This female Cerulean Warbler at Evergreen Cemetery on 5/6 was the first in Maine for just about every birder who raced to see it! Thanks to Bill for the photo!
Wow! What a week! Although I was out of town for the huge flight Friday night into Saturday morning, my birding with a tour group on an almost-as-productive Sunday morning made up for it. Then, with an upper level low locked into place, migration ground to a halt throughout most of the rest of the week. However, a trickle of new arrivals appeared, and an impressive array of rarities were found around the state. I did a lot more chasing than usual this week (including a personal “state bird”, but a self-found rarity on Friday was a perfect way to put the icing on the cake of a tremendous week of spring birding! My observations of note over the past seven days included the following:
15 species of warblers (FOY) between Evergreen Cemetery and Capsic Pond Park, with Northern Parula the most numerous at both, 5/4 (with Down East Adventures Spring Migrant Songbird Workshop group).
1 ROSS’S GOOSE, Thornhurst Farm/Prince Well Road, North Yarmouth, 5/5. Found by the Boardman family, there was discussion as to its ID. When I was sent photos on the morning of the 5/5, after being present for at least 3 days, I thought it was a “pure” Ross’s Goose. When Jeannette and I then visited the bird to observe it, we left with zero doubt. I posted a series of photos, a short video, and an explanation of the identification on this Facebook post.
1 female CERULEAN WARBLER, Evergreen Cemetery, Portland, 5/6 (with Bill Thompson). Found earlier in the morning by Doug Hitchcox. Bill and I ran into each other on Eastern Road and then raced north together for the twitch. His photo is above. My (and most peoples’) first in Maine, this was #11 on my personal next birds in Maine list, and one that feels long overdue.
1 continuing BLACK-NECKED STILT, Spurwink Marsh, Cape Elizabeth, 5/6 (with Bill Thompson). Well, since we were out chasing together, we figured we might as well visit this elegant rarity found by John Lorence on 5/3.
The continuing CERULEAN WARBLER at Evergreen Cemetery on 5/8 with my Birds on Tap – Roadtrip: Warblers and Wort! Tour group. I don’t generally take photos while guiding groups, but I took a few of this bird…and completely wiffed on them!
After all this “twitching,” I was due to find my own rarity, and did so on 5/9 with an adult breeding plumage female RUFF (REEVE) at Walsh Preserve in Freeport. There are only about 10 previous records for Maine.
My personal “first of years” this week also included:
2 Yellow Warblers, Evergreen Cemetery, Portland, 5/4 (with Down East Adventures Spring Migrant Songbird Workshop group).
8 Black-throated Blue Warblers, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/4 (with Down East Adventures Spring Migrant Songbird Workshop group).
2 Wood Thrushes, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/4 (with Down East Adventures Spring Migrant Songbird Workshop group).
3 Magnolia Warblers, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/4 (with Down East Adventures Spring Migrant Songbird Workshop group).
4 Chestnut-sided Warblers, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/4 (with Down East Adventures Spring Migrant Songbird Workshop group).
2 Great-crested Flycatchers, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/4 (with Down East Adventures Spring Migrant Songbird Workshop group).
2 American Redstarts, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/4 (with Down East Adventures Spring Migrant Songbird Workshop group).
2 Northern Waterthrushes, Capisic Pond Park, Portland, 5/4 (with Down East Adventures Spring Migrant Songbird Workshop group).
7 Chimney Swifts, Capisic Pond Park, 5/4 (with Down East Adventures Spring Migrant Songbird Workshop group).
1 White-crowned Sparrow, feeders here at the store, 5/4.
Our collaboration with The Maine Brews Cruise enters its 11th season, with six exciting itineraries. These unique, relaxed birding and beer-ing adventures that you have come to love combine great local birding at seasonal hotspots with approachable opportunities to sample the delicious creations of some of our favorite Maine breweries. These events are a perfect introduction to birding and/or craft beer, and a great opportunity to enjoy our favorite pastimes with significant others, friends, and family that have interest in one topic, while your interest is primarily in the other (for now!). Educational, enjoyable, and eye-opening you won’t want to miss out our unique Birds on Tap series. In 2025, we’re excited to bring back more of these special birding and beer tours, perfectly blending nature exploration and craft beer tasting.
The six tours are as follows. After completion, tour reports will be posted here so this blog is your one-stop shopping for tour reports and upcoming itineraries.
1. Birds On Trip℠ – Roadtrip! Harlequins and Hops
Sunday, February 23rd, 2025:
After postponing our original date due to extreme cold, it was a full 30 degrees warmer today at start time! And while there was a chilly wind at a couple of stops, we also had some lovely calm and sunny conditions. As much as we hate to reschedule, this one worked, and therefore the day was already a success before we even departed for our birding destination!
We began at Dyer Point in Cape Elizabeth, where we found our highest concentration of seaducks on the day, including at least 20 Harlequin Ducks – the tour’s eponymous bird.
And what a stunner they were, with males in perfect light and some small groups pleasantly close to shore. Large numbers of Common Eider and Black Scoters were present, along with several other species, introducing us to winter waterfowl identification. And as a special treat, 4 uncommon and local Brant were foraging in a tidepool before us.
Most of the ducks were here today, and not at nearby Two Lights State Park, but there we saw another 8 Harlequin Ducks, discussed American Robin winter foraging ecology, and practiced our basic duck and gull identification before we headed to nearby Kettle Cove. There were not a lot of ducks here today, but we did get a surprise Merlin whipping through, perhaps the reason a Horned Lark was calling high overhead.
As a final stop, we checked Mill Creek Cove in South Portland for a very quick gull ID introduction to augment earlier conversation, compared Mallards and American Black Ducks (taking time to marvel at the beautiful drake Mallard!), soaked in a sunning drake Red-breasted Merganser, and enjoyed the sight of all of the gulls and ducks in the cove taking flight as our second Bald Eagle of the day soared overhead.
Part two of the tour began at Belleflower Brewing in Portland, one of my favorite Maine breweries. Keeping with the bird theme, we started by sampling their Magpie Pale Ale and then compared it to their Double-dry Hopped Finch & Thistle. Beginning with the recommended way of smelling and sipping a new beer, we discussed the basics of beer style, what the hell “double-dry hopping” means, the origins of the “New England” style, and then shifted gears with their brand new Just Like Home, a maple coffee brown ale. I thought the subtle maple sweetness was just right with a roasty coffee hint but the lighter body of a brown compared to a stout.
Crossing the Bayside neighborhood brought us to Argenta Brewing, one of Portland’s newest breweries. Exclusively brewing lagers, it was a nice contrast to our focus on ales at Belleflower. Starting with a generous half-pour of their Generic American Lager, we enjoyed the light, refreshing, “crushability” of a craft version of the popular lawnmower beer style. Craft beer truly is for everyone, and simple beers like Argenta’s Generic American Lager shows its not all about “hop-heads” and alcohol bombs.
We were given a choice for our next pour, and several folks tried the Mexican Lager to compare corn verses barley as the primary malt, while other tried everything from their hard seltzer to their Munich Dunkel- new to me, I found the mild roastiness and hint of sweetness on point for the style.
With a pleasant day (compared to the rest of the month), lots of beautiful and accessible wintering waterfowl – of course and especially including Harlequin Ducks – a few avian surprises, and newly-broadened palettes (I love it when folks say they really liked a beer in a style they didn’t think they liked), we kicked off the 11th year of the Birds on Tap – Roadtrip! the right way!
2. Birds On Tap℠ – Roadtrip! Warblers and Wort
Thursday, May 8, 2025.
While the rarest bird of the day came early, the rest of the trip was far from anticlimactic. Even better, it was the only warm and dry day of the week!
As planned, we began at Evergreen Cemetery, but our goal was set forth for us in the continuing presence of a very rare Cerulean Warbler. In fact, when I saw her a few days prior, it was the first Cerulean Warbler I have ever seen in Maine and at least a “state bird” for the several hundred folks who have seen it since. Even if you have never heard of a Cerulean Warbler, the excitement of the dozens of other birds present today was contagious. Luckily, we saw her not just once, but twice, without any concerted effort, and the second view was long and fantastic. Unfortunately, my sad attempt at a photo did not do it any justice.
There were other birds, too! We heard Ovenbirds and Wood Thrushes, saw some close-up Black-and-white Warblers, found our first Wilson’s Warbler of the year, and enjoyed basking Painted and Snapping Turtles.
Other than the Cerulean excitement (do we have to rename this tour Cerulean and Cervezas!?), it was actually rather slow today for mid-May, so we relocated to Capisic Pond Park as the last of the fog burned off and the sun (remember that?) came out. Here, birds were easier to see, including stunners like Baltimore Orioles fighting over territories, and some really close and insanely cooperative Northern Parulas that fed right in front of our faces. A sharp eye yielded a Black-crowned Night-Heron as well.
After some productive and instructive birding, we headed back into town to visit Belleflower Brewing, one of my favorite Maine breweries. Keeping with the bird theme for a little longer, we began with their pale ale, Magpie, with its great citrus and resinous balance, followed by the more grapefruity Finch and Thistle. Belleflower treated us to a third sample, of our choice, and we covered a nice range of their offerings from a Vienna lager to a double-dry-hopped double IPA to savor as we discussed some beer history and mythology.
Next up was Definitive Brewing on the other side of town. With so many options, everyone was able to choose their two samples, and there are no shortages of choices here. I went with Robin (because bird names!) their Imperial Pastry Stout and Blueberry Waffles, a pastry sour. I saw lagers, an IPA, and several sours among the group, and this photo captured the rainbow of colors here, with my choices and those of two of the members of the group. Our birding had something for everyone: a rarity for the “life list” and cool behavior from some of our common and beautiful birds as we learned about the mind-blowing feat of migration. And between Belleflower and Definitive, there was most certainly something for every beer drinker!
3. Birds on Tap℠ – Road Trip! Shorebirds and Steins
Sunday, August 3rd: 9:00am – 3:00pm
The original BoT Roadtrip! Way back in 2015, our most popular tour returned to Scarborough Marsh at prime time for a good variety of migrant shorebirds. And we had absolutely gorgeous, perfect weather to do it!
Beginning at the “Pelreco Marsh” high water levels limited our shorebird numbers a bit, but we were introduced to some of the basics of shorebird identification thanks to a flock of Short-billed Dowitchers and scattered Least Sandpipers. We spied a Saltmarsh Sparrow and talked about its fascinating ecology and peril, and were surprised by the arrival of a rare Tricolored Heron!
Relocating to Pine Point, we hit the tide perfectly, and soon, thousands of shorebirds were before us! The rapidly exposing mudflats steadily sucked in birds, with long-legged sandpipers appearing first, including 3 Whimbrel, with their massive curved bills, 8 Willets, and 3 Black-bellied Plovers. But as usual, it was the masses of the smallest shorebirds that stole the show, with an estimate of 2500+ Semipalmated Sandpipers and 225+ Semipalmated Plovers spread out before us. What looked like the first exposed sandbar was actually solid shorebirds! Learning the basics of sandpiper vs plover and moving on to sorting through the “peeps” for a White-rumped Sandpiper or two, we were introduced to the joys and challenges of shorebird identification, while mostly just enjoying the sight of so many birds! A few of us picked out a couple of Roseate Terns among Common Terns, and later, a mostly-adult-plumaged Bonaparte’s Gull was especially cooperative for photo-ops.
In the photo above, a Black-bellied Plover, Whimbrel, and Willet are in one field of view for comparative study, while I always insist on taking a moment to gawk at the eye of a Double-crested Cormorant.
Eric then led us to our first brewery, Modestman in South Portland. Originally founded in Keene, NH, owner/operator Ash Sheehan opened this second location closer to home here in SoPo. Tucked in a neighborhood down a side street off of Rte 1, someone on the tour who lived a mile and a half away didn’t even know it was there…there were all sorts of discoveries on this tour today, from rare herons to hidden gem breweries.
Coming in from the sun, we began with a refreshing and quenching light berliner Weiss sour, Black Reign with blackberry and boysenberry. Next up was It’s a Beautiful Thing, their flagship single-hope pale ale. Loaded with Citra hops, it blurs the line between a pale and an IPA, but it nicely progressed the palette and the ABV. When Life Gives You Lemons, loaded up with Citra and Simcoe was next up, providing a nice fruity/dank balance that Modestman is known for. I think this beer really nicely captured the essence of what people I know like most about their brews. Everyone got to choose their own last 4oz sample, and I went with Hard Rass Imperial Sour for a big and bold raspberry juice bomb.
Our next destination was the latest tasting room for Westbrook-based Mast Landing, a short distance away on Cottage Street in South Portland. We continued to cover the basics of beer varieties here, starting with the clean and crushable Champ Lager. No visit to Mast Landing – especially a first visit for most of our crew today – is complete without trying their famous flagship Gunner’s Daughter peanut butter milk stout, and enjoying it on Nitro is always a special treat. Like a creamy liquid peanut butter cup (sans the allergens), Gunner’s Daughter deserves its accolades. Once again, our last sample was a personal choice, and since Mast Landing has something for everyone and I believe there were over 10 beers chosen among the 13 people (unfortunately, everyone but Eric, our trusty brewery guide and driver). Since it’s a Birds on Tap – Roadtrip, I for one had no choice but to go with a bird named beer. There are several here, but today I tried the 2025 incarnation of Song of the Swallow, which was laden with 5 varieties of hops for a really smooth and juicy final toast.
5. Birds on Tap – The Boat Trip! Rare Birds and Island Exploration.
Sunday, October 19th , 9:00am to 2:00pm
Here are some photo highlights from this annual favorite!
Big Brown BatDeKay’s Brown SnakeFort Gorges
6. Birds on Tap℠ – Road Trip! Rarity Roundup!
Sunday, November 9: 8:00am – 3:00pm
Our final Birds on Tap! tour of 2025 was our Roadtrip: “Rarity Roundup” on 11/9. Unlike most tours, where we know our destination – chosen to provide the best birding opportunities and highest rates of success possible – this trip didn’t have a destination until we were pulling out of the parking lot in Portland!
Designed to take advantage of the latest rare bird reports, our itinerary was to work our way south, either looking for rarities that had previously been reported, or finding our own by checking the seasonal vagrant hotspots. The southern coast of Maine is usually the best area for really rare birds this time of year, but I threw the plan out the window immediately and we turned northward.
I just couldn’t resist taking people to see a long-staying (since November 2nd!) MacGillivray’s Warbler (only the 7th ever in the state of Maine) in Yarmouth. I felt confident I could find it quickly, thanks to its constant vocalizations, we’d get a look and then we would move on to the next bird. I did not expect, however, to find it that quickly!
In fact, I heard it the very second we entered the trail. It was calling nearby and we slowly and quietly moved in position. We found it foraging low on the ground, in some perennials, only a handful of feet away. Now this skulky bird didn’t exactly sit out in the open, but over the next 15 minutes or so, we all had satisfying (or better) looks, until anxious birders (who had apparently been waiting too far down the trail for up to two hours!) overwhelmed us. We slowly moved away, following the bird’s call notes, eventually finding it again, and then watching as it flew about 2 feet from one of us where it disappeared into a dense thicket.
Wow! What a thrill!
I refreshed the rare bird alerts (and all the different places rare birds get reported these days) as we began our journey south, spending the time in the van working on a little game to practice our “status and distribution” knowledge during this exciting time of year for rare birds.
I didn’t want to ask folks to stand still in Scarborough Marsh for the rest of the morning to maybe hear a Clapper Rail call once, and there were no further reports of the Seaside Sparrow in Wells. So with each passing exit of the Turnpike, I decided to go all in in Kittery, beginning at Seapoint Beach. Yeah, there wasn’t much there, and nothing of note.
So the rest of our time was spent at the delightful Fort Foster, the host of so many vagrants over the years. We hoped the Cave Swallow from two days prior would reappear, or we would find something even better. Um, we did not.
In fact, it was pretty darn slow, at least in the brush and the woods. Offshore, waterbirds were building, and we had some good looks at Surf Scoters, for example. And overhead, there was an absolute massive Double-crested Cormorant migration going on. Numerous large flocks of several hundred were winging it south, in their usual “drunken v’s.”
We swung for the fences and combed Fort Foster, but alas, we were not heroes today: we found nothing rare. But it was fun to try!
And besides, not only did we get a “mega rarity” with the MacGillivray’s Warbler, we got another “mega” rarity when we arrived at Tributary Brewing. There, we found Mott The Lesser, their 10.5% ABV Imperial Stout, released twice a year, and only available at the brewery. And yesterday it was released, so this was quite the “twitch.” You think people drive far to see a MacGillivray’s Warbler!? Well, rare beers are no different. This year’s version was aged in red, white, and tawny port wine barrels and then a rare apple wood rye barrel for additional complexity.
Of course, we didn’t want to destroy our palates, and we were here to learn about a wide range of Tributary’s beers, so we began with their flagship Pale Ale and compared this West Coast American standard to Affluente, an Italian-style Pilsner, with Adriatic barley and a light dry hopping of lemon-forward hops. Moving on to their new Zwicklebier, an “immature” lager, which was more malt-forward thanks to 100% Maine grown and malted barley. Then we tried the Mott the Lesser. And it was good. And bottles were purchased.
Our driver and beer guide Joe started us off with the basics of beer tasting and an overview of styles, but during our tasting, we were treated to a visit from head brewer and owner, Woody, who gave us the history of the brewery, started by his beer-legendary father, and guided us through the tasting. He discussed their commitments to Old World styles of beer and answered questions from the crowd.
Not to be outdone, apparently, Woodland Farms just up the road also laid out the red carpet for us, with owner Pat not only guiding us through our tasting, but providing a tour of the brewery itself, from first boil to final packaging. Woodland Farms is becoming known for their wide variety of offerings, and it was amazing to see how they can pull so much off in this small space!
Their Flagship is Blinky, an IPA with a very complex dry hop bill. We then tried Rossa Matrimonial, their version of an Italian Pilsner, a dry beer made with red malts. We once again remained in the Old World with Tmavy Piro, which means “dark beer” in Czech. A dark lager, it offered the “crushability” of a lager, but with more malt flavors before the crisp lager finish. And finally, everyone got to choose a final sample, with most people choosing the Big Effin Porter, a robust 8.2% porter. I went with the masses and tried this, too, and enjoyed how rich it was without the thickness and weight of an imperial stout.
Woodland Farms is also becoming known for their non-alcoholic beers, a rapidly growing segment of the beer economy. Out back, we learned about the differences in making non-alcoholic beer that tastes good verses beer with alcohol, and especially, mass-produced NA beer that usually tastes like, well, not much. To demonstrate what NA beer means in 2025, we were treated to two bonus samples: the NA Dogwalker with an abundance of sticky, piney-resinous hops, and their NA Festbier, an easy-drinking seasonal malt-forward Oktober-fest style.
So from a mega rare bird and a mega rare beer, learning how to search for rare birds and how to make beer, and trying everything from non-alcoholic to a 10.5% imperial flavor-bomb, we most surely enjoyed an educational, enjoyable, and often enlightening day!
One of the many stunning Baltimore Orioles that performed for us on our visit to Capisic Pond Park in Portland during May’s “Warblers and Wort” tour.
Join us for the much-anticipated return of the Birds on Tap series, a unique collaboration between Maine Brews Cruise and Freeport Wild Bird Supply. In 2024, we’re excited to bring back these special birding and beer tours, perfectly blending nature exploration and craft beer tasting.
These unique, relaxed birding and beer-ing adventures that you have come to love combine great local birding at seasonal hotspots with approachable opportunities to sample the delicious creations of some of our favorite Maine breweries. These events are a perfect introduction to birding and/or craft beer, and a great opportunity to enjoy our favorite pastimes with significant others, friends, and family that have interest in one topic, while your interest is primarily in the other (for now!). Educational, enjoyable, and eye-opening, our unique Birds on Tap series enters its 10th Year!
Seasonal birdwatching meets Portland Maine’s finest craft beverages–all with the convenience of being chauffeured!
We’re offering three tours this year, with each trip report being posted here.
Warblers and Wort, May 25th.
May means warbler migration, and the destination for Warblers and Wort visited two of Maine’s most famous springtime migrant traps, Portland’s Evergreen Cemetery and nearby Capisic Pond Park. Oases in the urban jungle, featuring water sources and a mix of various habitats, help concentrate migrant birds that found themselves in or over the city come sunrise. After migrating all night, tired travelers look for refuge: food, water, and shelter, and urban greenspaces are absolutely critical for refueling.
Beginning at Evergreen Cemetery, we confirmed our suspicions from the overnight radar images that it was going to be a slow morning for migration. But wow, it was slow! We enjoyed some good looks at Red-eyed Vireos and lots of Gray Catbirds, practiced our birding by ear, and discussed urban ecology, but I had seen (not) enough.
We then ventured over to Capisic Pond Park, where our luck instantly changed. While passage migrants were still few, it was downright pleasantly birdy. And birdy with vivid colors from some of our most beautiful birds. Blinding Baltimore Orioles were everywhere as expected, but we had some great quality time with battling males and affectionate pairs. We had lots of great views of male and female Yellow Warblers and the range of plumage variation in American Redstarts. Great looks at Warbling Vireos were enjoyed, but orioles kept distracting us! Northern Cardinals refused to be ignored.
In addition to a couple of Wilson’s Warblers and an uncooperative Magnolia Warblers, passage migrants included the world’s worst look at the awesome Mourning Warbler as it darted down the trail, never to be seen again, but also one of the best looks you’ll ever get at a Cape May Warbler as a female foraged in the grass and low branches of a grove of Eastern White Pine. You don’t often look down on a Cape May Warbler!
We saw a lot of birds well at Capisic today, using even the most common birds to hone our identification skills while taking the time to appreciate the beauty of even some of the most common birds around us. For example, we became intimately familiar with how Common Grackles are anything but black birds! This particular individual stood out because of the perfect lighting showing off it’s glossy, structural colors, but also the unusual white flecks in the head caused by some limited leucistic feathers.
After struggling to see birds at Evergreen, we struggled to leave Capisic on time! It was a lot of fun, but it was time for the second half of the tour as we made the short trip across town to the Bayside neighborhood. Our first stop on the beverage portion of the tour was Freedom’s Edge Cider. After observing migrant birds in the crabapple trees at Capisic, it was only appropriate to enjoy cider, as the creation of hard cider was what led to the creation and diversity of crabapple trees! Focusing on the traditional, drier range of ciders, we began our tasting with their flagship “Original,” a nicely balanced semi-dry cider with a crisp finish. The unfiltered, modern “The Juice” was a touch sweeter thanks to the concentration of sugar via the freezing and thawing of the apples. I definitely picked up musty grape in the “Marc de Marquette,” a very flavorful cider aged over Marquette grapes. And finally, we were able to pick our own fourth sample. I am a sucker for maple, so I went for the “Pick Your Own” (coincidentally and appropriately) that complemented our birds of spring with flavors of spring in Maine: maple syrup and strawberries. The flavors were subtle, but the maple was really evident on the nose. However, the “Sweet Mullet,” a delicious cider steeped with mulling spices seemed to be the crowd favorite.
We’re all about the new and different on these Roadtrips, and our second stop was the very new (opened about 3 months ago) Argenta Brewing, Portland’s first lager-only brewery. Their delightfully named “Generic American Lager” had all the crushability and cleanliness of a traditional American Lager, but with a focus on Maine-grown ingredients. Learning the difference between lagers and ales while discussing topics ranging from glassware to bird conservation, we also learned all about Portland’s newest brewery. We were able to choose our second (very!) generous pour, and I joined others in the “Dark Lager” which had those nice roasted chocolate and malty flavors but with the lighter body and clean finish of a lager.
And with that, our first Birds on Tap – Roadtrip! Came to an end, but it’s not the last one in 2024, and definitely not the last one in years to come. It was good to be back on the road, and the combination of introductory birding with an introduction to Maine’s finest craft beverages is a recipe that has not lost its luster after a COVID-years hiatus.
Shorebirds and Steins, Aug 11.
We began our introduction to shorebirds with the basics, such as plover verses sandpiper, before moving into great depth such as yellowlegs vs Willet. Shape, size, and especially bill size and length are among the “bigger picture” tools we have to learn our shorebirds, such as with some close Willets – the “tringas of the 90’s steroid era in baseball.”
The original BoT Roadtrip! in 2015, our most popular tour returned to Scarborough Marsh at prime time for a good variety of migrant shorebirds. We learned how to identify our common species and searched a bit for the rare.
Birding began at Pine Point as the tide just began to flow. And as the mudflats were slowly inundated, a nice diversity of shorebirds soon appeared, and with each inch of incoming water, many of the birds moved closer and closer.
In Jones Creek, we were able to closely study the eastern subspecies of the Willet, later in close proximity to the closely related Greater Yellowlegs. And wow, did these two yellowlegs put on a show! Demonstrating their entertaining, aggressive feeding style that is highly suggestive of the species, they chased baitfish through the shallows. They were eventually so satiated that they sat down within about 15 feet of us and allowed for close looks at their bill structure and color without any straining through the scope. One spiffy Black-bellied Plover was joined by several dozen more in all stages of molt, and two awesome Whimbrels dropped in for the duration of our stay, nicely demonstrating the wide differences in shape and bill structure of our sandpipers.
Short-billed Dowitchers demonstrated their sowing-machine feeding technique – helpful as feeding style is an important part of the shorebird identification toolkit. But before we got that far, we started with the basics of plover vs sandpiper, nicely demonstrated by a flock of 150+ Semipalmated Plovers and 100+ Semipalmated Sandpipers that were concentrated before us by the incoming tide.
Two additional stops at the outskirts of the marsh gave us a sample of a different micro-habitat at high tide, yielded some Lesser Yellowlegs for our shorebird list, and gave us more looks at non-shorebirds, such as Great and Snowy Egrets, Glossy Ibis, and much more.
Then it was time to head over to Nonesuch River Brewing, where owner Michael and his wife Kristen graciously greeted us with a sample of their Summer Session – a nice light, refreshing welcome. We then enjoyed sips of their summery and bright Mojito IPA with lime and mint, followed by their Solstice hefeweizen with a little bit of ginger prickliness and hint of lemon. As we enjoyed those beverages, we thoroughly enjoyed an all-in tour in the brewhouse, learning the basics of brewing, and some of the house techniques to make Nonesuch such a popular brewery. I saw several four-packs of Mojito return to the bus with us, and the location can’t be beat for a post-Scarborough Marsh celebratory toast!
Returning to Portland, our second beverage destination was the newly expanded home of Blue Lobster Urban Winery. Once again, we felt privileged to get the tour from the owner and winemaker! Chris walked us through the winemaking process, the rational for canning it, and the history of the company. We began with a taste of their Tightline cider, a very dry cider made from local apple juice and wild yeast from the winery. Their sparking Rose was up next: very lightly carbonated with a strong strawberry nose but just a slight sweetness on the palate. Bayside Blend red was nice and dry, as I prefer my reds.
Chris then treated us to a special surprise – a barrel tasting, where we were privileged to be the first member of the public to sample an upcoming bottle release that has been conditioning for two years, and was made from grapes grown on 121 year-old vines in California. This was a special wine, and it was absolutely delightful. Our only complaint was we couldn’t buy any yet! Last but not least, we tried their blueberry infused red, with Syrah and merlot grapes infused with Maine blueberry juice. Especially after Chris suggested making a spritzer or Sangria with it, multiple four-packs were purchased to go.
Nice species of shorebirds, three beers, 4 wines, and 1 cider -now that’s a well-rounded Birds on Tap – Roadtrip!
Birds on Tap – The Boat Trip! Rare Birds and Island Exploration.
Yellow-rumped Warblers were the dominant species, not surprisingly given the date and island’s habitat, but the number present today was still most impressive. This one is nicely showing off its namesake.
The final Birds on Tap event of 2024 was a special one indeed. This day, we not only took to the water for the first time in the series, but we were able to visit the private House Island and its historic Fort. In fact, we were the first birding tour ever on the island! But this trip was not just about the birds.
We began with some birding, walking the trails and checking all of the nooks and crannies the island and fort had to offer. Yellow-rumped Warblers were simply everywhere, with dozens popping up with limited pishing, and countless others darting around. A few Song and White-throated Sparrows were here and there, and 1-2 Northern Mockingbirds were perhaps delineating winter territories on the island.
Surf Scoters and Common Eiders were offshore, a pair of Common Ravens flew by, and then, in the cemetery, we found an uncommon migrant: a single Field Sparrow.
We also learned about the food resources of the island, such as native Arrowwood Viburnum and especially the Northern Bayberry that all of these Yellow-rumped Warblers depend on and the invertebrates that can be found in the wrack line on the tiny beach.
Pete then expertly guided us into and through the historic Fort Scammel and the history of House Island. The first English settlement in Maine, it was the only island with a house on it, hence the name of the island. While primarily used for drying cod, fishing operations continued through 1907, when the buildings became part of an immigration station that operated until 1931. On the other half of the island, Fort Scammel was constructed in 1808. Four years later, it became Maine’s only coastal defense fort to fire a shot in aggression when it fired on a British privateer in the War of 1812.
The fort was upgraded in 1840 and again in 1870, when a concrete cap was added, and it was insulated with dirt and sand. While the fort was obsolete by the Spanish-American War, anti-aircraft guns were placed here in World War 1, and in WWII, anti-submarine nets were stored here. Pete guided us through its corridors, described the cannon placement and usage, and we checked out the gunpowder magazines. We learned about the Battle of Portland Harbor, the furthest north battle of the Civil War, and we even found a roosting Big Brown Bat. Even though this was my second visit to the Fort, I was still in awe of the handiwork and the pristine condition.
Wait, what year is this?
Then it was Tom’s turn to take over, and on such an insanely beautiful day, we took advantage of the comfy chairs above the parade ground for some more Portland history…but this time, it was the history of craft beer in the area. While Orange Bike is one of Portland’s newest breweries, this gluten-free brewery was developed with the help of Alan Pugsley – one of the Godfathers of the Maine craft beer movement. Starting with a refreshing and crisp pilsner, we also paid homage to a classic style.
Few beers say Portland more than Allagash White, and this was up next. The flagship of Maine’s largest brewer, its countless national and international accolades helped put Portland, Maine on the beer map. Speaking of, our next beer was Bissell’s flagship The Substance, one of the pioneers of the “New England IPA,” the hazy, juicy regional endemic that has since colonized the world.
A Horned Lark called as it unfortunately departed the island as we sampled our last beer, Mast Landing’s famous Gunner’s Daughter. A peanut-flavored stout rich in coffee, chocolate, and peanut butter notes, this was a perfect example of how creative modern beer has become.
While it was all-too-soon time to depart the island, our special tour was far from over. With such a gorgeous day (it was in the low 70’s with very little wind), Captain Pete decided to take a little ride out to the mouth of Portland Harbor. We motored past Chief Whitehead…
…and over to Ram Island Light, where Great Cormorants lined the old walkway. We compared their shape and size to the smaller, more common Double-crested Cormorants we passed on our way back inshore, while taking the time to enjoy the view, more Common Eiders and Surf Scoters, and scattered Black Guillemots.
A Gray Seal ushered us into the dock on our return.
With my guiding season now in full swing, I have no choice but to be out in the field a lot, regardless of my shoulder situation. And with much finer weather and some good nights of especially Saturday and Thursday nights, the arrivals of migrants caught up to the date quite rapidly. Many new arrivals – as well as a lot of personal first-of-years since I had not been getting out much – resulted in a nice long list of highlights for me -and my clients – over the past 7 days.
My observations of note over the past seven days included:
10 Greater Yellowlegs, our property in Durham (thanks to a flood in our field), 5/5 diminishing to 3 by 5/7.
250-300++ White-throated Sparrow in impressive fallout, Evergreen Cemetery, Portland, 5/8 (with client from Spain).
1 female Red Crossbill, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/8 (with client from Spain).
10 species of warblers, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/8 (with client from Spain). This tied my latest date for reaching 10 species at one place in one morning for the first time of the season.
1 WHITE-WINGED SCOTER (looking very out of place) and a pair of RUDDY DUCKS, Sanford Lagoons, Sanford, 5/8 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
1 drake Northern Shoveler, Dunstan Landing, Scarborough Marsh, 5/8 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
1 pair LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH, Morgan Meadow WMA, Gray/Raymond, 5/11 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
1 BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 5/11 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
The long list of my personal FOY’s this week also included:
1 Ovenbird, Florida Lake Park, 5/6 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
1 Nashville Warbler, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/8 (with client from Spain).
3 Chimney Swifts, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/8 (with client from Spain).
2 Yellow Warblers, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/8 (with client from Spain).
1 American Redstart, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/8 (with client from Spain).
1 Green Heron, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/8 (with client from Spain).
1 Black-crowned Night-Heron, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/8 (with client from Spain).
1 Chestnut-sided Warbler, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/8 (with client from Spain).
1 Prairie Warbler, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/8 (with client from Spain).
20+ Field Sparrows, Kennebunk Plains, 5/8 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
3 Vesper Sparrows, Kennebunk Plains, 5/8 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
1 Eastern Meadowlark, Kennebunk Plains, 5/8 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
2 Solitary Sandpipers, Sanford Lagoons, 5/8 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
1 Spotted Sandpiper, Sanford Lagoons, 5/8 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
1 Least Tern, Pelreco Marsh, Scarborough Marsh, 5/8 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
30+ Common Terns, Pine Point, Scarborough, 5/8 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
4-6 ROSEATE TERNS, Pine Point, 5/8 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
1 Eastern Kingbird, Dunstan Landing, Scarborough Marsh, 5/8 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
1 Northern Waterthrush, Florida Lake Park, 5/9.
1 Black-throated Blue Warbler, Florida Lake Park, 5/9.
1 Northern Rough-winged Swallow (finally, extremely late for my first of the year, and this one was not due to lack of visitation of its habitats), Florida Lake Park, 5/9.
1 Veery, Florida Lake Park, 5/9.
1 Cliff Swallow, Florida Lake Park, 5/9.
1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird, our yard in Durham, 5/9.
1 White-crowned Sparrows, feeders here at the store, 5/10.
14 Least Flycatchers, Morgan Meadow WMA, 5/11 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
2 Great Crested Flycatcher, Morgan Meadow WMA, 5/11 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
3-4 YELLOW-THROATED VIREOS, Morgan Meadow WMA. 5/11 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
1 Scarlet Tanager, Morgan Meadow WMA, 5/11 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
1 Warbling Vireo, Durham River Park, Durham, 5/11 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
1 Bank Swallow, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 5/11 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
Freeport Wild Bird Supply is very excited to partner with Down East Magazine’s Down East Adventures for our third year. In 2023, we are expanding our offerings to include two exclusive overnight trips, along with our popular ½- and whole-day targeted workshops. Focused on skill-builder rather than list-building, there will be plenty of “life birds,” but also more knowledge and education about birds, habitats, birding, and much more about the natural world.
The full list of upcoming tours can be found here. At the conclusion of each tour, I’ll post the trip report here.
Winter Waterbirds Workshop, January 15.
This Purple Sandpiper was about as cooperative as it gets for us at Sohier Park in York. Later, it was joined by its friends (photo below). This is really a lovely shorebird when viewed as well and as close as we experienced.
Extremely strong winds and very high seas presented a challenge as we sought out wintering waterbirds along the southern York County Coast. We worked hard to find sheltered water where we could observe birds well, but when we did find that secluded cove, peninsula lee, or rivermouth, we were treated to incredible looks at many of the birds we had hoped for.
We looked down on Red-breasted Mergansers at Perkin’s Cove, and you’ll never be closer to a Common Loon than we were at the Ogunquit Rivermouth. We checked a few more locations than I usually need to on this tour, but our most productive spot was the southern shoreline of Sohier Park at The Nubble. There, we were treated to close views of Black and White-winged Scoters, Harlequin Ducks, and a most-cooperative flock of Purple Sandpipers. We then ended the day at hidden Abbott’s Pond, where we enjoyed a break for the wind, close comparisons to study details between Mallards, American Black Ducks, and hybrids thereof.
Meanwhile, a group of 8 or so Black-legged Kittiwakes were feeding off of Short Sands Beach, and a stunning adult Iceland Gull passed by at The Nubble. Unfortunately, the seas were just a little too rough to find any alcids today, but we knew they were out there!
Spring Migrant Songbirds Workshop, May 14.
This stunning Blackburnian Warbler nicely demonstrated the value of blooming oak trees for seeing warblers in the middle of May.
Four hours later we had not left Evergreen Cemetery in Portland…a very good sign. There was just no need to move along, the birds kept coming to us. In the end we tallied a respectable 16 species of warblers, even though growing a list was not our goal. What made this workshop successful, however, was how well we saw just about all of the warblers and other songbird migrants throughout the morning.
Warblers were a highlight of course, including repeated quality time with favorites such as American Redstart and Black-and-white Warblers, the two most plentiful migrants this morning. We also enjoyed great looks at several Chestnut-sided Warblers, Magnolia Warblers, and Northern Parulas, with fantastic studies of Black-throated Blue Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Yellow Warbler, and Wilson’s Warbler. We also saw two newly-arrived Tennessee Warblers which aren’t always easy to get looks at. There was a good amount of song this morning, so we had chances to listen and learn many of these species as well.
Shortly after hearing a Red-eyed Vireo and my describing it as “high up and often hard to see,” we found one in the lower branches of a nearby oak, and watched it sing, forage, and do all things vireo for almost 10 minutes! Likewise, after hearing distant Ovenbirds, we had two walking around right in front of us! Beginning with a view of a Veery on the ground in the open, we saw it again as the walk ended, only a few feet in front of us for another great view and chance to observe and study.
During the morning, we chatted about migration, habitat, and the process of building the necessary toolkit to build birding skills. Finishing the walk with a quick overview of some references (we had too many birds to leave much time for anything more), we recapped a very productive and instructive morning of spring birding.
Rangeley Birding Workshop, June 6-8.
Our first overnight tour together, the Rangeley Birding Workshop was based at Bald Mountain Camps in Oquossoc, nestled on the shore of Mooselookmeguntic Lake. Common Loons greeted us, but so did the rain. June of 2023 was one of the rainiest Junes on record in Maine, and we were very thankful for the wood stoves in each cabin!
Our first morning, 6/7, began at Hunter Cove Wildlife Sanctuary, with lots of singing Blackburnian Warblers. A large flock of Red Crossbills flew over, two Yellow-bellied Flycatchers were heard clearly and then glimpsed, and a variety of common warblers were detected. A confiding pair of Canada Jays was the highlight – as they often are – but even the common warblers were tough to see today, so we focused on practicing our birding by ear skills.
Enjoying our delicious boxed lunches at the Rangeley Waterfront Park, with more Common Loons offshore, we delved into an impromptu gull workshop, using each age class of Ring-billed Gull as an introduction to molt, feather topography, and identification. A 3rd-cycle Herring Gull kindly dropped in for comparison as well. In inclement weather, we take advantage of whatever learning opportunities the birds are willing to provide!
After lunch, we poked around the Mingo Spring Birding Loop, with good looks at the likes of Least Flycatcher, Alder Flycatcher, and Dark-eyed Juncos among others. But as rain returned, we called it a day and settled in to dry out in front of our stoves instead of an afternoon of lake-watching from the BMC property. And dinner was absolutely delicious!
Day 2 began with a brief walk around the BMC property (American Redstart, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, etc) followed by a foray over to the famous birding destination of Boy Scout Road, looking to build on the identification toolkit we worked on the previous day. We parked half the cars at one end and then walked the length of the road, birding along the way. But it was rather quiet here too – the ongoing story of June 2023. We did have some more Red Crossbills, a fantastic view -finally – of a Blackburnian Warbler, several Alder Flycatchers, and once again more Canada Jays. But this time, it was a family group of a pair with 2 juveniles in tow!
And then it began to rain. Again. A lot. But I give this group credit – they soldiered on! Of course the rain began in earnest when we were as far from either set of cars as possible, so there wasn’t really a choice, but still, spirits remained high and the birding continued. A pair of Hooded Mergansers, a singing Palm Warbler, and a Spotted Sandpiper were among the last birds of the outing, before the water had penetrated our clothing and it was time to call it a day and hope for better conditions next year!
Shorebirds Workshop, August 10.
The best way to learn shorebirds is to see them in their preferred habitats, feeding, moving, and mixing with other species, such as these Short-billed Dowitchers (a sandpiper) and Semipalmated Plovers here at Hill’s Beach in Biddeford.
An absolutely perfect day of summer weather (finally!) greeted us for this annual favorite outing. And the only thing better than the weather this day was the birding! Recent insane rainfalls have led to very high water in many of our favored high-tide, upper-marsh locales, so we focused on tidal habitats including beaches and mudflats, altering our usual routine from the start.
Beginning in Biddeford Pool, we introduced shorebirds with several Spotted Sandpipers along Ocean Avenue before jumping into the mixed species flock on Biddeford Pool Beach on the outgoing tide. There we estimated over 1,250 Semipalmated Sandpipers and 200 Semipalmated Plovers as we learned the basics of shorebird (sandpiper vs. plover) identification and began to work our way up to teasing out a couple of White-rumped Sandpipers and Ruddy Turnstones from the masses. 2 Killdeer in flight overhead were our only two of the day.
Kicking off our shoes to spend the rest of the morning on the sandflats of Hill’s Beach, we compared a Piping Plover to the many (400+) Semipalmated Plovers and 30 Black-bellied Plovers. A single juvenile Least Sandpiper was out of place on the beach, but offered a perfect opportunity to closely study the differences in shape, size, and overall structure to the 150 or so Semipalmated Sandpipers that were scattered about. 59 Short-billed Dowitchers gave us the chance to really observe shape and feeding styles, practicing identifying these birds both near and far.
Over at The Pool, a distant “Western” Willet joined 7 “Eastern” Willets, as we advanced into subspecific identification just briefly before stopping for lunch as the tide began to roll in.
The afternoon was spent at Scarborough Marsh, where our first two stops offered little (other than a calling Greater Yellowlegs to at least practice our shorebirding by ear) due to the very high water in the salt pannes from the recent rains. Pine Point more than made up for it on the rapidly incoming tide, however, with one heck of a shorebird show: 1500-2000 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 400-500 Semipalmated Plovers, a few more Short-billed Dowitchers and White-rumped Sandpipers, better looks at “Eastern” Willets, and the icing on the cake: a cooperative Whimbrel – our 13th species of shorebird for the day.
Practicing with our identification tool kit, we tested ourselves on finding the uncommon species among the masses, and took a moment or three to simply sit back and enjoy the show. Now that we know how approachable shorebird identification really is, we can more fully appreciate these most marvelous migrants!
Monhegan Birding Workshop, September 23-25.
Northern Gannets and two Green-winged Teal flying with 6 Surf Scoters from the ferry and an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull greeting us upon our arrival seemed like a great sign for what would be a bird- and fun-filled weekend on the Migration Mecca of Monhegan.
Unfortunately, it turned out to be one of the slowest (for both species and diversity) fall weekends I have ever experienced on the island. That being said, a big list wasn’t our goal. It was to learn birds – their ID, their migration ecology, and everything else that makes the island so special for birds and birders. And this is not tour guide spin: a slower day is better for that as we had ample opportunity to view almost everything we encountered, study them, discuss them, and luckily, what the island failed to provide in quantity, it certainly delivered in quality of observations.
On each day, we would find pockets of warblers here and there, but we kept coming back to one particular willow and a nearby thicket that constantly hosted 4-5 Cape May Warblers (photo above), 4 Yellow Warblers, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and a smattering of others. The Cape Mays put on a clinic: all four plumages from pale, 1st-fall female, to bright and spiffy adult male were on display.
Over the first day and a half, we took what the island offered, besides exceedingly pleasant weather! There was the hen Green-winged Teal feeding within three feet of us, fly-over Rusty Blackbirds in the morning, and Great Cormorants on the cliffs on an afternoon short hike to name a few highlights. The skies were punctuated by the occasional migrant Peregrine Falcon and the constantly-hunting Merlins.
Granted, we were really just looking at birds to fill the time between the incredible meals at the Monhegan House!
On our final morning, a good migration overnight produced a new arrival of birds for the “morning flight;” the concepts and nuances thereof were topics of regular discussion.
The group’s high spirits earned them a great morning, with a taste of what Monhegan birding has to offer. There were American Pipits and Yellow-rumped Warblers in Morning Flight, a flock of 10 truant Bobolinks circling around, an immature male Belted Kingfisher displaying to a very-uninterested female, more Cape May Warblers, and a surprising fly-by Wilson’s Snipe.
At one point we had four juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawks dogfighting, exemplifying the difference in sizes of male vs female raptors. And the workshopping continued with Great and Double-crested Cormorants side-by-side, migrant raptors including several Northern Harriers, and more species before breakfast than we had most of the previous weekend! Speaking of breakfasts, goodness, they were good as well.
We finished up with a gull workshop on the shoreline, opening eyes to just how easy most gulls are most of the time. The advanced course was the fly-by 1st winter Lesser Black-backed Gull amongst Herring Gulls on the ferry ride back! And yes, we looked at butterflies, too!
The reincarnation of our spring “Warblers and Wort” tour in our Birds on Tap – Roadtrip! series with our partners, The Maine Brew Bus, was quite successful last Sunday. On this “Mother’s Day Special” tour, we decided to stay local, visiting some of Portland’s most famous institutions in both the beer and birding worlds.
We began in the urban greenspace – a classic “migrant trap” – of Portland’s Evergreen Cemetery. Spring remains behind schedule this year, and it was a chilly start to the day – but hey, it wasn’t raining for a change! While warbler diversity was lower than expected for the advancing date, we did eek out 10 species of warblers. Almost everything we did see, however, we saw incredibly well. Nashville and Magnolia Warblers performed well, but Ovenbirds stole the warbler show: we had several birds out in the open for prolonged, enjoyable views, about as good as can ever be expected when stomping a large group through the woods.
Only Veeries outshined Ovenbirds today in their cooperation. This often-shy thrush was anything but. We saw at least 6, and all were seen incredibly well, including two strolling out in the lawn like the robin they are related to. Many folks commented that they had never seen Veeries – or most any thrush! – so well. There were several sizable groups of White-throated Sparrows marching through the woods, including one group of 20-30 that we were surrounded by at one point. All of their leaf scratching was loud enough that it sounded like some large mammals were tromping through the understory. The song of a newly-arrived Wood Thrush and the old-timey football helmet sported by a White-crowned Sparrow were among the other highlights. Ovenbird Veery
Our second stop in the birding portion of the tour was another urban oasis, nearby Capisic Pond Park. Again, we were treated to fantastic views of almost every species we encountered, highlighted by a male Orchard Oriole (a “life bird” for many on the trip). A pair breeds here almost every year, but it’s the only known regular breeding location for this southern species in the state, so it was a real treat to find and see so well. We also heard and saw several of the more common Baltimore Orioles, and even saw a nest under construction that was using strips of blue tarp! (How Maine is that?) Orchard Oriole
A fly-by Green Heron and an ultra-cooperative Least Flycatcher were other highlights, along with common species such as cardinals and Yellow Warblers. The Least Fly was confiding enough to allow us to get into the topic of “tertial step and primary projection,” adding to our toolkit of identification techniques. The genus Empidonax is one of the most challenging in the bird world, but this structural starting point quickly narrows the choices to a very manageable number. And I always take the time to show off one of my favorite colors in nature: the eye of the Double-crested Cormorant.
Perhaps sour beers are the “tertial step and primary projection on Empidonax flycatchers” to many beer drinkers: it’s a more nuanced approach and probably doesn’t appeal to everyone. But our BOT-Roadtrips want introduce our clients to as wide of a range of beer types as bird species, so we had a special experience in store for the group as we rolled into Bissell Brothers Brewing at Thompson’s Point.
First up, each participant got to choose a different beer based on their tastes or what “lifers” they had not yet tried. There were at least five different brews sampled by my quick count, and the whole gamut of styles was represented. Personally, I chose the new Lucent, a Helles Style Lager as it was light and refreshing (and therefore good for a leader who had to articulate – or try to – for the next few hours). Crisp, clean, with a nice lemony bite, this was a great representation of the style.
But then our trusty beer leader for the day, Don, pulled out a surprise: a Magnum bottle of Bissell’s famous Seed. Brewed only once a year featuring “over 2,000 lbs of strawberries and raspberries from Bradbury Mountain Farm in Pownal,” Bissell was doing a special bottle pour event today, and so of course we had to partake. The faces of some folks was predictable when faced with the words “fruited sour beer,” and were equivalent to the deer-in-headlights looks when hearing “primary projection” for the first time. Some even refused. And then we gave them some anyway. And some of those then had some more.
It’s not for everyone, but I was really pleased by how excited people were to try a “rarity” that they would otherwise likely never have a chance at (like Orchard Orioles without going to Capisic). More importantly, the discussion of the beer that continued as we boarded the bus was how eye-opening the beer was for so many. Pleasantly tart, with a nice clean finish and a real depth of strawberry flavor, we every well may have created some sour fans (or at least sour-curious) on this trip.
Next up was Goodfire Brewing, one of Portland’s hottest up-and-comers, and admittedly, one of my personal favorites to visit. In a more traditional visit for our beer tours, we enjoyed four small 4oz pours, which nicely showcased the range of styles offered here. As Chrissy led us on a tour of the brew house, we discussed the differences and similarities of each sample we tried, as well as the history of the names and label art.
We began with the perfectly balanced flagship beer, Prime IPA. The Citra and Amarillo hops really shine through, thanks to the clean and rather light malt bill that still ends without any bitterness.
Having learned that hops don’t necessary equal bitter, we dove into deeper discussion of hops with Goodfire’s latest single-hopped brew in their Minimum series. This incarnation featured Idaho 7 hops – itself an up and comer in the beer world – that has a nice flavor balance of citrus and pine with a hint of tropical fruit. If IPAs were Empidonax flycatchers, hops would be their primary projection. Or something, OK, fine, maybe I am stretching these analogies too far now…
Moving on, we lightened things up a bit with Can’t Stay Long, a classic clean and crisp German Pilsner with a somewhat bready finish. Pilsners are a tried and true style that might not be all that hip and trendy, but should still be appreciated – like a common Northern Cardinal sitting in the sun (OK, last one, I swear).
It was appropriate that after our sour revelations at Bissell, Goodfire would finish us up with a sample of their new fruited sour: Astro 5 – Double Blackberry. This was all the way blackberry, pleasantly tart, but with a clean finish that made you come back for more. In fact, more Astro was purchased to go than all other beers combined today! So I guess sours aren’t all that scary! And neither are Empidonax flycatch.….dammit, I did it again.
As usual, our Roadtrips never have enough time for it all, neither beer nor birds, but today we had a delightful sampling of each. And based on the feedback received, I think there’s a fair chance you’ll see this itinerary return next year, and likely on Mother’s Day, so get it in on your schedule now!
Walking around various former hotspots and seasonal patches of significance in and around the Portland peninsula recently (including a few yesterday), I have come to one conclusion: I am so over birding in Portland during migration!
It used to be all I did – come late fall, head to the big city, especially the peninsula, and poke around the Eastern Promenade, weedy gardens, wooded hillsides, and scrubby patches. I’ve found lots of really good birds this way, from a Yellow-throated Warbler in a small grove of pines in front of the old Scotia Prince ferry terminal to annual Yellow-breasted Chats and regular Orange-crowned Warblers and Dickcissels.
But I give up.
I’ve chronicled the destruction to the uplands at Capisic Pond Park – after having once been a shining example of urban landscaping for wildlife and users, and a great way of showing what good can come of people, politicians, and professionals working together. And then it was gone. And that’s before the pond-dredging-skating-rink-creation-project-mess started.
The lack of oversight resulted in a road being built through some of the best woods behind Evergreen Cemetery – and that was even after the same city officials and engineers working on the same (necessary) sewer repair project supposedly learned their lessons with the Capisic Pond Park section. And then there’s the road the University of New England built through the other side of the woods, spreading invasive plants deeper into the forest and destroying some of the best scrub habitat in the park for migrants. Oh yeah, and natural and unnatural sedimentation in the ponds, along with the diminishing shoreline vegetation (erosion, overuse, etc) has greatly reduced the volume of migrant birds that find food and shelter around what was once one of the best spring migrant traps in the entire state. While the cemetery is still pretty good for birding – especially in spring, after “fallouts” – the degraded habitat just doesn’t hold birds like it used to.
Next, although the area known to birders as “Dragon Field” has long since lost its bird appeal due to mismanagement that allowed for the rapid overtake of invasive plants, there won’t be much of a chance of recovering it anymore. Of course, distributed solar is the way of the future, and this is truly a great project…I just wish it was atop a warehouse roof or over a parking lot instead of one of the city’s greenspaces. But it’s mostly going to be covering Japanese Knotweed and Stinging Nettles now anyway.
Do you see a theme yet?
Urban areas present all sorts of challenges, and it takes very knowledgeable and talented land managers to balance all of the issues, environmentally, socially, and economically. But we also know how important greenspaces are to urban areas, environmentally, socially, and economically.
While I do not expect that the number one priority of any city will be “migratory bird habitat and birding opportunities,” it is clear that Portland does not prioritize at all the health of its greenspaces and the welfare of the wildlife, especially migratory birds, that call these places home for some period of time and various parts of the year.
Today, I want to focus on how much the City of Portland has destroyed the green spaces on the Portland peninsula. Surrounded by water and dense, urban development, city parks and gardens provide critical cover for migratory birds. When certain weather conditions result in migrants being deposited within the urban jungle, they are forced to seek shelter and food wherever they can.
Personally, I love urban birding: immersing myself in fallouts, finding vagrants in the oddest places – like that aforementioned Yellow-throated Warbler – and seeing so-called “late” migrants eking out an existence in seemingly inhospitable corners.
But I am running out of places to bird in the city of Portland! Especially now, in the fall through early winter, when “lingering,” “pioneering,” and vagrant birds seek the warmer microclimates of urban parks, or become “stuck” in low-quality habitat, unable to accumulate the fuel reserves needed to move further. However marginal urban habitats are, they are absolutely critical for these birds to have a chance. Healthy migrants will simply wait out the day and take off under the cover of darkness, while others will find the resources (such as weed seed in the case of many of our native sparrows) necessary for a full recovery.
But such places are becoming impossible to find in Portland.
The once-productive trees and scrub along the Commercial Street Extension is mostly gone – developed or simply clear-cut to hell. Replacing a fairly healthy canopy is little more than regenerating knotweed, bittersweet, and buckthorn.
Many small lots have been developed, and several years ago, the trees and brush throughout the Fore River Parkway Trail was clear cut. Not much for birds left there anymore.
Mercy Pond remains a miniscule oasis – although the edge is far to narrow to hold songbirds for very long.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem likely much of this will remain if hospital expansion plans go through. Which seems incredible to me, as this little pond regularly hosts (are they even breeding?) State Endangered Black-crowned Night-Herons!
But I think the most egregious example of poor management and devastation of bird habitat and birding potential is along the Eastern Promenade. A favorite patch of mine since I moved here, I have seen a whopping 176 species along it, including some really “good” birds over the years. With a cumulative list of 208 species as of this year, a lot of people have enjoyed a lot of good birding in this urban greenspace.
Unfortunately, mismanagement and misguided “maintenance” continues to greatly degrade it. Native plants are significantly reduced, and invasive plants have taken over and continue to proliferate. Despite the efforts of the Friends of the Eastern Promenade (who I have worked closely with over the years), it always seems that for every step forward, there’s three or more taken back. In fact, it’s about as bad as ever now, following yet more devastating clearing in late fall of 2015.
Continued slashing of what’s left of the native vegetation continues. On 9/9, I noticed yet more hacked swaths like this.
Unfortunately, this is so incredibly counter-productive on multiple levels, as all it does is allow dense and ornithologically-useless invasive plants, especially Japanese Knotweed to proliferate even more.
And makes it easier for Asiatic Bittersweet to take over everything else.
Meanwhile, valuable native plants like this Gray-Stemmed Dogwood is hacked to hell.
And it’s great at accelerating erosion.
The “Mid-Slope” Trail, which is often the most productive in late fall, has been destroyed…
…And the weedy slopes full of goldenrods, late-blooming primrose, and other great birdfood was mowed too early this year. Sparrows will be wanting for sustenance, and those late-lingering warblers – especially Orange-crowned – will be hard pressed to find food and cover. Additionally, it seems that it was mowed in perfect time to destroy any chance Monarchs would have had to breed successfully there this year. This is particularly unnecessary and unjustified mismanagement.
Based on the overall size of the greenspace and it’s placement along the shoreline at the northern terminus of the peninsula, there’s little doubt there will still be some birds along the Prom this fall, and perhaps even a rarity or two. But as for regular migrants and vagrants that are seeking shelter and sustenance, there will be little reason to stay very long.
Fallouts will occur because of weather events and the disorientation of migratory birds in city lights (especially in fog) and those birds will still descend on the Prom. However, most will likely leave as soon as they can, winging it inland in “morning redetermined migration,” hopefully not hitting windows or being hit by cars as they do. It also likely means birding opportunities will be greatly reduced as these birds depart immediately in search of better habitat. Get there early!
But the exceptional days of fall birding, such as thousands of White-throated Sparrows scratching in the undergrowth or several Orange-crowned Warblers working the meadows, are unlikely to occur anymore. Birders lose. Birds lose more.
And what does any of this accomplish? It looks like crap. Thickets grow back denser, and people move back in – they’re just harder to see now. And then you clear-cut once again. And in between, tired and hungry migrant birds find little. And birders go elsewhere. Great solution.
As for me, with “Rarity Season” approaching and weather getting cooler, birds seek out warmer microclimates, like sunny hillsides, urban lots, and so on, where moderated temperatures can extend the availability of food resources, even insects. This is the time of year – through the “Christmas Count Season” – where I usually would spend an increased amount of time birding all of the nooks and crannies throughout the peninsula, looking for late migrants and hoping for rarities.
Unfortunately, with so few opportunities left in Portland, I’m forced to look elsewhere. That means fewer eyes covering what’s left of the habitats, and fewer lunches I’ll be eating in town and fewer cash-burning errands.
But much more importantly, there are just fewer places that tired and desperate birds can go to find safety and refuel. That means even more birds hitting windows, being hit by cars, and being killed by cats. All of the trials and tribulations of a bird finding itself in an urban environment are exacerbated when there’s no good habitat left.
And all of the reasons there’s less habitat left in an urban environment are exacerbated when open space is managed as poorly as it is in the City of Portland. For a city that loves to bill and market itself as being “green,” it really does a terrible job in its greenspaces. While cities who honestly attempt to make themselves greener encourage or even mandate “bird safe” building guidelines to reduce collisions with glass surfaces (Portland on the other hand, promotes new developments with glass predominating), and work on “Lights Out!” campaigns to reduce the disorientation of birds from light pollution.
Protect, restore, and enhance urban/suburban habitats for birds
Reduce hazards to birds
Educate and engage citizens in monitoring, caring about, and advocating for birds and their conservation
Foster youth environmental education with a focus on birds
Manage invasive species to benefit and protect birds
Increase awareness of the value of migratory birds and their habitats, especially for their intrinsic, ecological, recreational, and economic significance
Now that’s what a “Green” Portland should be doing. Instead, all it does is fire up the brush-hogs and chain saws.
I’ll be birding elsewhere this Rarity Season. I just hope the birds find somewhere better to go as well.
Maine Birding Field Notes 