Tag Archives: Eastport Windjammers

 This Week’s Highlights 9/7– 9/16/2026.

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We teased out one, likely continuing Little Gull from the unseasonably small masses of Bonaparte’s Gulls
in Head Harbor Passage, New Brunswick on 9/9.

Our annual “weekend” downeast followed by a three-day tour to Monhegan headlined my birding this week, along with visits to shorebirds and Sandy Point to bookend the period.  Here are my copious observations of note over the past 10 days.

  • I wasn’t home much during this period, but a few recent highlights from our Durham property this period included  a Prairie Warbler on the 15th and a Brown Thrasher on the 16th.

Sandy Point Morning Flight, 9/7.

A very good flight passed over and through Sandy Point Beach, Cousin’s Island, Yarmouth Island this morning. A high flight, periods of activity at all levels – including below me, and early morning clouds combined to yield a lot of unidentified as I struggled just to keep count at times

  • Thanks to Bill Thompson for some instant reply additions to the tallies.
  • 6:10-9:35am.
  • 52F, partly cloudy, NW 4.8-6.0, increasing, then diminishing to 3.9-5.3
  • 541 Unidentified
  • 448 Northern Parulas
  • 169 American Redstarts
  • 119 Blackpoll Warblers
  • 51 Cedar Waxwings
  • 46 Black-throated Green Warblers
  • 14 Yellow Warblers
  • 14 American Goldfinches
  • 13 Red-eyed Vireos
  • 11 Magnolia Warblers
  • 10 Red-breasted Nuthatches
  • 9 Cape May Warblers
  • 6 Black-and-white Warblers
  • 6 Bay-breasted Warblers
  • 6 Nashville Warblers
  • 5 Chipping Sparrows
  • 5 Northern Flickers
  • 5 Northern Waterthrushes
  • 4 House Finch
  • 4 Yellow-rumped Warblers
  • 3 Black-and-white Warblers
  • 3 Common Loons
  • 3 Blue-headed Vireos
  • 3 Tennessee Warblers
  • 2 Savannah Sparrows
  • 2 Prairie Warblers
  • 2 Eastern Kingbirds
  • 2 Black-capped Chickadees
  • 1 Scarlet Tanager
  • 1 Least Flycatcher
  • 1 Common Nighthawk
  • 1 Purple Finch
  • 1 Cooper’s Hawk
  • 1 Wilson’s Warbler
  • 1 Philadelphia Vireo
  • 1 Eastern Phoebe
  • 1 Eastern Wood-Pewee
  • 1 Downy Woodpecker
  • 1 Blackburnian Warbler
  • 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk
  • 1 Black-throated Blue Warbler
  • 1 Red-winged Blackbird
  • 1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
  • 1 Tree Swallow
  • 1 Olive-sided Flycatcher
  • 1 White-throated Sparrow
  • 1 Indigo Bunting
  • X Common Yellowthroat
  • T= 1,519
  • 1 Monarch
  • 2 juvenile Snowy Egrets, Downeast Sunrise Trail marsh and Middle Rover Park, Machias, 9/6-10 (with Jeannette).
  • 4 American Pipits (FOF), Carrying Place Cove, Lubec, 9/8 (with Jeannette).
  • Charter with Eastport Windjammers through Head Harbor Passage, New Brunswick (with Chris Bartlett, Beth Edmonds, Dan Nickerson, Renee Patterson, Cynthia Phinney, Jeannette, et al), 9/9: 1 molting adult or 2nd winter LITTLE GULL among a mere 800-1000 total Bonaparte’s Gulls, 3 juvenile Atlantic Puffins, 1 Arctic Tern, 3 Razorbills, etc.
  • 1 1st summer THICK-BILLED MURRE, 11 Black-legged Kittiwakes, 16 Great Cormorants, etc, afternoon whale watch with Eastport Windjammers through Head Harbor Passage (with Beth Edmonds, Dan Nickerson, Cynthia Phinney, Jeannette, et al), 9/9.

Caption: Assuming we finally had our first Common Murre of the day (they’re regular in small numbers here in the late summer), “instant reply” overturned the call on the field and provided us with a most-unexpected Thick-billed Murre!

  • 2 adult and 1 2nd-cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull and 13 Laughing Gulls, Roque Bluffs State Park, 9/10 (with Jeannette).
  • Some of the observations of note from my three days on Monhegan (9/10-12) with my Monhegan Island Birding Workshop with DownEast Magazine’s DownEast Adventures tour group included: 1 make BLUE-WINGED WARBLER (9/12), 1 continuing hen KING EIDER (9/12), 1 CLAY-COLORED SPARROW (9/13); 1 DICKCISSEL (9/12), 1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (9/12), 1 juvenile Cooper’s Hawk (9/11), up to 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls daily, a respectable-for-Monhegan 8 species of shorebirds over the three days, and 30+ Wilson’s Storm-Petrels on the ferry both coming and going (getting a little late). Not bad for a “slow” weekend out there!

Sandy Point Morning Flight, 9/15.

  • 6:20-10:05.
  • 46F, clear, NNW 5.4-6.2 to N 1.5-2.6

A great flight passed over and through Sandy Point Beach, Cousin’s Island, Yarmouth Island this morning.  Jayden Mowry and Bill Thompson were on the bridge with me for most of the count. Pulses of birds early and high resulted in lots of unidentified. Northerly winds resulted in lots of swirling and non-crossings, making counting migrants even more challenging! The hunting Merlin also didn’t help. A family group of 4 AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS on a sandbar (first spotted today by Matthew Gilbert) was my 199th species at Sandy Point!

  • 297 Northern Parula
  • 287 Unidentified
  • 85 Blackpoll Warblers
  • 45 American Redstarts
  • 38 Black-throated Green Warblers
  • 30 Cedar Waxwings
  • 20 Red-eyed Vireos
  • 19 Yellow-rumped Warblers
  • 16 Yellow Warblers
  • 15 Magnolia Warblers
  • 9 Swainson’s Thrushes
  • 7 Black-and-white Warblers
  • 7 Northern Flickers
  • 6 Ospreys
  • 6 American Goldfinches
  • 6 Nashville Warblers
  • 5 Red-breasted Nuthatches
  • 4 Northern Waterthrushes
  • 4 Bay-breasted Warblers
  • 3 Palm Warblers
  • 3 Chestnut-sided Warblers
  • 3 Chipping Sparrows
  • 3 American Pipits
  • 3 Common Loons
  • 3 Black-throated Blue Warblers
  • 3 Tennessee Warblers
  • 3 Philadelphia Vireo
  • 3 Blue Jays
  • 2 Cape May Warblers
  • 2 Purple Finches
  • 2 DICKCISSELS
  • 2 Blue-headed Vireos
  • 2 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds
  • 2 Eastern Phoebes
  • 2 Least Flycatchers
  • 1 Wilson’s Warbler
  • 1 Lincoln’s Sparrow
  • 1 Merlin (plus 1 hunting)
  • 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
  • 1 YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER (getting late; pending review of Bill’s photo)
  • 1 Canada Warbler
  • 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk
  • 1 Blackburnian Warbler
  • 1 Downy Woodpecker (at least 4 “false starts”)
  • 1 unidentified vireo
  • 1 Warbling Vireo
  • 1 Scarlet Tanager
  • X Common Yellowthroat
  • T= 956
  • 6 Monarchs

And here are my shorebird high counts over the past 10 days, which did not include any birding south of Yarmouth, hence the reduced diversity and lower numbers for many species:

  • AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER: 4, Sandy Point Beach, Cousin’s Island, Yarmouth, 9/15 (with Matthew Gilbert, Lewis Holmes, Jayden Mowery, and Bill Thompson). My 199th Patch Bird here! Apparently, they have been present recently fide L. Homes and B. Thompson).
  • Black-bellied Plover: 85, Wharton Point, Brunswick, 9/16.  
  • AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER: 1 adult (FOY), Middle River Park, Machias, 9/10 (with Jeannette) and 1 juvenile, Wharton Point, 9/16.
  • Killdeer: 17, Crystal Spring Farm, Brunswick, 9/15.
  • Semipalmated Plover: 100+, Middle River Preserve, Machias, 9/10 (with Jeannette).
  • Hudsonian Whimbrel: 2, Carrying Place Cove then the Lubec Flats, Lubec, 9/8 (with Jeannette).
  • Sanderling: 24, Lubec Flats, Lubec, 9/8 (with Jeannette).
  • Dunlin: 1 juvenile (FOF), Wharton Point Brunswick, 9/16.
  • Least Sandpiper: 100+, Sandborn Cove, Machiasport, 9/6 (with Jeannette).
  • White-rumped Sandpiper: 1, several locations.
  • Pectoral Sandpiper: 1, Lubec Bar, 9/8 and Middle River Park, Machias, 9/9 (with Jeannette).
  • Semipalmated Sandpiper: ~3,000, Sanborn Cove, Machiasport, 9/6 (with Jeannette)
  • Short-billed Dowitcher: 2, Walsh Preserve, Freeport, 9/14.
  • Spotted Sandpiper: 4, Downeast Sunrise Trail Marsh, 9/6 and 9/10 (with Jeannette) and 4 Monhegan Island, 9/12 (with DownEast Adventures tour group).
  • Solitary Sandpiper: 1, several locations this week.
  • Lesser Yellowlegs: 143 (great number for the date), Walsh Preserve, 9/14.
  • Greater Yellowlegs: only 2, several locations this week.
  • RED-NECKED PHALAROPE: 3, between New Harbor and Monhegan Island via the Hardy Boat ferry, 9/10 (with DownEast Adventures tour group).

Upcoming Tours With Space Available:

Boothbay Harbor ½ Day Pelagic, October 4th!

I’ll just leave last year’s trip report right here.

2025 Fall Half-Day Pelagic with Freeport Wild Bird Supply and Cap’n Fish’s Cruises.

Birds of Casco Bay.  October 6, 2026: 9:00am – 12:00pm

Join the crew of Seacoast Tours and Derek Lovitch from Freeport Wild Bird Supply on a special tour of the islands and waters of Casco Bay. We’ll explore the inner islands of Freeport, Brunswick and Harpswell as we search for eagles, migrant waterfowl, and an occasional seal basking in the sun on the ledges of hidden coves. We’ll focus on the common resident and migratory water and shoreline birds of the region while keeping an eye out for recently arrived wintering seaducks.

Forts and Feathers: House Island.  October 18, 2026; 9:00am – 2:00pm​

During our previous outings in which we became the first birding groups ever on the island, we found oodles of Yellow-rumped Warblers, other migrants, and learned about the island’s ecology. But we were also captivated by Captain Pete, who guided us through the historic fort, sharing a wealth of historical knowledge and fascinating stories. Once again, we’ve been granted special permission to come ashore and scour the island here in the peak of fall migration. We’ll follow well-maintained trails through the island’s mosaic of open habitats, scrub, and young woods. These are great habitats to search for a variety of migrants, and perhaps even a rarity!  

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.

This Week’s Highlights, 9/2-9/8, 2023

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It was a good week for Caspian Terns, and it’s always a treat to see one sitting still. This adult was on the Lubec Flats on the 4th.

A busy week of birding included our annual late summer/early fall trip to Washington County and a bunch of guiding, producing the following observations of note:

  • 25-30 Common Nighthawks, over Chebeague Island in the mid-morning, 9/3 (with The Chebeague & Cumberland Land Trust birdwalk group).
  • 1 juvenile LITTLE BLUE HERON, 1 CASPIAN TERN, 1 Great Egret, 5 Surf Scoters, etc, Lubec Flats, Lubec, 9/4 (with Jeannette).
  • A relatively slow morning in Head Harbor Passage from Eastport on 9/5 (with Beth Edmonds, Dan Nickerson, Jeannette, and friends) was most noteworthy for the continuing large numbers of COMMON MURRES. I tallied 109, but that seems very conservative. We only had 4 Razorbills and 1 adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. Quiet time with just us and a Fin Whale more than made up for it though.
  • The afternoon whale watch on Eastport Windjammers to the same waters that day (with Beth Edmonds, Dan Nickerson, and Jeannette) yielded an adult LITTLE GULL, 3 CASPIAN TERNS, 1 late ARCTIC TERN, 2 Great Shearwaters, etc. Incredibly experience with 2 Fin Whales, 1 Humpback Whale, and 1 Minke Whale though.

We always enjoy our quality time with Black-legged Kittiwakes in the Head Harbor Passage area at this time of year.

  • 2 American Pipits (FOF), Sanborn Cove, Machiasport, 9/6 (with Jeannette). Interestingly, we had pipits at a number of places throughout the day, with a high count of 22 at Addison Marsh, Addison.
  • 1 Great Egret, Addison Marsh, 9/6 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 Great Egret, Essex Marsh, Bangor, 9/6 (with Jeannette).
  • 3 SANDHILL CRANES, Plymouth Pond, Plymouth, 9/6 (with Jeannette).
  • High count for warbler species in our Durham backyard this week was 11 on 9/7 (with Angela Woodside).
  • 3 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Popham Beach State Park, Phippsburg, 9/8 (with clients from Texas).
  • Great whale-watching trumped the bird-watching again this week with 3 lunge-feeding Fin Whales off of Boothbay Harbor aboard Cap’n Fish’s Cruises on 9/8 (with clients from Texas). 3 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES, 1 Great Shearwater, 1 adult Lesser Black-backed Gull, 10 Wilson’s Storm-Petrels and making it back to shore before the violent thunderstorms add to the success of the trip!

Meanwhile, my shorebird high counts this week were as follows. While reduced in diversity by a lack of visitation to southern Maine shorebird hotspots, Downeast yielded some excellent numbers and I found some uncommon species in unexpected places for a goodly total of 18 species (“shorebird season” is far from over!):

  • AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER: 1, Popham Beach State Park, Phippsburg, 9/8 (with clients from Texas).
  • Black-bellied Plover: 75, Lubec Flats, Lubec, 9/4 (with Jeannette).
  • Killdeer: 56, Mayall Road, Gray, 9/6 (with Jeannette).
  • Semipalmated Plover: 600, Lubec Flats, 9/4 (with Jeannette).
  • Ruddy Turnstone: 1, flying 10 miles off of Boothbay Harbor, 9/8 (with clients from Texas). Odd sighting of a single juvenile bird circling the boat repeatedly in hazy conditions where the mainland was not visible.
  • Sanderling: 24, Popham Beach State Park, 9/8 (with clients from Texas)
  • BAIRD’S SANDPIPER: 1, Yarmouth Town Landing, 9/2 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • Least Sandpiper: 25+ Sanborn Cove, Machiasport, 9/5 (with Jeannette).
  • White-rumped Sandpiper: 125!, Lubec Flats, 9/4.
  • Semipalmated Sandpiper: 2500-3000!, Lubec Flats, 9/4 (with Jeannette).
  • WESTERN SANDPIPER: 1 juv, Lubec Flats, 9/4 (with Jeannette).
  • Short-billed Dowitcher: 4, Lubec Flats, 9/4 (with Jeannette).
  • American Woodcock: 1, over Rte 1, Pembroke, at dusk on 9/5 (with Jeannette).
  • Spotted Sandpiper: 1, multiple locations.
  • Solitary Sandpiper: 1, over our yard in Durham, 9/2.
  • Lesser Yellowlegs: 9, Yarmouth Town Landing, 9/2 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • Greater Yellowlegs: 2, Red Point Nature Preserve, Lubec, 9/4 (with Jeannette).
  • RED-NECKED PHALAROPE: 7, Passamaquoddy Bay, Eastport-New Brunswick, 9/5 (with Beth Edmonds, Dan Nickerson, Jeannette, and friends).