BOOTHBAY REGISTER • March 10, 2021
A careful scan of the ocean here in mid-coast Maine in late winter will often yield a bonanza of sea ducks. The males will often be in or near their peak breeding season finery as they work to impress females before setting off on their northward journeys to the nesting grounds. White-winged, surf, and black scoters are among the larger-bodied of these sea ducks that begin amassing in higher numbers along the Maine coast in March and April. They will soon be headed to the Boreal Forest region of Canada and Alaska to nest. On their way north, many will stop off along the shores of one of the world’s most incredible but little-known inland seas—Hudson and James Bay. This vast marine area, virtually completely iced-covered in winter, is home to belugas, ringed and bearded seals, and the world’s southernmost population of polar bears. It is also one of the most important places for migratory birds on Earth! ~ Jeffrey V. Wells