By Nick Lund, Maine Audubon

It’s tempting to think that winter is a time to take a break from birding, but that’s just not the case in Scarborough. In fact, winter might be the best season of all to encounter rare species or get a close look at a bird otherwise seen only from a distance—if you can tolerate the cold. Here are a couple of the best places in town to look.

Eastern Trail at Scarborough Marsh

While many birds migrate south from Maine to warmer climates for the winter, Maine is the destination for others. Certain species that nest on the Arctic tundra, for example, are pushed south by the bitter cold but are looking for tundra-like places to spend the winter. Scarborough Marsh, with its expanse of grass, is a viable substitute. Lucky visitors along Eastern Trail in winter may spot birds like American Tree Sparrow, Horned Lark, Snow Bunting, and Lapland Longspur flying together in small flocks. They can be flighty, so listen for their short calls overhead and prepare to be patient.

Birds of prey also visit the Marsh in winter hoping to hunt in the short grass. The Northern Harrier, with its owl-like facial discs that help it listen for prey under the grass, may be identified by their long wings and white rump. Rough-legged Hawks, though rare, are winter specialties best identified by black patches near the “wrists” on the underside of their wings. Lucky visitors may even see a Snowy Owl, a truly special visitor from the north roosting in the pannes. Please stay far away, keep a respectful distance between yourself and the bird, and let it rest.

Pine Point

Tundra-nesting waterfowl also visit in winter, and Pine Point is one of the best places in the state to get a close look. Northern waterfowl must leave the Arctic before their natal ponds freeze over, and set out in search of open water to ride out the winter. They find it along the Maine coast, and the sheltered and food-rich mouth of the Nonesuch River is an ideal respite. Flocks of birds like Long-tailed Ducks; Surf, Black, and White-winged Scoters; Common and Red-throated Loons; Bufflehead; Common Goldeneye; and Red-breasted Merganser all frequent the river mouth in winter. Patient observers or photographers set up on the Pine Point Fisherman’s Co-Op pier may get closer looks at these winter visitors than at any other single site in Maine.

Winter isn’t the easiest season to get outside, but birders armed with a little knowledge—and a lot of warm clothes—can see a variety of birds in Scarborough that aren’t around during any other time of year.

For More Information

MaineAudubon.org/Visit/Scarborough-Marsh

207-883-5100 | SMAC@MaineAudubon.org