What a day! Today was our last walk of the season and 22 people came to
Sabattus Pond to see lots of ducks. The weather was near perfect, clear,
sunny, no wind but temps in the 40s (could have been worse!) The ducks
were nice, lots of them, see the list, but the special birds of the day
were two Snow Buntings at Martin’s Point Park about 8 feet from us
happily eating grass seeds. But before that at Long Beach there were a
number of sandpipers and they too were most cooperative, again just feet
from us. There were 4 Pectoral Sandpipers (plus maybe 18 more further
along), 2 White-rumped Sandpipers, plus one Semipalmated Sandpiper and
one Greater Yellowlegs. They totally ignored us but let us enjoy close
looks.
Canada Goose – about 30
Mallard – too many, 100+
American Black Duck
Goldeneye – not sure, not seen well but possible photo to be checked by
Donna
Northern Pintail – 1 female near lake outlet
Redhead – 2 female at Long Beach
Ring-necked Duck – maybe 15 off Long Beach
Greater Scaup about 15 far out
Bufflehead – again 15 maybe more somewhat scattered
Hooded Merganser – about 18 in cover at south end and off Martin’s Point
Common Merganser – 50, maybe high?, off shores
Ruddy Duck – hundreds++
Mourning Dove
White-rumped Sandpiper – 2
Pectoral Sandpiper – 18
Semipalmated Sandpiper – 1, very late date
Greater Yellowlegs – 1
Ringbilled Gull – many
Herring Gull – few
Common Loon – 1 far out in scope
Great Blue Heron – 1
Turkey Vulture – 2
Bald Eagle – 1 immature seen twice
Belted Kingfisher – 1
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker – 3 on a lawn near Martin’s Point
Blue Jay
American Crow – “flocks” overhead
Common Raven – 1
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper – H by Gordon
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 1 by Gordon as he got there
American Robin – 4
European Starling
House Sparrow
House Finch
Pine Siskin – H by Gordon
American Goldfinch
Snow Bunting – 2 seen well by all
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow – H by Gordon
White-throated Sparrow
Bark-eyed Junco
Rusty Blackbird – 2 in tree in scope, possible 4 flew over
Yellow-rumped Warbler – 6+
Northern Cardinal
Stan DeOrsey
Female Common Goldeneye
Snow Bunting
Pectoral Sandpiper