[Maine-birds] Northern Lapwing in NH - Map and information

For those of you who haven't had a chance to see the Northern Lapwing, I
wanted to give an update.  The bird was first found 2 days ago and it
continues to be seen this afternoon at least through 2:30 PM in the
snow.  It is being seen in the farm fields just south of the Great Bay
Farm on Newington Road in Greenland, NH.  Hopefully it sticks around
after this snow.

A few important pieces of information:

1) Parking is restricted to the RIGHT OR EAST SIDE OF NEWINGTON ROAD
only!  Apparently these are the directions that the Greenland Police
have provided.  Be careful of traffic and please try not to block traffic.

2) The bird has been somewhat regular in the farm fields south of the
Great Bay Farm in Greenland, NH.  I've drawn a quick sketch of the area
with Google Maps:

https://flic.kr/p/2n7F46L

The circled areas are the primary areas to search for the bird.  #1 is a
corn stubble field where I found the bird two days ago and #2 is deeper
grass and wet areas where it seems to spend a lot of time.  It has also
crossed the road to area #3 which is also corn stubble.

3) If the bird is not being seen from the road.....the bird has been
hanging around behind hummocks and hills in taller grass in the eastern
parts of the fields (area #2).  These areas are not easily visible from
Newington Road.  The owners of the property (Allen & Cynthica Smith)
HAVE GIVEN PERMISSION for birders to walk out the access road adjacent
to the driveway at #74 Newington Road. Walk down the access road
(careful of ice) until you can set up a spotting scope and get better
views toward the rear areas.  See the dotted line on the map above.

4) The views are often distant and a spotting scope is almost essential
and photographic opportunities are not great.

Finally, a special thanks to Allen Smith and his family for their
tolerance and welcoming attitude to birders.  They were incredibly
friendly to birders who searched for the Harris's Sparrow last fall and
are equally welcoming to birders searching for the Lapwing.  The family
owns much of the land around here and is in the process of PROTECTING IT
WITH A CONSERVATION EASEMENT.  The Southeast Land Trust and the Town of
Greenland are working hard with the Smith family and hope to protect a
large portion of this land by later this year.  Just last night, the
town voted on two warrant articles to allocate town funding toward the
protection of this land.  With luck we will be able to bird these fields
for ever!

And......if you see the bird and want to show your gratitude and need
some beef, suet, etc.  There is a Great Bay Farm farm stand with
freezers full of meat for sale.  Check it out just a short distance
north of the fields.  Look for the sign.

Steve Mirick
Bradford, MA

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