Monthly Archives: June 2024

Recent Highlights, 6/13 – 6/22/2024.

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Thanks to Mike Williams for allowing me to share his photos of this amorous pair of Red-necked Grebes along Ocean Avenue in Biddeford Pool. We’ve had 1-2 Red-necked Grebes “oversummering” here for the last few years, and last year I observed some rudimentary nest building from a pair (also with a stunned tour group). But we did not expect to see them, get, uh “that into it,” with courtship, nest-building, and even copulation. Unfortunately, as you could see, the “nest” was below the high tide line, so there’s not much chance of success here.  A freshwater wetland breeder that nests no closer than central Quebec, this is odd behavior in a very odd place!  It was amazing to watch though, and anytime we get to see Red-necked Grebes in full breeding plumage is a highlight on its own.

Like last week, much of my time was spent with our local breeding birds. From my personal “mini-breeding bird surveys” to a 7-day tour for Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, the birds that call Maine home in summer were once again the “targets” and the highlights, from Saltmarsh Sparrows and Roseate Terns to Grasshopper Sparrows and our wealth of warblers.

However, June is a good time for oddities. During the course of enjoying our usual species, I encountered the following observations of note over the past 10 days:

  • 3 (!) RED-NECKED GREBES, 16 total Black Scoters, 3 Surf Scoters, etc, Ocean Avenue, Biddeford Pool, 6/16 (with Martin Hagne and Denise).
  • After being excited to find the 3 breeding plumage RED-NECKED GREBES the day before, we were shocked to find 4 the next day, all calling, and one pair courting and copulating!  Photos and more details above. (with Gulf Coast Bird Observatory tour group).
  • 2 American Oystercatchers, 1 Red-breasted Merganser, 1+ Black Scoter, Ocean Avenue, 6/17 (with Gulf Coast Bird Observatory tour group).
  • 1 Surf Scoter, Dyer Point, Cape Elizabeth, 6/17 (with Gulf Coast Bird Observatory tour group).
  • 2-3 singing CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS, Kennebunk Plains, 6/18 (with Gulf Coast Bird Observatory tour group).
  • 4 Glossy Ibis, Sanford Lagoons, Sanford, 6/18 (with Gulf Coast Bird Observatory tour group).
  • 3 COMMON MURRES, etc, Eastern Egg Rock via Cap’n Fish’s Cruises, Boothbay Harbor, 6/21 (with Gulf Coast Bird Observatory tour group).
  • 1 Great Shearwater, 2 Sooty Shearwaters, 48 Wilson’s Storm-Petrels, 2 Fin Whales, etc, Cap’n Fish’s whale watch out of Boothbay Harbor, 6/21 (with Gulf Coast Bird Observatory tour group).

Recent Highlights, 6/2 – 6/12.

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Little Blue Herons have declined in Maine, so it was nice to find my second of the year in an untraditional location. This 1st summer bird was in the marsh behind Seapoint Beach in Kittery on the 2nd.

Typical later migrants, such as Blackpoll and Magnolia Warblers, and a variety of flycatchers, were still moving in and through, especially during the first week of June. Then, my gears rapidly shifted to breeding birds on tours, events, surveys, and just general birding enjoyment. Quality time with boreal breeders in the Rangeley area and specialties such as Saltmarsh and Nelson’s Sparrows, Roseate Terns, etc here at the coast were the usual highlights of the first half of June, both personally and professionally.

In addition to the regular breeding birds we seek – again, both personally and professionally – it’s also a good time of year for unexpected birds in unexpected places, and just general good birding. Some of my additional, less expected observations of note over the past ten days included:

  • 1 immature male and 1 female ORCHARD ORIOLE (FOY), and 1 late Red-throated Loon, Fort Foster, Kittery, 6/2.
  • 1 1st summer LITTLE BLUE HERON, Seapoint Beach, Kittery, 6/2. Photo above.
  • 6 Black-bellied Plovers, 1 Semipalmated Plover, and 3 Short-billed Dowitchers, Wells Harbor, 6/2.
  • A visit to the Kennebunk Plains on 6/4 with Jeannette yielded 2 singing CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS (one continuing male near “Clay-color Corner” and one about half-way between there and the main parking lot on the eastern loop trail).  2 UPLAND SANDPIPERS, 6 GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS, and at least 11 Red Crossbills were also detected.
  • 2 RUDDY DUCKS, 1 drake Northern Shoveler, etc, Sanford Lagoons, 6/4 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 pair Cape May Warbler, 1 Wilson’s Warbler, 1 Olive-sided Flycatcher, Palm Warblers, displaying Wilson’s Snipe, family of Canada Jays, etc, Dallas Plantation, 6/7 (with Matt Young).
  • Fun to be in the field with Matt Young for the Rangeley Birding Festival and hear him describe (and hopefully me learn!) Red Crossbill call notes. There weren’t many around, but we did encounter both Type 12’s and Type 4’s. Meanwhile, scattered birds continue to be widespread down here at the coast.
  • 7 Turkey Vultures, over downtown Rangeley from porch of Parkside and Main, 6/7 (With Matt Young and Birds on Tap! event group for the Rangeley Birding Festival). Less than 10 years ago, a single was unheard of.
  • 1 Semipalmated Plover, Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 6/11 (with clients from New Jersey).

Tours and Events:

  • Due to tours, there will not be a Saturday Morning Birdwalk on either 6/22 or 6/29.

 Recent Highlights, 5/18 -6/1

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Blackburnian Warbler near and at eye-level were one of the many highlights during my annual Spring Monhegan Migration Tour.

Five days on Monhegan (four with a tour, one with Jeannette) from 5/24-28 had few rare bird highlights, but good overall diversity and generally very good bird watching opportunities.  A total of 93 species in those 5 days included 1 BLUE GROSBEAK (5/25); 1 PURPLE MARTIN (5/24 and 5/26); impressive numbers of RED and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS throughout the island; Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (FOY), Olive-sided Flycatcher (FOY), Tennessee Warbler (FOY), several Black-billed Cuckoos (FOY); 1 Razorbill in the harbor on 5/26; and 4 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES on the ferry ride home on 5/28. There were a lot of uncommon to rare-on-Monhegan migrants around, too, from Blue-winged Teal to Cliff Swallow.  A complete report of our tour can be found here.

2024 Spring Monhegan Migration Weekend Tour Report

Back in the real world, my observations of note for the rest of the week included:

  • 1 continuing GRASSHOPPER SPARROW, Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport, 5/30.
  • With my first visit in three weeks to Scarborough Marsh on 5/31, several personal first-of-years included Saltmarsh and Nelson’s Sparrow, Roseate Tern, and 4 White-rumped Sandpipers (Eastern Road Trail). Other migrant shorebirds included ~70 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 1 Dunlin, and 1 Greater Yellowlegs off Eastern Road, and 10 Ruddy Turnstones, 9 Black-bellied Plovers, and 1 Lesser Yellowlegs at Pine Point. Other observations of note included the continuing TRICOLORED HERON off of the Eastern Road Trail, and 2 PURPLE MARTINS at Pine Point.
  • 2 Willow Flycatchers (FOY, finally), Old Town House Park, North Yarmouth, 6/1 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).

Tours and Events:

  • There will not be a Saturday Morning Birdwalk on 6/8 as I’ll be in Rangeley guiding at the Rangeley Birding Fest.  Note that there are still some spaces on a variety of tours still open. They can be found here.
Rangeley Birding Festival