Category Archives: Week Reports

This Week’s (Plus) Highlights and Shorebird High Counts, 8/19 – 8/28/2025

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For the last 13 summers now, hybrid herons have occurred in Scarborough Marsh, with one individual continuing this summer. Likely also present last summer, this bird is significantly darker on the neck and back than the only bird present from about 2021 to 2023, possibly suggesting yet another backcross (Gen 4?) with Tricolored Heron (especially when observed with its breeding plumes earlier in the summer). It does appear quite similar to my proposed 2nd or 3erd generation Tricolored Heron x Snowy Egret x Little Egret that was present from 2016 to at least 2020, so it could possibly by the same bird (Labeled 3A in my article Hybrid Herons of Maine from my North American Birds article in 2021, Volume 72, Number 3. At this point, I believe the hybrids are best described as “Tricolored Heron x small white Egretta species,” or, “Patches” as I dubbed it and most birders refer to it now. Whatever it is, this year’s individual cooperated for me along the Eastern Road Trail on the 26th.

It was another busy period for me, with most of my mornings spent only birding our property before work. Luckily, the yard has been fantastic as it turns out to be this time of year, with a nice variety of migrants, and lots of local breeders fattening up on our plentiful Black Cherry trees. Some of the migrants detected this week included a Prairie Warbler on 8/19, a Swainson’s Thrush on 8/20, Canada Warbler on 8/21, Cape May Warbler 8/24-25, a single Common Nighthawk at dusk on 8/26, and a BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER on 8/27.

Otherwise, it was a weekend trip to Bar Harbor and a shorebird little-big day on the 26th that kept me going, with the following observations of note over the past 10 days.

  • 1 continuing COMMON GALLINULE, Essex Marsh, Bangor, 8/22 (with Bill Thompson).
  • The big adventure this week was the 12-hour pelagic/whale watch out of Bar Harbor with Flukes and Bar Harbor Whale Watch Co to Cashes Ledge in the Gulf of Maine. I’ll leave the complete checklist to others, but my highlights from the trip were the total of 33* Leach’s Storm-Petrels, repeated great view of a total of 15* Pomarine Jaegers, the feeding frenzy of Wilson’s Storm-Petrels (day total of 1,573*) at Ammen Ledge, and the scattered flocks of Red-necked Phalaropes.

Pomarine Jaeger (above) and Great Shearwater (below)

  • 2 Horned Grebes (oversummering or really early?) and 2 Red Crossbills, Hollingsworth Trail, Petit Manan NWR, Steuben, 8/24 (with Bill Thompson).
  • 2 FORSTER’S TERNS, The Pool, Biddeford Pool, 8/26.
  • 2-3 continuing adult RED-NECKED GREBES, Ocean Avenue, Biddeford Pool, 8/26.
  • 1 continuing postulated TRICOLORED HERON X SMALL WHITE EGRETTA SPP, aka “Patches,” Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 8/26. Photo and notes above.

Fueled by a 19 shorebird species day on the 26th, I tallied 22 species of shorebirds this week, with my high counts over these past 10 days (see last week’s post for explanation) being the following:

  • American Oystercatcher: 7 (4 ad, 3 juv), Hill’s Beach, Biddeford, 8/26 (with Noah Gibb and Stacey Huth).
  • Black-bellied Plover: 156, The Pool, Biddeford Pool, 8/26.
  • Killdeer: 46, Crystal Spring Farm, Brunswick, 8/25.
  • Semipalmated Plover: 150+, Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 8/26.
  • Piping Plover: 15, Hill’s Beach, Biddeford, 8/26 (With Noah Gibb and Stacey Huth).
  • Whimbrel: 2, The Pool, 8/26.
  • Ruddy Turnstone: 12*, Mt Desert Rock via Cashes Ledge boat trip, 8/23.
  • Red Knot: 8, The Pool, 8/26 and 3, Wharton Point, Brunswick, 8/25.
  • Sanderling: 5, Hill’s Beach, 8/26.
  • Dunlin: 1 adult, Wharton Point, 8/25 (early).
  • Least Sandpiper: 98, Eastern Road Trail, 8/26.
  • White-rumped Sandpiper: 10+, The Pool, 8/26.
  • Pectoral Sandpiper: 2, Eastern Road Trail, 8/26.
  • Semipalmated Sandpiper: 512, Wharton Point, 8/25.
  • Short-billed Dowitcher: 18, Hill’s Beach, 8/26.
  • Spotted Sandpiper: 2, Ocean Ave, Biddeford Pool, 8/26.
  • Solitary Sandpiper: 1, Rte 136, Durham, 8/26.
  • Lesser Yellowlegs: 19, Eastern Road Trail, 8/26.
  • “Eastern” Willet: 8, The Pool, 8/26.
  • Greater Yellowlegs: 41, Wharton Point, 8/25.
  • RED-NECKED PHALAROPE: 218*, Cashes Ledge boat trip, 8/23.
  • RED PHALAROPE: 1* but I had at least 3 more, Cash’s Ledge boat trip, 8/23.

*Official trip tallies kept by others, although my personal numbers would likely have been similar.

This Week’s Highlights and Shorebird High Counts, 8/9 – 8/18/2025

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Suspected of breeding in 2022 and confirmed in 2023, a pair of American Oystercatchers has now nested annual on the tiny Upper Green Islands way up in Casco Bay off Yarmouth. On the 17th, our annual shorebird-focuses Birds of Casco Bay with Seacoast Tours collaboration documented a pair of adults with a juvenile once again. Since we discovered them on this tour in 2022, it’s been exciting to visit them each summer. Who would have thought this tiny island and ledge could support one of only a dozen or so pairs in the entire state?
Full trip report here.

Two birdwalks, two shorebird-centric tours, and two whale-watches made for a very nice, diverse array of observations of note for me over the last 10 days (see note in shorebird high counts):

  • 3 Long-tailed Ducks (2 continuing from previous week), Simpson’s Point, Brunswick, 8/9 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • 1 Bonaparte’s Gull and 6 Great Egrets, Sabattus Pond, 8/11 (with Jeannette).
We checked the underwing patterns of every Cory’s Shearwater we could.
  • 8/12 afternoon Puffin/Whale Combo cruise with Cap’n Fish’s Cruises out of Boothbay Harbor: 5 American Oystercatchers at Eastern Egg Rock. Offshore of EER = 104 Wilson’s Storm-Petrels,  6 Cory’s Shearwaters, 3 Great Shearwaters, 2 Northern Gannets, 1 MANX SHEARWATER.
  • 1-2+ Red Crossbills, Popham Beach State Park, Phippsburg, 8/14.
  • 1 molting adult Bay-breasted Warbler (more evidence of a limited molt-migration in Boreal birds to the southern coastal plain), Old Town House Park, North Yarmouth, 8/16 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).

For my “shorebird high counts,” I prefer to visit at least one of each: high tide hotspot, low tide spot, “grasspiper spot,” and a freshwater location, and it must include a visit to local hotspots Wharton Point and the Walsh Preserve as I attempt to make these comparisons comparable week-to-week and year-to-year, which, for my own notes if nothing else, is why I put these together (but hope you find them of value, too). Just due to life and scheduling, it now often takes me more than a week to hit all of these “requirements,” so I am going to try and do every 10 days instead of weekly. Therefore, here are my high counts over these past 10 days:

  • American Oystercatcher: 5, Eastern Egg Rock, 8/12 (via Cap’n Fish’s Cruises Puffin/Whale combo trip). Plus 3 (2 ad with 1 juv), Upper Green Island, 8/17 (with Birds of Casco Bay with Seacoast Tours tour group). Photo above
  • Black-bellied Plover: 163, The Pool, Biddeford Pool, 8/18 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop group).
  • Killdeer: 13, Crystal Spring Farm, Brunswick, 8/9 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • Semipalmated Plover: 300+, The Pool, 8/18 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop group).
  • Piping Plover: 13, Popham Beach State Park, 8/14.
  • Ruddy Turnstone: 3, multiple locations this week.
  • Sanderling: 20, Popham Beach State Park, 8/14.
  • 1, Popham Beach State Park, 8/14 and 1 at Great Pond, Biddeford Pool, 8/18 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop group).
  • Least Sandpiper: 42, Sabattus Pond, 8/11 (with Jeannette).
  • White-rumped Sandpiper: 15, Hill’s Beach, Biddeford, 8/18 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop group).
  • Semipalmated Sandpiper: 1600, The Pool, 8/18 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop group).
  • Short-billed Dowitcher: 40, The Pool, 8/18 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop group).
  • Spotted Sandpiper: 4, Sabattus Pond, 8/11 (with Jeannette).
  • Lesser Yellowlegs: 66, Royal River, Yarmouth, 8/17 (with Birds of Casco Bay with Seacoast Tours tour group).
  • “Eastern” Willet: 24, Pine Point, Scarborough, 8/18 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop group).
  • “WESTERN” WILLET: 1 (FOY), Pine Point, 8/18 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop group).
  • Greater Yellowlegs: 22, Wharton Point, Brunswick, 8/9 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
Just including this Wilson’s Storm-Petrel photo here because it is incredible. Nice job, Bill!

This Week’s Highlights and Shorebird High Counts, 7/28 – 8/8/2025

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One of two Baird’s Sandpipers that were in the salt pannes of the Eastern Road Trail through Scarborough Marsh on the 7th, it was one of an estimated 3500+ shorebirds present that day. Low water conditions are currently ideal, but they are drying out fast, and without some rain in the next week, this hotspot might just become too dry to hold many birds.  

With a busy few days of catching up, my birding was limited immediately upon our return from our summer vacation. However, I made up for it this week with a couple of tours and two birding outings with friends. There is a surprising number and quality of summertime rarities around the state right now, but I stayed fairly local and tried to find my own rare shorebird or two! Here are my observations of note over the past 12 days here in Maine.

  • A vocal Yellow-billed Cuckoo continues daily in our yard all week.
  • 1 Great Egret, flying over downtown Waterville at dusk, 7/28 (with Jeannette).
  • 2 Long-tailed Ducks, Simpson’s Point, Brunswick, 8/1.
  • 1 TRICOLORED HERON (FOY), Pelreco Marsh, Scarborough Marsh, 8/3 (with Birds on Tap – Roadtrip! Tour Group). Photo in trip report here.
  • 3 adult RED-NECKED GREBES, 1 White-winged Scoter, and 1 Black Scoter, Ocean Avenue-Biddeford Pool Beach, Biddeford, 8/5 (with Bill Thompson)
  • 1 female PURPLE MARTIN, Timber Point, Biddeford, 8/5 (with Bill Thompson). Confirmed breeding as it entered a powerline visual marker ball with food and exited with a fecal sac!
  • PATCHES! Perhaps Patches the IVth? Presumed TRICOLORED HERON X SNOWY EGRET X LITTLE EGRET HYBRID that now may be a fourth-generation bird that’s a backcross again with a TRICOLORED HERON as this year’s bird has significantly more bluish color than previous years, and in all the right places for a Tricolored. In other words, “Tricolored Heron x Small White Egretta SPP”, or, “Patches.” But the hybrid heron was in the salt pannes of the Eastern Road Trail on 8/7 (with Ian Doherty). My phone-scoped photos in the heat shimmer don’t do it justice!
  • 7 Bonaparte’s Gulls, Sabattus Pond, 8/8.

And as expected for the season, shorebird migration is now in full swing and that was the focus of my birding attention, resulting in a solid 21 species. Here were my high counts over these past 12 days:

  • American Oystercatcher: 7 (4 ad, 3 juv), Hill’s Beach, Biddeford, 8/5 (with Bill Thompson).
  • Black-bellied Plover: 60+, The Pool, Biddeford Pool, 8/5 (with Bill Thompson).
  • Killdeer: 11, Sabattus Pond, 8/8.
  • Semipalmated Plover: 375, Hill’s Beach, 8/5 (with Bill Thompson).
  • Whimbrel: 3, Pine Point, Scarborough, 8/3 (with Birds on Tap – Roadtrip! Tour Group).
  • Ruddy Turnstone: 5, Ocean Avenue, Biddeford Pool, 8/5 (with Bill Thompson).
  • Red Knot (FOF): 1 ad, Hill’s Beach, 8/5 (with Bill Thompson).
  • Sanderling: 2, Hill’s Beach, Biddeford, 8/5 (with Bill Thompson).
  • BAIRD’S SANDPIPER (FOY): 2, Eastern Road Trail Scarborough Marsh, 8/7 (with Ian Doherty). Photo above.
  • Least Sandpiper: 350+, Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 8/7 (with Ian Doherty).
  • White-rumped Sandpiper: 75+ (wow! Great count!), Eastern Road Trail, 8/7 (with Ian Doherty).
  • Pectoral Sandpiper: 1, Eastern Road Trail, 8/7 (with Ian Doherty).
  • Semipalmated Sandpiper: Incredible concentration of 2750-3000+ at Eastern Road Trail, 8/7 (with Ian Doherty), but an honorable mention of 2500+ at Pine Point, Scarborough, 8/3 (with Birds on Tap – Roadtrip! Tour Group).
  • WESTERN SANDPIPER (FOY): 1 ad, Eastern Road Trail, 8/7 (with Ian Doherty).
  • Short-billed Dowitcher: 58, Hill’s Beach, 8/5 (with Bill Thompson).
  • American Woodcock: 2, our property in Durham, 8/1.
  • Spotted Sandpiper: 2, several locations this week.
  • Solitary Sandpiper: 1, Moosehorn NWR – Baring Division, 7/28 (with Jeannette) and Sabattus Pond, 8/8.
  • Lesser Yellowlegs: 104, Walsh Preserve, Freeport, 8/2 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • “Eastern” Willet: 22, The Pool, Biddeford, 8/5 (with Bill Thompson).
  • Greater Yellowlegs: 12, Wharton Point, Brunswick, 8/1.

UPCOMING TOURS w/ Space Available:

Shorebird Workshop with Down East Adventures, August 18th, 8:00am to 4:00pm.

This Week’s Highlights, 7/12-7/20/2025

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Jeannette and I raced down to the Kennebunk Plains on Monday the 14th for this Fork-tailed Flycatcher. A notorious “one-day-wonder,” it conveniently was discovered on a day off for a change. Even more surprisingly, unlike most Fork-tailed Flycatchers that occur in the Northeast, this one stuck around, continuing through the 16th. There are between 10 and 16 previous occurrences of this vagrant from South America in Maine – incredible considering the distance it has to fly “incorrectly” to get here!

Only in the middle of July is a trip to Monhegan not the birding adventure of the week. But betweenthe chase of a “megs,” an opportunity to visit a banding project on a mountaintop in Vermont, and a couple of boat trips, it was a great week (plus) of birding for me nonetheless. Here are my observation of note over the past nine days.

  • 1 RAZORBILL (just off of Smuttynose outside of Monhegan harbor) and 1 Atlantic Puffin, Hardy Boat from Monhegan to New Harbor, 7/12. Only tubenoses encountered on a very foggy day both to and from were Wilson’s Storm-Petrels.
  • 1 FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHER, Kennebunk Plains, Kennbunk, 7/14 (with Jeannette and m.obs). Found earlier in the day by Sam Darmstadt. Photo above.
  • 7/19: I co-lead the morning Whale and Puffin Combo Cruise tour with our partners Cap’n Fish’s Cruises: 1 MANX SHEARWATER (unexpected close fly-by between our boat and Eastern Egg Rock); 2 American Oystercatchers, Eastern Egg Rock; 3 Cory’s Shearwaters and 100-125 Wilson’s Storm-Petrels offshore. I stayed aboard for the afternoon trip and only had 1 Cory’s Shearwater and 75-100 Wilson’s Storm-Petrels offshore.

UPCOMING TOURS w/ Space Available:

Shorebird workshop with Down East Adventures, August 18th, 8:00am to 4:00pm.

Saturday Morning Birdwalks Return 8/2!

This Week’s Highlights, 7/5-7/11/2025

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Any single martin away from a known colony is worth studying, especially “funny looking” ones, as vagrant martins have occurred in the Northeast. I spotted one such martin over Scarborough Marsh from the Eastern Road Trail while guiding on Thursday. Luckily, I shouted down the road to Bill Thompson and he was able to photograph the bird as it flew by. Together, we identified it as a 1st summer, likely female, Purple Martin. It sure looked strange as it was flying towards me.

A week of fairly-local birding at the height of nestling season – and the ramping up of southbound shorebird season – produced the following observations of note:

  • 2 Red Crossbills, Hidden Valley Nature Center, Jefferson, 7/6.
  • 4 Orchard Orioles (pair with 2 fledglings), Old Town House Park, North Yarmouth, 7/7 (with clients from Maine).
  • 3 Lesser Yellowlegs (first of “fall”) and 3-4 Least Sandpipers (first of fall), Walsh Preserve, Yarmouth, 7/8 (with clients from Maine).
  • Totals of 95+ Short-billed Dowitchers, 70+ Least Sandpipers, 4 Greater Yellowlegs, and 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, Scarborough Marsh, Scarborough, 7/10 (with clients from Maine and New Hampshire).
  • 1 PURPLE MARTIN, Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 7/10 (with clients from Maine and New Hampshire). Photos from Bill Thompson above.
  • 1 continuing drake American Wigeon, Eastern Road Trail, 7/10 (with clients from Maine and New Hampshire).

UPCOMING TOURS

Join me and Cap’n Fish’s Cruises out of Boothbay for a special edition of their daily Puffin and Whales Cruise on Saturday July 19th. While this is not a dedicated pelagic, I’ll be a guest naturalist to help spot and call out birds at Eastern Egg Rock and offshore. With the irregular occurrence of the Tufted Puffin and now a Bridled Tern at EEG, you won’t want to miss the chance for a more birding-focused few hours on the water!  And the more birders we have aboard, the better!

This Week’s Highlights, 6/28-7/4/2025

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This week I even had some time to spend a few mornings on my own enjoying Maine’s birds of summer, like this Roseate Tern on Hill’s Beach in Biddeford on the 29th.

It was back to normal for my schedule this week, and I was actually in the state for the whole week! With a little time off for a change as well, I had a great week of birding resulting in the following observations of note:

  • 1 adult male ORCHARD ORIOLE feeding a very-recently fledged fledglings, Old Town House Park, North Yarmouth, 6/28 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • 4 American Oystercatchers, 10 Short-billed Dowitchers (likely first southbound migrants of fall!), 1 Semipalmated Plover, and 1 Black-bellied Plover, Hill’s Beach, Biddeford, 6/28.
  • 3 Short-billed Dowitchers and 2 Black-bellied Plovers, The Pool, Biddeford, 6/28.
  • 8+ singing GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS, California Fields Wildlife Area, Hollis, 6/30.
  • 3 Cory’s Shearwaters and 200+ Wilson’s Storm-Petrels, off Boothbay Harbor via Freeport Wild Bird Supply/Cap’n Fish’s Cruises Whale/Puffin Combo Tour, 7/3 (morning; with tour group).
  • 3 American Oystercatchers, 16 Short-billed Dowitchers, 1 Ruddy Turnstone, etc, Eastern Egg Rock and 40+ Wilson’s Storm-Petrels offshore via Cap’n Fish’s Cruises Whale/Puffin Combo Tour, 7/3 (afternoon).
  • Fledglings being fed at our feeders in Durham this week included Baltimore Oriole, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Eastern Bluebird, Carolina Wren, etc, etc.

UPCOMING TOURS

Join me and Cap’n Fish’s Cruises out of Boothbay for another special edition of their daily Puffin and Whales Cruise on Saturday July 19th. While this is not a dedicated pelagic, I’ll be a guest naturalist to help spot and call out birds at Eastern Egg Rock and offshore. With the irregular occurrence of the Tufted Puffin and now a Bridled Tern at EEG, you won’t want to miss the chance for a more birding-focused few hours on the water!  And the more birders we have aboard, the better!

This (Two) Week’s Highlights, 6/18-6/27/2025

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A highlight of our Bicknell’s Thrushes of New Hampshire Weekend was this Black-backed Woodpecker nest that I found on a private tour two weeks ago. By last weekend, the nestling(s?) were getting close to fledging. Thanks to Bill Thompson for the use of his photo as my camera had little interest in performing well in the low light!

After being out of town for a few days (birding highlights in New Jersey included “southern” specialties, a huge Black Skimmer colony, and the growing, awesome White Ibis rookery), I returned to Maine and jumped right back into this record-busy guiding season. From coastal saltmarshes to mountaintops in New Hampshire, a few of my less expected observations in Maine over the past two weeks included just the following:

  • 1 Yellow-billed Cuckoo (FOY!), our property in Durham, 6/23.
  • 1 White-winged Scoter, Fort Popham, Phippsburg, 6/24 (with clients from Vermont).
  • 1 Vesper Sparrow, Auburn Municipal Airport, 6/25.
  • And finally, for fun, here’s a selection of our favorite photos from our visit to the White Ibis rookery in Wildwood, NJ last week.

BICKNELL’S THRUSH WEEKEND TOUR REPORT

The trip report from our recent tour can be seen here.

2025 Bicknell’s Thrush Weekend Trip Report

UPCOMING TOURS

Join me and Cap’n Fish’s Cruises out of Boothbay for a special edition of their daily Puffin and Whales Cruise on Thursday, July 3rd (and Saturday July 19th). While this is not a dedicated pelagic, I’ll be a guest naturalist to help spot and call out birds at Eastern Egg Rock and offshore. With the irregular occurrence of the Tufted Puffin and now a Bridled Tern at EEG, you won’t want to miss the chance for a more birding-focused few hours on the water!  And the more birders we have aboard, the better!

This (Two) Week’s Highlights, 5/31-6/13

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One of up to 6 Canada Jays encountered outside of Rangeley while leading tours for the Rangeley Birding Festival included this confiding adult, part of a family group of at least 4 on 6/6. In fact, I enjoyed Canada Jays in three states in less than a week’s time this week/weekend!

This time of year, most of my birding, both personally and especially professionally, is dedicated to finding, seeing, and enjoying the wide array of breeding species this state has to off. From Saltmarsh Sparrows and Roseate Terns here along the southern coast to Bicknell’s Thrushes and “boreal specialities” in the western Maine mountains (and northern New Hampshire), it has been another extremely busy guiding season for me. Meanwhile, while home, I have been conducting two local breeding bird surveys. While my “highlights” these days are seeing the “expected” species we all seek, I did encounter some unexpected observations and noteworthy counts over the past two weeks, but mostly, I thought I would share some of my photo highlights.

  • 9 Grasshopper Sparrows, 1 Yellow-throated Vireo, etc, Kennebunk Plains, Kennbunk, 6/2 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 Dunlin, 4 Semipalmated Plovers, and 1 Least Sandpiper, Sanford Lagoons, 6/2 (with Jeannette).
  • Rangeley Birding Festival, 6/6-6/8: Two mornings of birding Redington Road (scouting 6/6, with tour group 6/7) yielded high counts of 2 territorial CAPE MAY WARBLERS (6/6+6/7), 6 CANADA JAYS (6/7), 1 pair of BOREAL CHICKADEES (6/6), 3 Red Crossbills (6/6), 2 Olive-sided Flycatchers (6/6), 1 American Bittern (6/7), 1 Black-billed Cuckoo (6/7), etc.
I was excited to find two Cape May Warbler territories outside of Rangeley on the 6th, and then find both males in the same place the next day with my Rangeley Birding Festival tour group.

While leading a walk for the Rangeley Birding Festival at Hunter Cove Sanctuary, I found this low-level Blue-headed Vireo nest that was fascinating to observe.

  • 2.5 day private tour in Vermont and Northern New Hampshire (I know, this is a non-Maine-birding-field-note!) yielded: Bicknell’s Thrush, Black-backed Woodpecker, Boreal Chickadee, Canada Jay, Fox Sparrow, and 22 species of warbler including Cape May, Bay-breasted, and Mourning.
As usual, I took few photos while guiding, but this Bay-breasted Warbler outside Errol, NH on the 10th (with clients) was too cooperative not to fire off a few shots!
  • Back home for a couple of days, it was off to my local bird surveys. This fledgling Barred Owl was in Freeport on the 12th, confirming breeding once again at one of my local patches.

Monhegan Spring Migration Weekend Trip Report.

The 2025 Monhegan Migration Spring Weekend was a shocking success. We went from having a weather forecast that made me worry if there would be any migrants to see at all, to an exceptional weekend that was by far the best Memorial Day weekend of birding out here in quite a few years. A total of 106 species were tallied in 5 days, including 91 together as a tour group, with a total of 22 species of warblers. Here’s the full trip report.

2025 Monhegan Spring Migration Weekend Trip Report

OK, it’s not a bird, but it sure is emblematic of the North Country and Western Maine! I encountered this cow outside of Rangeley on 6/6.

This Week’s Highlights, 5/23-5/30/2025

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This Lark Sparrow – always a treat in spiffy spring plumage – was among the notable birds form a
stellar weekend on Monhegan.

Five days on Monhegan Friday the 23rd through Tuesday 5/27 yielded a total of 106 species, including 22 species of warblers. It was the best Memorial Day Weekend on the island in several years, and at times, it really felt like “the good ol’ days” with a flock of warblers in every tree. Back in the real world, I was mostly guiding for local breeding specialties, but did have a few observations of note. But mostly, of course, my highlights were from my time on the island.

  • 3 Blue-winged Teal, Weskeag Marsh, 5/23 (with Evan Obercian).

Monhegan Daily Highlights (full report coming soon).

5/23, with Monhegan Spring Migration Weekend Tour group:

  • 12 HARLEQUIN DUCKS
  • 1 2nd/3rd Cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull

5/24, with Monhegan Spring Migration Weekend Tour group:

  • 12 HARLEQUIN DUCKS continued
  • 1 LARK SPARROW (photo above)
  • 2 continuing “Eastern” Willets
  • 3 Atlantic Puffins
  • 1 Philadelphia Vireo (FOY)
  • 3 Cape May Warblers (FOY)
  • 18 species of warblers led by 55 American Redstarts, 50 Magnolia Warblers, and 25 Yellow Warblers

5/25, with Monhegan Spring Migration Weekend Tour group:

  • 1 continuing SNOWY EGRET
  • 8-10 continuing HARLEQUIN DUCKS
  • 2 Alder Flycatchers (FOY)
  • 18 species of warblers led by 45 American Redstarts, 45 Magnolia Warblers, and 35 Blackpoll Warblers, but also including at least 10 Bay-breasted and 4 Cape May Warblers

5/26, with Monhegan Spring Migration Weekend Tour group:

  • 2 Willow Flycatchers (FOY)
  • 1 Common Nighthawk
  • 17 species of warblers led by 55 Blackpoll Warblers, 45 Northern Parulas, and 40 each of Magnolia and American Redstart.

5/27, with Jeannette:

  • 1 continuing HARLEQUIN DUCK
  • 1 Mourning Warbler (FOY)
  • 1 Nelson’s Sparrow (FOY)
  • 1 Pine Warbler
  • 1 Long-tailed Duck
  • 1 Ovenbird (my 22nd species of warbler on the weekend)
  • 21 species of warblers led by 100 Blackpoll Warblers, 80 American Redstarts, and 70 Magnolia Warblers, but also including at least 15 Bay-breasted, 10 Tennessee, and 6 Cape May Warblers.
  • 1 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (FOY), our property in Durham, 5/28.
  • 1 continuing male Lesser Scaup, Pine Point, Scarborough, 5/29 (with clients from Arkansas).

Upcoming Tours (with space available):

Rangeley Birding Festival, June 5-8.

This Week’s Highlights, 5/17-5/22/2025.

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This immature male Orchard Oriole was singing up a storm – when we wasn’t being chased by a territorial male Baltimore – at tiny, but often-productive – Lake Grove Park in Auburn on the 18th.

A sneaky good flight overnight Saturday into Sunday made for a tremendous day of birding: it took me over three hours to leave my yard! The rest of the week, however, was very slow by mid-May standards, with the exception of a very surprising morning At Fort Foster on Friday. My observations of note over the past six days before I head off to Monhegan with my tour group included the following:

  • 17 species of warblers, led by 38+ American Redstarts and 16 Black-throated Green Warblers, our property in Durham, 5/18.
  • 1 Louisiana Waterthrush, Papermill Trail, Lisbon, 5/18.
  • 1 immature male ORCHARD ORIOLE, Lake Grove Park, Auburn, 5/18.
  • 1 Lesser Scaup, Pine Point, Scarborough, 5/20.
  • 19 species of warblers, led by 27+ American Redstarts and 19 Yellow Warblers, but also including 8+ Bay-breasted Warblers, Fort Foster, Kittery, 5/22.
  • 120 Brant (impressive flock for Maine!) and 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Fort Foster, 5/22.

My personal “first of years” this week also included:

  • 1 Indigo Bunting, our property in Durham, 5/18.
  • 1 Bay-breasted Warbler, our property in Durham, 5/18.
  • 1 Swainson’s Thrush, Papermill Trail, Lisbon, 5/18.
  • 8+ Common Nighthawks, our property in Durham, 5/18.
  • 3 YELLOW-THROATED VIREOS, Morgan Meadow WMA, Gray/Raymond, 5/19 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 Tennessee Warbler, our property in Durham. 5/20.
  • # Least Tern, Pine Point, Scarborough, 5/20.
  • 3-4 Saltmarsh Sparrows, Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 5/20.
  • 1 Black-billed Cuckoo, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 5/21.

Upcoming Tours (with space available):

Rangeley Birding Festival, June 5-8