While birding with a client on Sunday, we added a second European species to our day list when I found this Black-headed Gull at Pine Point. A few birders made it over in time to see it before watching it head out of the harbor and disappearing.
Of course, the big news in birding continued to be the Gray Heron in Cape Elizabeth. Having been present since at least October 1st (but not coming to light until the 18th, it continued in the area through 10/22). I wrote a blog about this bird last week, including salient identification features, links to viewing info, thoughts about vagrancy, and lots of snarky comments about human behavior. Unfortunately it has not been relocated.
With rarity season upon us, I birded widely this week, yielding the following observations of note over the past 7 days:
- Highlights from our Durham property this week included 1 American Woodcock on 10/23; good numbers of Pine Siskins daily and an increase in Purple Finches; and a woodcock foraging under our feeders before sunrise on the 28th!
- Birding with a client from Florida who was in town to see the Gray Heron was incredibly productive on 10/22. We even found our own rarity! Our long list of highlights included the continuing GRAY HERON (Wells Road, Cape Elizabeth) of course, but also: 2 Snow Buntings (FOF; Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh); we then found a 1st cycle BLACK-HEADED GULL and 1 late Common Tern at Pine Point (photo above); 1 Indigo Bunting and 1 “Ipswich” Savannah Sparrow (FOF; Kettle Cove, Cape Elizabeth), the continuing HUDSONIAN GODWIT along with 1 Semipalmated Sandpiper, 1 White-rumped Sandpiper, etc, (Back Cove from Payson Park, Portland), and enjoyed other Northeastern specialties such as Common Eiders and Great Cormorants. There were also an impressive number of Northern Gannets nearshore throughout the day.
Sandy Point Morning Flight, 10/24.
A very light flight passed over and through Sandy Point Beach, Cousin’s Island, Yarmouth this morning thanks to a lighter than expected flight overnight and near-calm winds by sunrise.
- 7:06-8:18, then to 9:00 with Saturday Morning Birdwalk Group
- 32F, mostly clear, very light WNW to calm.
- 103 American Robins
- 24 Yellow-rumped Warblers
- 23 Pine Siskins
- 13 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
- 10 Black-capped Chickadees
- 5 American Goldfinch
- 4 Golden-crowned Kinglets
- 3 Dark-eyed Juncos
- 3 Eastern Bluebirds
- 2 Purple Finches
- 2 Blue Jays
- 2 Brown Creepers
- 1 Red-winged Blackbird
- 1 Common Grackle
- 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker (crossed after 4 false starts)
- 1 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER
- 1 Snow Bunting
- 1 unidentified
- Total = 200
- Evan Obercian and I birded the Rockland area on 10/25, searching for late migrants and rarities. It was a very slow (too nice!) day overall, but a few birds of note included 1 DICKCISSEL (private property in Thomaston); 3 Nelson’s Sparrows and 1 Semipalmated Sandpiper (Weskeag Marsh); 2 Common Yellowthroats (Green House Hill Road); 1 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL (FOF) and 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (The Samoset), etc.
- 1 CAPE MAY WARBLER, 2 Pine Warblers, etc, Bailey Island, Harpswell, 10/26 (with Jeannette).
Sandy Point Morning Flight, 10/27.
Despite clear skies and very light northwesterly winds overnight and into the morning, a very light flight passed over and through Sandy Point Beach, Cousin’s Island, Yarmouth this morning. With so many nights of unimpeded migration due to our lack of “weathah” this month, the pipeline might just be dry. This may have been my last visit to “my office” for the season.
- 7:09-9:10am
- 42F, mostly clear, NW 1.8-3.5 to 2.1-4.1
- With Luke Seitz and Bill Thompson
- 74 American Robins
- 73 Common Grackles
- 26 Yellow-rumped Warblers
- 13 Dark-eyed Juncos
- 11 Canada Geese
- 6 House Finches
- 5 Pine Siskins
- 4 American Pipits
- 4 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
- 2 Unidentified
- 1 Common Loon
- 1 Palm Warbler
- 1 TENNESSEE WARBLER (photo below)
- 1 Red-winged Blackbird
- 1 Black-capped Chickadee
- 1 White-throated Sparrow
- 1 White-crowned Sparrow
- 1 Hermit Thrush
- 1 Purple Finch
Total = 227
- 1 late Solitary Sandpiper that appears to have a broken/deformed bill that doesn’t close on the distal third, 2 White-rumped Sandpipers, 1 Semipalmated Sandpiper, etc., Walsh Preserve, Freeport, 10/28.
Upcoming Tours (with Space Available):
The Rarity Roundup Van Tour 2026 – November 8, 2026; 8:00am – 3:00pm
Portland Explorer and Freeport Wild Bird Supply are teaming up to offer a very special, very exclusive road trip outing in 2026.
Early November is a fantastic time of year in Maine for vagrants – birds normally seen in far-off places. Due to a combination of weather patterns, changing seasonal food resources, falling temperatures, and other factors – some of which are not completely understood – birds that may have ended up in Maine by “accident” begin to concentrate at the coast in “migrant traps” and “hotspots.” In other words, this is the time of year to expect the unexpected.
A traditional “Rarity Roundup” involves teams of birders heading out on a given day during rarity prime time, looking for species that are not supposed to be around. And in honor of that tradition, that’s exactly what we are going to do on this unique tour. We may “chase” a rarity (go to see something that has already been found, aka “twitch”) or we might choose a destination known for rare birds in an attempt to find one of our own. Or perhaps, we’ll do both!
Anything in southern Maine is fair game, and we might not even know where we will head until we are on the bus and the latest rare bird alert is received. For those who love adding a bird to your Life or State List, and/or basking in the thrill of discovery, well then this is the tour for you! In between seeing great birds, we’ll discuss the complex factors that are involved in delivering rarities to an area, and how we go about finding them.
For example, last year, our Birds on Tap – Roadtrip: Rarity Roundup traveled to Yarmouth to see one of the few MacGillivray’s Warblers ever recorded in the state, then ventured all of the way to Kittery to try and find our own vagrant and the famous Fort Foster Park.
