Thanks to Mike Williams for allowing me to share his photos of this amorous pair of Red-necked Grebes along Ocean Avenue in Biddeford Pool. We’ve had 1-2 Red-necked Grebes “oversummering” here for the last few years, and last year I observed some rudimentary nest building from a pair (also with a stunned tour group). But we did not expect to see them, get, uh “that into it,” with courtship, nest-building, and even copulation. Unfortunately, as you could see, the “nest” was below the high tide line, so there’s not much chance of success here. A freshwater wetland breeder that nests no closer than central Quebec, this is odd behavior in a very odd place! It was amazing to watch though, and anytime we get to see Red-necked Grebes in full breeding plumage is a highlight on its own.
Like last week, much of my time was spent with our local breeding birds. From my personal “mini-breeding bird surveys” to a 7-day tour for Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, the birds that call Maine home in summer were once again the “targets” and the highlights, from Saltmarsh Sparrows and Roseate Terns to Grasshopper Sparrows and our wealth of warblers.
However, June is a good time for oddities. During the course of enjoying our usual species, I encountered the following observations of note over the past 10 days:
3 (!) RED-NECKED GREBES, 16 total Black Scoters, 3 Surf Scoters, etc, Ocean Avenue, Biddeford Pool, 6/16 (with Martin Hagne and Denise).
After being excited to find the 3 breeding plumage RED-NECKED GREBES the day before, we were shocked to find 4 the next day, all calling, and one pair courting and copulating! Photos and more details above. (with Gulf Coast Bird Observatory tour group).
2 American Oystercatchers, 1 Red-breasted Merganser, 1+ Black Scoter, Ocean Avenue, 6/17 (with Gulf Coast Bird Observatory tour group).
1 Surf Scoter, Dyer Point, Cape Elizabeth, 6/17 (with Gulf Coast Bird Observatory tour group).
The only thing sweeter than seeing a first state record is when you find it yourself! This Spotted Towhee that I found in November at Fort Foster in Kittery was #4 on my list of next birds for Maine.
It’s once again time for my annual Predictions Blog, where I view into my crystal binoculars and attempt to forecast some of the “new” birds to grace the State of Maine – and then my own personal state list – in the coming year.
It was another great year for “mega” rarities in Maine. Whether it’s more birders and better communication, a climate in crisis, neonicotinoid pesticides effecting navigation, and more – or likely, all of the above – more really strange birds are ending up in really strange places – Maine definitely included. Four new species showed up in Maine in 2023, plus a first state record whose photos surfaced from 2022. I also had another pretty good year, despite much reduced birding as I recovered from shoulder surgery and a series of setbacks thereafter coupled with a record-busy year for tours and private guiding.
Last winter, recovering from shoulder surgery, I spent a lot of time watching our feeding station, quantifying those ebbs and flows, and paying a lot of attention to behavior. From dominance hierarchies in junco flocks to a case of Sharp-shinned Hawk cannibalism, dedicated feeder-watching (in a house designed to maximize it!) was a great way to pass the time stuck indoors. I recounted many of my observations in blogs earlier this year, especially these two:
Once up and about, I found myself forgoing birding mornings afield – especially in the fall – to just enjoy migration through our property in Durham and build our rapidly expanding yard list. Having moved in last fall, it was exciting to see the seasons change. Fall migration was particularly productive, and I found myself not wanting to bird anywhere else before work. Some great yardbirds over the year included a Snow Goose on 3/27, three different Mourning Warblers (one each in May, June, and September), an American Bittern for the day on 8/28, and a Dickcissel on 9/1. The yard was already approaching 150 species by year’s end.
Furthermore, I put more effort than ever into birding Androscoggin County in general, and while I didn’t find any rarities in the county this year, I did spend lots of quality time at Sabattus Pond and in search of patches for future birding focus – I didn’t find any of those, either, but I did get to know my new home county a lot better. In other words, when I did get out birding this year, I put a lot more focus on staying close to home – this less carbon-intensive mode of birding is what I believe the future of birding is (eg the “5 Mile Radius” list, which is all the birds seen within a five mile radius of one’s home) anyway, and I plan on keeping this focus for 2024.
But back to the rarities. Let us start as usual with a look at last year’s prognostications and see how I did.
Of the five new species for Maine, three were in my Top 12. I found Maine’s first confirmed Spotted Towhee at Fort Foster in Kittery on November 19th (and continued obligingly through the end of the year). This long-overdue addition to the state’s list was #4 on my predictions list.
Right behind it at #5 was the Hammond’s Flycatcher found on Monhegan in October. I’ve felt flycatchers were going under-detected in Maine for a while, and therefore they have been prevalent on my predictions lists. Then, a photograph from Mount Desert Rock from August of 2022 was reanalyzed and showed a Western Flycatcher (as it is once again rightly called, with Pacific-sloped and Cordilleran finally “lumped” back together), which was #12 on my list.
That strange date for a vagrant flycatcher is rather remarkable, as was the other addition to the list from the MDI region when a Red-footed Booby was photographed in Lamoine in July of this year. This tropical sulid didn’t even make my honorable mention list.
And finally, just before the clock was about to strike twelve, a remarkable Hepatic Tanager was found in Stockton Springs! While it was on my radar due to several well out of range records, it did not qualify for my Honorable Mentions list. It was the icing on the cake to another exceptional year of birding in Maine.
With three birds from the 2023 List off the board, I’ll do some reshuffling. A possible Gray Heron was photographed in Scarborough Marsh on the Portland CBC in December, but the photos – although very suggestive – were inconclusive. A search the next day didn’t turn anything up, but I hope others remain on the lookout. Nonetheless, it was suggestive enough to bump Gray Heron up from my Honorable Mention list into the Top 25, that is for sure. Lewis’s Woodpecker, Dusky Flycatcher, and White Wagtail are making their debut in the rankings while I’ve dropped Black-tailed Gull out of the Top 25 as North American records seem to have dried up.
As we found out when we saw this Gray Heron while vacationing on Prince Edward Island in 2022, they are not always easy to pick out of a crowd, as we looked through a lot of Great Blue Herons during our search for this long-staying individual. Hopefully, our view in Maine will be a little better, like this one Jeannette photographed in Norway.
Neotropical Cormorant
Black-chinned Hummingbird
California Gull
Limpkin
Gray Heron
Bermuda Petrel
Graylag Goose
Little Stint
Audubon’s Shearwater
Common Shelduck
Anna’s Hummingbird
Heerman’s Gull
Common Ground-Dove
Allen’s Hummingbird
Spotted Redshank
Lewis’s Woodpecker
Ross’s Gull
Black-capped Petrel
Lesser Nighthawk
Elegant Tern
Dusky Flycatcher
Painted Redstart
Hooded Oriole
White Wagtail
Common Scoter
Personally, I added 5 new species to my own Maine State List this year, despite relatively limited birding and a less concentration on rarities in general. Three days after my shoulder surgery, however, Jeannette loaded me into the car and took me down to Timber Point in Biddeford for a Common Ringed-Plover, which was #10 on my predictions list. Can’t say it was my most comfortable twitch, however. Medication helped.
In June, I raced down with Jess Costa between tours to see the Loggerhead Shrike at the Kennebunk Plains, which was my 399th species in Maine (recently relegated to my honorable mentions lists as they have become increasingly rare anywhere out of their contracting range).
So for #400, I said it had to be “the Tufted Puffin or self-found” – I wasn’t going to chase anything else. With several sporadic sightings in June and July, and with numerous boat tours scheduled in July, I had high hopes. With an observation at Eastern Egg Rock on July 9th, and with a tour there scheduled the next afternoon with our partners Cap’n Fish’s Cruises, I was getting excited. And to hedge the bet, I hopped aboard their morning Eastern Egg Rock trip, and as we approached the island in the fog, a large, dark, puffin stood towering over the local residents! “TUFTED PUFFIN!!!” I exclaimed. No microphone was necessary. And this was #400.
With so few sightings – all being one-minute wonders – in the previous years, I hadn’t elevated this to my personal Top 25, but that’s OK – it was just as sweet.
A Purple Gallinule (honorable mention) in the North Maine Woods near Moosehead Lake in October was beyond my chasing range, but when another – or perhaps, the same bird – appeared at a small park in Kennebunk, I was on my way!
The absurdity of the locale and ease of viewing simply forced me to go back for another look a week later with Dan Nickerson…after dipping on a nearby Western Wood-Pewee as Luke Seitz struck again. Making that miss worse was the reason I didn’t chase it on its day of discovery: we were on lockdown during the manhunt after the tragic Lewiston mass shooting. My state list was just not a priority I will readily admit.
Of course, the aforementioned Spotted Towhee, which was #15 on my list was a welcome self-found addition.
And finally, Evan Obercian and I paid a visit to the Hepatic Tanager in Stockton Springs on New Year’s Eve, bringing 2023 to a close.
Of course, I missed a few rarities this year, too! Although I only “dipped” on one chase (the pewee), I was simply unavailable to chase anything else, such as the Kirtland’s Warbler (unlisted) on Seal Island in September (can’t get there from here!). And I just didn’t have the time to chase Hammond’s Flycatcher (#14) on Monhegan. Meanwhile, the Red-footed Booby (unlisted) was a one-day wonder, and of course I missed a couple of Franklin’s Gulls (#2) as usual. Notorious one-day wonders, there was one on September 24th passing Schoodic Point, and one on November 18th at Long Sands Beach. I was going to “end up” at Long Sands the next day at the same time and tide, but my birding outing began and ended with my towhee find at Fort Foster. This rare but regular transient is officially my nemesis in the state!
But the one that really stings was missing out on Crested Caracara once again. I was birding with clients in Spurwink Marsh in late May when a friend texted me that he had one (the one?) flying over his house…we were no more than 2-3 miles away! Thankfully, my clients were game for a little searching, so we spent some time looking before having to move on. The caracara then resurfaced a couple of other times in the Mid-Coast, near Belfast, but I was on Monhegan or with a tour group elsewhere. So close!
Last year, I also predicted that my #400 would come from my Top 25 list. But Tufted Puffin wasn’t on it, so I was wrong about that. Forgive me if I wasn’t upset, however.
I did some reshuffling (it’s just a matter of time before I finally find or catch up with a Franklin’s Gull, right? RIGHT!?), and therefore my forecast for my next 25 species on my personal Maine list reads as follows:
Franklin’s Gull
American White Pelican
Neotropic Cormorant
Brown Pelican
California Gull
Brown Booby
Crested Caracara
Slaty-backed Gull
Boreal Owl
Calliope Hummingbird
Graylag Goose
Cerulean Warbler
Gull-billed Tern
Pacific Golden-Plover
Limpkin
Wood Stork
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Brewer’s Blackbird
Yellow Rail
Virginia’s Warbler
Western Wood-Pewee
Virginia’s Warbler
Gray Heron
Common Gull
Heerman’s Gull
It’s about time for me to finally see a Franklin’s Gull in Maine.
But really, who knows what might show up these days? For example, I am sure that no one had Red-flanked Bluetail on their Next Birds in New Jersey list, but one showed up in a random inland neighborhood in early December. It continued through year’s end, and it was awfully nice of it to remain at least through December 26th, when we just happened to be in the area for Christmas. In fact, it was only 24 minutes away from my Mom’s house. A bonus Christmas gift!
Bring it on, 2024. But less injuries and other birding-limiting events, please. I also have a goal of finding a rarity in Androscoggin County away from Sabattus Pond or our property! Will it be on this list?
Beginning in 2022, Cap’n Fish’s Cruises in Boothbay Harbor and Freeport Wild Bird Supply have partnered together to offer a mid-summer seabirding opportunity. I join the boat’s naturalist as a seabird and pelagic specialist, to help everyone see all of the breeding seabirds at Eastern Egg Rock (Atlantic Puffins; Arctic, Common, and Roseate Terns; Laughing Gulls; and sometimes Razorbill and Common Murre) before we venture offshore in search of whales. While doing so, we pay special attention on this cruise to the bird life – which is often found at the same places where we are looking for whales. This trip gives us a slightly more bird-centric tour compared to the regularly-scheduled departures.
Here are the trip reports from this very popular annual event.
July 16. 2022
Seas were fairly high (3-5ft) as we bounced offshore to deeper water first. Wilson’s Storm-Petrels were soon visible, and we passed one Razorbill. We could not stop or turn around for it as the seas were just a little too rough for that, and this was unfortunately our only Razorbill of the day. We cruised around waters over 300 feet deep, and were treated to a good performance from Great Shearwaters, Wilson’s Storm-Petrels, and picked up a few Sooty Shearwaters. We had one offshore Atlantic Puffin, but the big surprise was a rare, mid-summer NORTHERN FULMAR – definitely the pelagic bird of the trip.
With the seas building, we made a turn and took advantage of much more pleasant conditions as we trolled the area, giving people a better chance and seeing the aforementioned species. We also spotted a couple of Mola Molas, but no marine mammals, unfortunately.
Away from Eastern Egg Rock (both coming and going), our offshore (“pelagic”) scorecard was:
76 Great Shearwaters
61 Wilson’s Storm-Petrels
21 Northern Gannets
3 Sooty Shearwaters
2 Arctic Terns
1 Razorbill
1 Atlantic Puffin
1 NORTHERN FULMAR
1 Common Loon
scattered Common Terns and unidentified Sterna
As we approached Eastern Egg Rock, the action really picked up with all of the island’s breeding species soon apparent. Roseate and Arctic Terns joined the multitudes of Common Terns. At least a dozen Roseates included several putting on a good show, and we singled out quite a few close-passing Arctic Terns for good studies. 4 migrant Ruddy Turnstones joined island-breeding Spotted Sandpipers onshore, and we heard a couple of singing Song Sparrows. And of course a plentitude of Laughing Gulls; about half of the entire state’s population breeds here. Black Guillemots were also conspicuous today.
But Atlantic Puffins are the star of the show out here, and today, they did not disappoint. In fact, it was a great mid-summer performance, with several dozen on the water – often in very close proximity to the boat, commuters passing by, and dozens more stately stationed on the island’s rocks.
We wandered offshore on the way back, near where the boat had recently seen whales, added a few birds to the tallies, but alas, the only marine mammals of the day were two species of seals: lots of Harbor Seals and two Gray Seals. Hopefully, this got the seal of approval from the marine mammal watchers aboard today.
July 10, 2023.
A Parasitic Jaeger got everyone to our feet as we were motoring home through the fog.
With even more anticipation than usual, birders flocked aboard for this afternoon departure. Three hours earlier, I had spotted the near-mythical Tufted Puffin on Eastern Egg Rock aboard Cap’n Fish’s morning Puffin Cruise. We made a bee-line for the island’s north end, but alas, the Tufted was not to be seen.
Nonetheless, we had a fantastic visit. Fog resulted in many of the island’s Atlantic Puffins being in the water and we had close birds all around the boat. We studied Arctic and Roseate Terns among the masses, making sure everyone had at least one rewarding look at each. While we searched vigilantly for the Tufted, we picked out one of two American Oystercatchers that have been here this summer, and just as we were about to leave, the single Common Murre floated around just off our bow.
It didn’t take long before our first Wilson’s Storm-Petrels of the day to be sighted, with small groups and singletons here and there throughout the rest of the trip for a total of 100-150 or so. Fog only thickened as we traveled further offshore, however, although we did find a hole where the visibility increased dramatically for a spell. While we searched diligently for whales to no avail (but plenty of Harbor Porpoises today), birds began to appear one by one.
A good look at a Sooty Shearwater. A glimpse of a Great Shearwater was followed later by a cooperative one that allowed close approach on the water. One group spotted a Manx Shearwater heading straight away, and a couple of other distant shearwaters disappeared into the fog. We only saw a few gannets today, scattered Common Loons on our way to and from, but a subadult Parasitic Jaeger spiced things up on our ride back (photo above).
Considering how dense the fog was, we were happy to spot much of anything once we left the rock, and considering we remained just east of torrential rain all day, we were more than satisfied with the comfort of what we did see!
If I only saw one bird all week, and it was THIS bird, I would have been more than satisfied. The near-mythological Tufted Puffin that has wandered around the Gulf of Maine for the last two summers finally was in front of my binoculars at Eastern Egg Rock on 7/10 (with Cap’n Fish’s Cruises “Audubon Puffin and Scenic Cruise). Unfortunately, it was not seen a mere three hours later when I returned to the island with my previously-scheduled Mini-Pelagic with our partners at Cap’n Fish’s.
While just about anything else would pale in comparison, I did have several other observations of note over the past seven days, plus lots of quality time with Roseate Terns, Salmarsh and Nelson’s Sparrows, etc:
Scarborough Marsh migrant shorebirds, 7/9 (with Ken Mettie and Mary Beth Oles): 16 Short-billed Dowitchers (First of fall), 4-6 Lesser Yellowlegs, 4 Least Sandpipers (FOF), and 2 Greater Yellowlegs.
Freeport Wild Bird Supply’s “Puffin/Whale Combo Mini-Pelagic” with Cap’n Fish’s Cruises, 7/10: 1 COMMON MURRE and 1 American Oystercatcher at Eastern Egg Rock. Offshore pelagic visitors: 100-150 Wilson’s Storm-Petrels, 2 Great Shearwaters, 2 unidentified shearwaters, 1 Sooty Shearwater, 1 subadult PARASITIC JAEGER. Some observers had a MANX SHEARWATER as well.
1 LOUSIANA WATERTHRUSH and 1 Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Morgan Meadow WMA, 7/11 (with Jeannette).
Scarborough Marsh and Pine Point migrant shorebird totals, 7/14 (with Alec Humann and Buffalo Ornithological Society tour group): 18 Short-billed Dowitchers, 15 Lesser Yellowlegs, 12 Least Sandpipers, 5 Semipalmated Sandpipers (FOF), 2 Whimbrel (FOF, Jones Creek, Pine Point), and 1 Greater Yellowlegs.
Thanks to our store’s partnership with Zeiss Optics, our biannual “Zeiss Day” occurred offshore this spring. With Zeiss’s sponsorship, we were able to offer this unique trip at a special price, with extra spotters to help people see birds, and of course, with chumming.
And the weather could not be any better! In fact, we were all excited to head offshore to beat the heat on this day. Barely a puff of breeze resulted in remarkably calm seas, with the only waves caused by our boat. Thanks to the weather gods for this day offshore!
Evan Obercian, Dan Nickerson, and Jeannette helped spot birds, Noah Gibb handled the checklists, and Robby Lambert – chummer emeritus – stood at the ready as the boat’s naturalist, Kelsey, and I scanned from the wheelhouse. Our captain was amazing, and together we laid out a plan for the day. Throughout the day, Rich and Bill from Zeiss handed out binoculars to try and lots of optical questions were answered. It was a great way to test-drive a new pair of excellent binoculars, especially noting how important size and weight is when trying to hold binoculars steady on the open ocean, even without much in the way of waves.
Robby at his office.
Motoring out of Boothbay Harbor and across Muscongus Bay, we familiarized ourselves with the common denizens of Maine’s summer coast, such as Common Eiders, Black Guillemots, Common Terns, and Ospreys. Kelsey pointed out landmarks and gave a little history of the area.
Our first destination was Eastern Egg Rock, home to a thriving seabird colony thanks to the restoration efforts of Project Puffin. Leading pelagic trips in June is easy when at least some of our target birds are guaranteed!
The amazingly calm conditions and unusually warmth worked in our favor, as many of the island’s Atlantic Puffins and Black Guillemots were in the water instead of loafing on the rocks, allowing us to drift closely to many of them. One of the island’s ephemeral Razorbills was spotted near the boat, giving us long and good looks as well.
Razorbill.
Of course there were the terns, and for a change, both Roseate and Arctic were easy to isolate for all to see. With the help of my spotters, and a cooperative pair of Roseates on an obvious rock, everyone saw each species well, as well as many hundreds of Common Terns of course. And a thousand or so Laughing Gulls, too.
Arctic Tern.
Roseate Tern.
Laughing Gull
Common Eider.
Satisfied with our views of the island’s denizens, we turned offshore and followed the Arctic Terns to deeper waters. It wasn’t too long before we started seeing scattered Wilson’s Storm-Petrels, but we slammed on the breaks when I spotted a Common Murre on the water up ahead. Captain Steve was able to circle the bird for all to see and photograph before we continued on; the murre was most obliging. It also made for the hoped-for 4-alcid day, which is always a challenge this far south.
The lack of swell allowed us to make good progress and afforded us the chance to check three offshore hotspots. A good number of Wilson’s Storm-Petrels and a few Northern Gannets were at Murray Hole, but we motored through it.
We laid down a mile-long chum slick at The Kettle, but only a few of the many Wilson’s Storm-Petrels came in to check it out. I think it was simply too calm today – the scent wasn’t drifting, and birds – especially any shearwaters out here – were just not taking flight to forage; it’s just too inefficient without any wind for them to bother. But a fly-by from a southbound Ruby-throated Hummingbird nearly 20 miles offshore was unexpected!
We continued to tally Wilson’s when we set up a second chum slick at Mistaken Ground, but once again, little was interested, and only a few Wilson’s and gannets were to be seen.
Despite our extended time with the charter, it was soon time to head back to port, but we kept our eyes peeled throughout the trip. On the way back, we had a flock of 12 Red-necked Phalaropes buzz by and eventually land on the water, but we were going too fast and behind schedule to be able to turn around in time. Later, we passed not one, but two Basking Sharks, which was a real treat.
Harbor Porpoise and Harbor Seals were seen now and again, but overall, the offshore waters were quite slow – especially with gulls. The few gulls around didn’t even seem interested in our popcorn and suet, either.
Robby contemplates the meaning of life…and chum.
Our tally of Wilson’s Storm-Petrels was decent enough, but sadly, this would be our only tubenose of the day. Northern Gannets were in low numbers, as if often the case in early June, and whatever shearwaters may have already arrived may simply have been sitting on the water somewhere waiting for a breeze. I also felt terrible that not everyone saw the phalaropes.
Nonetheless – thanks to a perfect visit at Eastern Egg Rock and a random Common Murre floating offshore – I would call the day a smashing success! And for $40, few complaints were audible. The weather helped, too.
Rich talks optics.
Thanks to Zeiss for making this idea of mine come to fruition, and thanks to Cap’n Fish’s for letting us charter the boat to make this all happen. And most importantly, thanks to everyone who signed up and helped us explore the Gulf of Maine at this woefully under-birded time of year. Every day is different offshore, and you never know what you will or will not see. Excitingly, I am pleased to announce that Rich said, “let’s do this again next year!” Hope to see you aboard!
Here’s the complete trip list, from dock to offshore and back. Thanks to Noah for compiling this!
This first summer male Blue Grosbeak was present on Monhegan for at least a week, and unexpectedly, was flycatching for seaweed flies in shoreline rocks for most of the time, including the two days we looked at it with my Monhegan Spring Migration Weekend tour group.
With 5 days on Monhegan and one (half) day offshore, I enjoyed a lot of great birds this week. My observations of note over the past seven days included:
Monhegan Island with our Monhegan Spring Migration Weekend Tour group (full trip report and photos to come).
Daily:
Impressive numbers of Red Crossbills swirling around the island and tough to quantify, including many juveniles. High counts of largest flock(s) in the mid-20’s. Three WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS were present each day at least through the end of the weekend. Rare for the island, a pair of HOUSE FINCHES appeared on the 27th and continued through the end of our stay. Here are my group’s other daily highlights.
5/26:
11 Bay-breasted Warblers (FOY)
1 Cape May Warbler (FOY)
1 female Evening Grosbeak
1 Black-billed Cuckoo
1 continuing ORCHARD ORIOLE
1 Philadelphia Vireo (FOY)
5/27:
1 continuing male DICKCISSEL
1 continuing female/imm male SUMMER TANAGER
1 female ORCHARD ORIOLE
1 Olive-sided Flycatcher (FOY)
5/28:
9 GLOSSY IBIS – circled the island early in the morning but did not land. My 225th Island Bird!
1 probable immature male PURPLE MARTIN
1 continuing 1st-year male BLUE GROSBEAK
1 immature BROAD-WINGED HAWK
1 continuing male DICKCISSEL
5/29:
1 pair ORCHARD ORIOLES
1 continuing SNOWY EGRET – Jeannette and I finally caught up with it for my 226th Island Bird!
1 continuing 1st year male BLUE GROSBEAK
5/30 (With Jeannette):
1 continuing male ORCHARD ORIOLE
1 Field Sparrow
Did not try to catch up with continuing rarities, although two quick checks did not turn up the Dickcissel or the Blue Grosbeak.
The Zeiss Pelagic with Cap’n Fish’s Cruises out of Boothbay Harbor, 6/2. This special mini-pelagic, sponsored by Zeiss Optics visited Eastern Egg Rock before heading 20 miles offshore. Trip report to come, but for now, the highlights:
1 Razorbill at Eastern Egg Rock
1 COMMON MURRE (between Eastern Egg Rock and Murray Hole)
350-400 total Wilson’s Storm-Petrels (FOY)
12 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES
TOURS AND EVENTS:
I’ll see you next week at the Rangely Birding Festival! Most (but not all) tours are sold out, but everyone can join me for the free and open to the public Birds on Tap! Event at Parkside and Main (beverages not included)!
The local “bird of the summer,” Henslow’s Sparrow, continues this week in Brunswick. (Note: photographed only via patience, no playback or other harassments).
Another dandy week of summertime birding produced the following highlights for me.
2 continuing HENSLOW’S SPARROWS, Crystal Spring Farm, Brunswick. Quite a bit of my birding time this week was spent enjoying this exceptional visitor. I saw it on 7/9 with our Saturday Morning Birdwalk group for our 246th all-time Saturday Morning Birdwalk bird! On 7/11, Jeannette and I, along with two other birders saw both individuals at the same time for the first time – as two scopes had both birds in view at once in the opposite direction here. No disputing that! However, the echo and acoustic issues are very apparent here – at one point, we could easily have argued there were four birds! Interestingly, on 7/12, Cameron Cox and I were unable to confirm the presence of two birds, as was the case in my visits prior to the 11th. Phone-scoped video from the 11th here.
HYBRID HERONS of Scarborough Marsh. On 7/11, Cameron Cox and I spotted both continuing birds. The proposed Snowy Egret x Tricolored Heron x Little Egret was off of Eastern Road, while the proposed Snowy Egret x Tricolored Heron x Snowy Egret was incredibly close and cooperative at Pelreco Marsh. Video of the latter bird here.
1 subadult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, Pine Point Beach, Scarborough, 7/11 (with Cameron Cox).
2 Fish Crows, Point Sebago Resort (private), Casco, 7/14 (with Point Sebago Resort birdwalk group). Are these two from the Windham colony or outliers of this slowly expanding species?
Eastern Egg Rock/Whale-watching/and mini-pelagic tour out of Boothbay Harbor with our partners Cap’n Fish’s Cruises, yielded the following highlights in addition to a fantastic show at Eastern Egg Rock from Atlantic Puffins; Roseate, Common, and Arctic Terns; Black Guillemots; etc): 2 Razorbills on Eastern Egg, a mere two Wilson’s Storm-Petrels and handfuls of Northern Gannets offshore, but an insane show from a breaching Humpback Whale. And for the record, the Tufted Puffin appeared there a mere 3 hours after our boat left.
Each summer, I begin reporting my “shorebird high counts this week” here. Really, I do it for my own note-keeping and organization, but I hope at least a few folks find value in it. This year, I am starting it early, even though diversity is expectedly low and I didn’t get to a lot of shorebird sites this week. However, numbers are picking up dramatically, and this bears watching. Unfortunately, large numbers of adult shorebirds in early July could portend widespread breeding failure. Therefore, I will organize my counts here so I can compare it to previous seasons.
Black-bellied Plover: 2 first-summer, Pine Point Co-op, Scarborough, 7/11 (with Cameron Cox).
Killdeer: 35, Crystal Spring Farm, Brunswick, 7/12 (with Cameron Cox).
Piping Plover: 4+, Western Beach from Pine Point Beach, 7/11 (with Cameron Cox).
Boothbay Mini-Pelagic with our partners, Cap’n Fish’s, Dan Nickerson, and Jeannette on 6/6.
7 Razorbills among the puffins and terns at Eastern Egg Rock.
Unbelievable estimate of 2600 Wilson’s Storm-Petrels offshore. Massive early-season numbers continue in the Gulf of Maine from Massachusetts at least to the Mid-coast of Maine.
The first of our pelagic birding opportunities for the year took place on Monday, June 6th, as I joined the good folks from Cap’n Fish’s Cruises in Boothbay Harbor for a special ½ day mini-pelagic.
We motored our way east to Eastern Egg Rock, looking at Common Eiders, Black Guillemots, Ospreys, and many other inshore denizens. Once we got to Eastern Egg Rock, however, the fun really started! The cacophony of the colony was evident on this gloriously calm day, and it was not hard to find plenty of Atlantic Puffins in the water near the boat.
We worked the masses of Common Terns to isolate a few great views of Roseate and Arctic Terns. The bright sunny day was a delight except for when trying to judge grayscale. That made tern identification a little more challenging, but we worked our way through it before departing the island for deeper waters. We had a good total of 7 Razorbills on and around the island, which is no guarantee on a visit here, and while we didn’t have the one Common Murre that has been lingering on the rock, we did have one fly-by later in the trip.
Bright sunlight made tern identification more challenging!RazorbillsBlack GuillemotCommon TernRoseate Terns
With seas barely 1-2 feet, just a puff of wind, and abundant sunshine, it was just a gorgeous day offshore. We cruised through a wide stretch of uneventful, flat bottom, but once we hit deeper waters, we began to see a number of Wilson’s Storm-Petrels. There were a lot more at our first deeper hole, but then when we got to our primary destination, it was clear how abundant they were.
We laid down a 4-mile long chum slick, and then slowly cruised back through it. With the calm seas, it held together perfectly, and boy did it work! It was actually incredible. Unfortunately, other than a few Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls, it was 100% Wilson’s Storm-Petrels!
One of the ways to find other storm-petrels among masses is to look for the lack of obvious wing molt. This bird caught Jeannette’s eye because the wing is so clean and not showing any signs of flight feather molt. It’s a Wilson’s though, but could it possibly be another subspecies? Individual variation? Age? Or, just something slightly different to look at?
But what a show they put on! Dan, Jeannette, and I did our best to estimate the abundance, as this was truly a special event. Our estimate of a trip total of 2,600 birds included an estimate of 2,000 in our chum line!
We spotted the occasional Northern Gannet throughout the trip, but we desperately awaited another tubenose. Checking flight style, foot extension, wing bars, and underwing patterns, but yup, pretty darn homogenous. As a leader, I tried to check every bird. But the sight was impressive, and I couldn’t help but utter superlatives and occasionally just sit back and enjoy the show.
First-summer Northern Gannet.
We had to increase speed to make it back to the dock on time, but we continued to tally Wilson’s Storm-Petrels on the ride in. And Jeannette, Dan, and I worked hard to find something – anything! – else pelagic! We don’t have a lot of data on what is out here in June, and it’s likely different every year depending on water temperature and breeding success and/or failure of these “winter” visitors from the sub-Antarctic waters. In fact, one some June whale watches I have been on, I haven’t had a single species of tubenose – let alone 2600 of them.
After last June’s adult Pacific Loon, I did have to have Captain Nick slam on the breaks when I spotted a decidedly gray-naped loon. When it surfaced, it was evident it was just a young Common Loon with an unusual amount of wear or bleaching on its head. It was worth a try though!
While our species list wasn’t legendary by any means, I’ve never seen this many Wilson’s Storm-Petrels in one, relatively short boat trip. In fact, this is by far the most I have ever seen together in Maine waters. Additionally, we had great looks at some of the Gulf of Maine’s most sought-after breeding seabirds to kick off the day at the birthplace of the Project Puffin. And the weather, wow, the weather – what a day to be on the water! And a great introduction to pelagic birding: the most exciting (and yes, at times frustrating) part of pelagic birding is every day, every trip, is so different, and it takes a lot of trips to appreciate the best of them.
We have two more trips planned with Cap’n Fish’s this summer. On July 15th, I’ll be joining the on-board naturalist for a visit to Eastern Egg Rock followed by a little birding-while-whale-watching. Then, on October 11th, it will be the second of our dedicated half-day pelagics, including chumming. Since we won’t have activity at Eastern Egg Rock at that time of year, all our time will be dedicated to finding birds offshore. Information and registration for these two trips – and our summer tours to Seal Island as well – can be found on the Pelagics Page of our website.
Here is our complete trip list, from the time the horn blew as the boat pulled out of the dock until we returned to the slip. Our estimates at Eastern Egg Rock are very conservative, and likely dreadfully low. Offshore, we worked hard at estimating individual groups of storm-petrels and tallying exact numbers of other birds offshore. There were also likely many more eiders, guillemots, and cormorants on the outer islands, but our focus was on finding more seabirds!
My observations of note over the past fourteen days included the following:
Rare mid-summer SCOTER hat-trick with 4 Black, 2 White-winged, and 1 Surf, Simpson’s Point, Brunswick, 7/3.
4 Greater and 3 Lesser Yellowlegs, Wharton Point, Brunswick, 7/3.
Seawatching from Eastern Point, Gloucester, MA on 7/8 during Tropical Storm Elsa (with family): In about 2 hours where fog lifted enough to see, Great Shearwaters were passing at an average of 199 per 5-minute segment and Sooty Shearwaters were passing at an average of 314 per 5-minute segment. Plus 2 MANX SHEARWATERS, 1 unidentified JAEGER, and 1 Cory’s Shearwater.
Maine Birding Field Notes 