Tag Archives: Ferry Beach

 This Week’s Highlights 8/13– 8/20/2026.

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Even though 1-2 pairs of Red-necked Grebes have oversummered off of Ocean Avenue in Biddeford Pool for at least 6 years, I still get a kick out of seeing RNGR in spiffy breeding plumage, especially while wearing shorts and sandals! Not my “best” bird of the week, but definitely my best photo session.

I enjoyed some excellent birding over the eight days, from oodles of shorebirds to a State Bird! I also covered a lot of ground but had some great birding right in the backyard as well. Since I covered all of my shorebird “data points” in the last week, and with so many observations of note, I thought it was best to post now.

  • Highlights from our Durham property this week included a Yellow-billed Cuckoo on 8/18, 2 Cape May Warblers on 8/19, and a juvenile Peregrine Falcon on 8/20 that was our 161st property bird!
  • 1 imm. FORSTER’S TERN, Hill’s Beach, Biddeford, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty and Bill Thompson).
  • 1 continuing imm. FORSTER’S TERN, Great Pond, Biddeford Pool, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty).
  • 20+ Roseate Terns, Biddeford Pool Beach, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty). Quite a few continue elsewhere around the area as well, many with juveniles in tow. High numbers for this late in the summer continue.
  • 4 continuing adult Red-necked Grebes, Ocean Avenue, Biddeford Pool, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty). See above.
  • 1 imm. Great Cormorant and 1 female Black Scoter, Ocean Ave, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty).
  • Migrant passerines at Florida Lake Park in Freeport on 8/15 included one each of Cape May and Prairie Warblers (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • THE continuing THICK-BILLED MURRE, Western Beach as viewed from Pine Point Beach, Scarborough, 8/16 (with Birds on Tap – Shorebirds and Steins! Tour group).
  • 1 continuing CRESTED CARACARA, Rustlewood Farm, York, 8/18 (with m.obs). Present here for at least three days, I caught up with the bird on the morning of its final (for now?) morning here. This was my 409th species in Maine, and #6 on my “My Next Birds in Maine” list thanks to the spate of regional sightings over the last few years. Due to fog and distance, my phone-scoped photos don’t quite do this Mega justice!

And here are my shorebird high counts over the past 8 days (see previous blogs for an explanation of the “data” included here), with a goodly total of 20 species:

  • AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER: 4, Pine Point, Scarborough, 8/16 (with Birds on Tap – Shorebirds and Steins! Tour group).
  • Black-bellied Plover: 124, The Pool, Biddeford Pool, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty).
  • Killdeer: 5, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 8/15 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • Semipalmated Plover: 345, Hill’s Beach, Biddeford, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty).
  • Piping Plover: 5, Hill’s Beach, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty).
  • Ruddy Turnstone: 28, Biddeford Pool Beach, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty).
  • STILT SANDPIPER: 1 ad. (FOY), Walsh Preserve, Freeport, 8/20 (with Jeannette).
  • Sanderling: 4, Hill’s Beach, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty).
  • BAIRD’S SANDPIPER: 1 juv (FOY), Great Pond, Biddeford Pool, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty).
  • Least Sandpiper: 40+, Pelreco Marsh, Scarborough Marsh, 8/16 (with Birds on Tap – Shorebirds and Steins! Tour group.
  • White-rumped Sandpiper: 1, Hill’s Beach, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty) and 1 Pine Point, Scarborough, 8/16 (with Birds on Tap – Shorebirds and Steins! Tour group).
  • Semipalmated Sandpiper: 296, Biddeford Pool Beach, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty). Still a low single-location high count for this time of year.
  • Short-billed Dowitcher: 52, The Pool, Biddeford, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty)
  • Spotted Sandpiper: 6, Great Pond, Biddeford Pool, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty).
  • Solitary Sandpiper: 6-7, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 8/15 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • Lesser Yellowlegs: 67, Walsh Preserve, Freeport, 8/20 (with Jeannette).
  • (Eastern) Willet: 3, Jones Creek, Scarborough Marsh, 8/16 (with Birds on Tap – Shorebirds and Steins! Tour group.
  • Greater Yellowlegs: 26, Walsh Preserve, Freeport, 8/20 (with Jeannette).
  • RED-NECKED PHALAROPE: 8, First Chance Whale Watch, Kennebunk, 8/19 (with Ian Doherty and Bill Thompson).
  • RED PHALAROPE: 1, First Chance Whale Watch, 8/19 (with Ian Doherty and Bill Thompson).
Bill Thompson and I joined Ian Doherty on a First Chance Whale Watch out of Kennebunkport on the 19th, and enjoyed a great day of sea life. In addition to the phalaropes mentioned above, we tallied 297 Wilson’s Storm-Petrels, including this one, 6 Great Shearwaters, 2 Arctic Terns, 8 Northern Gannets, 1 most-cooperative Humpback Whale, 1-2 Minke Whales, and 2 Blue Sharks.

 This Week’s Highlights 3/28– 4/3/2026.

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This unreasonably confiding American Woodcock kindly posed for pictures as it foraged along the side of the road during our Saturday Morning Birdwalk on the 28th. “My bird” was not nearly as cooperative during our
Woodcocks Gone Wild program the following night.

Despite the often less than spring-like weather, spring migration made slow but steady progress this week. Here are my observations of note over the past seven days:

  • 400+ Scaup off of the Maquoit Bay Conservation Land in Brunswick were mostly too far to sort through, but a single drake Lesser was among about 30 close Greaters on 3/28 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • 450 Greater (mostly) with some Lesser Scaup, Ferry/Western Beaches, Scarborough, 3/29.
  • 2 American Oystercatchers (FOY) with about 25 Purple Sandpipers, Ferry Beach, Scarborough, 3/29. I don’t think I have ever seen these two species standing next to each other! (with Maine Conservation Voters birdwalk group).

These phone-scoped photos don’t really do the scene justice!

  • 4-6 American Woodcocks, private property in Durham, 3/29 during our annual “Woodcocks Gone Wild!” tour. 4 were displaying all evening, but our close bird seemed to be occupied elsewhere. Only some folks saw it in flight once, or it or another bird zipping by, as he never came into his platform this evening, much to the dismay of everyone present – especially me!

My other personal “first of years” (aka “FOYs”) this week included:

  • 5 Piping Plovers, Scarborough Beach State Park, 3/29 (with Maine Conservation Voters birdwalk group).
  • 1 Northern Flicker (FOS), Brown’s Point Road, Bowdoinham, 3/30 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 Tree Swallow, Bradbury Mountain Spring Hawkwatch, 3/30.
  • 1 Fox Sparrow, our property in Durham, 3/31.
  • 1 Eastern Phoebe, our property in Durham, 3/31.
  • 1 RUSTY BLACKBIRD, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 4/1.
  • 4 Double-crested Cormorants, Yarmouth Town Landing, 4/1.
  • 3 Ospreys, Bradbury Mountain Spring Hawkwatch, 4/2.

Bradbury Mountain Spring Hawkwatch is Underway!

The 20th year of the project began on March 15th. The quickest and clearest way to view daily reports is by clicking on the Hawkcount link contained here. Meanwhile, we will continue to post weekly summaries on the News Page of our website. Here’s the Week 2 report.

Upcoming Tours.

Portland Explorer (formerly Maine Brew Bus) and Freeport Wild Bird Supply are excited to continue our collaboration for 3 very special outings in 2026. 

These unique, relaxed birding and beer-ing adventures that you have come to love combine great local birding at seasonal hotspots with visits to sample the delicious creations of some of our favorite local breweries. These tours are a perfect introduction to birding and/or craft beer, and a great opportunity to travel with significant others, friends, and family that have interest in one topic, while your interest is primarily in the other (for now!). Seasonal birding hotspots and great local beer – a perfect combination, and we’ll even do all of the driving!

This brand-new itinerary takes us to the Bradbury Mountain Spring Hawkwatch at Bradbury Mountain State Park in Pownal in the peak of northbound raptor migration. Now in its 20th year, this research project by Freeport Wild Bird Supply tallies an average of 4,180 migrating birds of prey each spring from the summit!

After a gentle 1-mile climb through the woods, looking and listening for migrant and resident songbirds, we’ll arrive at the summit and join the project’s Official Counter. Derek will discuss the history and methodology of the project, as the counter points out migrating raptors. Derek will lead us through the basics of hawk identification to give us a hawkwatch primer, and then if the migration action allows, we’ll sit back and enjoy the show until it is time to depart (the walk down is a steep ¼ of a mile on a wide, well-worn trail with rocks and roots and some steps; hiking sticks are suggested if you use them). This is the only Hawkwatch Workshop program that FWBS will be offering this year, so this is a tour you won’t want to miss!

After about 3 hours of birding, we will be transported to two of our great local producers to sample their offerings and learn their styles. Our brewery destinations are subject to change, but the current plan is to visit Maine Beer Company and Goodfire Brewing.

This Week’s Highlights 10/30 – 11/5/2025.

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This Orange-crowned Warbler was an “expected surprise” as we birded the Rarity Season nooks and crannies of Bailey Island in Harpswell on a Harpswell Heritage Land Trust tour this past Sunday.

What an incredible week of birding in Maine! Rarity Season is off to a roaring start, and notable birds are being reported around the state. As usual, I spent as much time as I could bird-finding. OK, I chased a little, too, because ‘tis the season! While I didn’t add to the list of Megas this week, I encountered a number of notable seasonal observations, especially “late/lingering/pioneering” migrants. Here are my observations of note over the past seven days:

  • 4 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 18 Pectoral Sandpipers, 18+ White-rumped Sandpipers, 12 Semipalmated Plovers, 2 Snow Buntings (first of fall), 1 American Tree Sparrow (FOF), 4 Great Egrets, etc, Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 10/30.
  • 18-21 continuing RED KNOTS, 10 White-rumped Sandpipers, etc, Ferry Beach, Scarborough, 10/30.
  • 1 1st cycle Iceland Gull (first of fall), Trundy Point, Cape Elizabeth, 11/1 (with Bill Thompson).
  • 1 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER and 1 Lesser Yellowlegs with 14 Greater Yellowlegs, Walsh Preserve, Freeport, 11/1 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • 1 Fox Sparrow (FOF), our property in Durham, 11/1-3.
  • 1 NORTHERN PARULA, 1 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, 1 Blue-headed Vireo, etc, Bailey Island, Harpswell, 11/2 (with Harpswell Heritage Land Trust tour group).
  • 1 continuing MACGILLIVRAY’S WARBLER, Grist Mill Park, Yarmouth, 11/3 (with Jeannette and m.obs). Found on 11/2 by Noah Gibb and Stacey Huth, this western vagrant was typical for members of its genus during migration. In other words, it was wicked hard to photograph, even when it popped out into the open. Over the course of an hour, Jeannette and I enjoyed some fantastic views, but they were all fleeting, and too quick for her camera! It continues through at least today, 11/5.
  • 1 BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER, 11/3, Grist Mill Park, Yarmouth, 11/3. First spotted by Jeannette and I, a few people glimpsed it and then several others independently relocated it later. Interestingly, we saw it fly across the river, almost exactly where we watched the MacGillivray’s cross several hours later. Both happily, came back, suggesting birds are foraging in a wide area here, which suggests the need for patience when seeking the MACW! Two fly-over Evening Grosbeaks there as well were my FOF.
  • 18 Evening Grosbeaks and 2+ Red Crossbills, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 11/5.

Our Last Tour of 2025 still has some space remaining, speaking of rarity season!

  • Birds on Tap℠ – Roadtrip! Rarity Roundup

​November 9, 2025; 8:00am – 3:00pm

Portland Explorer (formerly Maine Brews Cruise) and Freeport Wild Bird Supply are excited to continue our collaboration for six very special outings in 2025. 

These unique, relaxed birding and beer-ing adventures that you have come to love combine great local birding at seasonal hotspots with visits to sample the delicious creations of some of our favorite local breweries. These tours are a perfect introduction to birding and/or craft beer, and a great opportunity to travel with significant others, friends, and family that have interest in one topic, while your interest is primarily in the other (for now!). Seasonal birding hotspots and great local beer – a perfect combination, and we’ll even do all of the driving!

Early November is a fantastic time of year in Maine for vagrants – birds normally seen in far-off places.  Due to a combination of weather patterns, changing seasonal food resources, falling temperatures, and other factors – some of which are not completely understood – birds that may have ended up in Maine by “accident” begin to concentrate at the coast in “migrant traps” and “hotspots.”  In other words, this is the time of year to expect the unexpected.  

​A traditional “Rarity Roundup” involves teams of birders heading out on a given day during rarity prime time, looking for species that are not supposed to be around. And in honor of that tradition, that’s exactly what we are going to do on this unique tour. We may “chase” a rarity (go to see something that has already been found, aka “twitch”) or we might choose a destination known for rare birds in an attempt to find one of our own. Or perhaps, we’ll do both!

​Anything between Portland and Kittery is fair game, and we might not even know where we will head until we are on the bus and the latest rare bird alert is received. For those who love adding a bird to your Life or State List, and/or basking in the thrill of discovery, well then this is the tour for you! In between seeing great birds, we’ll discuss the complex factors that are involved in delivering rarities to an area, and how we go about finding them.

​After about 3-4 hours of birding, depending on drive time, we will be transported to two of our great local producers to sample their offerings and learn their styles.