In the spring, Merrymeeting Bay is a stopping place for thousands of northward 

 moving Canada geese and ducks. They begin to arrive in mid-March and some 

 remain through mid-May. Apparently these birds feed on plants carried over 

 from the previous growing season as well as new growth. Merrymeeting Bay is a 

 highly important area that should be preserved and intensively managed for 

 waterfowl and other natural resources. It has been studied and investigated 

 by various individuals and agencies and for an in-depth review and discussion 

 refer to Reed and D'Andrea (1973). 



In addition to Merrymeeting Bay, various other estuaries, bays, and inlets 

 along the coast are valuable as nesting and feeding areas for migrating and 

 wintering waterfowl. Inland palustrine, lacustrine, and riverine systems are 

 used by migrating ducks and geese. The distribution and nature of these 

 habitats are reviewed in the following section. 



Waterfowl Habitat 



Depending on the species, season, weather, or purpose of use, the waterfowl of 

 coastal Maine utilize all of the wetland types. Breeding ducks usually avoid 

 areas affected by strong tides and favor the freshwater wetlands. Migrants 

 seem to prefer coastal marshes and open waters, and wintering birds favor 

 sounds, bays, and tidal flats. Wetlands designated as important to waterfowl 

 are presented in atlas map 4. 



Waterfowl largely use habitats that provide their preferred foods. The 

 exception is in winter when ice cover strongly effects their distribution. 

 Various studies indicate food habits vary among species, age groups, and 

 season (Mendall 1949; Martin et al. 1951; and Reinecke 1977). Breeding game 

 ducks and their newly hatched ducklings depend largely on invertebrates for 

 food. After 6 weeks of age the young tend to feed more on vegetative foods. 

 In the fall, vegetation is heavily used by inland waterfowl populations, 

 whereas invertebrates dominate in the estuarine and marine systems. Eelgrass 

 (Zostera marina) is the only true marine vegetable food of sufficient quality 

 and abundance along the Maine coast to be a major food for ducks. In general, 

 waterfowl in marine waters feed largely on eelgrass and invertebrates (bottom 

 organisms) in the fall, winter, and early spring. 



Region 1 . This region has less inland waterfowl nesting habitat than any 

 of the other regions but supports more wintering waterfowl because of its high 

 quality marine littoral zone. Most areas are feeding grounds for migrating 

 and wintering birds (table 15-5). There is an abundance of waterfowl food 

 nearshore along the coast and nearby coastal islands, and in some estuarine 

 areas where there are extensive tidal flats, mussel bars, and eelgrass beds. 

 Eiders nest on certain islands in this and all other regions (see chapter 14, 

 "Waterbirds"). 



In average winters marine habitats adjacent to islands provide ice-free 

 feeding grounds for waterfowl when inshore bays and tidal marshes are frozen 

 (this applies to all regions). The many ledges and bars associated with the 

 outer islands of Casco Bay are also important wintering areas for scoters, 

 eiders, and old squaw ducks. These same areas are used by migratory brant in 

 spring. 



15-31 



10-80 



