Just this morning I was perusing YouTube and came across this post of visiting waterfowl in the Bangor area and I was so taken. These quick and lovely birds with their distinctive markings I thought how rare. Turns out I was right because these are Barrow's Goldeneye ducks and they are not only few and far between but also protected from hunting.

According to the Department of Inland Fisheries webpage the Barrow’s Goldeneye is what is referred to as a Threatened Species and has been since 2007.This was decided due to their very small wintering population (believed to be less than 250 birds). Barrow’s Goldeneyes are found in low numbers on certain large lakes, rivers, and coastal areas throughout Maine, normally from November – March.

They go on to add that hunting them is illegal and the tricky part is that they look a lot like a Common Goldeneye that is fair game if you’ll excuse the term. If you want to learn more about these pretty birds click here and visit the state's page.

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