Work took me on a long drive along the edge of several of my favorite fall duck haunts. Ice is out on the river, and Merrymeeting Bay is full of ducks. Most were too far away to see what they were, but based on size and color, it was mostly black ducks, mallards, and common mergs. Small streams and pocket wetlands are opening up, and every one I drove by yesterday was full of wood ducks. One small stream had 5 drake woodducks tending 2 very harried looking hens. On the larger lakes, ice out is very close--it will probably go in the big rain that is forecast for Sunday night, but there is lots of open water around the edges. The mix of paired up geese, mallards, and black ducks did not surprise me, nor did the flocks of common mergansers mixed in with a few whistlers and hoodies. But there were huge flocks of ringnecks on every lake I saw that had open water. I don't usually see them in big numbers like that.
Turkeys out strutting in the fields, too, as the snow finally melts off them.
Also had a great wildlife moment taking my trash and recyclables to the local landfill. I had 6 bald eagles fly over the truck while waiting to pay my fee, and watched one nail a small rodent at the edge of the woods. I'd like to think it was a squirrel, but it was almost certainly a rat feeding on the trash. My landfill is the best place in Maine to see winter bald eagles, and has actually created a pull out area to keep the birders and photographers out of the way of trash operations. We're about 3 weeks from the alewife run showing up on the Kennebec and moving all those eagles back to the water.
The snow in the woods has melted enough to move the deer from the winter cover they've been in since December and back to the fields and road edges to browse on the first green shoots.
Spring is finally sprung!
Turkeys out strutting in the fields, too, as the snow finally melts off them.
Also had a great wildlife moment taking my trash and recyclables to the local landfill. I had 6 bald eagles fly over the truck while waiting to pay my fee, and watched one nail a small rodent at the edge of the woods. I'd like to think it was a squirrel, but it was almost certainly a rat feeding on the trash. My landfill is the best place in Maine to see winter bald eagles, and has actually created a pull out area to keep the birders and photographers out of the way of trash operations. We're about 3 weeks from the alewife run showing up on the Kennebec and moving all those eagles back to the water.
The snow in the woods has melted enough to move the deer from the winter cover they've been in since December and back to the fields and road edges to browse on the first green shoots.
Spring is finally sprung!
