Tag Archives: The Pool

This Week’s (Plus) Highlights and Shorebird High Counts, 8/29 – 9/7/2025

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One of three Little Gulls encountered in Head Harbor Passage, New Brunswick via Eastport on the 2nd, this one posed nicely for us as Captain Butch adeptly drifted the stern inshore for a close approach and photo ops.  

A delightful ten days of birding, from Lubec to Biddeford, including the following observations of note:

  • Migrant highlights from our property in Durham included 2 Prairie Warblers on 8/31 and 13 species of warblers including 2-3 Bay-breasted on 9/1.
  • 6 SANDHILL CRANES, 1+ Red Crossbill, 3 Prairie Warblers, etc, Sabattus Pond, Sabattus, 8/31.
  • 2 continuing COMMON GALLINULES, Essex Marsh, Bangor, 9/1 (with Jeannette).
  • Red Crossbills: scattered 1’s and 2’s throughout coastal Washington County, 9/1-4 (with Jeannette, et al).
  • 1 Snowy Egret with 1 Great Egret, Downeast Sunrise Trail Marsh, Machias, 9/1.
  • 1 continuing juvenile FORSTER’S TERN and 3 LITTLE GULLS, 1 Common Murre, high number of Artic Terns, etc, Head Harbor Passage via Eastport Windjammers, Eastport, 9/2 (with Beth Edmonds, Dan Nickerson, Renee Patterson, Cynthia Phinney, Jeannette, et al).
I was pretty excited to pull out this long-staying juvenile Forster’s Tern as it was a new bird
for New Brunswick (and Canada!) for me!
  • 1 adult Lesser Black-backed Gull, 5 White-winged Scoters, etc, Lubec Bar and Flats, 9/3 (with Beth Edmonds, Dan Nickerson, Cynthia Phinney, and Jeannette).
  • 1 Spruce Grouse and 25 nearshore Razorbills, Great Wass Island, Jonesport, 9/4 (with Jeannette).
  • An great count of 6 FORSTER’S TERNS foraging together in The Pool from the Hill’s Beach side, 9/7.
  • 3 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Hill’s Beach, Biddeford, 9/7.
  • 1 adult and 1 2nd cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull, Biddeford Pool Beach, 9/7.

Recent forays yielded a decent 21 species of shorebirds this period, with my high counts over these past 10 days being the following. With the progressing season and other priorities and destinations, this will be my last shorebird high count report for the year.

  • American Oystercatcher: 5, Hill’s Beach, Biddeford, 9/7.
  • Black-bellied Plover: 179, The Pool, Biddeford, 9/7.
  • AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER: 2, Winding Brook Turf Farm, Lyman, 9/7, plus singles at: Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 9/5 and Hill’s Beach, 9/7.
  • Killdeer: 13, Crystal Spring Farm, Brunswick, 9/7.
  • Semipalmated Plover: 138, Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 9/5.
  • Piping Plover: 8, Hill’s Beach, 9/7.
  • Whimbrel: 4, The Pool, Biddeford, 9/7.
  • Ruddy Turnstone: 15, Biddeford Pool Beach, Biddeford, 9/7.
  • Red Knot: 2 juveniles, The Pool, 9/7.
  • Sanderling: 112, Biddeford Pool Beach, 9/7.
  • Least Sandpiper: 125, Lubec Bar and Flats, 9/3 (with Beth Edmonds, Dan Nickerson, Cynthia Phinney, and Jeannette).
  • White-rumped Sandpiper: 26, Biddeford Pool Beach, 9/7.
  • Pectoral Sandpiper: 3, Eastern Road Trail, 9/5.
  • Semipalmated Sandpiper: 1800-2000, Biddeford Pool Beach, 9/7 with an honorable mention of 1500, Lubec Bar and Flats, 9/3 (with Brandon Baldwin, Shenna Bellows, Beth Edmonds, Dan Nickerson, Cynthia Phinney, and Jeannette).
  • WESTERN SANDPIPER: 1 juv, Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 9/5.
  • Short-billed Dowitcher: 14, The Pool, 9/7.
  • Spotted Sandpiper: 8, Sabattus Pond, 8/31.
  • Solitary Sandpiper: 1, multiple locations this week.
  • Lesser Yellowlegs: 21, Walsh Preserve, Freeport, 9/6 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • “WESTERN” WILLET: 2 juveniles, The Pool, 9/7.
  • Greater Yellowlegs: 28, Walsh Preserve, Freeport, 9/6 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).

Derek’s Birding This Week: 8/14-20, 2021

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Semipalmated Plovers and Semipalmated Sandpipers waiting out the high tide
off of Biddeford Pool Beach on 8/20.

My observations of note over the past seven very productive days included the following:

  • Migrants on Monhegan Island, 8/15 (with Evan Obercian) included: 6+ Cape May Warblers, 1 Bay-breasted Warbler, 2 Least Flycatchers, etc.
  • 1 immature Great Cormorant, Outer Duck Islands, Monhegan, 8/15.
  • 1 Surf Scoter, Simpson’s Point, Brunswick, 8/16 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Middle Bay Road, Brunswick, 8/16 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 of 2 continuing TRICOLORED HERON, Pelreco Marsh, Scarborough Marsh, 8/16 (with Jeannette) and 8/19 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop tour group).
  • 2 BOREAL CHICKADEES, Albany Mountain Trail, White Mountain N.F., 8/17 (with Jeannette). Very surprising in mixed woods at 1624ft. Even more surprising since the 1900+ ft summit is not very boreal. Molt migrant and/or post-breeding dispersal? 
  • 1 of the 2-3 continuing Red-necked Grebes, Ocean Avenue, Biddeford Pool, 8/20.

And, with many of the species now peaking (and some of the adults already past peak), my shorebird high counts for a goodly 19 species this week were as follows:

  • American Oystercatcher: 4 (2 ad with 2 juv), Pine Point, Scarborough, 8/16 (with Jeannette) and 8/19 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop tour group). Plus 1, Ocean Avenue, Biddeford Pool, 8/20.
  • Black-bellied Plover: 93, Wharton Point, Brunswick, 8/16 (with Jeannette).
  • Killdeer: 24, Colonial Acres sod farm, Gorham, 8/20.
  • Semipalmated Plover: 261+, Pine Point, 8/16 (with Jeannette).
  • Whimbrel: 1 each at Pine Point, 8/16 (with Jeannette) and 8/19 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop tour group); The Pool, Biddeford Pool, 8/19 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop tour group).
  • HUDSONIAN GODWIT: 43!!!, The Pool, 8/19 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop tour group).  Horrific video and details here: https://fb.watch/7vL0DY756z/
  • Ruddy Turnstone: 18, Outer Duck Islands, Monhegan, 8/15.
  • Sanderling: 23, Biddeford Pool Beach, 8/20.
  • Least Sandpiper: 100+, Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 8/19 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop tour group).
  • White-rumped Sandpiper: 10+, Pine Point, 8/19 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop tour group). 
  • BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER (FOY): 1, Colonial Acres sod farm, Gorham, 8/20 (with Phil McCormack).
  • Pectoral Sandpiper: 1, Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 8/19 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop tour group).
  • Semipalmated Sandpiper: 500+, Pine Point, 8/19 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop tour group). 
  • Short-billed Dowitcher: 25, The Pool, 8/19 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop tour group).
  • Spotted Sandpiper: 9, Biddeford Pool area shoreline, 8/20.
  • Solitary Sandpiper: 9, Monhegan Island, 8/15 (with Evan Obercian).
  • Lesser Yellowlegs: 39, between Spear Farm Estuary Preserve and Yarmouth Town Landing, 8/14 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • “Eastern” Willet: 10, The Pool, 8/19 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop tour group).
  • Greater Yellowlegs: 12, Spear Farm Estuary Preserve, Yarmouth, 8/14 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
Common Eiders, Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated Sandpipers, and Sanderlings
at Biddeford Pool Beach on 8/20.