Day 18.078: Newman Hill Preserve

While E5N1 was at his audition at the University of Maine in Orono, Exile #2 and I went for two short walks. The first was at a site we first saw called Taylor Bait Farm but actually is now Newman Hill Preserve.

Our walk was a mile loop - out along a closed road to some ponds (devoid of birds as far as we saw, then back through the woods to another pond that we had driven by where we saw some interesting birds and captured an exciting event. Here are my pictures:

The closed part of Taylor Road

The former bait farm ponds - no birds today

The start of the trail back through the woods was snowy, but most of it was clear and easy

Arriving at the roadside pools, our first sighting was this perched bald eagle

Two hooded mergansers

Adult male

He seemed to practicing his display - lifting his body high and displaying his "hood". However, he only seemed to do it when the female was diving under the water - perhaps he's a bit shy at the moment

Two American black ducks

A group of gulls - some (maybe all) seem to be great black-backed gulls

A lone bufflehead was repeatedly surfacing briefly in this spot before diving again 

Then, I noticed the bald eagle make a move - he did a couple of low swoops

Made his final approach

Eyes on the prize

Success

Going to find somewhere to land it