Long-tailed Duck
“Additionally, on the afternoon of April 21 three adult male Bald Eagles flew over our house and on the evening of April 26, I stepped outside to listen for owls and instead heard the ahr-ahr-ahroulit of Long-tailed Ducks yodeling.”
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In his words
Ten of the 21 passages, oldest first.
Speaking of ducks, fair numbers of Black and White-winged Scoters, Long-tailed, aka “Oldsquaw’s”, Common Loons and Eiders can still be seen without too much effort off Crescent Beach and rocky bluffs along Fort Williams State Park.
As for the coastline there were forty or more Common Eiders working the exposed, rough conditions, a couple pairs of Buffleheads, a single Surf Scoter, three Long-tailed Ducks, two Black Guillemots, and four Harlequin Ducks.
Lastly, As for new arrivals – Harlequin and Long-tailed ducks have just arrived along our coasts.
Other noteworthy mentioning’s at these two locations include, Buffleheads, Surf Scoters, White-winged Scoters, Horned Grebes Long-tailed Ducks, Great Cormorants, and the fantastically adorned Harlequin duck – seemingly at home amid the tumult of the crashing seas.
…a Herring Gull pilfering a Common Eiders hard earned meal (a mussel), two diving Horned Grebes, nine Black Scoters, six Surf Scoters, one male Long-tailed Duck, three Common Loons, one Red-breasted Merganser and one adult Bald Eagle that flew rather low along the length of the beach.
This time it clicked - an unmistakable call, the ahr-ahrahroulit of the Long-tailed Duck!
As for new arrivals, on November 7 from Trundy Point’s undeveloped rocky headland I noted White-winged Scoters, Red-breasted Mergansers, Long-tailed Ducks, a single Black Guillemot and a lone Razorbill.
Other mentionables in Two Lights included two Horned Grebes, a male Long-tailed Duck, several Buffleheads, a Northern Gannet, a lone Common Raven and a Song Sparrow.
Later on the same day while walking along Ferry and Western Beach in Scarborough yielded 14 Common Loons, a Horned Grebe, a Red-necked Grebe and several Long-tailed ducks.
In the last days of February off of Dyer Point, Trundy Point, Pond Cove and Fort Williams I saw the following - Common Loons, Common Eiders, Harlequin Ducks, Long-tailed Ducks, Common Goldeneyes, Black and Surf Scoters and Red-breasted Mergansers.
Show all 21 passages
As for my notes from the field, in the last days of March, one could still find good numbers of Long-tailed Ducks and Common Goldeneyes off Pond Cove and Dyer Point.
Later that same day I spotted nine Harlequin Ducks off Trundy Point along with Black Scoters, Long-tailed Ducks, Red-breasted Mergansers and two Black Guillemots.
On January 7 along Fort Williams’ Cliff Walk I spotted a Peregrine Falcon, a Northern Mockingbird and a male Long-tailed Duck yodeling just off Portland Headlight.
Along our travels we spotted nine species of sea ducks including all three scoter species: Harlequin, Common Goldeneye and Long-tailed Ducks as well as Red-breasted Mergansers and Buffleheads.
Additionally, on the afternoon of April 21 three adult male Bald Eagles flew over our house and on the evening of April 26, I stepped outside to listen for owls and instead heard the ahr-ahr-ahroulit of Long-tailed Ducks yodeling.
On this same outing I noted seventeen Common Loons, six Long-tailed Ducks a lone Horned Grebe and a single Sanderling foraging at the icy water’s edge.
Additionally, on February 10 from Two Lights State Park I noted eight Long-tailed Ducks, several dozen Common Eiders and White-winged Scoters and a single Black Guillemot.
Other mentionables in Two Lights included two Horned Grebes, a male Long-tailed Duck, six Buffleheads, a diving Northern Gannet, a Common Raven and two Song Sparrows.
Additional observations include: on February 9 a Hermit Thrush in Kettle Cove and along Crescent Beach State Park, eight Long-tailed Ducks, six Buffleheads, four Red-breasted Mergansers and two Lesser Scaup ducks.
On this same morning within Kettle Cove, I noted several Laughing Gulls, a plump of Brant sea geese, eleven Long-tailed Ducks and rafts of Black Scoters.
Other highlights at Two Lights included large offshore rafts of Black Scoters, Common Eiders and Long-tailed Ducks yodeling.