Tag Archives: Ruff

2026 “Next Maine Birds” Predictions Blog

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The state’s 4th or 5th Virginia’s Warbler – and the first away from Monhegan – was one of the rarest birds of the year in Maine, and it was even more special for me since I found it on Peak’s Island in November!

It’s once again time for my annual Predictions Blog, where I view into my crystal binoculars and attempt to forecast some of the “new” birds to grace the State of Maine – and then my own personal state list – in the coming year.

But first, let’s look back at last year’s predictions.

2025 Next Maine Birds Predictions Blog

It was a great year for birding in Maine, with rarities at every season, especially during a truly epic November Rarity season. As a snapshot of just how many notable species were in the state in 2025, consider Noah Gibb and Stacey Huth’s Maine Big Year total of 332 species broke the old record by an astounding 10! Surprisingly, with such an eventful year for rarities in the state, no new species were added to the state’s list in 2025. With that, I’m going to keep Next 25 Species to be found in Maine list the same, but based on current trends and regional sightings, I am doing a little shuffling at the top to bump up Limpkin as the northward mini-irruptions of this tropical/sub-tropical bird continue.

  1. Limpkin
  2. Scopoli’s Shearwater
  3. Neotropical Cormorant
  4. European Herring Gull
  5. Black-chinned Hummingbird
  6. California Gull
  7. Gray Heron
  8. Bermuda Petrel
  9. Graylag Goose
  10. Little Stint
  11. Audubon’s Shearwater
  12. Common Shelduck
  13. Anna’s Hummingbird
  14. Heerman’s Gull
  15. Common Ground-Dove
  16. Allen’s Hummingbird
  17. Spotted Redshank
  18. Lewis’s Woodpecker
  19. Ross’s Gull
  20. Black-capped Petrel
  21. Lesser Nighthawk
  22. Dusky Flycatcher
  23. Painted Redstart
  24. Hooded Oriole
  25. White Wagtail
It’s only a matter of time for Maine to be visited by its first ever Neotropic Cormorant, but it’s another Neotropical species that took the stop slot this year!

As for me, there were so many great birds seen in Maine in 2025, and the birds I chased just scratched the surface of the litany of vagrants this past calendar year as once again, my birding involves fewer and fewer chases each year. The MacGillivray’s Warbler in Yarmouth in November was one of the highlights – including becoming the 255th All-time Saturday Morning Birdwalk bird!- and a Fork-tailed Flycatcher in the Kennebunk Plains in July.

My first self-found rarity of the year was a Ruff at Walsh Preserve on 5/9…

..and Jeannette I chases the Northern Wheatear in Scarborough Marsh in September for a new ABA Area bird for her.

And shortly after successfully relocating a Bell’s Vireo on Monhegan (5th state record; found by Bill Thompson and Jess Bishop the day before), my group and I found the state’s 6th Black-throated Gray Warbler to cap off one of the best weekends on Monhegan in years! Add to that a record-shattering season at the Bradbury Mountain Spring Hawkwatch and two extraordinary flights at Sandy Point on 10/9 and 10/16, and I had an amazing year of birding in Maine.

Black-throated Gray Warbler on Monhegan. A state bird for almost everyone,
but “just” an exceptional “Island Bird” for me.

I even added two species to my State List in 2025, starting with an overdue Cerulean Warbler (#11) found by Doug Hitchcox in Evergreen Cemetery on 5/6. But nothing beats a “self-found” rarity, so finding a Virginia’s Warbler (#20) on Peak’s Island on 11/24 was even more special!

Virginia’s Warbler on Peak’s Island, 11/2025.

Of course, a few potential State Birds got away from me last year. However, all appeared to be one-day wonders, so it’s hard to complain: Crested Caracara in Scarborough Marsh on 4/30, a Franklin’s Gull (some day!) in The County on 5/21, an Anhinga over South Portland on 5/27, and an un-chaseable Ancient Murrelet at Matincus Rock on 6/19.

So, with those hits and misses, my updated list of the Top 25 Next State Birds for Me is now:

  1. Franklin’s Gull (this is getting amusing/frustrating)
  2. Neotropic Cormorant
  3. Brown Pelican
  4. California Gull
  5. Brown Booby
  6. Crested Caracara
  7. Slaty-backed Gull
  8. Boreal Owl
  9. Calliope Hummingbird
  10. Graylag Goose
  11. Gull-billed Tern
  12. Pacific Golden-Plover
  13. Limpkin
  14. Wood Stork
  15. Black-chinned Hummingbird
  16. Brewer’s Blackbird
  17. Anhinga
  18. Yellow Rail
  19. Scopoli’s Shearwater
  20. Western Wood-Pewee
  21. Red-necked Stint
  22. European Herring Gull
  23. Gray Heron
  24. Heerman’s Gull
  25. Little Stint

Well there ya have it, let’s see what 2026 brings, at least when it comes to the birds in Maine.

I think it’s about time for another Wood Stork to visit the state as well.

This Week’s Highlights, 5/10-5/16/2025.

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The 2025 Bradbury Mountain Spring Hawkwatch came to a close on Thursday. It did not exactly end with a bang, but we had a great flight for the this late in the season on Monday, including a good movement of immature Broad-winged Hawks and Merlins, such as this one. It, and everything else that has passed over or by the summit for the last two weeks has only added to our record-breaking season.

After last week’s rarity insanity, this was a tamer, more “normal” week for mid-May. While several great songbird flights occurred this week, concentrations were few, but there were “new” birds arriving most every day. Here are my observations of note over the past seven days.

  • 1 continuing RUFF (REEVE), Walsh Preserve, Freeport, 5/10 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • 1 ORCHARD ORIOLE (FOY), 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, etc, Green Point WMA, Dresden, 5/13 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 immature male ORCHARD ORIOLE, feeders here at the store, 5/14.
  • 1 continuing hen CANVASBACK, Great Pond, Biddeford Pool, Biddeford, 5/15.

My personal “first of years” this week also included:

  • 1 Bobolink, Thornhust Farm, North Yarmouth, 5/10 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • 1 Red-eyed Vireo, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 5/12 (with Jeannette).
  • 2 Spotted Sandpipers, Florida Lake Park, 5/12 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 Canada Warbler, Florida Lake Park, 5/12 (with Jeannette).
  • 2 Green Herons, Green Point WMA, Dresden, 5/13 (with Jeannette).
  • 7 Short-billed Dowitchers, Walsh Preserve, Freeport, 5/13 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 Scarlet Tanager, our property in Durham, 5/14.
  • 1 Blackpoll Warbler, Florida Lake Park, 5/14.
  • 4 Laughing Gulls, East Point, Biddeford Pool, Biddeford, 5/15.
  • Numerous Common Terns, Biddeford Pool environs, 5/15.
  • 2 AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS, Ocean Avenue, Biddeford Pool, 5/15.
  • 5 Roseate Terns, East Point/Ocean Ave, Biddeford Pool, 5/15.
  • 26 Ruddy Turnstones, The Pool, Biddeford Pool, 5/15.
  • 2+ Semipalmated Plovers, The Pool, 5/15.
  • 82 Black-bellied Plovers, The Pool, 5/15.
  • 150 Semipalmated Sandpipers, The Pool, 5/15.
  • 4 Marsh Wrens, Cobboseecontee Lake Causeway, 5/16.

Bradbury Mountain Spring Hawkwatch

The Week 8 report can be found here. The report for the final week, finishing on Thursday, can be found here.

Upcoming Tours (with space available):

Rangeley Birding Festival, June 5-8

This Week’s Highlights, 5/3-5/9/2025.

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This female Cerulean Warbler at Evergreen Cemetery on 5/6 was the first in Maine for just about every birder who raced to see it! Thanks to Bill for the photo!

Wow! What a week! Although I was out of town for the huge flight Friday night into Saturday morning, my birding with a tour group on an almost-as-productive Sunday morning made up for it. Then, with an upper level low locked into place, migration ground to a halt throughout most of the rest of the week. However, a trickle of new arrivals appeared, and an impressive array of rarities were found around the state. I did a lot more chasing than usual this week (including a personal “state bird”, but a self-found rarity on Friday was a perfect way to put the icing on the cake of a tremendous week of spring birding! My observations of note over the past seven days included the following:

  • 15 species of warblers (FOY) between Evergreen Cemetery and Capsic Pond Park, with Northern Parula the most numerous at both, 5/4 (with Down East Adventures Spring Migrant Songbird Workshop group).
  • 2-3 Louisiana Waterthrushes, Suckfish Brook Conservation Area, Falmouth, 5/5 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 continuing BLACK-NECKED STILT, Spurwink Marsh, Cape Elizabeth, 5/6 (with Bill Thompson). Well, since we were out chasing together, we figured we might as well visit this elegant rarity found by John Lorence on 5/3.
  • The continuing CERULEAN WARBLER at Evergreen Cemetery on 5/8 with my Birds on Tap – Roadtrip: Warblers and Wort! Tour group. I don’t generally take photos while guiding groups, but I took a few of this bird…and completely wiffed on them!
  • After all this “twitching,” I was due to find my own rarity, and did so on 5/9 with an adult breeding plumage female RUFF (REEVE) at Walsh Preserve in Freeport. There are only about 10 previous records for Maine.

My personal “first of years” this week also included:

  • 2 Yellow Warblers, Evergreen Cemetery, Portland, 5/4 (with Down East Adventures Spring Migrant Songbird Workshop group).
  • 8 Black-throated Blue Warblers, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/4 (with Down East Adventures Spring Migrant Songbird Workshop group).
  • 2 Wood Thrushes, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/4 (with Down East Adventures Spring Migrant Songbird Workshop group).
  • 3 Magnolia Warblers, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/4 (with Down East Adventures Spring Migrant Songbird Workshop group).
  • 4 Chestnut-sided Warblers, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/4 (with Down East Adventures Spring Migrant Songbird Workshop group).
  • 2 Great-crested Flycatchers, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/4 (with Down East Adventures Spring Migrant Songbird Workshop group).
  • 2 American Redstarts, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/4 (with Down East Adventures Spring Migrant Songbird Workshop group).
  • 2 Northern Waterthrushes, Capisic Pond Park, Portland, 5/4 (with Down East Adventures Spring Migrant Songbird Workshop group).
  • 7 Chimney Swifts, Capisic Pond Park, 5/4 (with Down East Adventures Spring Migrant Songbird Workshop group).
  • 1 White-crowned Sparrow, feeders here at the store, 5/4.
  • 2 Lincoln’s Sparrows, Suckfish Brook Conservation Area, Falmouth, 5/5 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 Warbling Vireo, our yard in Durham, 5/5.
  • 16 Willets, Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 5/6.
  • 18 Least Sandpipers, Eastern Road Trail, 5/6.
  • 1 Eastern Kingbird, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/6 (with Bill Thompson).
  • 1 LITTLE BLUE HERON, Pelreco Marsh, Scarborough Marsh, 5/6 (with Bill Thompson).
  • 1 Blackburnian Warbler, Rte 136 powerline cut, Durham, 5/7.
  • 1 Wilson’s Warbler, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/8 (with Birds on Tap Roadtrip! tour group)
  • 2 House Wrens, Capisic Pond Park, 5/8 (with Birds on Tap Roadtrip! tour group).
  • 2 Blue-winged Teal, Walsh Preserve, Freeport, 5/9.

Bradbury Mountain Spring Hawkwatch

The Week 7 report – in which we broke the all-time season record – can be found here.

Upcoming Tours (with space available):

Rangeley Birding Festival, June 5-8