We enjoyed a great turnout of hawkwatchers and hawks for my hawkwatch workshop at Bradbury Mountain on the 29^th as part of the 13^th Annual Feathers over Freeport weekend of events.

 In case you were wondering, the meteorological term for this week is “yuck.” However, despite the weather, some birds were pushing through. The storm also pushed a wreck of Red and Red-necked Phalaropes to the coast, and with reports of some very early arrivals and vagrant southern birds, there seems to be a rather widespread displacement/overshoot event caused by this massive and stubborn upper-level low rotating over the great lakes. I didn’t get out very much to help prove or disprove this, but I did have some decent birding this week. While migrants overall made very slow gains, I did have my best morning of spring so far this year…right in our yard!

My observations of note over the past seven days included:

• 1 Evening Grosbeak, Bowie Hill Road, Durham, 5/1 (with Jeannette).
• 3 Lesser Scaup, Sabattus Pond, 5/1.
• 6 species of warblers led by 50+ Yellow-rumped and 5-10 Palm, but also including 3 Pine, 2 Black-and-white (FOY), 1 Black-throated Green (FOY), and 1 Northern Parula (FOY), our property in Durham, 5/2. After corresponding with other local birders, I believe this was a localized, light fall-out caused by an isolated, dense fog bank that was centered around Lewiston-Auburn. Florida Lake Park, only about 9 miles away to the southeast, was nearly devoid of migrants for example (fide N. Gibb).
• 1 Red Crossbill, Littlefield Woods Preserve, Chebeague Island, 5/4 (with Chebeague & Cumberland Land Trust tour group).
• 7 Evening Grosbeaks, our feeders in Durham, 5/5.

My other personal FOY’s this week also included:

• 1 Greater Yellowlegs, Wharton Point, Brunswick, 4/30.
• 1 Black-bellied Plover, Wharton Point, Brunswick, 4/30.
• 1 RUSTY BLACKBIRD, our property in Durham, 5/2 through present.
• 6 Lesser Yellowlegs, Rte 136, Durham, 5/2
• 1 Least Sandpiper, Rte 136, Durham, 5/2
• 1 Baltimore Oriole, our feeders in Durham, 5/2 through present.
• 2 Gray Catbirds, feeders here at the store, 5/3 through present.
• 1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Chebeague Island, 5/4 (with Chebeague & Cumberland Land Trust tour group).
• 5 Laughing Gulls, Indian Point Preserve, 5/4 (with Chebeague & Cumberland Land Trust tour group).
• 3 Eastern Towhees, Indian Point Preserve, 5/4 (with Chebeague & Cumberland Land Trust tour group).
• 1 BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, Indian Point Preserve, 5/4 (with Chebeague & Cumberland Land Trust tour group).
• 1 Great Egret, Cousin’s River Marsh, Yarmouth/Freeport, 5/4 (yeah, it’s been a while since I have been to Scarborough Marsh!)

TOURS AND EVENTS:

Our next tour with space available (next weekend’s Songbird Workshop with Down East Adventures is sold out) is pair of ½ day tours with the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust.