|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The day began with fog, cold, and breezy drizzle, yet ended with sunshine, typical for coastal Maine in the spring. Arrayed along Pine Point in Scarborough, we tried to keep our binoculars and spotting scopes clear. The mouth of the Nonesuch River exiting the famous Scarborough Marsh is a favorite destination for bird-watching throughout the year, and the birds did not disappoint.
There were dozens of common eiders scattered about, the males distinctive in their contrasting black-and-white feathers, the hens lovely in mottled tans and browns. Large rafts of scoters were in view, mostly black scoters but also some white-winged scoters and my favorite, surf scoters. Those males are easily identified with a prominent orange, black and white bill and a large white dot on the back of the neck. All of the birds mentioned are diving ducks, scouring the seabed for mussels, crustaceans and other invertebrates.
The leaders among our group of stalwarts soon distinguished themselves, identifying distant gadwalls, black ducks and the showy long-tailed ducks that were barely visible to my eyes. I recall John Berry, a well-known birder who has led tours for many years, including as a trustee of the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, reporting a pair of distant loons, rock pigeons and European starlings. Travis, younger than most of the group but clearly a keen birder, used his tripod-mounted spotting scope to great advantage to note species like the double-crested cormorant. Later he reported a feeding kildeer.
The star of the show for much of the day was Peggy Page, an energetic woman quick on the draw with her binoculars and with far better hearing than mine. As we moved among viewing locations, Peggy called out a distant red-breasted merganser and alerted us to a beautiful American kestrel soaring over the marsh in search of food, then landing on a nearby fence post. When another member of the group spotted a glossy ibis, Peggy led the team in counting more than 30 of the birds in the distance.
The outing was organized by members of the Merrymeeting Audubon group, centered in our region. When you join Maine Audubon (of course you have joined, but if not, you should because of the great work they do), you become part of Merrymeeting Audubon. The objective of the Merrymeeting Audubon chapter is to foster an appreciation of our natural environment, with a focus on birds, but members clearly enjoy all kinds of wildlife.
The chapter, established in 1970, sponsors a series of programs such as lectures by interesting speakers. Their newsletters always list a selection of birding trips you can join, normally at no cost. Each offers a chance to see new habitat while learning from highly experienced birders. Beginning birders are always welcome and are not treated like second-class citizens. Merrymeeting Audubon also gets high marks for offering youth scholarships to summer camp. Learn more at merrymeeting.maineaudubon.org.
A recent article by Grace Wade in New Scientist caught my eye. Research has shown that serious birders can reshape their brains in the same way as someone who is learning to play a musical instrument or speak a new language. As you develop and hone a new skill, your brain reorganizes itself, improving the relevant pathways to memory, recognition and execution. This ability is known as neuroplasticity, and it is key to the development of any expertise.
This explains why professional athletes are simply smarter and faster in their use of key motor skills. Professional musicians exhibit changes in their brains that enhance their hearing. By regularly practicing and enhancing your birding skills, you may improve your cognitive reserve, the brain’s method to slow and adapt to the damage of aging.
Peggy’s reports to Cornell’s eBird app revealed a wonderful day, including a huge raft of 1,000-plus scoters off Biddeford Pool. We scored northern gannets, a stunning blue-winged teal, several green-winged teal and three American oystercatchers. Peggy, who has been mad about birds for 40 years and still displays child-like enthusiasm, even notched 50 Bohemian waxwings devouring ornamental crabapples while driving home. Our total was 58 species, even though many winter birds had already headed toward the Arctic and southern migrants had yet to arrive.
If you are interested in learning about birds, please join Maine Audubon. It is a fine way to build a lifelong hobby with fascinating people. If your domestic partner objects to the cost of those shiny new binoculars, simply explain that you are enhancing your cognitive reserve!
