October is my favorite month of birding in Maine, and this past week showed why. A great diversity of birds are on the move, and my past seven days featured everything from pelagics to yard birds. Here are my observations of note over the past seven days.

• Pelagic highlights from a Cap’n Fish’s Cruises Whale Watch out of Boothbay Harbor on 10/4: 4 NORTHERN FULMARS (including one dark morph), 4 ATLANTIC PUFFINS, 14-15 Cory’s Shearwaters (most seen and/or photographed well enough to see full dark outer primaries on the underwing; see above), 6 Red-necked Phalaropes, and one BROWN CREEPER landing on a person on the top deck about 14 miles off of Damariscove Island (photo below). My complete list is posted here.

• 1 Baltimore Oriole and 1 Nashville Warbler, Wolfe’s Neck Center, Freeport, 10/5 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).

• Sandy Point Morning Flight, 10/6: 140 birds of 18 species led by 60 Yellow-rumped Warblers. Total tally here.

• 1 Rusty Blackbird, 1 Nashville Warbler, and 1 Pied-billed Grebe, Capisic Pond Park, Portland, 10/9 (with clients from New York).

• 20-30+ Cory’s Shearwaters off East Point and Ocean Ave, Biddeford Pool, 10/9. Some just beyond Beach Island in good afternoon light to see dark outer primaries. 15 minutes of counting produced 18 individuals from East Point, all moving north, with 1-3 in view with almost every quick scan thereafter. Good sign for Monday’s pelagic! (with clients from New York).

• 7 American Oystercatchers and 1 Horned Grebe (first of fall), Ocean Avenue, 10/9 (with clients from New York).

• 1 American Redstart, Elphis Pond, Biddeford Pool, 10/9 (with clients from New York).

• Highlights from our Durham property this week included the arrival of the first few Dark-eyed Juncos, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak on 10/4, continuing multiple Lincoln’s Sparrows, Nashville Warbler on 10/8, and another or the same Indigo Bunting on 10/9.

• And here’s my complete trip report from my Monhegan tour and visit on September 27 through October 1^st.

2024 Monhegan Fall Migration Weekend Trip Report

UPCOMING TOURS:

• Our annual half-day pelagic with our partners Cap’n Fish’s Cruises out of Boothbay Harbor is on Sunday, October 14^th – a nice, late date that should put us more in the season of things like Great Skua, and you can be sure we’ll be studying Cory’s Shearwaters hard to find a Scopoli’s! More info and link to registration is here. See notes above from my 10/4 outing.

• A few spaces remain on our Birds on Tap! – The Boat Trip! To House Island in Casco Bay on Sunday, October 20^th. More info here.