 redpolls stopping by briefly as well as a Red-breasted Nuthatch. I am seeing the Red-breasted more this winter, though it rarely comes down to the feeder. Today it did, however, and I was so glad to see it!

We have had storm after storm, after snow storm here. With every storm the snow gets deeper and it gets harder to reach the feeders and refill them. I have figured out that I can open the front window and lean out to get and refill my finch feeder so I added another smaller feeder next to it.

During this last storm on Wednesday the birds just gobbled up anything they could find! My Hermit Thrush is still hanging around as well. I usually see it a few times a day.

We had family here for Super Bowl Sunday and my daughter cut my hair for me again. I had her cut it in an A-line and stack it in the back which makes it much easier for me to take care of with only one good arm. While I can move my left arm around, the worst thing I could do would be to lift it over my head!

My arm is slowly healing. I can walk around the house without my sling on but I must still wear it to bed or when I go out in public or for a walk. No walking now with all this deep snow, though I did help Gus fill the feeders on Wednesday evening before the next storm!

We trudged through snow up to our knees and thighs, but it was only a short distance. You can still see our footprints, even after this latest snowfall! If it gets much deeper we will not be able to fill those feeders at all! I start physical therapy next week and hope that I can get my arm back to as good as new or better!

I had my six week post-op checkup on Tuesday and I am happy to report that all is well! I can now do dishes and laundry and vacuum the floors again! Unless there is a problem, I do not have to see the doc again until next year! However, I still will not be able to shovel snow or help move furniture! No more carrying microwaves up a flight of stairs for my mother either. While I hate the restrictions and I feared the surgery, I will now tell you that I am glad I did it. I feel so much better and I realized that my fear and denial let me suffer for far too long.

Bird feeder in snow 2-5-15

Speaking of my mother, many of you know that she has battled breast cancer in the past and is battling it once again. I have not been able to go down to Connecticut to help her this time around due to my own medical limitations. I I just talked to mom last night and she had her second round of chemo yesterday. She told me she lost all of her hair last Friday. It all fell out at once. Still, as usual, she is in good spirits and keeping her faith and her chin up. She has two more rounds of chemo to go and as they are 3 weeks apart, there is a chance I may be able to go down and be with her for the next one. We will see.

For now, it’s all about healing. I know I complain and feel frustrated by having to stay inside, but I think I finally got it through my head that I have a serious injury and I just need to heal. So, I decided that is my job; to Heal.

And that is not the only healing going on. Gus and I are both still healing from the loss of our little dog, Blossom, after 14 years of our lives together. I am doing better than Gus. It has hit him very hard, but we are both working through it. It was good to have our kids here this past weekend. We all laughed and cried together and then we made pizza! I love my family!

More birds and birding to come!

Mere Point Boat Launch 2-4-15

Both Mere Point Bay and Maquoit Bay are both currently frozen solid.