Sunday, March 3 came early. John, Heather, and I all had a good night's sleep despite the omnipresent threat of witches sneaking in through the skylight. Today promised to be warmer and sunnier which, considering the day would be spent birding on the coast, made us very happy.
We ate a quick breakfast and headed north to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. This huge expanse of coastal dune and what I would call northeastern maritime forest occupied almost the entirety of Plum Island in Northeast Massachusetts. The refuge has long been recognized as a repository for rare birds (and other wildlife) and we looked forward to the chance to check it out.
The refuge consists of a series of parking lots, bounded by either coastal dune, expansive salt marsh, or maritime forest. At the very first stop, we looked back over the marsh and noticed a bird flying quickly, but somewhat low, over the marsh. "Harrier!", I exclaimed.
This was no harrier. Heather rapidly corrected me because this bird began flapping its wings and turned. All three of us trained our binoculars on the birds and the yellow legs were unmistakable. This was a Peregrine Falcon, our second of the trip!
The beach beckoned and what a beach it was. A long boardwalk stretched to the shore and the extent of the beach seemed larger due to the giant waves and lack of people. Truly, it seemed to go forever without any developmental impediments. Heather assembled her scope upon reaching the shore and began to scan. She had our first new bird in the scope in no time.
"Black scoters!", she yelled. "Lots of them!" Sure enough, the last of the three scoter species we had yet to see was out there plain as day. Their bright orange bills contrasted sharply with their all black plumage and, in my opinion, they were the most spectacular of the three species we saw. As I was looking out at them, though, an even more stunning bird showed itself. I spotted a very white duck with some black on it. Not super distinctive. But then it turned slightly and I saw a long, flowing tail. It was my first Long-tailed Duck!
I immediately let Heather and John look through the scope at this unbelievably elegant bird. Its long tail draped behind it as it rocked in the tumultuous waves. Its white and black colors sound plain but, trust me, they were the perfect fit for this beautiful bird. Both Heather and I were blown away by this bird.
The rest of the refuge didn't produce too much. A lone hawk perched above the marsh, but was too far away to positively identify. An elevated boardwalk passed through coastal forest, but produced little except for an inquisitive bunch of Black-capped Chickadees. Still, we could all tell that Parker River NWR hosted a lot of habitats and, as a result, a lot of birds. They just weren't out today.
Heather and I needed to fly out in the afternoon and time was running short. Looking at a map, we determined that we had time for one more stop. This would be Salisbury Beach, a place that eBird suggested could produce some new birds for us in a short amount of time.
The beach wasn't much to look at. It essentially consisted of a giant parking lot, with a couple of boat ramps and rocky shorelines. A narrow strip of sand did, indeed match the description of a beach but was nothing compared to the other beaches we had seen on this trip. Still, we had hope.
We pulled into the parking lot and immediately noticed a cluster of activity. This meant that something cool had been seen. Birders walking back to their cars holding spotting scopes told us that something had to be sitting out in the marsh. We walked past the mummified remains of dumped harbor seal carcasses (I know, pretty weird), and arrived at a muddy flat adjacent to the marsh. In the distance, a white shape stuck up from the grass. Heather assembled her scope, focused it on the shape and, there it was...a Snowy Owl!
Heather and I saw Snowy Owls previously on our trip to Minnesota but a Snowy Owl is a Snowy Owl. We looked at this gorgeous bird and it hit me how many cool animal species we had already seen in less than three months. We walked down to the boat ramp where we had noticed more birders clustered. The boat ramp led to an inlet that ultimately went out to the ocean. Gulls flapped around us but Heather and I still have a long way to go with them. I hate to admit this, but we were unable to accurately identify any of the gulls that weren't Greater Black-backed Gulls. However, we were able to identify the group of Bald Eagles feeding in the marsh across the inlet!
Not a whole lot in the way of new birds. But we were in for a surprise. John, Heather, and I strolled along the edge of the water and looked out where the fresh and salt water met. From my time in Oregon, I knew that this would be a good place to look for a particular marine mammal. And, sure enough, it was.
A quick scan with the binoculars revealed several harbor seals lollygagging on a sandbar and feeding on fish where the waters mixed. Heather had never seen seals before and was thrilled! Even John and I, who have collectively seen hundreds, were pumped. Additional views of some Long-tailed Ducks and Common Eiders rounded out our short, but sweet, birding experience here.
We needed food badly. The closest option was the town of Salisbury Beach. We drove towards it and I immediately recognized the town as a coastal amusement park town. I have a strange fascination with historic amusement parks, and remembered that Salisbury Beach used to have one until a few years ago. A few remnants remained. Pizza stands offered delicious, and needed, slices to the three of us. Buildings had castle turrets and other odd additions that reflected their history as wax museums, haunted houses, and the like. But most exciting to me was the giant, two-story arcade that dominated the center of town.
Heather, worried about the plane she needed to catch in just a couple of hours, wasn't thrilled about the idea of going into the arcade. But, somehow, John and I convinced her. This arcade had all the cool new games, but also had an entire upper floor of classic games and pinball machines. Big Bertha, skee ball, and House of the Dead reminded me of my childhood and I spent 10 dollars in quarters on games like these without thinking twice.
During an especially-successful bout of baboon-killing in "Big Game Hunter: Safari", Heather mentioned that we should probably get going. I had essentially ignored the time, but just knew that the Boston airport wasn't too far away. Turns out that it was over an hour away and Heather's plane boarded in about an hour and a half. Whoops. Sheepishly, I gathered the remaining quarters I had with John and we hauled down to the airport. We barely made it in time and a quick security line miraculously meant that Heather did not miss her flight.
John and I killed time before my flight by walking around downtown Boston, where I frustratingly spotted a Cooper's Hawk fly right in front of me (Heather and I still need one). I love Boston, and enjoyed checking out even more of the downtown. Eventually, it was time to leave and so I said my goodbyes to John, and to a part of the country that provided us with birds we were unlikely to see elsewhere. Despite the ridiculous conditions, this was a good trip.
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