Gulf of Maine Pelagic Birding by Cruiseship, Oct-Nov 2024.

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Cruise ships are big, stable platforms that allow for pelagic birding in comfort and with the use of spotting scopes!

In 2019, Jeannette and I took a cruise through the Gulf of Maine and northwestern Atlantic Ocean in the hopes of finding Great Skuas in particular. It was wildly successful, and if we could repeat this success, perhaps there would be a cruise-ship-based tour to offer. At least it would be more comfortable than last week’s attempt!

Therefore, on the evening of 10/26, Jeannette and I boarded Princess Cruises’s Enchanted Princess out of Brooklyn, New York. Our hope was to replicate the success of our 2019 trip. We were planning on a second scouting trip in the fall of 2020, but then COVID.

After finally feeling ready to consider a cruise again, we found the itinerary had changed, and we would need to spend seven days to get two full days offshore..we even needed to come back home first! But alas, we had pandemic-era credit that was going to expire, so off we went. Is this a reliable way to see Great Skuas in North America? Could I document a Barolo’s Shearwater this time?

We started our birding, however, at Brooklyn’s Greenwood Cemetery, home of this massive Monk Parakeet colony.

We departed New York Harbor with about an hour of usable daylight, picking up a single Cory’s Shearwater and plenty of Northern Gannets.

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Arriving off Newport before dawn the next morning, we got the first shuttle to town, where our friends Bill and Jess picked us up for a lovely day of birding (Clay-colored Sparrow, Orange-crowned Warbler, late Nashville Warbler) before returning to the boat. About 45 minutes of deck time produced 8 Cory’s and a single Great Shearwater.

Newport arrivals.
“Western” Palm Warbler at Sachuest NWR.

Unfortunately, this particular boat offered less-than-ideal viewing opportunities compared to our first trip, with the best deck space on Deck 7 (a great height) but way too aft. Even with our scopes on the steady platform, this was going to be a challenge.

Approaching Boston on the morning of 10/28, we checked the decks for passerines (none) before taking our place on Deck 7. There were a lot of Northern Gannets, 4-5 Cory’s Shearwaters close enough to identify as borealis, and a pod of Atlantic White-sided Dolphins. A Song Sparrow flew aboard just outside the outer harbor islands, but before that, our first real surprise of the trip: an American Woodcock appearing from the north and cruising alongside the length of the boat before disappearing. That’s not a “pelagic” we expected!

We birded Boston’s Greenway a bit, but returned to the boat well after dark. Sailing slowly overnight, we returned to Portland (the original itinerary had us visiting Bar Harbor), where a long, thorough check of the Eastern Promenade yielded two Orange-crowned Warblers and a very late Red-eyed Vireo.

Darkness reached us a tantalizingly-short distance to Cash’s Ledge, so we retired to rest up for the big day at sea tomorrow (finally!). 

Waking up in Maine waters about 16.5 nautical miles southeast of Mt Desert Rock, I stepped outside well before first light at 6:05am. I immediately texted Noam, the other birder on board that we rapidly had become friends with, and I hustled Jeannette outside. With some drizzle arriving ahead of approaching light rain, we had ourselves a fallout!

Unexpected considering there were little to no birds on the Maine radars overnight, and with a south wind through most of the night, I was surprised to immediately hear the flight calls of several Yellow-rumped Warblers. Sparrows were scattered about on the open decks. Noam and I had to usher a Rusty Blackbird out of a foyer, while Jeannette had to steer a Dark-eyed Junco down a hallway.

“Ipswich” Savannah Sparrow – that was an unexpected migrant, but makes sense considering we were southwest of Sable Island!

Clearly disoriented by the obnoxiously superfluous lighting of the ship, dozens of birds were around…often being flushed by now-awakening crew and passengers. Luckily, few birds seemed to be in dire straits – only one Yellow-rumped Warbler looked to me to be thoroughly exhausted, thankfully. In fact, most birds were leaving the boat as the sun rose and they were able to reorient themselves. While some birds seemed to arrive in the 15 or so minutes after sunrise, just about all passerines had departed the boat by 7:30 or so.

This photo, taken from off Eastern Point in Gloucester, MA the night before shows just how bright these ships are, and how disorienting they can be to birds.

With birds circling the boat before dawn, calling continuously, and others hiding in corners before being flushed to another corner, it was tough to count, but I estimated and counted a bare minimum of 8 Yellow-rumped Warblers, 8 American Robins (mostly overhead), 7 European Starlings (surprisingly), 6+ Dark-eyed Juncos, 2 Purple Finches, 2 fly-over American Pipits, 2 Savannah Sparrows, and one each of Palm Warbler, Snow Bunting, White-throated Sparrow, Cedar Waxwing, and Rusty Blackbird. Additionally, Noam photographed a Pine Warbler.

The three of us were in place on Deck 7 by 7:30, but the passerine show continued. A flock of 12 Red-winged Blackbirds flew by, while a flock of 14 American Robins joined by two more red-wings flew alongside the boat for several miles later in the morning before overtaking us and heading back to Nova Scotia.

Throughout the day, other passerines appeared and disappeared, some of which could easily have been sheltering out of sight somewhere inaccessible on the boat. These included a few more robins, 3+ Yellow-rumped Warblers, 2 Dark-eyed Juncos, and one each of Palm Warbler, Song Sparrow, Cedar Waxwing, Snow Bunting, American Pipit, and Lapland Longspur.

American Pipit
Harlequin Duck (L) with Black Scoters

But this was a seabird trip, and so we remained vigilant over the water. While we only had a few minutes in Maine waters once we began our vigil, the rest of the day was productive overall, although the afternoon was quite slow. As we passed the southern tip of Nova Scotia (we even spotted Seal Island Light that we were lucky enough to visit with a group of birders about 20 years ago), we finally called it quits at 5:45 pm when cloud cover accelerated the falling of darkness.

Here’s our route (left pin to right pin) for the day, thanks to the Navionics Boating app by Garmin.

From start to finish, our respectable – albeit not breathtaking – seabird tallies included oodles of Northern Gannets (including a steady southbound trickle almost all morning), and occasional southbound flocks of all three scoters and Common Eiders. Specific counts included:

  • 47 Black-legged Kittiwakes
  • 36 Razorbills
  • 13 Northern Fulmars
  • 10 Great Shearwaters
  • 6 DOVEKIES (one flock landing off to the side of the boat)
  • 3 ATLANTIC PUFFINS
  • 3 American Black Ducks
  • 3 unidentified large shearwaters
  • 2 Harlequin Ducks
  • 1 Greater Scaup
Great Shearwater

So all in all, not a bad day, but the passerines stole the show, and while Dovekie is one of the target birds of this trip, we didn’t see a skua…or even a jaeger, surprisingly.

The next day we awoke well within Halifax Harbor, but a sunrise passerine check yielded two birds: a White-throated Sparrow, and of all things, a rare Dickcissel!

Local friends Eric and Anne once again rescued us for a day of casual birding and good conversation, but the ship departed after dark; just more time to rest for our second full day at sea!

Halifax Public Garden
Northern Flicker

The morning of 11/1 found us between Downeast Maine and the northern corner of Georges Bank. The rest of the day would be in the same waters of our great success on our trip five years ago. After a passerine check which didn’t turn up anything (which meant nothing was disoriented by the ship overnight or desperate for a place to land come dawn, so this is never a bad thing), it was time to get to work in our usual spot.

Unfortunately, strong southwesterly winds and growing seas, with haze and light fog in the distance, made birding challenging. We worked hard though, but it was slow. We did have some excitement from two Dovekies that landed fairly close to the boat, and two Manx Shearwaters that, thanks to the lighting, I was absolutely sure were not Manx Shearwaters until we carefully reviews Noam’s photos later.

With glare and haze becoming problematic, we broke for an early lunch at 11:30, with the previous 4.5 hours of observation producing only the following, plus two Humpback Whales:

  • 12 Northern Gannets
  • 7 Great Shearwaters
  • 6 Red Phalaropes
  • 4 unidentified large shearwaters
  • 2 DOVEKIES
  • 2 Northern Fulmars
  • 2 Manx Shearwater (after review)
  • 2 Black-legged Kittiwakes
  • 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
  • 2 unidentified large alcids
  • 1 unidentified small black-and-white shearwater.

Unfortunately, with increasing wind (that we were heading straight into) and seas growing up to 7-10 feet (barely noticeable on a ship this big though, thankfully!), the lower deck was closed off for safety. Later, even the upper decks were closed off due to the very high winds, which were now blowing nearly 30mph out of the southwest.

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Luckily for Jeannette and I, we had scored a forward-facing room, and although we were high up on Deck 17, we could see forward. Haze and the angled window were problematic, but we could see birds close to the ship, and we could relax, remove layers, and even crack open a beer. This is pelagic birding in style!

From 1pm to 5pm, when we finally called it a day, the afternoon cabin-watch netted:

  • 11 Great Shearwaters
  • 9 Northern Gannets
  • 5 Cory’s/Cory’s-type Shearwaters
  • 3 unidentified phalaropes
  • 2 Manx Shearwaters
Screenshot

And so our two days at seas concluded without a Great Skua, our primary target species for a future cruise..and perhaps a future tour. Alas, we’re only 1 for 2 in seeing skuas from the boat, and we would need a different class of ship (and, a shorter itinerary with more time at sea and less time in multiple ports) if we were to do this again. We’ll be keeping an eye out from other companies and other Princess ships to see if there’s a more skua-tactic itinerary in the future, but until then, our northeast Atlantic cruisin’ days may have come to a close.

Arriving in New York harbor before dawn, our last sunrise deck check yielded a single Dark-eyed Junco, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and White-throated Sparrow, bringing our more-productive passerine birding cruise to a close.

Recent Highlights, 10/17- 10/24/24

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A big thank you to the homeowners for alerting us to the presence of this very late hummingbird that arrived in a Durham yard on the 20th. We always put an alert in our store’s newsletters about late hummingbirds, and we try to get photographs to confirm their identity as many late season hummingbirds turn out not to be Ruby-throats. This one, however, was indeed a very late Ruby-throated, confirmed with the shape of the outer primaries on the folded wing.

Despite weather often feeling more like summer, it was a great week of autumn birding. Perhaps my last morning flight visit of the season to Sandy Point, a trip to a private island in Casco Bay, a late hummingbird to chase, a day off to do some birdfinding, and time on our property all combined for a very productive eight days of birding. Here are my observations of note.

  • Sandy Point Morning Flight, 10/17: 351 individuals of 25 species, led by 114 Yellow-rumped Warblers but including a goodly October 17th total of 7 species of warblers. Full list here:
Sandy Point Morning Flights: September – October, 2024.
  • 1 Pine Siskin (first of fall), here at the store, 10/18.
  • 1 Field Sparrow and 1 Horned Lark, House Island (private; restricted access), Portland, 10/20 (With Birds on Tap – The Boat Trip! tour group). Trip report here.
Birds on Tap Roadtrips are Back in 2024! (And Tour Reports Thereof)
  • 3 Common Yellowthroats, 2 imm White-crowned Sparrows (FOF, finally), 1 Field Sparrow, etc, Private property in Cape Elizabeth, 10/22.
  • 1 “INTERIOR” NELSON’S SPARROW (FOY), Crescent Beach State Park, Cape Elizabeth, 10/22.
  • 1 Orange-crowned Warbler, Kettle Cove, Cape Elizabeth, 10/22.
  • 1 subvirgatus Nelson’s Sparrow, Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 10/22.
  • 1 RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD, private home in Durham, 10/21 (with Jeannette). After receiving an email about a hummingbird coming to a feeder on 10/20, we made arrangements to visit to get confirmation photographs. Surprisingly, given the date, it was indeed a Ruby-throat. See photos above.
  • Highlights on our Durham property included at one or more Lincoln’s Sparrows continuing through at least 10/18, two EVENING GROSBEAKS (FOF) and a Field Sparrow on 10/21, and a late PRAIRIE WARBLER on the 24th.

Recent Highlights, 10/10- 10/16/24

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Diving ducks and fall foliage at Sabattus Pond – it’s really October now!

Pelagics, waterfowl, morning flights, and more. It was a great week of October birding! Here are my observations of note over the past seven days.

  • Sandy Point Morning Flight, 10/10: 285 individuals of 26 species, led by 116 Yellow-rumped Warblers.
  • Sandy Point Morning Flight, 10/11: 385 individuals of 21 species, led by 204 American Robins.
  • Full list for both here:
Sandy Point Morning Flights: September – October, 2024.
  • 1 Vesper Sparrow and 1 Orange-crowned Warbler, Wolfe’s Neck Center, Freeport, 10/11.
  • 1 Lesser Yellowlegs and 1 Pectoral Sandpiper with 28 Greater Yellowlegs, Walsh Preserve, Freeport, 10/12 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • 6 Long-tailed Ducks (first of fall), 1 Red-breasted Merganser (first of fall locally), 2 Dunlin, 2 Osprey, 12 Black-bellied Plovers, 200+ Surf Scoters, 73 Laughing and 18 Bonaparte’s Gulls, etc, Casco Bay, 10/13 (with Birds of Casco Bay boat tour group).
  • Highlights from a, uh, “challenging” half-day pelagic out of Boothbay Harbor on 10/14 included 1 Northern Fulmar and 2 Common Murres. Full trip report and some photos here:
Boothbay ½-day Pelagic Trip Report, 10/14/2024
  • 1 late Solitary Sandpiper, 226 Ruddy Ducks, 140 Lesser Scaup, 79 Greater Scaup, and 4 Buffleheads (FOF), etc, Sabattus Pond, Sabattus, 10/16.
  • Highlights from the yard this week include a dawn American Woodcock on 10/11 and 3 Rusty Blackbirds and 120+ White-throated Sparrows on 10/15.

UPCOMING TOURS:

There’s still one space open on our Birds on Tap! – The Boat Trip! To House Island in Casco Bay on Sunday, October 20th. More info here, included an updated itinerary. This is going to be a really special trip!

Boothbay ½-day Pelagic Trip Report, 10/14/2024

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The trip started off right with plenty of close Northern Gannets.

Pelagic birding is a lot like Goldilocks’ porridge: it’s hard for it to be juuuuust right. Last year it was too calm and birds were hard to find. This year, it was anything but calm.

Once we traveled beyond the shelter of Damariscove Island, we had a plan – or at least the concept of a plan.  We’d slowly work our way straight south to deep water, make a turn to the east as the forecast was for seas to start diminishing, and then take mostly following seas for a smooth return trip home.

Peregrine Falcon having brunch to go.

We had lots of Northern Gannets early in the trip – always a good sign – but it was pretty slow going through the area known as The Pasture, which like all offshore patches, is always hit or miss. In fact, the only other pelagic we had was a single Cory’s Shearwater seen by only a handful.

Unfortunately, once we made the turn to the east, it became essentially unbirdable. The forecast 4-6 foot seas were right, but the distance between waves (the wave period) was significantly shorter than forecast, and the waves were definitely not diminishing. Captain Steve did an exceptional job of trying to soften the ride and keep us safe, but we just weren’t going to be able to continue east towards some of our deep water hotspots. When a bird was called – such as a single Northern Fulmar (one of our primary targets on the trip), few people were able to even try to see it before it was long gone behind the waves. Perhaps only the Yellow-rumped Warbler and Savannah Sparrow that we encountered about 15 miles offshore were having a worse day. I tried to keep some bird commentary going, if only as a distraction, but I’m not sure anyone was listening at this point!

So it was decided to make a turn for home. In a last ditch effort to salvage the birding day, we angled for the mouth of Sheepscot Bay. An unidentified dark jaeger zipped by, seen by just a few, tantalizing us to what else is out here today.

Once in the mouth of the bay, sheltered by Damariscove off to the east, we found gentle seas, and decided to try our hand at attracting some birds with a chum slick.  We laid a slick for about 1-2 miles of pork fat soaked in fish oil. Thanks to a generous donation of surplus fatback compliments of Old Crow Ranch of Durham, we were likely the first ever pelagic to use local, pasture-based, regeneratively-farmed, non-GMO, pork fat. The experiment turned out to be quite a success, too!

First, we kicked up two Common Murres as we traveled, one of which flew past the boat affording a great view for those who were still on deck; even the seabirds were seeking sheltered waters today!

We were soon attracting several hundred gulls to our chumslick, and we finally teased out a single Lesser Black-backed Gull from the masses. A few lingering Laughing Gulls and several Ring-billed Gulls, including spiffy fresh juveniles, joined the myriads of Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls.

We then tried the same technique closer to the mouth of the outer Boothbay Harbor, closer to Damarsicove. At first the results were surprisingly lower, until a Peregrine Falcon and a Northern Harrier over the island kicked up the gulls roosting on the windward side. Once the gulls saw the feeding birds behind us, the game was on. Meanwhile, we enjoyed many dozens of Surf Scoters and Common Eiders, punctuated by both Black and White-winged Scoters, and from here to the harbor, another couple of dozen Common Loons and plenty of Black Guillemots.

I want to thank the captain and crew of Cap’n Fish’s Cruises for their hard work and dedication today, and their best efforts to keep us comfortable. I want to thank my spotters, Jeannette Lovitch and Ian Carlsen (who also did a fantastic job keeping the official eBird checklist following pelagic protocol). A big thank you to Alex Lamoreaux for still finding birds in the worst of the snotty water. And another big thanks to our chummer, Dan Nickerson, who got the action going once we found some calm waters.

And most importantly, thank you to all of those who came aboard today. Some said they had fun. Many suffered. But everyone endured. If this was your first pelagic, you’ll be thrilled to know you were likely just had your worst trip. For those who like roller coasters (unlike me!), I guess you’re welcome?

Here’s the trip list. For the hit-or-miss October pelagics in the Gulf of Maine it’s really not that bad.

Canada Goose7
Mallard5
American Black Duck2
Common Eider255
Surf Scoter180
White-winged Scoter50
Black Scoter40
unidentified dark-winged scoter40
unidentified scoter240
Rock Pigeon20
Dunlin3
Semipalmated Sandpiper1
Black Guillemot24
COMMON MURRE2
UNIDENTIFIED JAEGER1
Bonaparte’s Gull2
Laughing Gull7
Ring-billed Gull14
Herring Gull781
Great Black-backed Gull347
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL1
Common Loon50
NORTHERN FULMAR1
Cory’s Shearwater1
Northern Gannet67
Double-crested Cormorant307
Great Blue Heron1
Osprey3
Northern Harrier1
Peregrine Falcon2
American Crow7
Savannah Sparrow1
Yellow-rumped Warbler1
Unidentified passerine1

Recent Highlights, 10/3– 10/9/24

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One of at least 15 Cory’s Shearwaters observed from a Cap’n Fish’s Cruises Whale Watch last week, showing the dark outer primaries on the underwing, making for a rounded end to the white of the underwing coverts, separating it from the recently-split Scopoli’s Shearwater.

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 1st.
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 14th – 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 20th. More info here.
Join us on Monday’s pelagic and maybe a Brown Creeper will land on you!

2024 Monhegan Fall Migration Weekend Trip Report

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It might not “count,” but the Ring-necked Pheasants on Monhegan are iconic!

Approaching the island on Friday, 9/27, the fog was rapidly lifting on the mainland, and the skies were clearing. High seas from the previous days were steadily diminishing. An offshore fogbank reduced our chances to see many birds during the boatride, but by the time we reach the island, the sun was shining through.

Things seemed fairly slow, but there were birds here and there. One single bush hosted all three Melospizas: Lincoln’s, Swamp, and Song Sparrows, and one of the tarrying Baltimore Orioles soon joined them.  It was a relaxed start to the weekend, affording us time to check in and enjoy lunch before returning to the birding.

We don’t just look at rare birds, we study the common ones…at least on a slow day!
Like this cooperative Song Sparrow

The afternoon was quite slow, as expected from the preceding nights with little or no migration on unfavorable winds, but we had birds to look at: Yellow-rumped Warblers sallying for midges at the top of spruces, scattered assorted sparrows, lots of great Merlin performances, and no shortage of Ring-necked Pheasants.

As usual for the end of September, Yellow-rumped Warblers were the most abundant migrant. This one was nicely demonstarting what makes it a “Myrtle Warbler.”

As the sun set, a huge flight was taking off and continued throughout the night. Very light northwesterly winds overnight were a little lighter than I would have preferred, but there was just a massive amount of birds on the move, and a great Morning Flight on Saturday morning to start our day was indicative of that.

The radar return was huge overnight, with lots of birds on the move. We did wonder, however, if that blob over the Mid-Coast was an isolated shower…or perhaps it was “Independence Day!“

Yellow-rumped Warblers filled the air, with handfuls of Blackpoll Warblers and a small number of Northern Parulas.  After the morning flight settled down, the rest of our am was also very good. While the very light winds allowed much of the birds partaking in the Morning Flight to leave the island, there were plenty of birds remaining on the island to be seen. In addition to Yellow-rumps, there was a good arrival of White-throated and other sparrows, and pockets of activity were sifted through, producing a wide array of fun birds.

A Dickcissel in the community farm and a total of 6-7 Baltimore Orioles nearby were soon trumped when a first fall female Mourning Warbler actually walked into the open for all to see (for a change) …on a plywood garden table nonetheless!  We found a Clay-colored Sparrow feeding amongst Chipping Sparrows, discovered a rather rare on the island Pine Warbler, and enjoyed a nice variety of the expected seasonal migrants.

Clay-colored Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow with a molting juvenile Chipping Sparrow in the foreground.

Lovely weather all day encouraged us to enjoy an afternoon on Burnt Head, were we picked up a tardy Chestnut-sided Warbler and a rather rare in the fall on the island juvenile Ring-billed Gull. We also noticed a lot more Red-eyed Vireos during the course of the day, with many at and below eye level.

Baltimore Oriole
Northern Mockingbird
Indigo Bunting

While a rare Yellow-crowned Night-Heron called over the harbor at nightfall, I was wandering on my own so it doesn’t count for the group, unfortunately. I was still pleasantly surprised by it, and it punctuated the calls of songbirds departing the island.

Luckily, a moderate flight occurred throughout the night (the overall intensity was a little obscured by fog on the radar images) on light west winds that had become calm by morning. Those calm and cooling conditions allowed fog to roll back in, and the Morning Flight was just a trickle to start on Sunday morning, our last morning together.

However, once the sun burned through, birds were in the air and appearing out of nowhere, and the birding really picked up. In flight, it was mostly Yellow-rumped Warblers, but there were more Palm Warblers involved today. We began finding “new” species for the trip list, like a Cape May Warbler, some recently-arrived American Robins, and we enjoyed watching a swirling flock of 16 migrant Black-capped Chickadees.

Late Blackburnian Warbler

After breakfast, the birding was overall quite a bit slower than Saturday, but the quantity was replaced by quality!  An Orange-crowned Warbler at the Ice Pond, a continuing female Dickcissel in the cul-de-sac, two different Clay-colored Sparrows.  Pockets of activity offered up nice views of a male Cape May Warbler, a few Blackpoll Warblers, and then we found not one, but 3 Nelson’s Sparrows in the Lobster Cove meadow – one even perched conspicuously enough to be viewed by all!

Nelson;s Sparrow sitting in what passes for “the open” with this species!
Dickcissel

As the group trickled home, the last participants standing joined me in a little longer hike from Lobster Cove to Burnt Head, which yielded two Lesser Black-backed Gulls, more Great Cormorants, and yet another Orange-crowned Warbler to bring the official tour to a productive conclusion.

I remained on the island overnight, and with light southerly winds and a return of the fog, there was very little in Morning Flight and to start the day. But the day had a “rarity” feel to it (southwest winds overnight will do that!), and my Rarity Fever was soon stoked by a wayward Yellow-billed Cuckoo that sat still for me, gaining the first rays of sunshine of the morning, in a small tree in the Monhegan House lawn. Two Rusty Blackbirds were foraging on the lawn, and once the sun came up, a few more Yellow-rumped Warblers began to appear.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

But as Jessica Bishop and I began a post-breakfast search, the What’s App began to ping. Ken and Sue Feustel had just found an Ash-throated Flycatcher on Wharton Ave, and we did a quick 180 and began the march back across town. The ample Trailing Yew breakfast was weighing on me, however, so my speed could have been improved. Nonetheless, the bird had disappeared before we arrived, so we fanned out to search.

After a short spell, I relocated the bird behind the Trailing Yew, and Jess rushed over and we began photographing it as the rest of the island’s remaining birders convened, including Donna the last member of my to depart. And she was quite happy with the decision to linger to say the least! (The tour was officially over, so this gem doesn’t count for the official triplist…darn!)

We studied the flycatcher, and I made sure to get a shot of the tail that would be adequate for identification confirmation (to rule out an even rarer Myiarchus flycatcher). Here, you can see the outer tail feather on one side, showing the dark brown of the outer web intruding into the end of the inner web –  diagnostic for Ash-throated.

This was my 227th Monhegan Bird, and the island’s 3rd-ever, of this southwestern vagrant. What a bird!

While the rest of the day was a little anticlimactic from a birding perspective, Jeannette arrived and we set out to search for the now-missing Ash-throat and whatever else we might stumble upon. Two Clay-colored Sparrows were now together, one of the Orange-crowned Warblers was still at the Ice Pond, and at least one Nelson’s Sparrow was still at Lobster Cove.  At dusk, two Wilson’s Snipe launched out of the town marsh, and at sunset, a migrant Great Blue Heron flew over.  No sign of the Ash-throat for the rest of the day, unfortunately.

Orange-crowned Warbler
Peregrine Falcon

On Tuesday, Jeannette and I awoke to a strong flight on the overnight radar image, but as expected on a north to north-east wind by dawn, only fairly a light Morning Flight occurred. Made up of at least 95% Yellow-rumped Warblers, it was a little busier than I expected, but it ended by about 7:00am. Granted, at least two hunting Peregrine Falcons may have had something to do with that.

We watched a Wilson’s Snipe evading a Merlin in flight, and some more new species for the weekend were overhead, including a Horned Lark, an Osprey, and a Semipalmated Plover. There were at least a half-dozen American Pipits in morning flight, and a new-to-us Brown Thrasher put in an appearance.

Red-eyed Vireo

After breakfast, it was exceeding slow, but we did have a Dickcissel in the garden, and a Scarlet Tanager joined the remaining Baltimore Orioles in the grapes. But most of our morning was spent chasing a reported Yellow-headed Blackbird (seen by two and never again) and Will Russell briefly relocated the Ash-throated Flycatcher – which looked much healthier today and was much more active. In other words, it was soon once again melting away into the scrub. It kept us occupied until it was time to depart, however.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

A very pleasant boat ride back to the mainland for Jeannette and I was far too nice to produce any seabirds of note, but it was a lovely way to finish up a delightful and fruitful fall weekend.

Here’s the official tour checklist:

27-Sept28-Sept29-Sept
American Black Duck001
Mallard81216
Green-winged Teal001
Common Eiderxxx
Black Scoter008
Ring-necked Pheasant151525
Mourning Dove101512
Black Guillemotxxx
Laughing Gull8*02
Ring-billed Gull010
Herring Gullxxx
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL002
Great Black-backed Gullxxx
Common Loon1*00
Northern Gannet2*01
Double-crested Cormorantxxx
Great Cormorant015
Bald Eagle2*01
Sharp-shinned Hawk244
Belted Kingfisher101
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker02020
Downy Woodpecker243
Northern Flicker31515
Merlin686
Peregrine Falcon234
Eastern Phoebe033
Blue-headed Vireo034
Red-eyed Vireo13025
Blue Jay9139
American Crow444
Common Raven011
Black-capped Chickadeexx30
Golden-crowned Kinglet41540
Ruby-crowned Kinglet21020
Cedar Waxwing304040
Red-breasted Nuthatch286
Brown Creeper044
House Wren010
Carolina Wren51010
Gray Catbird10xx
Northern Mockingbird223
European Starlingx2626
Hermit Thrush010
American Robin002
American Pipit033
Purple Finch045
American Goldfinch10108
Chipping Sparrow01012
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW012
Dark-eyed Junco042
White-throated Sparrow155060
NELSON’S SPARROW003
Savannah Sparrow1610
Song Sparrowxxx
Lincoln’s Sparrow154
Swamp Sparrow21520
Rusty Blackbird042
Common Grackle22020
Baltimore Oriole276
Northern Waterthrush010
Black-and-white Warbler003
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER002
Nashville Warbler030
American Redstart010
MOURNING WARBLER010
Common Yellowthroat0810
Cape May Warbler013
Northern Parula11515
Blackburnian Warbler002
Yellow Warbler021
Chestnut-sided Warbler011
Blackpoll Warbler62515
Black-throated Blue Warbler001
Palm Warbler13020
PINE WARBLER021
Yellow-rumped Warbler20150100
Black-throated Green Warbler0103
Wilson’s Warbler010
Northern Cardinal8106
Rose-breasted Grosbeak101
Indigo Bunting011
DICKCISSEL11-21
Day Total446873
Warbler day total41514
3-Day Tour total=81
Plus with Jeannette after the group and on my own =13
Total warblers =19+1
Molting juvenile Cedar Waxwing learning how to eat Winterberry.

And the additional species seen by me without the group, on Monday, and on Tuesday:

  • 1 YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, 9/28.
  • 1 American Kestrel, 9/30
  • 1 YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, 9/30
  • 1 ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, 9/30
  • 1 Magnolia Warbler, 9/30
  • 1 Semipalmated Plover, 9/30 and 10/1.
  • 2 Wilson’s Snipe, 9/30 and 1, 10/1
  • 1 Great Blue Heron, 9/30 and 10/1
  • 1 Northern Harrier, 10/1
  • 1 Horned Lark, 10/1
  • 1 Brown Thrasher, 10/1
  • 1 Osprey, 10/1
  • 1 Scarlet Tanager, 10/1
Blackpoll Warbler

Recent Highlights, 9/26– 10/2/24

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Monhegan’s third Ash-throated Flycatcher was found by Ken and Sue Feustel on Monday, September 30th. I was lucky enough to relocate it a short time later and snag these photos. Despite much searching, only one observer saw it on 10/1, but it is likely still on the island but having recovered, moving around widely. It was not in great shape, with a real tattered plumage, but as the morning went on it continued to feed and look healthier. Although one half of the tail is tattered, the photo below shows the diagnostic pattern in the outer tail feathers, where the dark brown from the outer web wraps around to the end of the inner web. This feature eliminates an even rarer Myiarchus flycatcher, which was important given the rather early date of this individual.

My birding this week included five wonderful days on Monhegan, and two very productive mornings on our Durham property.

My observations of note from Monhegan included (full trip report with photos soon):

1 continuing female Dickcissel

7 Baltimore Orioles

  • 9/28 (with Monhegan Fall Migration Tour group):

1 continuing Dickcissel

1 female Mourning Warbler

1 Clay-colored Sparrow

2 Pine Warblers

1 YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON (calling after dark; not with group)

  • 9/29 (with Monhegan Fall Migration Tour group):

2 Orange-crowned Warblers

2 Clay-colored Sparrows

3 Nelson’s Sparrows (ssp subvirgatus)

2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

  • 9/30 (on my own and then with Jeannette):

1 Yellow-billed Cuckoo

1 ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER (see photos and notes above)

2 Clay-colored Sparrows

1 Orange-crowned Warbler

1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

2 Wilson’s Snipe

  • 10/1 (with Jeannette):

2 Dickcissels

1 Scarlet Tanager

1 Wilson’s Snipe and 1 Semipalmated Plover

  • Highlights from the yard included 8+ Lincoln’s Sparrows and a late Nashville Warbler on 9/26, while on the morning of 10/2, 70+ Swamp Sparrows, a continuing Indigo Bunting, and a juvenile Red-shouldered Hawks were among the birds present.
Lincoln’s Sparrows have been quite common in our yard all week, offering ample photo ops.

UPCOMING TOURS:

Our annual half-day pelagic with our partners Cap’n Fish’s Cruises out of Boothbay Harbor is only 1 ½ weeks away! Join us on this annual favorite on October 14th – a nice, late date that should put us more in the season of things like Great Skua. More info and link to registration is here.

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

Recent Highlights, 9/19– 9/25/24

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This molting juvenile (into 1st winter) Stilt Sandpiper was one of a goodly 8 that were in the salt pannes along the Eastern Road Trail through Scarborough Marsh on the 19th.

With numerous nights of clear and calm conditions, or northerly winds, migration continued in earnest almost every night this week. Meanwhile, a couple of days of onshore winds have helped push record numbers of Lesser Black-backed Gulls to the Maine coast. My observations of note over the last week were as follows:

  • It was a big week of sparrow migration as well. For example, we had an estimated 100 each of Song and Savannah Sparrows, 25 Swamp Sparrows, etc, at Wolfe’s Neck Center in Freeport on our Saturday Morning Birdwalk on the 21st.
  • 8 juvenile/1st winter STILT SANDPIPERS and 1 juvenile AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 9/19.
  • An incredible 42 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (all but 4 were adults);1 adult presumptive LESSER BLACK-BACKED X HERRING GULL HYBRID (perfectly intermediate in all characteristics); 1 ad with 1 juvenile CASPIAN TERN; and 1 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, Popham Beach State Park, Phippsburg, 9/20.
  • 1 Snowy Egret, Auburn Riverwalk, 9/22.
  • Highlights from morning birding on our Durham property this week included near-daily Philadelphia Vireo, continuing Indigo Buntings, multiple Lincoln’s Sparrows daily beginning on 9/19, the arrival of Palm Warblers on the 21st, a late YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO on 9/22, a bog arrival of Swamp Sparrows on 9/24, and late-ish Scarlet Tanager and Magnolia Warbler on 9/25.

Five of the 38 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls at Popham Beach on the 20th.

UPCOMING TOURS:

Our annual half-day pelagic with our partners Cap’n Fish’s Cruises out of Boothbay Harbor is only 2 ½ weeks away! Join us on this annual favorite on October 14th – a nice, late date that should put us more in the season of things like Great Skua. More info and link to registration is here.

Recent Highlights, 9/11– 9/18/24

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They might be abundant, but I do love Cedar Waxwings, especially a tree full of them on Monhegan!

Eight great days of birding, including three days on Monhegan, yielded the following highlights:

  • 9/13-9/15: Monhegan Island with Down East Adventures “Migration Workshop” tour group. Brief trip report here. Some of the most noteworthy observations included:
  • 17 species warblers total.
  • Cape May Warblers dominated the morning on 9/14, including 3 of every 5 birds in Morning Flight and dozens in trees afterwards. Plenty on 9/13 and 9/15, but most of the arriving birds on the 14th seemed to depart for the mainland.
  • The usual “uncommon” migrants like Rusty Blackbird (2 on 9/14), Philadelphia Vireo (high count of 2-3 on 9/14).
  • 1 first cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull, 9/13.
  • 1 LARK SPARROW, 9/14.
  • 1 fly-by Whimbrel, one probable Clay-colored Sparrow (seen too briefly), and 1 immature COOPER’S HAWK (very rare on offshore islands), 9/15.
  • 1-2 American Pipits (first of fall locally) and 1 hen Northern Pintail, etc, Wharton Point, Brunswick, 9/18.
  • Meanwhile, I’ve once again spent most of my mornings when home birding our Durham property, which was productive. An impressive 60-80 American Goldfinches continue, while an impressive array of migrants continue. On several mornings this week, I had plans to go elsewhere but then never left the yard. A few of the highlights included continuing single Indigo Bunting and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, 1 Ovenbird, 1 Blackburnian Warbler on 9/16, 6 Common Nighthawks (getting late) at dusk on 9/16, and a nice mix of migrants on the 18th that included 1-2 Philadelphia Vireos and the arrival of more sparrows.

The highlight though was the female-type LAWRENCE’S WARBLER (2nd generation Golden-winged x Blue-winged Warbler hybrid) that popped up on the 18th. After a short but perfect view, I ran for a camera and could not relocate it despite much searching.

Recent Highlights, 9/3 – 9/10/24

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Although not in Maine, this spiffy adult Sabine’s Gull was the icing on the cake of an incredible day in Head Harbor Passage, New Brunswick on 9/4 (with Beth Edmonds, Dan Nickerson, Jeannette, and friends). An impressive concentration of gulls was led by 5,000-8,000 Bonaparte’s Gulls, 5,000 Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls, and also including 20+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 20-30 Laughing Gulls (also Ring-billeds and Black-legged Kittiwakes). It was the best concentrations of birds we have experienced here in several years.

With our annual early fall weekend with friends to Washington County, a productive eight days of birding included the following observations of note: 

  • Sandy Point Morning Flight, 9/3: 355 total migrants led by 105 Northern Parulas and 88 Cedar Waxwings, and also including a single BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER (Only my 4th morning flight record). Complete tally here.
  • 4 Red-breasted Mergansers, Lubec Bar and Flats, 9/5 (with Beth Edmonds, Dan Nickerson, Jeannette, and friends).
  • 1 adult Lesser Black-backed Gull, Roque Bluffs State Park, 9/6 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 juvenile YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, Jones Creek, Pine Point, Scarborough, 9/10 (with Jeannette).
  • Our Durham property continues to impress during migration. Another week with at least 15 species of warblers detected in the yard, and highlights including Philadelphia Vireo on several days and a Brown Thrasher at our feeders 9/8-9.

Based on the progressing season, and my upcoming schedule, this was the last week I focused on shorebirds. As always, my peak shorebird season culminates with our visit down east. There are plenty of shorebirds left to enjoy (and count), but my final shorebird “high counts” report of the season – including a goodly 20 species this week – is as follows:

  • AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER: 4 (2 ad with 2 juv), Pine Point, Scarborough, 9/10 (with Jeannette).
  • Black-bellied Plover:  8, Pine Point, 9/10 (with Jeannette).
  • Killdeer: 14, Crystal Spring Farm, Brunswick, 9/8.
  • Semipalmated Plover: 71, Pine Point, 9/10 (with Jeannette).
  • Whimbrel: 3, Lubec Bar and Flats, 9/5 (with Beth Edmonds, Dan Nickerson, Jeannette, and friends).
  • Ruddy Turnstone: 1, Lubec Bar and Flats, 9/5 (with Beth Edmonds, Dan Nickerson, Jeannette, and friends).
  • RED KNOT: 1 juv, Lubec Bar and Flats, 9/5 (with Beth Edmonds, Dan Nickerson, Jeannette, and friends).
  • STILT SANDPIPER: 1 juvenile, Walsh Preserve, Freeport, 9/9.
  • Sanderling: 11, Carrying Place Cove, Lubec, 9/5 (with Jeannette).
  • DUNLIN: 1 juv, Lubec Bar and Flats, 9/5 (with Beth Edmonds, Dan Nickerson, Jeannette, and friends).
  • Least Sandpiper: 150+, Sanborn Cove, Machiasport, 9/3 (with Jeannette).
  • White-rumped Sandpiper: 10+, Sanborn Cove, 9/3 (with Jeannette).
  • Pectoral Sandpiper: 2, Walsh Preserve, 9/9.
  • Semipalmated Sandpiper: 3,000-4,000 (!), Machiasport, 9/3 (with Jeannette). Only 2,000 or so on 9/6 (with Jeannette).
  • WESTERN SANDPIPER: 1 juvenile, Pine Point, 9/10 (with Jeannette).
  • Short-billed Dowitcher: 15, Walsh Preserve, 9/9.
  • Spotted Sandpiper: 2, Pike Lands Preserve, Lubec, 9/5 (with Jeannette).
  • Lesser Yellowlegs: 41, Walsh Preserve, 9/9.
  • “Eastern” Willet: 2, Pine Point, 9/10 (with Jeannette).
  • Greater Yellowlegs: 6, Wharton Point, Brunswick, 9/8.