Our Durham yard has been incredibly birdy this week. The most unexpected migrant was this American Bittern that dropped into our new pond for the morning of the 28^th.

I didn’t get out to shorebird hotspots as much this week, but still ended up with 17.5 species and some solid high counts. However, much of my best birding this week was from our yard, which apparently is a fantastic fall migration hotspot. And my first visit of the season to Sandy Point on 8/31 produced a new August record!

• Black-bellied Plover: 142, The Pool, Biddeford Pool, 9/1.
• Killdeer: 3, United Ag and Turf, Auburn, 8/31 (with Jeannette).
• Semipalmated Plover: 150+, The Pool, 9/1.
• Piping Plover: 1, The Pool, 9/1.
• Whimbrel: 4, The Pool, 9/1.
• RED KNOT: 16 juv, The Pool, 9/1.
• Sanderling: 1, The Pool, 9/1.
• Least Sandpiper: 32, Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 8/31.
• White-rumped Sandpiper: 11, Wharton Point, Brunswick, 8/28 (with Jeannette).
• Pectoral Sandpiper: 2, Eastern Road Trail, 8/31.
• Semipalmated Sandpiper: 450-500, Wharton Point, Brunswick, 8/28 (with Jeannette).
• Short-billed Dowitcher: 14, The Pool. 9/1.
• Spotted Sandpiper: 1, Walsh Preserve, 8/26 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
• Solitary Sandpiper: 1, Walsh Preserve, 8/26 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
• Lesser Yellowlegs: 34, Eastern Road Trail, 8/31.
• “Eastern” Willet: 6, The Pool, 9/1.
• “WESTERN” WILLET: 1-2 juv, The Pool, 9/1.
• Greater Yellowlegs: 28, Walsh Preserve, 8/26 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).

A handful of non-shorebird highlights this week also included:

• A productive week of birding on our Durham property produced a number of highlights. In fact, most mornings, it was hard to pull myself away from the yard. At least 11 species of warblers have been in our yard daily this week, with a high count of 12 on the 28^th. A female MOURNING WARBLER was present 8/27-8/29. A Phildelphia Vireo on the 28^th-29^th was our 144^th yard bird, followed moments later by the arrival of #145: An American Bittern (photo above). A DICKCISSEL (FOF) briefly paused in the yard on the morning of the 1^st for our 146^th yard bird! 32-38 Common Nighthawks were feeding over the yard late in the day on 9/1 as well.

• 12 adult SANDHILL CRANES, Mayall Road, Gray/New Gloucester, 8/30 (site high count and noteworthy that no juveniles were present – failed breeding season due to high water and flooding?)

• Sandy Point Morning Flight, 8/31 (FOY):
  • 6:00-9:15am
  • 57F, mostly clear, NE 4.7-7.6 increasing to 7.3-9.8 and gusty.

Unidentified	633		Scarlet Tanager	2
American Redstart	439		Ruby-throated Hummingbird	2
Northern Parula	195		Black-throated Blue Warbler	2
Yellow Warbler	51		Rose-breasted Grosbeak	1
Magnolia Warbler	35		Eastern Phoebe	1
Cape May Warbler	20		Chestnut-sided Warbler	1
Black-and-white Warbler	17		Merlin	1
Black-throated Green Warbler	16		Northern Waterthrush	1
Red-eyed Vireo	11		Swainson’s Thrush	1
Bay-breasted Warbler	10		Unidentified vireo	1
Tennessee Warbler	5		Olive-sided Flycatcher	1
Nashville Warbler	4		Common Yellowthroat	X
Least Flycatcher	4
Blackburnian Warbler	3		TOTAL	1,463*
Canada Warbler	3		*New August High Count!
American Goldfinch	3
Red-winged Blackbird	3