Another dandy week of summertime birding produced the following highlights for me. Shorebird numbers and diversity are growing rapidly now.

• 1 Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Old Town House Park, North Yarmouth, 7/16 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group; few around locally this summer). One calling in our Pownal yard on 7/22.

• 2 continuing HENSLOW’S SPARROWS, Crystal Spring Farm, Brunswick, 7/20.  Both birds singing, but the west bird continued long past the east bird went silent. I spent my time this morning attempting to observe the east bird, but never saw it once it stopped singing about 5 minutes after I arrived.

• 1 Fish Crow, Point Sebago (Private; with Point Sebago Birdwalk group) and 1 at Sebago Lake State Park, 7/21 (still wondering if these are from the Windham colony or not).

Shorebird high counts this week (see last week’s post for an explanation):

• Black-bellied Plover: 4, Pine Point, Scarborough, 7/22.
• Killdeer:  22, Crystal Spring Farm, Brunswick, 7/20.
• Semipalmated Plover: 10, Hill’s Beach, Biddeford, 7/22.
• Piping Plover: 1 adult with 2 nearly-fledged juveniles that are somehow close to making it on Pine Point Beach, Scarborough, 7/22.
• Whimbrel (FOF): 5, Pine Point, 7/22.
• Ruddy Turnstone: 1, Eastern Egg Rock, 7/16 (with Hardy Boat Evening Puffin Cruise group).
• Sanderling: 18, Hill’s Beach, 7/22.
• Least Sandpiper: 31, Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 7/22.
• Semipalmated Sandpiper: 140, Pine Point, 7/22.
• WESTERN SANDPIPER: 1 rare adult, Hill’s Beach, Biddeford, 7/22 (photo above).
• Short-billed Dowitcher: 165, The Pool, Biddeford Pool, 7/22.
• Spotted Sandpiper: 2, Eastern Egg Rock, 7/16 (with Hardy Boat Evening Puffin Cruise group) and Sebago Lake State Park, 7/21.
• Solitary Sandpiper (FOF): 1, Old Town House Park, North Yarmouth, 7/16 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group) and 1, Eastern Road Trail, 7/22.
• Lesser Yellowlegs: 53, Eastern Road Trail, 7/22.
• “Eastern” Willet: 96, The Pool, 7/22.
• Greater Yellowlegs: 10, Eastern Road Trail, 7/22.

Beat the heat tomorrow, Saturday, July 23^rd with a boat trip to Seal Island. No “Troppy” this year, but you know we’ll be looking hard for the Tufted Puffin! A limited amount of space on this extended charter is available.