Tag Archives: Lark Sparrow

2026 Spring Monhegan Migration Weekend Tour Report

*What’s better than a Blackburnian Warbler at eye level in an apple tree?*
*Such are the thrills of birding Monhegan in spring!*

Another remarkable Monhegan Spring Migration Weekend is in the books. Every day out here is different in migration, and every tour is unique. But this one was particularly full of superlatives.

It seemed slow. Low numbers, low diversity, but yet with new birds being seen every day we ended up with a very good, above-average tally of 95 species, with the 18 species of warblers being just about the long-term average.

While numbers of individuals, especially warblers, were dreadfully low, we more than made up for it with quality. Quality of species, but especially quality of sightings. Just about everything was seen so well. A recurring theme of the weekend was definitely “wow, that was a great view!” or “what a fascinating behavior!” The bird-watching was simply divine!

Due to ferry schedules, we now begin the weekend with a casual birdwalk at the Marshall Point Lighthouse (and up the road) in Port Clyde. Friday morning was pleasantly birdy, with great views of American Redstarts, Black-throated Green Warblers, Yellow Warblers, and Northern Parula. We also picked up a few species we won’t see on the island – like House Finch and Turkey Vulture – and introduced our visitors from the west to the likes of Common Eider and Black Guillemots.

A pleasant boat ride (it sure beat last year!) was very productive, with 2 pairs of Atlantic Puffins seen very well on the water, an immature Great Cormorant, and most notable: 10 truant Purple Sandpipers on Shag Ledge.

We arrived at the island, soon greeted by a calling Sora. We expected that call would torment us for the next several days. After checking in and having lunch, we began our island birding. It was pretty slow overall, but we started having such great experiences.

The two Green Herons at the Ice Pond were unusually conspicuous and confiding (as they were all weekend). While talking about eiders and Black Guillemots, a spiffy drake Long-tailed Duck pops up right in front of us. Then, while scanning the Outer Duck Islands, a pair of American Oystercatchers fly through my field of view – my 232^nd species on Monhegan, and only about the 7^th or so Island Record!

Red Crossbills were one of the stars of the weekend, and we began our good fortune with observing them really well each day, starting with 2 females and 2 juveniles feeding next to the Ice Pond. And remember that Sora, starting its annual taunt? Well, it (or as it turns out, one of at least 2) was surprisingly close to the pumphouse when we arrived, so we used the time to wait patiently for the outside chance of an appearance.

And about 15-20 minute of tantalizingly close, incessant calling, there it was – a Sora! In the open! Foraging for about a minute in a narrow chunk of marsh grass, and then flying across a patch of open water. Everyone in the group saw a Sora!

Then, a text from a friend came through, and the continuing Lark Sparrow was in her yard. A private yard, but we were granted the privilege to access it, and when we did, the Lark Sparrow was nearly at our feet!

*We learned the value of dandelions, too, as they are the first fresh seeds of the year.*

Quality views of the notable birds on the island, our self-found rarity, Red Crossbills everywhere, and yeah – we saw a Sora! Not bad for the first day, and we didn’t even arrive until 11:30am.

On Saturday morning, we awoke to an ambiguous radar image overnight, but there wasn’t much overhead after dawn, other than a small migrant flock of Blue Jays. We took the time to learn a little about the radar, decipher that it was probably a lot of pollen in the air overnight rather than birds, and ground-truthed that with our copious sniffles.

Our pre-breakfast walk was also rather slow by Monhegan morning standards, but observations and species were slowly building. Once again, we continued to comment on the quality of the observations and bird experiences. There was the three-pair Yellow Warbler brawl that took place inches from us. Cedar Waxwing flocks eating apple blossoms, great views of colorful Magnolia Warblers and American Redstarts, a Merlin hunting robins and grackles (unsuccessfully), etc.

Although Yellow Warblers are one of the most abundant breeding birds on the island, and they were often all around us, we never tired of observing them, watching their behavior, and seeing what they were eating.

After breakfast, we watched a displaying Sharp-shinned Hawk and then found another notable bird out here: an adult Broad-winged Hawk! It was circling low overhead to really show off for us, too. I don’t know if I have seen one out here in spring before. And we finished with a Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Indigo Bunting, always crowd-pleasers.

The mid-day break was anything but a break – at least for me, however. I had just finished crushing a couple of slices of Novelty pizza and was walking back to the Yew when a group of birders from Rhode Island flagged me down. “I think we just had a kite!” Jen Leito says. She showed me the photos, and sure enough – it was a Mississippi Kite! I grabbed my phone to get the word out, and at the same time, Mik Oyler was reaching for his – the Mississippi Kite was near the brewery. It then perched, and then he saw it flying off to the east.

I of course had turned around and was walking up Horn’s Hill and began to hawkwatch. It was time for me to meet the group though, so I started walking downhill. I had just about reached the Novelty once again when Paul Dorion and Kristen Lindquist texted that they had the bird from the top of the hill. I then sprinted up the hill (scope, boots, back-pack…and my Fitbit tracked it all, the spike offering a chuckle later!) and scanned again. Catching a quick glimpse of it through the treetops, it was the world’s least satisfactory view of such a Mega rarity. In fact, even though I saw it “well enough to count,” it was so underwhelming that I wondered if I would even bother putting it on my list!

I then jogged back to the Yew, met the group, and the search began. Focusing on the southern end of the island, we kept one eye on the sky, but no more reports of kites were to come. Instead, we enjoyed the occasional pockets of warbler activity, slowly adding new species to our trip list as we basked in more great views of Red Crossbills. But alas, the kite was gone. Or was it?

Somehow, I never thought of taking a photo when all 11 of us were together, but I am still happy to see people taking advantage of the flexibility of our tour itinerary to enjoy other aspects of the island…including rest!

On Sunday, the weather forecast had greatly improved, and we awoke to cool and cloudy conditions, but no precipitation would fall before dusk except for a few very light afternoon showers. An easterly wind overnight appeared to have shunted the overnight migration well inland, and it was once again a non-existent morning flight, and therefore another relatively slow morning.

But once again, great looks and notable birds: a continuing female Long-tailed Duck that we finally spotted, a Tennessee Warbler or two, and a very intriguing and thought-provoking study of the world’s dullest and somewhat-streaked female Pine Warbler for yet another rewarding teaching moment.

With a near-complete turnover in the group between Saturday and Sunday, we set out to “clean up the dirty birds.” Needless to say, we didn’t expect that to include more visuals of the Sora though! But once again, patiently waiting as a bird called (this time, on the other side of the marsh just off the road) was rewarded when not one, but two(!) Soras popped up from the grass, taking flight, fluttering a short distance, gangly legs dangling, before plummeting back into the meadow. Another Sora sighting!? Incredible!

The rest of the morning, and the afternoon, were exceedingly slow, but we enjoyed more Red Crossbill quality time, had some more instructive moments, and spotted an Arctic Tern off of Lobster Cove.

There was fear of a wash-out on Monday, but after showers, mist, and drizzle overnight with periods of heavier rain, we awoke to only mist and drizzle as we stepped outside. Great views of two different Indigo Buntings highlighted the first walk, while after breakfast we enjoyed some time with a Blackburnian Warbler, before settling into a requested gull workshop. 3-4 age classes of both Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls were before us, so we began the lesson.

And then the skies opened up. A soaking downpour didn’t last long, but it was efficient. I give everyone credit for powering through, but during a lull in the rain, I finally called it quits at around 11:00am – still more birding time in the morning than we expected. In fact, by the time we got together again at 1:00pm, the rain had stopped and there were already peaks of sun!

*Female Blackburnian Warbler in the morning rain.*

As the skies cleared, we enjoyed a pair of Blackburnian Warblers and Red Crossbills yet again, heard a very uncommon for the island Prairie Warbler, and then heard the report of another rarity: a Yellow-throated Warbler! We weren’t far away, but the bird, found by Mackenzie McKnight along Pumphouse Road, had gone AWOL. We began to search but soon thereafter, Bill Thompson relocated it on Wharf Road, so we raced around the corner and were treated to delightful views – even some in the scope!

What a great way to cap a wildly successful tour, but with time remaining, we tried to re-find the Lark Sparrow for the second half of the group (it was not seen since Saturday) but instead finished with a glorious Rose-breasted Grosbeak singing in the sun!

As usual, Jeannette and I spent a day off together the next day, enjoying the birds, food, beer, and friends of Monhegan. The birding wasn’t too shabby either, thanks to a light flight overnight. We began with an Olive-sided Flycatcher at dawn behind the Yew (and 1-2 more later), more Tennessee Warblers (6+), an increase in Blackpoll Warblers, an arrival of Swainson’s Thrushes, and a few other species new for the weekend.

*Traditional gratuitous food por*n *photo of the tour. This year’s entry: the coffee-crusted filet*
*at the Monhegan House.*

*2-3 Olive-sided Flycatchers arrived overnight.*

It was a day off, so we dallied at breakfast (I must confess to having a second breakfast sandwich!) and enjoyed a little more coffee. Jeannette was photographing the Eastern Bluebird feeding around the lawn, as I stepped back out of the cabin at 9:40, but I looked up to see a raptor coming right for us. Low. Fast.

“WHAT’S THAT?! THE KITE! LOOK UP! RIGHT OVER YOUR HEAD!” And other indecipherable words and perhaps a few colorful ones, too. Incredibly, after a 2.5 day absence, it was back!

The bird proceeds to glide low over our heads and disappears behind the spruce line where we always start our day. Hustling over that way, we are near the “chat causeway” when the kite appears. We watched it for several minutes as it soared, and yes, kited, directly over our heads. Jeannette had to zoom out with her camera. I had never made eye contact with a kite before, but it clearly looked down, directly at me (literally and perhaps figuratively!), cocking its head to analyze. An absolutely crippling view. Yeah, this made up for my dissatisfying view from two days before, to say the least!

We got the word out, and Bill Thompson came jogging in from the other end of town, picking up birders as he went. We saw it over the Wyeth driveway, heading toward Lobster Cove. We were so happy many people had now seen it, too!

Interestingly a short time after our initial sighting, I spotted the adult Broad-winged Hawk, too. While that bird was gaining altitude and apparently departing, it could not be a coincidence. But where were these two raptors hiding for more than two days?

It turned out the kite would be seen all afternoon (and at least through the next two days, too!), by us, and many, many others, including four arriving bird tour groups. It was often kiting over Lighthouse Hill, catching some insects (bees?), and while attentions were often turning elsewhere, I could not stop myself from watching and enjoying it every time one of us saw it. Jess Bishop had arrived just in time, and as Jess, Bill, Jeannette, and I wandered town – often in the opposite direction of the masses – we always paused for kite watching.

What an incredible way to end the weekend! It’s always tough to leave Monhegan, and I expected more notable birds would arrive (they did), but the 1^st island record of Mississippi Kite would be hard to top (it wasn’t), and my second fulfilling experience with it may never be surpassed. I am mad I didn’t get it on the official trip list and share its glory with my group though!

Interestingly, although the weekend was “slow” by May on Monhegan standards, and the numbers of individuals were low (except for Ring-necked Pheasants. My goodness, they have had a productive year!), the weekend’s tour birdlist added up surprisingly nicely! And unlike some tours, where fleeting glimpses seen by half the group were the norm, almost everyone saw almost everything on the list. Here’s the scoreboard.

* = seen from ferry only.

** = seen on Marshall Point Birdwalk only

Species	5/22	5/23	5/24	5/25
Canada Goose	2**	0	0	2
Mallard	x	x	x	x
American Black Duck	1	1	1	1
Common Eider	x	x	x	x
Surf Scoter	1*	0	0	0
Black Scoter	20*	0	0	0
Long-tailed Duck	1	0	1	1
Ring-necked Pheasant	x	x	x	x
Mourning Dove	x	6	10	12
Ruby-throated Hummingbird	3	4	4	4
Chimney Swift	0	0	1	0
Virginia Rail	0	0	1	1
Sora	1	2	3	2
AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER	2	0	0	0
Killdeer	1	0	0	0
PURPLE SANDPIPER	10*	0	0	0
Black Guillemot	x	x	x	x
ATLANTIC PUFFIN	4*	0	0	0
Laughing Gull	4*	0	2	1
Herring Gull	x	x	x	x
Great Black-backed Gull	x	x	x	x
Common Tern	2*	0	0	0
ARCTIC TERN	0	0	1	0
Red-throated Loon	0	0	2	0
Common Loon	2*	0	3	0
Northern Gannet	0	0	6	0
Double-crested Cormorant	x	x	x	x
Great Cormorant	1*	0	0	0
Great Blue Heron	0	0	1	0
Green Heron	2	2	2	2
Turkey Vulture	2**	0	0	0
Osprey	0	1	0	1
Sharp-shinned Hawk	0	1	1	1
BROAD-WINGED HAWK	0	1	0	0
Bald Eagle	2*	2	0	1
Red-bellied Woodpecker	0	1	1	0
Northern Flicker	2**	0	0	0
Merlin	0	3	1	0
Eastern Kingbird	1	1	4	4
Eastern Wood-Pewee	0	0	2	20
“Traill’s” Flycatcher	0	1	0	0
Least Flycatcher	0	0	1	1
Red-eyed Vireo	0	8	4	2
Blue Jay	x	18	10	4
American Crow	x	4	4	4
Common Raven	1	2	2	2
Black-capped Chickadee	x	x	x	x
Barn Swallow	4	4	8	6
Golden-crowned Kinglet	2**	4	0	0
Cedar Waxwing	60	40	60	60
Red-breasted Nuthatch	2	3	1	0
Carolina Wren	2	3	5	5
House Wren	0	1	0	1
Gray Catbird	x	x	x	x
Brown Thrasher	0	0	1	1
Northern Mockingbird	0	1	1	1
European Starling	x	x	x	x
Eastern Bluebird	0	1	1	1
American Robin	x	8	10	10
House Finch	2**	0	0	0
Purple Finch	0	0	0	1
RED CROSSBILL	20-30	20-30	30+	20-30
American Goldfinch	x	10	15	15
LARK SPARROW	1	0	0	0
Chipping Sparrow	4**	0	0	0
Savannah Sparrow	0	1	1	0
Song Sparrow	x	x	x	x
Lincoln’s Sparrow	1	1	0	0
Swamp Sparrow	0	0	1	1
Bobolink	0	4	1	4
Baltimore Oriole	0	2	1	2
Red-winged Blackbird	x	x	x	x
Common Grackle	x	x	x	x
Ovenbird	1**	0	1	1
Northern Waterthrush	0	0	1	0
Black-and-white Warbler	0	2	1	0
Tennessee Warbler	0	2	1	1
Common Yellowthroat	x inc. Marshall Pt.	x	x	x
American Redstart	x inc. Marshall Ot	15	10	10
Cape May Warbler	0	1	0	0
Northern Parula	x inc. Marshall Point	20	12	10
Magnolia Warbler	0	10	6	4
Blackburnian Warbler	0	2	1	3
Yellow Warbler	x inc. Marshall Pt	x	x	x
Blackpoll Warbler	1	8	3	4
PINE WARBLER	0	0	1	1
Yellow-rumped Warbler	0	1	0	0
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER	0	0	0	1
Prairie Warbler	0	0	0	1
Black-throated Green Warbler	x inc. Marshall Pt	10	4	8
Wilson’s Warbler	1	0	0	1
Northern Cardinal	x	x	x	x
Rose-breasted Grosbeak	1	1	1	2
Indigo Bunting	0	1	1	3

Day Total	60 inc Marshall Pt and Ferry,	60	68	64
Warbler Day Total	8	12	13	14

Trip Total	94	Weekend Total inc. Tuesday	107
Warbler Trip Total	18	Warbler total inc, Tuesday	18

The above birds follow the “guide plus one” rule, meaning both me and at least one client need to see the bird for it to go onto the list. In addition to the above, birds that I only saw on my own, before or after hours, or during breaks included:

MISSISSIPPI KITE, 5/23 (with m.obs…see above and below).
1 GLOSSY IBIS, 5/23 (with Mik Oyler; flying past harbor at dusk)
1 Wood Duck, 5/25.
10 Greater Yellowlegs, 5/25 (with Bill Thompson)
1 Alder Flycatcher, 5/25 (with Jeannette)
1 Dark-eyed Junco, 5/25.

New species for the weekend seen with Jeannette included:

2-3 Olive-sided Flycatchers
6 Swainson’s Thrushes
1 Spotted Sandpiper
1 Willow Flycatcher
1 White-crowned Sparrow
3 White-winged Scoters
1 Solitary Sandpiper (with Bill Thompson and Jess Bishop)

This made a very respectable weekend tally of 107 species!

*Their “countability” might be in question, but their photogenic-ess never is!*

This Week’s Highlights 5/22– 5/29/2026.

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A Mississippi Kite was discovered by a group of visiting birders from Rhode Island on Monhegan on Saturday morning. Moments later, it was seen by two other parties, and then the chase was on. I did a wind-sprint up Horn’s Hill and managed to catch a most unsatisfactory view of it as it disappeared behind trees. Unfortunately, my tour group could not relocate it in the afternoon, and it was considered a 1.5 hour-wonder. Then, on Tuesday morning, right after breakfast, I stepped out of our Trailing Yew cabin and started yelling across the lawn to Jeannette, who was looking down, photographing an (uncommon on the island) Eastern Bluebird. It then proceeded to pass right over our heads, and a few minutes later, it was even lower and closer.
*This was most definitely not an unsatisfactory view!*

I spent 5 of the past 8 days on Monhegan, first with a tour from Friday the 22^nd through Monday the 24^th, and remaining with Jeannette through the next day. I’ll have a trip report, chock full of photos, by next week, but for now, here are some of my daily highlights. We had a total of 107 species, but only 18 species of warblers. But the rarities and the overall quality of observations and experiences, really did make up for it.

5/22: Port Clyde ferry to Monhegan:

10 Purple Sandpipers, Shag Ledge
4 Atlantic Puffins
1 1^st summer Great Cormorant

5/22: Monhegan:

1 AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS, fly-byoff of Deadman’s Cove. ~7^th Island Record. My 229^th Monhegan species!
1 continuing LARK SPARROW

2 Sora (FOY)
Red Crossbills, including young juveniles, were widespread all five days.
1 drake Long-tailed Duck

5/23:

1 MISSISSIPPI KITE (see story above).
1 adult BROAD-WINGED HAWK (very rare, especially in spring out here).
1 GLOSSY IBIS, fly-by at dusk (with Mik Oyler)

5/24:

1 fly-by Arctic Tern (FOY)
1 continuing Virginia Rail (FOY)
1 continuing female Pine Warbler
1 continuing hen Long-tailed Duck

5/25:

1 YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER (unusually easy twitch with the group, found a short while prior by M. McKnight).
10 Greater Yellowlegs (first spotted from Island Inn window by Bill Thompson).
1 continuing female Pine Warbler

5/26 (with Jeannette):

1 presumed returning MISSISSIPPI KITE (see above).
1 presumed returning BROAD-WINGED HAWK.
1 Arctic Tern
2-3 Olive-sided Flycatchers (FOY)
3 White-winged Scoters
1 1^st summer Great Cormorant
1 continuing female Pine Warbler

Ferry to Port Clyde:

2 Atlantic Puffins

Back here in the real world, my observations of note over the past three days included:

1 Saltmarsh Sparrow (FOY), Walsh Preserve, Freeport, 5/27.
3 Nelson’s Sparrows (FOY), Walsh Preserve, 5/27.

2 Yellow-throated Vireos, 3 Yellow-bellied Flycatchers (FOY), 14 species of warblers including 1 Louisian Waterthrush, etc, Morgan Meadow WMA, 5/29.

Upcoming Tours (with space available).

Bicknell’s Thrush Weekend

June 12-14, 2026

The latest incarnation of our Bicknell’s Thrush weekend offers more chances to see the enigmatic Bicknell’s Thrush and even better boreal birding opportunities!

With two full mornings in the area, we’ll have flexibility to offer two visits to the realm of the Bicknell’s. While Bicknell’s Thrush is the primary target, this enhanced itinerary will also give us an even better chance at other boreal species, including Canada Jay, Boreal Chickadee, Black-backed Woodpecker, Olive-sided and Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, Palm and Blackpoll Warblers, and especially Philadelphia Vireo and Mourning Warbler. By staying in Colebrook, NH we have the opportunity to look for additional boreal targets anywhere from Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom (the famous hotspots are only 30 minutes from Colebrook!) to the Umbagog NWR area.

2025 Monhegan Fall Migration Weekend Tour Report

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An American Bittern sitting in the open in a tree, just a handful of yards away could have easily been the highlight of any birding weekend. But, this stellar start was just the tip of the iceberg of the weekend’s birding excitement.

It has been quite a few years since we had a weekend like this. Lots of birds, “mega” rarities, warm weather, and tons of excitement. It was truly a special weekend. We were honored to have been there for it.

The tour began on Friday, with only one participant joining me on the Hardy Boat. The island greeted us with a Lesser Black-backed Gull, which we scoped from the wharf, and several warblers at the usual spot uphill. But after getting the inside scoop from birders already on the island, we made a bee-line for the Ice Pond where an American Bittern was sitting all morning. Remarkably, however, it was sitting in a bush (see above)!

How’s that for starting a tour off right? We also immediately encountered Dickcissel and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and there were plenty of Yellow-rumped Warblers and Palm Warblers here and there.

After lunch, with our group now complete, the surprisingly good birding continued. Despite such a warm afternoon and few birds on the radar overnight on mostly a southwest wind aloft, we enjoyed an excellent introduction to Monhegan birding in the fall: 2 Clay-colored Sparrows with 2 immature White-crowned Sparrows, a Dickcissel, and several White-throated Sparrows in one field of view; a dozing Common Nighthawk trying to stay camouflaged on a wood pile, and another visit to the still-confiding American Bittern at the Ice Pond for those who arrived later. It was a solid afternoon overall, with bird activity continuing right up until dinnertime.

Cape May Warblers in a wide variety of plumages is always one of the highlights
*of any fall weekend on Monhegan*

.Unfortunately, our best bird of the day was almost the one that got away. Almost! While viewing an Indigo Bunting in the Community Garden, a second bunting snuck into view, skulking. It briefly popped out, and I yelled “get photos” and then it popped back into the weeds and was not to be seen again.

“Did I see green?” I exclaimed, but it was so fleeting, and the light was so harsh, and the bird was so, so pale, I couldn’t be sure. I looked at photos on the back of cameras in the sun, and we had a good discussion on why this could have been a Painted Bunting. Unfortunately, I have little experience with first fall female (presumably) Painted Buntings and had no idea they could be this unbelievably drab. So I talked myself out of it.

Overnight, I received photos from Bill Thompson, who, an hour or two after we saw the bunting, also briefly saw and photographed it. “Is this a Painted Bunting?” he asked.

Yup, that really does have green on it, and on more than one side – in other words, not a reflection. Darn it. It counts for us – we all saw it – but in hindsight, we should have gotten the word out about a “possible/probable” Painted Bunting and had more eyes looking. Luckily, Bill was in the right place at the right time once again! But I felt like I had blown this one. I was too quick to dismiss it and so I decided I would have to make up for it over the rest of the weekend. Maybe the dry cold front that passed through on Friday evening and shifted the winds would help.

A very strong flight Friday night into Saturday morning on a diminishing northwesterly wind was idea for bringing birds to Monhegan Island come sunrise. And at first light, it was clear it was on!

The Morning Flight featured tons of Yellow-rumped Warblers with the occasional Palm and Blackpoll Warbler. Between the morning flight and our pre-breakfast stroll, we had a lot of birds: a couple of waves of Dark-eyed Juncos, bunches of Red-breasted Nuthatches, more Golden-crowned Kinglets and Purple Finches, insane views of Peregrine Falcons, 2 Dickcissels, 4 Baltimore Orioles, and lots of great views of lots of common species.

After breakfast, it remained fantastic. Just birds everywhere, and not surprisingly, some notable species began to be turned up. Our first “chase” was a Yellow-throated Warbler, our group arriving just in time before it took off.

Luckily, Dan Gardoqui and I stumbled upon it again while foraging for lunch, and I was able to round up several of the group members for improved views and photographs.

The American Bittern was now in the marsh, there were now three Dickcissels, 8 Baltimore Orioles, and a second, but definitively identified Indigo Bunting. No green one, unfortunately.

Not surprisingly on such a nice day, the afternoon was slower, as birds had departed the island early, or had now sought refuge in the shadows, especially with the continuing activity of Peregrines, Merlins, and Sharp-shinned Hawks. So, we checked some nooks and crannies, turning up a Nelson’s Sparrow at Lobster Cove and enjoying gliding Peregrine Falcons passing right in front of us from Burnt Head. We also took the time to enjoy butterflies, plants, and all other walks of life.

It was a delightful afternoon, but we returned to town to find we had missed out on a Western Kingbird. Luckily, a few of us caught up with it at dusk when it was refound near the Mooring Chain.

So, it was a great day, and given the winds and weather, we expected it to be such. Then, with little to no movement overnight (at least visible on the radar), on a light south to southwest wind, we hoped for some birds to stick around from Saturday and perhaps be augmented by a rarity or two. At the very least, I wanted to show the Yellow-throated Warbler and Western Kingbird to the rest of the group, especially with a big turnover in participants for the second half of the weekend.

What we didn’t expect was to run out of superlatives before breakfast. We certainly did not expect it after viewing the Morning Flight, which consisted of exactly one American Pipit (and the big wandering flock of Cedar Waxwings, of course).

Once again, a bird was identified from photo review (what did we do before Instant Replay?!) and Bill Thompson and Jess Bishop had apparently discovered a Mega rare Bell’s Vireo on Saturday with only 4 accepted previous records for Maine. With such a slow morning flight, I decided to mix things up from my usual routine, head clockwise through my usual dawn loop, and give it a try to find the Bell’s. We stopped near where it was seen on Saturday, and chatted about the rarity, the identification, etc. “Holy shit, there it is!” I tried not to exclaim too loudly as the bird popped out right in front of us.

We observed it for about 10-15 minutes as it popped in and out of a brushy edge, focusing on feeding in young cherry trees with fall webworm clusters. Birders began to arrive from all directions, as the vireo kept coming in and out of view before flying right over our heads and disappearing deep into a dense thicket.

*I’ll steal Bill Thompson*‘s (with permission of course) Bell’s Vireo
from this morning since he was standing next to us.

It was getting too crowded for our tastes, so we moved on and let others have the edge to monitor. We enjoyed Cedar Waxwings, Northern Flickers, and then took a moment to pause at our usual starting spot, at the spruces behind the Yew.

It was slow, and quiet, and so I was making sure we looked at everything, like the one solo warbler flying towards us from across the sky over the Trailing Yew. It then landed a short distance away, and I brought my binoculars up to it, assuming we had a close Yellow-rumped Warbler to talk about.

A Black-throated Gray Warbler, with only 5 previous records from Maine, was there. Right there. We had some great looks and photo ops, called over a friend, and then watched it the herd of birders arrive and head out to follow it. What a lucky find! We were ecstatic. And we still hadn’t had breakfast! (See photos from tomorrow),

Wondering if the day could get any better – and pretty content if it did not – we reconvened after breakfast and headed in the opposite direction from the searching masses, as I am wont to do.

It worked again: we found one Lark Sparrow, and then another. How many Clay-colored Sparrows – 4? 8? More? An Orange-crowned Warbler at the Ice Pond, a fly-over Red-bellied Woodpecker, a Pine Warbler, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker on every tree. So much for it being a slow day.

Another warm afternoon sent us into the woods for shade, immersing ourselves in a cacophony of Red-breasted Nuthatches, sprinkled with Golden-crowned Kinglets, and the occasional Red-eyed Vireo or other migrant. We took in the Fringed Gentian, the scenery, and finished strong with the 2 Lark Sparrows and 4 Clay-colored Sparrows together.

Today was a good day.

Monday, the fourth and final day of the tour began with excited anticipation with another strong flight overnight on a diminishing NW to W wind. But today, it was just too nice, and a lot of last night’s birds passed overhead resulting in just a light Morning Flight come sunrise. But there was a turnover of birds, and our morning walk added several things to our list including the Eastern Kingbird we finally caught up with, and another Orange-crowned Warbler. The highlight, however, of our pre-breakfast jaunt was a juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk that flew to a spruce, plucked a cone off of an outer branch, and then proceeded to play with it! It would move it from its bill to its talons, and then it dropped it, chasing it down the tree. It then flew back up and grabbed another! What a remarkable insight into how a kid Sharpie gets better at hunting on its own.

After breakfast, the good Merlin show of the day continued, and we took time for a short gull identification workshop. Our first Ring-billed Gull out here was good to practice on, and we conveniently had three Lesser Black-backed Gulls: an adult and 2 first-cycle birds. But mostly, we worked through the difference between each age class of the common Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls.

We finally picked up a Northern Waterthrush- our 20^th species of warbler on the weekend! But otherwise, it was pretty slow.

It was slow in the afternoon, too, but the Black-throated Gray Warbler had been refound just before we reconvened after lunch, and eventually we were all treated to much, much better views and photo ops than the morning before.

We then twitched a rare Common Buckeye butterfly and Lady’s Tresses orchids.

Our last new species of the trip was one of the last birds we observed together: a Yellow-billed Cuckoo eating American Dagger Moth and/or Hickory Tussock Moth caterpillars. Watching it whack the caterpillar on a twig to beat off its irritating hairs, we had another moment of insight into a bird’s world.

With the tour now complete, Jeannete and I enjoyed a delicious sunset and delightful food with friends and spotted an American Woodcock on our walk back.

*And finished with another meal of Monhegan indulgence.*

As usual, Jeannette and I then spent our Tuesday off together on the island. After a light morning flight, but another turnover of birds, we decided to spend most of the morning in the woods, ostensibly looking for a previously reported Black-backed Woodpecker. But mostly, we wanted to take a hike along the island’s less-visited north end. We added Winter Wren and an Ovenbird to our weekend list, enjoyed the silly amount of Red-breasted Nuthatches, and encountered several pockets of White-throated Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos. Later, after lunch, we ran into a Black-billed Cuckoo, and a Spotted Sandpiper at the dock turned out to be our 100^th and final bird of a truly exceptional weekend on Monhegan. We already cannot wait to return in May!

Species seen without the tour group during the tour:

*Denotes ferry only

	9/26	9/27	9/28	9/29
Canada Goose	0	0	14	0
Blue-winged Teal	1	0	0	0
Mallard	15	20	20	20
American Black Duck	1	1	1	0
Common Eider	x	x	x	x
White-winged Scoter	1*	0	0	0
Ring-necked Pheasant	x	x	x	x
Mourning Dove	12	15	12	6
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO	0	0	0	1
Common Nighthawk	1	0	0	0
Semipalmated Plover	0	1	1	0
Solitary Sandpiper	1	0	0	0
Greater Yellowlegs	0	1	0	1
Black Guillemot	x	2	3	0
Laughing Gull	4*	0	0	0
Ring-billed Gull	0	0	0	1
Herring Gull	x	x	x	x
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL	0	0	1	3
Great Black-backed Gull	x	x	x	x
Great Cormorant	1	1	2	1
Double-crested Cormorant	x	x	x	x
AMERICAN BITTERN	1	1	0	0
Osprey	1	3	1	0
Northern Harrier	0	1	0	2
Sharp-shinned Hawk	3	1	2	6
Belted Kingfisher	1	0	1	1
Red-bellied Woodpecker	0	0	1	0
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	8	20	15	20
Downy Woodpecker	0	1	1	1
Northern Flicker	6	10	6	8
American Kestrel	0	0	1	0
Merlin	4	8	6	5
Peregrine Falcon	6	20	3	7
WESTERN KINGBIRD	0	1	0	0
Eastern Kingbird	0	0	0	1
Eastern Wood-Pewee	6	8	1	1
Least Flycatcher	3	2	0	0
Eastern Phoebe	1	3	2	1
BELL’S VIREO	0	0	1	0
Blue-headed Vireo	2	4	3	0
Red-eyed Vireo	12	12	12	12
Blue Jay	8	8	3	3
American Crow	4	2	6	6
Common Raven	0	2	2	1
Black-capped Chickadee	x	x	x	x
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	1	3	2	2
Golden-crowned Kinglet	0	20	10	6
Cedar Waxwing	80	80	80	80
Red-breasted Nuthatch	10	60	50	40
Brown Creeper	0	2	0	1
BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER	1	0	0	1
Carolina Wren	8	6	8	6
Gray Catbird	x	x	x	10
European Starling	14	14	14	13
Swainson’s Thrush	0	2	0	0
American Robin	0	4	1	0
American Pipit	1	6	2	2
Purple Finch	0	10	8	6
Pine Siskin	1	2	1	2
American Goldfinch	8	10	6	6
LARK SPARROW	0	0	2	1
Chipping Sparrow	2	2	10	2
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW	3	3	6	1
Dark-eyed Junco	0	30	2	12
White-crowned Sparrow	2	1	2	0
White-throated Sparrow	12	60	10	20
Nelson’s Sparrow	0	1	0	0
Savannah Sparrow	1	4	4	1
Song Sparrow	x	x	x	x
Lincoln’s Sparrow	1	6	5	1
Swamp Sparrow	2	3	2	1
Bobolink	5	5	5	2
Baltimore Oriole	2	8	7	6
Rusty Blackbird	0	2	0	0
Common Grackle	3	3	3	3
Northern Waterthrush	0	0	0	1
Black-and-white Warbler	1	3	0	0
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER	0	1	2	1
Nashville Warbler	1	1	0	0
Common Yellowthroat	4	8	8	6
American Redstart	3	4	1	1
Cape May Warbler	2	8	2	8
Northern Parula	3	6	1	0
Magnolia Warbler	0	1	0	0
Yellow Warbler	2	4	2	1
Chestnut-sided Warbler	0	1	0	0
Blackpoll Warbler	8	40	4	4
Black-throated Blue Warbler	0	3	0	0
Palm Warbler	20	60	4	4
Pine Warbler	0	0	1	0
Yellow-rumped Warbler	40	600	40	20
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER	0	1	0	0
BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER	0	0	1	1
Black-throated Green Warbler	0	6	1	1
Wilson’s Warbler	1	2	0	0
Northern Cardinal	x	8	8	8
Rose-breasted Grosbeak	0	1	1	1
Indigo Bunting	1	1	3	2
PAINTED BUNTING	1	0	0	0
DICKCISSEL	2	3	1	1

Day total	67	80	69	68

Species added on Monday evening and Tuesday, with Jeannette:

Common Loon, Spotted Sandpiper, American Woodcock, Black-billed Cuckoo, Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush, Ovenbird (warbler #21!),

Tour total = 100 Total Weekend Total = 107

*This winter wren was one of the last birds Jeannette and I added to the cumulative weekend list as we spent some time on our day off hiking the island’s north end.*

2025 Monhegan Spring Migration Weekend Trip Report

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*It was a great weekend for warblers, with a tour total of 19 species and a 5-day total of 22 species, including quite a lot of Wilson’s Warblers for the end of May. With 10-20 estimated per day,*
*we were regularly treated to exceptional views, such as this adult male.*

The 2025 Monhegan Migration Spring Weekend was a shocking success. We went from having a weather forecast that made me worry if there would be any migrants to see at all, to an exceptional weekend that was by far the best Memorial Day weekend of birding out here in quite a few years.

Technically, our tour was to begin on Friday with a little morning birding in Port Clyde before boarding our ferry. But it was raining. A lot. Wisely, most folks held out until the ferry meeting time. Unfortunately, that meeting time was delayed by 5 hours when the first two boats of the day were cancelled due to the storm. It was a bona fide late season Nor’Easter and it was raging out there.

We were lucky enough to get spaces on the 3:00 boat, but even luckier that the seas were dropping dramatically. OK, it was far from calm, and while I might not have thought it was “too bad,” others disagreed. But we made it! And the rain had stopped. And we went from 10-14 foot seas to a few waves that may have approached 8 feet. Not pleasant, but more than manageable. Of course, I have to admit that the “worst ferry ride” bar is pretty high for me.

By the time our luggage was organized, we didn’t have a lot of time, but we decided to try and catch up with the continuing truant Harlequin Ducks that had been seen in and around the harbor. Up to 8 had been reported, but when we arrived at the recommended spot, we found 12! While common in winter, “Harlies” are usually long gone by now, so this was a treat (it was also an island bird for me!). We also picked up a 2^nd/3^rd cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull for our troubles. There was even a short break of sunshine!

*Noteworthy for the date, 12 lingering Harlequin Ducks diminished to just one by the end of the weekend*.

By dusk, winds were light northwest and it was still cloudy. Overnight there were some scattered showers, with winds shifting to the west and then going calm. The fog and showers made the radar hard to decipher, but the wind map for offshore offered some hope.

Note how birds who were offshore of southern New England would be pushed out to sea, but then find a tailwind that could theoretically take them right to the Mid-coast of Maine? The Boston radar was very busy, and suggested birds were indeed well offshore to our south come dawn. We had hope.

But our pre-breakfast walk was not very productive. Uh-oh. Scattered showers had returned, and there were very, very few migrants around. We did see the 12 Harlequin Ducks again, but passage migrants were limited to a handful of Blackpoll Warblers and a Wilson’s Warbler. Was this going to be a very slow weekend?

We returned for breakfast at our respective lodges, and the showers stopped. We met at 9:00 and began our next outing. I was concerned. But then, it happened. All of it.

First, a Lark Sparrow was found – very rare in spring – and while I was going to meet the group, I relocated it in the lawn of the Trailing Yew. It wasn’t there when we returned as a group, but we elected to repeat the southern loop in the hopes of encountering it. And encounter it we did, several times, actually, as it worked its way around the lawns feeding on fresh dandelion seeds.

Meanwhile, something else was happening. Suddenly, birds were everywhere! Pocket after pocket of warbler activity was encountered, and every apple tree had birds in it! Small batches of birds giving flight calls overhead were suggestive of birds only now, at mid-morning, arriving on the island. As these birds were a very different mix of species from the last “birdy” day four days ago, according to a fellow guide, these were in fact “new birds” only now, and rather unexpectedly, arriving en masse.

As the afternoon went on, it only got better! There were warblers in every cluster of trees, with lots of Magnolia Warblers and American Redstarts, but overall good diversity. Birds must have been arriving throughout the day and therefore remained active into the evening. Birds were often low, easy to observe, and the repetition allowed for reinforcing study and comparisons.

Not only was today not the forecast wash-out (just a few brief periods of drizzle and a couple of very light showers), but it was simply amazing! While warblers stole the show as expected, and the Lark Sparrow was a harbinger of things to come, our afternoon at Lobster Cove was rather exceptional, too, with two continuing “Eastern” Willets, a close pair of Harlequin Ducks, and 3 feeding Atlantic Puffins. What a way to end a spectacular day! It was like the good ol’ days out here.

By Sunday, the Low was dissipating over New Brunswick, and while the radar showed what may have been a light migration overnight, there wasn’t much happening in the “morning flight” once again. But as we began our birding day, it was actually quite good! While a lot of birds were left over from yesterday’s flight, they were augmented by some new arrivals, or at the very least, new detections. Once again, the birding was better than expected, and by late morning we already had some partial sunshine.

Unlike Saturday, activity slowly died down as the morning went on as usual, but it was just a downright delightful morning in the field. Lots of pockets of activity were still dominated by American Redstarts and Magnolia Warblers, but there were a lot more Blackpoll Warblers and fewer Wilson’s Warblers today. 8-10 Harlequin Ducks continued, and spiffy Bay-breasted Warblers were particularly cooperative. And we had three irregularly fantastic views of Lincoln’s Sparrows throughout the day.

Bay-breasted Warblers were really conspicuous this trip, and we enjoyed great looks at both males and females daily.

*Lincoln’s Sparrows were unusually cooperative.*

A longer walk out to Burnt Head and a check of the island’s interior in the afternoon found some of the birds that had melted away from the edges, while an uncharacteristically skulky Great-crested Flycatcher gave us a jolt of excitement until finally revealing itself.

With the storm pulling away, light northwesterly winds and mostly cloudy skies dominated the overnight Sunday into Monday, and therefore there was little or no migration overnight, and therefore almost nothing in the Morning Flight. However, it also meant that most birds didn’t leave. And while slower than the last two days, it was still decent, good views of fun species were to be had, and the sun came out for good.

Magnolia Warblers, American Redstarts, and Blackpoll Warblers continued to dominate, along with the ubiquitous Yellow Warblers. Flycatchers were up, offering ample opportunity for instruction – and for eyes to glaze over. Morning highlights ranged from a particularly good tutelage from a Willow Flycatcher, a raft of 50 Surf Scoters offshore, and a really amazing Common Nighthawk repeatedly flying low over our heads and foraging over the island as noon approached.

It was warm and sunny, and with a sea breeze pushing birds out of the edges and deeper into cover, we decided to enjoy more of the island with a visit to the lighthouse grounds and a stroll deep into the spruce woods. In addition to building our list with island residents like Golden-crowned Kinglet and breeding species such as more Black-throated Green Warblers on territory, we enjoyed the plantlife of the Acadian habitat and a healthy dose of phytoncides. And in between, the occasional pocket of migrant warbler activity to bring us back to birding.

Our tour concluded with an impressive 91 total species, but I admit to being a little frustrated by having to give up with 19 species of warblers…20 sounds so much better! But given the unexpected big arrival on Saturday, and the minimal rain and wind after Friday, the tour was truly an incredibly success, far exceeded expectations, and did live up to what Monhegan birding legends are made of.

*Last birders standing on the last afternoon of the tour.*

*Staring at Eastern Egg Rock, attempting to will THE Tufted Puffin over to us.*

Then, as per usual, Jeannette – who joined us late on Sunday – and I enjoyed a day off together on the island on Tuesday. Unlike the magically-appearing flight on Saturday, this was a more predictable great morning. A moderate to strong flight overnight lit up the radar on light southwesterly to west winds. That put a lot of birds in the Gulf of Maine come dawn, and the morning flight was hoppin!

Consisting mostly of Blackpoll Warblers, American Redstarts, and Magnolia Warblers, it was quite diverse overall. A few “new” species included a Pine Siskin and a Wood Duck, and 3 Red-breasted Mergansers were a fun Morning Flight fly-by.

Before and after breakfast, the birding was excellent. It was the best day by far in volume, but a lot of the birds were “on the move” and departing the island throughout the morning. But there was more of pretty much every migrant species, save for Wilson’s Warblers in particular. Birds weren’t held low by clouds and drizzle, or exhaustion, so it wasn’t as mind-blowing as Saturday, even with more birds around overall.

*There were a lot more flycatchers around today, including quite a few Eastern Wood-Pewees.*

It was also getting warm on a perfectly sunny sky, and birds took to the shadows earlier than in days past; the hotspots got much quieter by late morning with the increasing seabreeze. Nonetheless, pockets of activity continued right up through lunchtime.

*The veggie burger bahn mi from The Bait Bag.*

We rapidly added to our collective weekend list (which do not count for our tour total, of course), including finally reaching 20 species of warblers with an uncommon-out-here Pine Warbler. We then eclipsed it with a stunning male Mourning Warbler, and finally in the afternoon, picked up an Ovenbird for our 22^nd and final species of warbler. Locally-rare Hairy Woodpecker, a truant Long-tailed Duck, at least one continuing Harlequin Duck, and we found my first Nelson’s Sparrow of the year at Lobster Cove. We even got a little hike in to try and burn a few of the extra calories we consumed from all of the islands’ scrumptious meals. And, anytime we stopped at a favorable looking patch of vegetation, migrants would appear, everywhere we went. It’s always tough to leave, but we at least went out with a bang!

So back here in the Real World now, we can reflect on this past weekend as one that we will most surely always remember!

Here is the trip list four the five-day tour. I didn’t bother including the first day though, but it did net us a Lesser Black-backed Gull that we didn’t see any other day.

* = seen from ferry only.

Species	5/24	5/25	5/26	5/27 (with Jeannette) *ferry ride only
Canada Goose	0	2	4	2
Wood Duck	0	0	0	1
Mallard	15	15	x	x
Common Eider	x	x	x	x
HARLEQUIN DUCK	12	10	0	1
White-winged Scoter	0	0	0	2
Surf Scoter	0	0	50	1
Black Scoter	0	0	0	30*
Long-tailed Duck	2	0	0	1
Red-breasted Merganser	0	0	0	3
Ring-necked Pheasant	x	x	x	x
Mourning Dove	6	8	10	8
Common Nighthawk	0	0	1	0
Ruby-throated Hummingbird	3	4	5	4
Virginia Rail	0	1	1	1
WILLET	2	0	0	0
Spotted Sandpiper	0	0	0	2
Black Guillemot	x	x	x	x
ATLANTIC PUFFIN	3	0	0	0
Laughing Gull	5	6	10	6
Herring Gull	x	x	x	x
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL	1 (5/23)	0	0	0
Great Black-backed Gull	x	x	x	x
Common Tern	0	0	0	5*
Common Loon	2	3	3	1
Red-throated Loon	0	0	0	1
Northern Gannet	6	2	1	2*
Double-crested Cormorant	x	x	x	x
Great Cormorant	0	0	0	1*
SNOWY EGRET	0	1	0	1
Great Blue Heron	0	0	1	0
Osprey	0	1	2	0
Sharp-shinned Hawk	1	0	0	0
Bald Eagle	2	2	3	3
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	0	0	1	0
Downy Woodpecker	1	0	0	0
HAIRY WOODPECKER	0	0	0	1
Northern Flicker	1	2	2	1
American Kestrel	0	0	0	1
Merlin	1	1	0	0
GREAT-CRESTED FLYCATCHER	0	1	0	0
Eastern Kingbird	3	1	2	2
Eastern Wood-Pewee	4	2	4	20
Alder Flycatcher	0	2	2	2
“Traill’s” Flycatcher	0	0	1	3
Willow Flycatcher	0	0	2	2
Least Flycatcher	2	2	10	12
Philadelphia Vireo	1	0	0	0
Red-eyed Vireo	6	5	4	30
Blue Jay	4	2	1	1
American Crow	2	2	4	4
Common Raven	2	2	2	2
Black-capped Chickadee	x	x	x	x
Tree Swallow	1	1	2	2
Barn Swallow	1	1	3	6
Golden-crowned Kinglet	0	2	2	1
Cedar Waxwing	80	60	60	150
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1	2	4	6
Carolina Wren	2	4	3	3
House Wren	2	2	1	2
Gray Catbird	x	x	x	x
Brown Thrasher	0	1	1	1
European Starling	x	x	x	x
Eastern Bluebird	0	2	0	1
Swainson’s Thrush	1	3	3	8
American Robin	10	10	x	8
Purple Finch	1	1	0	1
Pine Siskin	0	0	0	1
American Goldfinch	10	10	12	10
LARK SPARROW	1	0	0	0
Chipping Sparrow	2	0	0	0
White-crowned Sparrow	0	1	1	1
White-throated Sparrow	1	2	1	1
NELSON’S SPARROW	0	0	0	1
Savannah Sparrow	4	4	3	2
Song Sparrow	x	X	x	x
Lincoln’s Sparrow	0	3	3	10
Bobolink	3	4	1	3
Baltimore Oriole	2	2	3	2
Red-winged Blackbird	x	x	x	x
Common Grackle	x	x	x	x
Ovenbird	0	0	0	1
Northern Waterthrush	1	1	1	10
Black-and-white Warbler	12	10	8	15
Tennessee Warbler	2	2	6	10
Nashville Warbler	0	1	1	4
MOURNING WARBLER	0	0	0	1
Common Yellowthroat	20	20	x	x
American Redstart	55	45	40	80
Cape May Warbler	3	4	2	6
Northern Parula	15	15	45	40
Magnolia Warbler	50	45	40	70
Bay-breasted Warbler	8	10	3	15
Blackburnian Warbler	4	4	3	4
Yellow Warbler	35	30	25	x
Chestnut-sided Warbler	6	6	10	20
Blackpoll Warbler	15	35	55	100
Black-throated Blue Warbler	1	1	2	6
Pine Warbler	0	0	0	1
Yellow-rumped Warbler	3	2	0	1
Black-throated Green Warbler	10	15	20	15
Canada Warbler	1	0	0	0
Wilson’s Warbler	20	15	10	10
Scarlet Tanager	1	1	1	1
Northern Cardinal	6	10	8	6
Rose-breasted Grosbeak	3	3	3	2

Day Total	72	75	73	92
Warbler Day Total	18	18	17	21

Trip Total	91	Weekend Total inc. Tuesday	106
Warbler Trip Total	19	Warbler total inc, Tuesday	22

The above birds follow the “guide plus one” rule, meaning both me and at least one client need to see the bird for it to go onto the list. This year, the only two birds I saw without the group that we didn’t later encounter was a fly-by Belted Kingfisher and an American Woodcock at dusk, both on the the 24th, for a total of 91 with the group and a 5-day tally of a respectable 106 species.

In other words, it was a great weekend!

This Week’s Highlights, 5/23-5/30/2025

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*This Lark Sparrow – always a treat in spiffy spring plumage – was among the notable birds form a*
*stellar weekend on Monhegan.*

Five days on Monhegan Friday the 23^rd through Tuesday 5/27 yielded a total of 106 species, including 22 species of warblers. It was the best Memorial Day Weekend on the island in several years, and at times, it really felt like “the good ol’ days” with a flock of warblers in every tree. Back in the real world, I was mostly guiding for local breeding specialties, but did have a few observations of note. But mostly, of course, my highlights were from my time on the island.

3 Blue-winged Teal, Weskeag Marsh, 5/23 (with Evan Obercian).

Monhegan Daily Highlights (full report coming soon).

5/23, with Monhegan Spring Migration Weekend Tour group:

12 HARLEQUIN DUCKS
1 2^nd/3^rd Cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull

5/24, with Monhegan Spring Migration Weekend Tour group:

12 HARLEQUIN DUCKS continued
1 LARK SPARROW (photo above)
2 continuing “Eastern” Willets
3 Atlantic Puffins
1 Philadelphia Vireo (FOY)
3 Cape May Warblers (FOY)
18 species of warblers led by 55 American Redstarts, 50 Magnolia Warblers, and 25 Yellow Warblers

5/25, with Monhegan Spring Migration Weekend Tour group:

1 continuing SNOWY EGRET
8-10 continuing HARLEQUIN DUCKS
2 Alder Flycatchers (FOY)
18 species of warblers led by 45 American Redstarts, 45 Magnolia Warblers, and 35 Blackpoll Warblers, but also including at least 10 Bay-breasted and 4 Cape May Warblers

5/26, with Monhegan Spring Migration Weekend Tour group:

2 Willow Flycatchers (FOY)
1 Common Nighthawk
17 species of warblers led by 55 Blackpoll Warblers, 45 Northern Parulas, and 40 each of Magnolia and American Redstart.

5/27, with Jeannette:

1 continuing HARLEQUIN DUCK
1 Mourning Warbler (FOY)
1 Nelson’s Sparrow (FOY)
1 Pine Warbler
1 Long-tailed Duck
1 Ovenbird (my 22^nd species of warbler on the weekend)
21 species of warblers led by 100 Blackpoll Warblers, 80 American Redstarts, and 70 Magnolia Warblers, but also including at least 15 Bay-breasted, 10 Tennessee, and 6 Cape May Warblers.

1 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (FOY), our property in Durham, 5/28.

1 continuing male Lesser Scaup, Pine Point, Scarborough, 5/29 (with clients from Arkansas).

Upcoming Tours (with space available):

Rangeley Birding Festival, June 5-8.

Recent Highlights, 9/11– 9/18/24

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They might be abundant, but I do love Cedar Waxwings, especially a tree full of them on Monhegan!

Eight great days of birding, including three days on Monhegan, yielded the following highlights:

9/13-9/15: Monhegan Island with Down East Adventures “Migration Workshop” tour group. Brief trip report here. Some of the most noteworthy observations included:

17 species warblers total.
Cape May Warblers dominated the morning on 9/14, including 3 of every 5 birds in Morning Flight and dozens in trees afterwards. Plenty on 9/13 and 9/15, but most of the arriving birds on the 14^th seemed to depart for the mainland.
The usual “uncommon” migrants like Rusty Blackbird (2 on 9/14), Philadelphia Vireo (high count of 2-3 on 9/14).
1 first cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull, 9/13.
1 LARK SPARROW, 9/14.
1 fly-by Whimbrel, one probable Clay-colored Sparrow (seen too briefly), and 1 immature COOPER’S HAWK (very rare on offshore islands), 9/15.

1-2 American Pipits (first of fall locally) and 1 hen Northern Pintail, etc, Wharton Point, Brunswick, 9/18.

Meanwhile, I’ve once again spent most of my mornings when home birding our Durham property, which was productive. An impressive 60-80 American Goldfinches continue, while an impressive array of migrants continue. On several mornings this week, I had plans to go elsewhere but then never left the yard. A few of the highlights included continuing single Indigo Bunting and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, 1 Ovenbird, 1 Blackburnian Warbler on 9/16, 6 Common Nighthawks (getting late) at dusk on 9/16, and a nice mix of migrants on the 18^th that included 1-2 Philadelphia Vireos and the arrival of more sparrows.

The highlight though was the female-type LAWRENCE’S WARBLER (2^nd generation Golden-winged x Blue-winged Warbler hybrid) that popped up on the 18^th. After a short but perfect view, I ran for a camera and could not relocate it despite much searching.

Monhegan Fall Migration Weekend, Sept 2022.

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*This Cape May Warbler was one of many birds that escaped the strong winds by finding large flies eating rotting apples that littered the ground all over the island.*

I arrived on the island on Thursday (9/22). Be happy that the tour didn’t start this day. It rained. A Lot. However, I was greeted by 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on Smuttynose Island upon my arrival: 5 adults and 1 juvenile. It turned out to be one of the highest counts ever on the island. That would also turn out to be my birding highlight of the day, as a short jaunt in the afternoon only yielded one species that I would not end up seeing with the group: a juvenile Ring-billed Gull, which is actually a very uncommon bird out here.

The sunset, however, was worth the trip, and the clearing skies foretold some good birding to come.

Overnight, a moderate migration on clearing skies brought many new birds to the island. The group met at 9:00, and we picked up the rest of the day’s participants as their ferry arrived. It was very windy today, but all day long, whenever we found a pocket of shelter, we found birds. It was mostly Yellow-rumped and Blackpoll Warblers, as expected for the date, but there was a decent smattering of diversity.

Between the winds and the raptors, birds were keeping low though! But speaking of raptors – wow, the falcon show! It was incredible. There is absolutely no way of knowing how many Peregrine Falcons and Merlins we saw today, with birds whipping by overhead. Some were hunting, and likely circling the island to do so, but it’s also possible that there was a steady flow of birds moving south, only pausing to wink at the island. It was impossible to quantify, but it was a whole lot of fun to watch!

*Northern Flickers had to stay low and out of sight to survive the day.*

We enjoyed quality time with Cedar Waxwings, Monarch butterflies, and enjoyed some gorgeous Question Mark butterflies as well. White-crowned Sparrows were rather conspicuous, and we had a good lesson in duck identification with Mallards, an American Black Duck, and a hybrid thereof all side-by-side.

*Black-throated Green Warbler on post-cider-making apple mash.*

Wind was whipping all night long and continued to gust well over 20mph as of sunrise. With a high-pressure system building in, and powerful Hurricane Fiona passing well to our east, the wind would just not let up. Several ferries were cancelled, and if you happened to be in the room that a screen door was slamming up against all night (ahem), then maybe you were not as rested as you would have liked.

The Gray NEXRAD radar was down, but the Caribou station showed a moderate flight of birds overnight with marginally lighter winds over the mainland. A light morning flight – mostly strong-flying Blackpoll Warblers – didn’t portend a lot of birds had arrived, but pockets of White-throated Sparrows and Yellow-rumped Warblers in places where they weren’t yesterday suggested otherwise. In fact, there were a bunch of birds around, and it was a very productive morning!

We visited with two cooperative Dickcissels that have been around for days, caught up with the lingering Lark Sparrow, and were among the lucky ones who caught up with an early Orange-crowned Warbler. All before lunch.

And while the wind continued to gust, and uncountable falcons continued to wreak havoc, anytime we found a corner of shelter, we found birds – and often lots of them! White-throated Sparrows littered the woods, and because of the wind, many birds were insanely easy to see.

One of the highlights were warblers on the ground – hatches of large flies were feasting on rotting apples below laden trees, and with no flying insects able to survive a foot into the air today, we spent a lot of time looking DOWN at warblers.

*We also made it over to the cliffs to see what may have been in the island’s lee.*

*We saved this Gartner Snake from a cat’s mouth on our way to not seeing a Red-headed Woodpecker that was playing hard to get for us.*

Finally, as dusk fell, the winds subsided. Unfortunately, by early nightfall, the winds were already a little more westerly than we would have liked. Come Sunday morning, a surprisingly light morning flight, dominated by Yellow-rumped Warblers almost exclusively, reflected the lack of the northerly component overnight. Birds seemed to be in lower quantities overall – a lot of Blackpoll Warblers had apparently departed – and with calm conditions (so, so welcome), there were fewer concentrations of birds.

Throughout the day, it was relatively slow by Monhegan standards, but we just kept adding new species to the triplist, and basking in repeated stellar views. The two Dickcissels were in their usual place throughout the day, a juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull continued, and later in the morning we found a Marsh Wren – very uncommon out here.

In the afternoon, we had a splendid sparrow session. We had our longest looks yet at the Lark Sparrow, but after a report of one Clay-colored Sparrow at the same spot, we arrived to find three! A Lincoln’s Sparrow even came out into the open to join the Song, Chipping, White-throated, White-crowned, and Savannah Sparrows, making for an impressive total of 7 species of sparrows from one spot! Of course, the comparative experience makes all the difference in learning these species – as most look so very different from each other. Well, most of them did, anyway! A solid 76 species were tallied by day’s end.

*Clay-colored Sparrow with juvenile Chipping Sparrow*

The last day of the tour was Monday the 26^th, and our time was winding down. So were the number of non-Yellow-rumped Warblers. Some light showers overnight may have put a few birds down, but winds were southwesterly thereafter, and the Caribou radar (the Gray station was still down) showed little movement. The morning flight was therefore virtually non-existent.

We found an Indigo Bunting, and later, an Alder Flycatcher confused and disoriented, stuck in the ice cutting display building of the Monhegan Museum. Three Clay-colored Sparrows were still present; we had good looks at two of them at the school and had another session comparing them to the variety of ages of Chipping Sparrows they were cajoling around with. The Lark Sparrow also performed nicely for us again.

*Alder Flycatcher in the museum’s ice-cutting shed. It eventually figured out the lighting and got itself out.*

*Two of the three Clay-colored Sparrows, here, with a Chipping Sparrow in the middle.*

It felt very slow, especially in the afternoon, when we took time to enjoy Fringed Gentian and repeatedly “dip” on a Red-headed Woodpecker that most everyone except us had eventually seen. Yet interestingly, we kept finding new species for our day’s list, and by the time the tour ended in time to catch the 4:30 ferry to Port Clyde, we had accumulated our highest species total of the weekend – a goodly 81.

The apparent abundance of some species – such as White-breasted Nuthatch, which we conservatively estimated included the presence of 4-6 pairs despite apparent omnipresence and Blackpoll Warblers on the ground – continued to impress as well.

With today’s new additions along with Laughing Gulls on our ferry ride back, our total trip listed amounted to 95 species! So despite the strong winds that howled for the first two days of the tour, and unfavorable southerly winds for the last day and a half, our 95 species was exactly average for the 11 years we have run the trip on this same weekend. 16 species of warblers was a mere one species below average. Taking our challenging weather into consideration, I would absolutely call this a win! Plus, we were on Monhegan, so all is well, as an average day/weekend on Monhegan sure beats the same anywhere else – for so many reasons.

* denotes ferry ride only           

23-Sep  24-Sep  25-Sep  26-Sep

Canada Goose 8 18 19 8
Wood Duck 0 1 1 1
American Black Duck 2 2 1 1
Mallard 15 24 24 24
Mallard x American Black Duck Hybrid 1 1 1 1
Green-winged Teal 0 1 2 1
Common Eider x x x x
Ring-necked Pheasant 20 12 12 8
Mourning Dove 20 15 18 18
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2 2 1 0
Semipalmated Plover 0 0 1 0
Killdeer 0 0 1 0
Solitary Sandpiper 1 1 1 0
Black Guillemot 2 6 2 6
Laughing Gull 0 0 0 2*
Herring Gull x x x x
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL 2 0 1 1
Great Black-backed Gull x x x x
Common Loon 0 0 0 1
Northern Gannet 10 10 8 20
Double-crested Cormorant x x x x
Great Cormorant 0 0 0 3
Northern Harrier 0 0 1 0
Osprey 4 4 2 2
Bald Eagle 1 0 1 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 0 2 2
Belted Kingfisher 1 1 0 0
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 12 10 20
Downy Woodpecker 2 2 2 2
Northern Flicker 30 40 20 30
American Kestrel 1 2 3 4
Merlin 8 15 10 10
Peregrine Falcon 10 10 5 5
Eastern Wood-Pewee 0 1 0 1
Alder Flycatcher 1 0 0 1
“Traill’s” Flycatcher 0 0 0 1
Least Flycatcher 1 1 0 0
Eastern Phoebe 6 4 4 6
Red-eyed Vireo 10 10 6 8
Blue Jay 8 6 18 12
American Crow 6 4 4 4
Common Raven 1 2 2 2
Black-capped Chickadee x x x x
Golden-crowned Kinglet 0 0 4 4
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 2 6 6
Cedar Waxwing 50 2 38 38
Red-breasted Nuthatch 15 10 6 10
White-breasted Nuthatch 4 6 4 4
Brown Creeper 0 0 1 1
House Wren 0 0 1 2
Carolina Wren 3 3 4 4
MARSH WREN 0 0 1 0
Gray Catbird 6 8 6 10
Brown Thrasher 1 0 0 0
European Starling 18 18 18 18
Veery 0 0 1 0
Swainson’s Thrush 1 6 3 4
American Robin 4 4 8 12
American Pipit 1 1 1 0
Purple Finch 14 8 4 4
LARK SPARROW 0 1 1 1
American Goldfinch 8 10 14 14
Chipping Sparrow 0 10 15 15
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW 0 0 3 3
Dark-eyed Junco 2 10 6 10
White-crowned Sparrow 2 4 8 8
White-throated Sparrow 26 150 50 50
Savannah Sparrow 1 4 3 4
Song Sparrow 20 30 20 20
Lincoln’s Sparrow 0 0 2 2
Swamp Sparrow 0 0 1 2
Baltimore Oriole 2 2 6 6
Red-winged Blackbird 0 1 1 1
Bobolink 0 0 1 0
Rusty Blackbird 0 0 6 0
Common Grackle 12 24 24 24
Black-and-white Warbler 1 1 0 0
Tennessee Warbler 0 15 3 3
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER 0 1 0 0
Nashville Warbler 0 4 1 1
American Redstart 0 2 0 2
Common Yellowthroat 8 10 4 10
Cape May Warbler 5 10 6 6
Northern Parula 1 7 4 2
Magnolia Warbler 2 0 0 0
Yellow Warbler 5 3 2 2
Chestnut-sided Warbler 0 0 0 1
Blackpoll Warbler 50 75 20 15
Palm Warbler 2 4 10 6
PINE WARBLER 0 2 0 0
Yellow-rumped Warbler 70 50 50 75
Black-throated Green Warbler 5 3 0 1
Scarlet Tanager 0 2 2 2
Northern Cardinal 6 8 8 10
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 0 0 1 3
Indigo Bunting 1 0 0 1
DICKCISSEL 2 2 1 1

Day Total 67 71 80 81
Warbler day total 10 14 9 12

4-Day Tour total= 95
Plus on my own before the tour =2 (Ring-billed Gull and Tree Swallow)
Total warblers = 16

*Blackpoll Warblers were the “migrant of the weekend” with unforgettable views and quality time each day.*

2021 Monhegan Fall Migration Weekend Tour Report.

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*This Blue Grosbeak was among the highlights of an incredible weekend on the island.*

“It was like the good ol’ days!” When every other bird you saw was a rare one, and you barely walked 10 steps before finding more birds. But this was not what we were expecting, and the weekend sure didn’t start out that way!

After a very rough boat ride, we were still putting ourselves back together when one birder said “Go back, there are no birds here.” Apparently, it had been a dreadfully slow week of little migration, but at least nice weather. This weekend, the weather wasn’t supposed to be very nice. So without many birds on the island, and quite a bit of rain on the way, were less enthused about arriving than usual…well, that might have had something to do with the boat ride.

And I am not sure if it helped that one of the first birds I looked at was a rare hybrid Herring X Great Black-backed Gull. I am not sure if anyone was ready to take in gull hybrids yet. Even more when we feared that this could be our best bird of the trip if the pattern held.

And sure enough, it was a very slow afternoon. But we did have good luck. We found a Sora that walked out into an open patch of mud, quickly caught up with the adult Lesser Black-backed Gull that has been hanging around, and after lunch immediately found the Least Sandpiper and Spotted Sandpiper at Lobster Cove that have been playing hard to get all week. There was also a good Northern Gannet show, which is always a treat. So at least we were seeing what was around, which sadly, really was not very much. But hey, it still hadn’t rained!

*Least and Spotted Sandpipers – shorebirds are few and far between on the island.*

A period of rain, heavy at times, fell overnight, but the band was much narrower and less heavy than forecast. It did not rain all night, and it even appeared that a light flight of migrants had developed on the radar after midnight. And sure enough, come dawn, there was a light Morning Flight overhead. It was mostly Yellow-rumped and Blackpoll Warblers, but hey, there were new birds around! And once, again, it was not raining.

A fly-over Dickcissel or two, a calling Gray-cheeked Thrush, and more. Birds! Yay!

Then, after breakfast, I went to spread some seed in my favorite corner to attract some birds for the group to enjoy this morning. Turning the corner near the famous “Chat Bridge” a shockingly bright flash of the most intense yellow you can imagine. And blue wings, and a flash of white in the tail. Prothonotary Warbler I exclaimed to no one around.

I raced back towards the group meeting point and sent them on their way. Kristen Lindquist took off running. I eventually made it back with the rest of the group and we divided to conquer. Kristen and about half the group spotted it repeatedly, while it remained tantalizingly out of view from where I and others were standing.

As other birders converged, a classic “Patagonia Picnic Table Effect” occurred. First, there were two Dickcissels, then I spotted a Yellow-breasted Chat making a short flight over the brush. While searching for that, Ilsa spotted a Yellow-billed Cuckoo that would sit still, preening, for well over and hour. It might have been the most cooperative cuckoo ever on the island! Another group had a brief look at a Clay-colored Sparrow.

Unfortunately, the Prothonotary Warbler was never seen again.

*Yellow-billed Cuckoos don’t usually sit this still for this long. This bird was likely exhausted*
*after just arriving on the island.*

*In case you didn’t see it’s yellow bill.*

It was already a pretty amazing day for one that we thought would be a wash-out. And it was still not raining. After our lunch break, we convened at the Monhegan House at 1:30, and spent the next hour and a half on its lawn, and going no where else.

One Dickcissel became two, and then four, and when the group finally took off together, we were shocked to confirm a genuine flock of 8 Dickcissels – exceptional, even for Monhegan. And there were not one, but two Clay-colored Sparrows! And other birds just kept arriving, as standing in one spot saw our list quickly grow: American Redstart, Brown Creeper, Warbling Vireo, etc, etc. One “Western” Palm Warbler became 4, a couple of Cape May Warblers paid us a visit, a Savannah Sparrow dropped in…

It was truly incredible! It felt like my first tours here 15 years ago. By now, a light shower was falling, but we didn’t seem to care. We finally pulled ourselves away as the action waned, wanting to see what the next hot corner would offer. After spotting at least 8 Baltimore Orioles along Pumphouse Road, the rain finally arrived in earnest by about 3:30pm. We called it quits, but considering the day we had, no complaints were to be heard. It was a really special day; one that will not soon be forgotten.

*While it was more accurately “180-degree misorientation” and other forms of vagrancy and not “reverse migration” that brought us so many good birds, I brought a special beer out*
*just in case we had a day like we did today!*

Rain fell overnight again, and come dawn on Sunday (Day 3), dense fog had rolled in. There were a few Yellow-rumped Warblers overhead, especially during a short respite from the fog, but there were not nearly as many birds around as the day before. But, with fog overnight, we expected birds who were on the island to stay, which was good, because yesterday was awesome and there were still a few birds we had not yet encountered.

*It might be a while before they are “countable” again, but the Ring-necked Pheasant population*
*seems to be booming in town.*

We delayed the start of the after-breakfast walk to let a batch of heavier rain clear through. We were stuck in such an odd fall weather pattern, with virtually no west-east progression of weather systems. But we had been so lucky with the timing of the rainfall so far, that a little delay was of no concern. Regrouping at 10:00, light showers gave way to just some lingering drizzle by 11, and it soon became apparent that there were new birds around. We had two Prairie Warblers, a Scarlet Tanager joining the growing flock of Baltimore Orioles, and a Blue-winged Teal joined a Green-winged Teal in the marsh. Two Cliff Swallows and a Barn Swallow foraged over Manana, and we had our second Yellow-breasted Chat of the trip – this one in the Island Farm garden on Pumphouse Road. And another Clay-colored Sparrow?

*There was a really impressive number of Baltimore Orioles on the island over the weekend.*

Pockets of Yellow-rumped Warblers here and there often contained another warbler species or two, and we had good looks at stuff all morning, even often-challenging birds to see with a group like Lincoln’s Sparrows.

And after lunch, the sun was out! We had the Lesser Black-backed Gull again, more looks at Clay-colored Sparrows, and finally the immature male Blue Grosbeak showed up for us, and show it did!

It wasn’t as birdy once the sun was out, but a light raptor flight, including at least 6 Peregrine Falcons helped make up for it.

On Monday, our last day of the tour, it appeared that little moved overnight on a light southwesterly flow aloft. But that had our daydreams going for rarities from our west and southwest. And sure enough, while some of us were dallying over breakfast, a Western Kingbird that Kristen Lindquist found earlier flew right over us at the Yew and alighted nearby!

After breakfast, we “cleaned it up” for the group when we relocated it at the cemetery, affording great looks for all. A slower day finally gave us an opportunity to head into the deeper woods. And while we expected fewer birds in the island’s interior, a couple of mixed-species foraging flocks finally put Red-breasted Nuthatch on the list, and we found the first Pine Warbler of the weekend.

*“Look at my tail!” Just in case anyone had hopes of stringing it into a rarer western Tyrannus.*

Jeannette joined us by lunchtime, and after lunch, we had a frustratingly brief glimpse of the original Yellow-breasted Chat, along with more great looks at Clay-colored Sparrows.

The tour came to a close with the 3:15 departure back to New Harbor, bringing our incredible four days together to the always-bittersweet end.

Jeannette and I birded the rest of the afternoon together, picking up a few things, like my first “Yellow” Palm Warblers of the weekend and a Solitary Sandpiper. Our walk to dinner yielded a second Pine Warbler, and at the harbor: a juvenile Ring-billed Gull (actually fairly rare out here in the early fall) and another view of the lingering Lesser Black-backed Gull.

On Tuesday, Jeannette and I enjoyed our day off on the island, and Kristen Lindquist joined us for most of the day. A diminishing light southwest wind overnight gave way to a little bit of northwesterly winds by dawn, but it didn’t appear that much had arrived on the island overnight.

*At least two, if not three, different Prairie Warblers were around the island.*

*Getting late, a few American Redstarts helped bump up our impressive warbler tally.*

However, we soon located a Lark Sparrow found yesterday by Bryan Pfeiffer, the immature male Blue Grosbeak paid us a visit, and we heard the Sora briefly. We then found an Orange-crowned Warbler out past the Ice Pond, my 20^th warbler species of the weekend! Unfortunately, we were sans cameras with a little light rain falling.

*This Scarlet Tanager was often cooperative at the grape arbor.*

*As per tradition with this tour report: at least one gratuitous “food porn” photo. Here’s the colorful and fresh avocado toast from the Trailing Yew.*

*And here’s one of the island’s resident Black-capped Chickadees…just because.*

After lunch, we were excited to find two Lark Sparrows sitting next to each other at the cul-de-sac, there were now two Ring-billed Gulls in the harbor, and yes, there were still at least 4 Clay-colored Sparrows and several Dickcissels around!

Just for a change of pace, we decided to walk the diffuse trail along the island’s southwestern end, but were soon distracted by something large in the water in the distance. Retrieving my scope, it was clear that it was indeed a dead whale, and eventually it floated close enough to identify it as a dead (and rather bloated) Minke Whale. A handful of gulls were around it, and briefly, a quick pass by a jaeger that was too far to claim the identity of. It was a fascinating, if not rather sad, end to our visit as by now it was time for Jeannette and I to head to the dock to return to the real world.

A much more pleasant boat ride back, this time to Port Clyde yielded a number of Common Loons and plenty of Northern Gannets, and a surprise of a small pod of Atlantic White-sided Dolphins. I’m not sure if I have seen this pelagic species from a Monhegan ferry before, or this close to land at all.

And finally, one last “good” bird: a pair of truant American Oystercatchers on Dry Ledges (off of Allen Island)! Interestingly, we had a pair on the same exact ledge on our way back from the island on October 5^th of last year.

At least 8 Dickcissels, at least 4 Clay-colored Sparrows, 2 Lark Sparrows, and an Orange-crowned Warbler from the Midwest. A Western Kingbird from the West. A Prothonotary Warbler, 2 Yellow-breasted Chats, and a Blue Grosbeak from the South. 105 total species (102 with the tour) including 20 species of warblers. Yeah, that was a good trip – and the stuff that Monhegan legends are made of, at least sans fallout.

*Four of a flock that grew to an impressive 8 Dickcissels, often found in the swale behind the*
*Monhegan House throughout the weekend.*

And finally, here is our birdlist from the extraordinary weekend:

9/24 = * denotes ferry ride only
9/27 = * with just Jeannette
9/28 = with Jeannette; *denotes ferry ride only

	24-Sep	25-Sep	26-Sep	27-Sep	28-Sep

American Black Duck	0	0	1	1	1
Mallard	3	10	26	24	24
Mallard x American Black Duck Hybrid	0	0	0	1	1
Green-winged Teal	0	1	0	1*	0
Blue-winged Teal	0	1	0	1*	0
Common Eider	x	x	x	x	x
Ring-necked Pheasant	6	13	12	16	10
Mourning Dove	6	22	30	15	18
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO	0	1	0	0	0
unidentified cuckoo	0	0	0	1	0
Common Nighthawk	0	0	0	0	0
Sora	1	0	0	0	1
Semipalmated Plover	0	1	0	0	0
Least Sandpiper	1	0	2	0	1
American Woodcock	1	0	0	0	0
Spotted Sandpiper	1	0	1	0	0
Unidentified jaeger	0	0	0	0	1
Solitary Sandpiper	0	0	0	1*	0
Black Guillemot	2	3	1	0	3
Laughing Gull	1*	0	0	0	3
Ring-billed Gull	0	0	0	1*	2
Herring Gull	x	x	x	x	x
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL	1	0	1	1*	0
Great Black-backed Gull	x	x	x	x	x
GREAT BLACK-BACKED X HERRING HYBRID	1	0	0	0
Common Loon	1*	0	0	0	6*
Northern Gannet	20	0	2	0	43
Double-crested Cormorant	x	x	x	x	x
Great Cormorant	0	3	3	1	1*
Great Blue Heron	0	1	1	0	3
Bald Eagle	2*	1	1	1*	1
Sharp-shinned Hawk	0	0	0	2	1
Belted Kingfisher	0	0	1	1	1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	0	4	3	8	2
Downy Woodpecker	0	0	1	4	3
Northern Flicker	4	5	4	10	10
Merlin	0	0	4	8	6
Peregrine Falcon	0	0	6	8	6
WESTERN KINGBIRD	0	0	0	1	0
Eastern Phoebe	0	0	0	1	1
Blue-headed Vireo	0	0	0	1	0
Warbling Vireo	0	1	0	0	0
Red-eyed Vireo	0	10	8	12	10
Blue Jay	6	18	8	16	18
American Crow	4	6	x	x	x
Common Raven	2	2	0	2	2
Black-capped Chickadee	x	x	x	x	x
CLIFF SWALLOW	0	0	2	0	0
Barn Swallow	0	0	1	0	0
Golden-crowned Kinglet	0	4	4	15	8
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	0	2	0	3	4
Cedar Waxwing	30	48	40	60	50
Red-breasted Nuthatch	0	0	0	0	3
White-breasted Nuthatch	0	0	0	2	2
Brown Creeper	0	2	1	1	1
House Wren	0	1	1	0	1
Carolina Wren	0	4	4	7	8
Gray Catbird	x	x	x	x	x
Brown Thrasher	0	2	0	0	0
European Starling	18	18	18	18	18
GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH	0	1	0	0	0
Swainson’s Thrush	0	4	1	1	1
American Robin	0	3	0	3	4
American Pipit	0	0	0	1	0
Purple Finch	0	1	0	0	0
LARK SPARROW	0	0	0	0	2
American Goldfinch	2	10	4	1	3
Chipping Sparrow	0	8	6	10	8
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW	0	2	4	4	14
Dark-eyed Junco	0	0	0	2	1
White-crowned Sparrow	0	0	0	1	0
White-throated Sparrow	2	10	6	15	10
Savannah Sparrow	0	3	3	0	1
Song Sparrow	x	x	x	x	x
Lincoln’s Sparrow	0	1	3	1	5
Swamp Sparrow	0	0	2	1	2
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT	0	1	1	1	0
Bobolink	0	6	0	5	0
Rusty Blackbird	0	2	0	1	0
Common Grackle	0	6	9	6	4
Brown-headed Cowbird	0	1	0	0	0
Baltimore Oriole	0	8	15	16	12
Northern Waterthrush	1	0	4	2	1
Black-and-white Warbler	0	0	1	1	0
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER	0	1	0	0	0
Tennessee Warbler	1	0	0	0	0
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER	0	0	0	0	1
Nashville Warbler	0	3	2	2	4
American Redstart	0	1	2	0	2
Common Yellowthroat	2	6	5	4	4
Cape May Warbler	1	3	0	0	2
Northern Parula	0	5	4	3	3
Magnolia Warbler	0	1	2	1	0
Yellow Warbler	0	5	4	3	2
Blackpoll Warbler	1	15	8	10	6
Black-throated Blue Warbler	0	0	0	1	0
Palm Warbler	0	4	4	14	10
PINE WARBLER	0	0	0	2	3
Yellow-rumped Warbler	30	60	75	300	150
Prairie Warbler	0	0	2	2*	1
Black-throated Green Warbler	0	3	3	4	5
Wilson’s Warbler	0	1	2	2	1
Scarlet Tanager	0	0	2	1	0
Northern Cardinal	4	10	8	8	6
Rose-breasted Grosbeak	0	4	4	4	3
BLUE GROSBEAK	0	0	1	0	1
Indigo Bunting	0	0	0	4	4
DICKCISSEL	0	8	7	5	4

Day Total	34	65	66	74	77
Warbler day total	5	13	14	15	15

4-Day Tour total=	102
Plus with Jeannette after the group =	3
Total warblers =	20

This Week’s (Non Sandy-Point) Highlights, 9/24-9/30: Monhegan Island

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*This Blue Grosbeak was among the stars of the show from an exceptional weekend of*
*great birds on Monhegan Island.*

I haven’t yet posted a Monhegan tour blog from last weekend, so I figured I’d at least post some of the highlights from our extremely exciting weekend chock-full of great birds!

9/24 (with Monhegan Fall Migration Weekend tour group):

1 adult GREAT BLACK BACKED X HERRING GULL HYBRID
1 adult Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Sora

9/25 (with tour group):

1 adult PROTHONOTARY WARBLER. Found by me at “Chat Bridge” and refound nearby a short while later by Kristen Lindquist and part of my group. Only bird of the weekend not seen again.
1 YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
8 DICKCISSELS (in flock together at one point)
2 CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS (in flock with 8 Dickcissels).
1 Gray-cheeked/Bicknell’s Thrush (presumed Gray-cheeked)
1 Yellow-billed Cuckoo

9/26 (with Tour group):

1 YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
1 immature male BLUE GROSBEAK
At least 4 CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS
At least 7 DICKCISSELS
1 adult Lesser Black-backed Gull

9/27 (with tour group):

1 WESTERN KINGBIRD (found by Kristen Lindquist. Refound by us at the Trailing Yew, then later by our group again at the cemetery. Last sighting?)
At least 5 DICKCISSELS
At least 4 CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS

9/28 (with Jeannette and Kristen Lindquist):
1 immature male BLUE GROSBEAK
2 LARK SPARROWS
At least 4 CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS
At least 4 DICKCISSELS
1 Orange-crowned Warbler
1 unidentified jaeger at a floating Minke Whale carcass offshore.
1 adult Lesser Black-backed Gull

Other Highlights:

2 AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS, Dry Ledges off of Allen Island from Port Clyde Ferry, 9/28 (with Jeannette).

And don’t forget, our next pelagic with Cap’n Fish’s out of Boothbay Harbor is coming up, on October 11^th. Information and registration can be found here.

OK, back to work on my Monhegan blog.

Monhegan Fall Migration Weekend,9/27-10/1/2019

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The reports trickling out of Monhegan all week were not particularly tantalizing. Other than a few rare but regular vagrants and semi-vagrants, the birding was often dreadfully slow. This fall’s lack of strong, airmass-changing and northwest wind-producing, cold fronts have been sorely lacking, and the season on Monhegan to date had clearly reflected that. But we heard the butterflies were extraordinary!

The first half of our group arrived via the 9:00 Hardy Boat from New Harbor. Even the boat trip was unusually quiet: a handful of Northern Gannets were the only seabirds we saw; even gulls were relatively few and far between.

But it was simply gorgeous, and with clear skies, light winds, and unseasonably warm temperatures, we were not complaining upon our arrival. And we were immediately greeted with a plethora of butterflies, led by Painted and American Ladies, and Monarchs – lots and lots of Monarchs.

Our slow walk up Dock Road would yield our one measly warbler wave of the day, but the Island Farm gardens on Pumphouse Road immediately produced the “best” bird that was being seen on the island: a juvenile Blue Grosbeak. But now, there were 2. And two Dickcissels! And 3 Indigo Buntings! And then two Blue Grosbeaks sitting side-by-side with an Indigo Bunting on the wire for comparison, followed by a lovely look at a Lincoln’s Sparrow. Yeah, that’s a “slow” day on Monhegan in the fall!
lighthouse_view

After fueling up on Novelty Pizza as usual, we hit Burnt Head for a gannet and Peregrine Falcon show, but the afternoon was beyond quiet for birds overall. Not for butterflies, however! So. Many. Question Marks (as in the butterfly, not unanswered questions of course!)
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Question Mark

sunset_Manana

As we awoke on Saturday, light south winds had minimized nocturnal bird migration, and the Morning Flight over the Yew consisted of exactly one Great Egret (not a bad bird out here though). It was quiet, very quiet, as dawn rose…but we weren’t cold! And all of those Monarchs!
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After breakfast, we decided to try and relocate a female King Eider that was reported yesterday and posted late at night. Since the seas were building on southwesterly winds, I decided to skip trying Lobster Cove and check the mouth of the harbor. And sure enough, there she was! The “Queen” Eider was an “Island Bird” for me, and an island bird for almost every birder on the island, if not a life bird for many in my group.
sunrise
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With the rest of the group arriving at 10:00am, we raced over to the dock, picked up the eider from the lawn of the Island Inn, and welcomed our new arrivals with a Queen Eider in the scope! How’s that for a greeting? I also realized I had a “lifer:” looking at a King Eider with shorts on!
dock,Marion_Sprague

There were now 3 Blue Grosbeaks in the garden, and a couple of us glimpsed a flash of a Yellow-billed Cuckoo near the Ice Pond. But it was irrationally slow all day. However, almost every bird we did encounter, we saw well, and there were very few instances of “better views desired.” And it was warm, and I don’t think I have ever spent a whole day out here in just shorts and a t-shirt. Again.
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Northern Gannet off of White Head.

A slow progression of clouds throughout the day finally arrived overhead by dusk, but rain stayed away. Unfortunately, the cold front that we were so anxiously anticipating did not switch the winds to the west (and then northwest) until about 2:00am, so migration really never got going. There was a little Morning Flight come dawn, mostly Yellow-rumped and Blackpoll Warblers as expected, but also several Cape Mays. The chatter, however, was the fact that no one found themselves in dire need of more blankets overnight!
PEFA, A.Siegel
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The next generation teaching the next next generation.
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Once again, however, the warmth scattered roosting Monarchs, and the massive roosts of a thousand or more from the middle of the week were instead widely dispersed. They were still abundant, however, covering gardens and almost every patch of wild asters and goldenrods.
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This one likely had recently taught a Merlin to never try and eat a Monarch!
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Tattered Black Swallowtail departing dill

It was a day to look at everything, from flowers to caterpillars.
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Fringed Gentian
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Hickory Tussock Moth
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Everybody’s favorite caterpillar: Woolly Bears!
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White-faced Meadowhawk.
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Smeared Dagger Moth

An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull in the harbor helped start our day, and there were definitely some new birds around.
LBBG_GBBG1,Marion_Sprague
Adult Lesser Black-backed Gull(R)with multiple age classes of Great Black-backed Gulls.

Our checklist slowly built with the likes of a Pine Warbler, a single Red-winged Blackbird, and finally, after almost 3 days: a couple of Red-eyed Vireos. The northwesterly breeze was also ushering in a good raptor flight, especially Merlins and American Kestrels, with a healthy dose of Peregrine Falcons, so we often found ourselves looking skyward.

Monarchs were also on the go, with many high overhead and taking off towards the mainland. Our butterfly list grew to a goodly 14 species. And we confirmed via photographs that there were a most-impressive 4 Blue Grosbeaks, a bona fide flock, and perhaps a record high for the state.

It was a great few days, and a lot of birds were seen. It was not the thing Monhegan legends were made of, however, but almost everyone on the tour had at least two Life Birds by the time the majority of the group headed home on Sunday afternoon. And it was still beautiful out. Complaints were few.
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RINP,A.Siegel
And the family group of “re-introduced” (allegedly) Ring-necked Pheasants were a source of constant entertainment.
welcoming_committee

Now, no birder is every really ready to leave Monhegan, but those who had to go to work or school the next day were especially upset. But of course, we had high expectations for a big day on Sunday, and that did not materialize.

On Monday morning – I am happy to say for those who remained, but I am very apologetic to those who had to depart! – the birds that did not show on Sunday had arrived. A huge flight overnight on clearing skies and a moderate northerly wind had ushered in a massive wave of birds. By breakfast we had as many species of warblers as we had seen all weekend so far.
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Black-throated Green Warbler

Palm Warblers and Savannah Sparrows seemed to be everywhere, at least where there wasn’t a Yellow-rumped Warbler. New arrivals included many of the birds we had somehow been lacking so far, such as Blue-headed Vireos and Brown Creepers, but we also enjoyed a host of “late” migrants, such as Bay-breasted Warbler, Alder Flycatcher, several Magnolia Warblers, and – sorry Anna! – a great look at a Philadelphia Vireo. Although a truant Warbling Vireo late in the day was the “best” vireo of the weekend.
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Palm Warbler
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Savannah Sparrow

The morning alone had more species, and likely more individuals, than the three previous days combined. While all of the Blue Grosbeaks had departed, the Queen Eider was still present, as was 1-2 Dickcissels, and in a late-day feeding frenzy of Harbor Porpoise at the mouth of the harbor, we picked out a juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull. Today was a day for both quantity and quality – and we walked about 30% less than any of the previous three days! It was a very good day.
Sunday_sunset

Jeannette had arrived on Monday, and it was just the two of us for a day off on Tuesday. Fears of a wash-out were not realized. Instead, an early morning shower on Trap Day did little more than nicely tamp down the road dust for a good part of the day. Winds were increasing from the southeast, and there was little to no migration overnight on cloudy skies and light southerly winds.

Therefore, there was once again virtually no morning flight, but there were some new birds around, starting with a Marsh Wren singing at dawn from the meadow, and 3 female/immature Wood Ducks in the Ice Pond before dawn (alas, I never did catch up with the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron that others spotted into the weekend).

The morning was quiet overall, however, with scattered pockets of migrants here and there. It wasn’t quiet as slow as Saturday, but we were once again covering a lot of ground to not see many birds. But it felt like a day with something “really good” around, and as we returned to the Ice Pond, I was shocked by a hen Northern Shoveler! Migrant dabblers are rare out here due to the lack of habitat, and there are not many shovelers in Maine or Maritime Canada to end up here. I am sure that if there were birders out here in April and October, this species would be detected, but based on the historical record in the Vickery checklist and recent records from eBird, it turns out that this is a First Island Record! (EDIT: A previous island record has come to light, and sure enough, it was from April!)
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While it wasn’t the Mega I was hoping for, it was a great bird for the island list, and joined by a stunning adult male Wood Duck, it added some excitement to an otherwise dreary day. We took the time to have a leisurely lunch, enjoy the Queen Eider, and grab one last beer. We also ran into the Lark Sparrow that showed up the day before. But it was remarkable how many fewer butterflies were around: the Monarchs had mostly departed on the northerly winds of the previous day, and the cloudy skies kept most everything else under cover.
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Lark Sparrow with immature White-crowned Sparrow
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With the first of the morning’s lobster traps already being hauled up, we knew our birding season out here was drawing to a close, unfortunately. Fortunately, however, the seas were much tamer than had been forecast, and we had less concerns about comfort on the ride home.
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Another Harbor Porpoise and gull feeding frenzy developed in the mouth of the harbor.

But Monhegan had one more surprise in store for us. As we pulled away on the 4:30 ferry to Port Clyde, I spotted a Black Skimmer circling Nigh Duck. I alerted the other birders on the boat, and those of us topside had views of it seemingly considering sitting down on the island, but we had picked up steam and were cruising away. This appears to be the second record of Black Skimmer for Monhegan – another incredibly good bird for my island list, and another reason why you never stop looking!

Three “Island Birds” for me, “life birds” for most of my group, beautiful weather for the tour, and lots of good food and conversation made for a heckuva weekend. And perhaps best of all, I had three kids under 15 on my tour! Besides a rare occurrence for a birding tour, their enthusiasm was contagious, and it gave us hope for the future of birds and birding!

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Swamp Sparrow

Daily Checklist:

	* denotes ferry ride only
	27-Sep	28-Sep	29-Sep	30-Sep	10/1 (with Jeannette)
Wood Duck	0	0	0	0	4
American Black Duck	0	2	2	2	2
Mallard	4	16	12	10	10
NORTHERN SHOVELER	0	0	0	0	1
Green-winged Teal	0	0	0	1	0
KING EIDER	0	1	0	1	1
Common Eider	x	x	x	x	X
Surf Scoter	0	0	0	3	7*
Ring-necked Pheasant	3	7	5	5	6
Mourning Dove	6	8	6	6	10
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO	0	1	0	0	0
Killdeer	0	0	0	1	0
Lesser Yellowlegs	0	1	0	0	0
Black Guillemot	X	x	x	x	X
Laughing Gull	6*	0	2	0	0
Ring-billed Gull	2*	0	0	0	0
Herring Gull	x	x	x	x	X
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL	0		1	1	0
Great Black-backed Gull	x	x	x	x	X
BLACK SKIMMER	0	0	0	0	1
Common Loon	1*	0	0	2	2
Northern Gannet	30	30	10	8	20
Double-crested Cormorant	X	x	x	1000	500
Great Cormorant	0	6	1	3	2
Great Blue Heron	0	1	2	2	1
Great Egret	0	1	0	0	0
Osprey	3	1	7	4	2
Bald Eagle	3	2	3	4	2
Northern Harrier	0	0	0	1	1
Sharp-shinned Hawk	1	2	4	4	3
Belted Kingfisher	0	1	1	1	1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	3	3	4	40	30
Downy Woodpecker	0	1	1	2	0
Northern Flicker	3	4	6	20	15
American Kestrel	0	0	8	1	4
Merlin	3	3	15	8	5
Peregrine Falcon	6	2	10	6	3
Eastern Wood-Pewee	0	0	0	2	2
Alder Flycatcher	0	0	0	1	0
Least Flycatcher	0	0	0	1	0
Eastern Phoebe	1	0	0	6	4
Eastern Kingbird	0	2	2	0	0
Blue-headed Vireo	0	0	0	6	2
Warbling Vireo	0	0	0	1	0
Philadelphia Vireo	0	0	0	1	0
Red-eyed Vireo	0	0	2	25	10
Blue Jay	4	10	14	8	6
American Crow	4	6	4	6	8
Common Raven	1	2	2	2	2
Horned Lark	0	0	0	1	0
Black-capped Chickadee	x	x	x	x	X
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1	0	0	0	0
White-breasted Nuthatch	0	0	0	0	0
Brown Creeper	0	0	0	8	4
Winter Wren	0	0	0	3	0
Marsh Wren	0	0	0	0	1
Carolina Wren	0	1	0	0	0
Golden-crowned Kinglet	0	10	0	15	20
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	0	0	0	10	5
Swainson’s Thrush	0	0	0	1	0
American Robin	2	1	0	0	1
Gray Catbird	6	4	0	4	4
Brown Thrasher	0	0	0	1	0
Northern Mockingbird	0	1	1	0	0
European Starling	20	24	20	20	16
American Pipit	0	0	0	1	0
Cedar Waxwing	20	40	80	60	50
American Goldfinch	2	0	4	6	6
Black-and-white Warbler	0	1	0	2	0
Tennessee Warbler	0	0	0	4	2
Nashville Warbler	0	0	0	6	5
Common Yellowthroat	2	2	4	6	3
Cape May Warbler	2	2	6	3	4
Northern Parula	2	0	0	10	3
Magnolia Warbler	0	0	0	4	0
Bay-breasted Warbler	0	0	0	1	0
Blackburnian Warbler	0	1	0	2	0
Yellow Warbler	1	1	1	4	1
Chestnut-sided Warbler	0	0	0	1	1
Blackpoll Warbler	4	2	0	2	1
Black-throated Blue Warbler	0	0	0	2	0
Palm Warbler	0	0	0	60	20
PINE WARBLER	0	0	0	1	0
Yellow-rumped Warbler	8	15	40	200	50
Black-throated Green Warbler	1	0	0	5	1
Wilson’s Warbler	0	0	0	1	0
Chipping Sparrow	2	0	3	6	19
LARK SPARROW	0	0	0	0	1
White-crowned Sparrow	0	0	1	0	1
White-throated Sparrow	1	0	0	25	15
Savannah Sparrow	0	0	0	50	30
Song Sparrow	x	x	x	x	X
Lincoln’s Sparrow	1	1	0	2	2
Swamp Sparrow	0	0	0	7	4
Northern Cardinal	4	4	8	6	8
BLUE GROSBEAK	2	3	4	0	0
Indigo Bunting	3	2	2	1	2
DICKCISSEL	2	0	1	2	0
Bobolink	0	0	0	6	3
Red-winged Blackbird	0	0	1	0	1
Rusty Blackbird	0	0	0	5	1
Common Grackle	10	10	10	10	10
Baltimore Oriole	0	1	1	2	2

(Rarities seen by others by not the group as a whole: Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Red-headed Woodpecker, and Yellow-breasted Chat).

Butterfly list:
Monarch
Painted Lady
American Lady
Question Mark
Cabbage White
Clouded Sulfur
Red Admiral
Orange Sulfur
Common Buckeye
Mourning Cloak (1)
White Admiral (1-2)
Black Swallowtail (1)
Bronze Copper (1)
Great Spangled Fritillary (1)

White_Admiral,A.Siegel
White Admiral

	Derek on This Week’s Highlights 5/2–…
	Eunice Miller on This Week’s Highlights 5/2–…
	Brian and Linda Frie… on This Week’s Highlights 4/10–…
	Derek on This Week’s Highlights 3/21–…
	Eunice Miller on This Week’s Highlights 3/21–…

Maine Birding Field Notes

Trip Reports, Essays, Rare Bird Reports, and More from Derek Lovitch's and Freeport Wild Bird Supply's birding in Maine and beyond.

Tag Archives: Lark Sparrow

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This Week’s (Non Sandy-Point) Highlights, 9/24-9/30: Monhegan Island

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