by Laurie Pocher
MYBC set out in search of early migrants at three Portland area ‘hot spots’ on April 29. Our expectations were low, as migration doesn’t really kick into gear for another couple of weeks. But Mother Nature cooperated with sunny skies and warm temps, and we managed to see some cool stuff. And — spoiler alert — we managed to see 31 species of birds.
We started at Hinckley Park, where an Osprey flew over our heads in the parking lot as we arrived. We saw a couple of pairs of courting Brown-Headed Cowbirds while a pair of Black-Capped Chickadees were working to clean out a cavity in a nearby Birch tree. Tufted Titmice were everywhere, a couple of Yellow-Rumped Warblers flitted around after insects, and we heard at least one Red Crossbill fly by. Other species that we saw or heard at Hinckley included Mallards, Great Blue Heron, Cooper’s Hawk, Blue-Headed Vireo, American Crow, Black-Capped Chickadee, American Robin, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Palm Warbler and Northern Cardinal (17 species in total).
We then moved on to Capisic Pond, where the highlight was a pair of Black-Crowned Night Herons. They started out well-hidden in the reeds but were spooked into the trees by a passing canoe. One relocated to a nice quiet fishing spot off the beaten path, and we were treated to some nice photo opps. There were lots of Common Grackles, Red-Winged Blackbirds, and American Goldfinches. Other species included American Crow, Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, American Robin, Northern Cardinal, Mallard, Double-Crested Cormorant, Mourning Dove, Song Sparrow, Turkey Vulture, Hairy Woodpecker, Osprey and Common Raven (16 species in total).
Our last stop was Evergreen Cemetery, where we walked around the Duck Ponds and through some wooded trails. It was late morning by the time we arrived, and pretty quiet. In addition to a lot of the same species we’d seen earlier in the day, we picked up a few new ones: Herring Gulls, a Northern Flicker, Chipping Sparrows, White-Throated Sparrows, a White-Breasted Nuthatch and a Pine Warbler. (19 species in total).
Check out our full eBird trip report here: Early Migrants Trip Report 4-29-23
We’re off to Monhegan Island for our May trip, where we’ll be participating in the York County Audubon Birding Challenge! Click here to sponsor Team MYBC!
