On April 1, 2018, Gordon Smith led a group of 19 birders on the field trip to Bowdoinham and Merrymeeting Bay primarily to see the abundance of ducks and geese that congregate there at this time of the year. The first stop and meeting place was at the Waterfront Park on the Cathance River in the village of Bowdoinham. There were a few Common Mergansers, Bald Eagles and hundreds of Red-winged Blackbirds and Grackles. However, an Eastern Phoebe, the first-of-the-year for many of us was a welcome sight. See the eBird checklist here.
The target destination for the trip was under the power line near the bridge at the mouth of the Abagadasset River at Merrymeeting Bay. Fourteen species, mostly ducks and geese were seen including over 400 American Black Ducks and Mallards. The best birds were the three White-fronted Geese, which are rare in Maine. However, a cold wind whipping across the bay made scoping the waters less than comfortable, and we soon moved on to a third stop. See the eBird checklist here.
At the very end of Brown’s Point Road Canada Geese and five species of ducks were seen on the Kennebec River. Several passerines were seen also in the woods and brushy margins of the road. These included several Brown Creepers and a Golden-crowned Kinglet which was particularly cooperative as it foraged in the shrubs a few feet from the road apparently unconcerned by our attention. See the eBird checklist here.
