This Greater White-fronted Goose has been making the rounds in Greater Portland this winter, most recently hanging out along Shoreline Drive in Falmouth, where I stopped by to visit it on the 2nd.
It sure feels and looks like winter out there now, but there are still quite a few “lingering” species to add to our usual winter mix. Here are my observations of note over the past seven days:
The GRAY CATBIRD that has been at our feeders since January 2nd was last seen on February 2nd. Hopefully it has just moved on as Winterberry and other fruits in and around our property have been exhausted.
1 Fox Sparrow (continuing since early December) continue at our feeders in Durham.
1 Fox Sparrow (since 12/21) continues here at the store through week’s end as well.
1-2 Turkey Vultures continue in the Cumberland-Freeport corridor of I-295.
2. Gull Identification Workshop: Freeport, Saturday, February 15, 2025 (1:00-4:00pm) and Part II in Portland: Sunday, February 16, 2025 (8:00am-12:00pm).
Our collaboration with The Maine Brews Cruise enters its 11th season, with six exciting itineraries. These unique, relaxed birding and beer-ing adventures that you have come to love combine great local birding at seasonal hotspots with approachable opportunities to sample the delicious creations of some of our favorite Maine breweries. These events are a perfect introduction to birding and/or craft beer, and a great opportunity to enjoy our favorite pastimes with significant others, friends, and family that have interest in one topic, while your interest is primarily in the other (for now!). Educational, enjoyable, and eye-opening you won’t want to miss out our unique Birds on Tap series. In 2025, we’re excited to bring back more of these special birding and beer tours, perfectly blending nature exploration and craft beer tasting.
The six tours are as follows. After completion, tour reports will be posted here so this blog is your one-stop shopping for tour reports and upcoming itineraries.
1. Birds On Trip℠ – Roadtrip! Harlequins and Hops
Sunday, February 23rd, 2025:
After postponing our original date due to extreme cold, it was a full 30 degrees warmer today at start time! And while there was a chilly wind at a couple of stops, we also had some lovely calm and sunny conditions. As much as we hate to reschedule, this one worked, and therefore the day was already a success before we even departed for our birding destination!
We began at Dyer Point in Cape Elizabeth, where we found our highest concentration of seaducks on the day, including at least 20 Harlequin Ducks – the tour’s eponymous bird.
And what a stunner they were, with males in perfect light and some small groups pleasantly close to shore. Large numbers of Common Eider and Black Scoters were present, along with several other species, introducing us to winter waterfowl identification. And as a special treat, 4 uncommon and local Brant were foraging in a tidepool before us.
Most of the ducks were here today, and not at nearby Two Lights State Park, but there we saw another 8 Harlequin Ducks, discussed American Robin winter foraging ecology, and practiced our basic duck and gull identification before we headed to nearby Kettle Cove. There were not a lot of ducks here today, but we did get a surprise Merlin whipping through, perhaps the reason a Horned Lark was calling high overhead.
As a final stop, we checked Mill Creek Cove in South Portland for a very quick gull ID introduction to augment earlier conversation, compared Mallards and American Black Ducks (taking time to marvel at the beautiful drake Mallard!), soaked in a sunning drake Red-breasted Merganser, and enjoyed the sight of all of the gulls and ducks in the cove taking flight as our second Bald Eagle of the day soared overhead.
Part two of the tour began at Belleflower Brewing in Portland, one of my favorite Maine breweries. Keeping with the bird theme, we started by sampling their Magpie Pale Ale and then compared it to their Double-dry Hopped Finch & Thistle. Beginning with the recommended way of smelling and sipping a new beer, we discussed the basics of beer style, what the hell “double-dry hopping” means, the origins of the “New England” style, and then shifted gears with their brand new Just Like Home, a maple coffee brown ale. I thought the subtle maple sweetness was just right with a roasty coffee hint but the lighter body of a brown compared to a stout.
Crossing the Bayside neighborhood brought us to Argenta Brewing, one of Portland’s newest breweries. Exclusively brewing lagers, it was a nice contrast to our focus on ales at Belleflower. Starting with a generous half-pour of their Generic American Lager, we enjoyed the light, refreshing, “crushability” of a craft version of the popular lawnmower beer style. Craft beer truly is for everyone, and simple beers like Argenta’s Generic American Lager shows its not all about “hop-heads” and alcohol bombs.
We were given a choice for our next pour, and several folks tried the Mexican Lager to compare corn verses barley as the primary malt, while other tried everything from their hard seltzer to their Munich Dunkel- new to me, I found the mild roastiness and hint of sweetness on point for the style.
With a pleasant day (compared to the rest of the month), lots of beautiful and accessible wintering waterfowl – of course and especially including Harlequin Ducks – a few avian surprises, and newly-broadened palettes (I love it when folks say they really liked a beer in a style they didn’t think they liked), we kicked off the 11th year of the Birds on Tap – Roadtrip! the right way!
2. Birds On Tap℠ – Roadtrip! Warblers and Wort
Thursday, May 8, 2025.
While the rarest bird of the day came early, the rest of the trip was far from anticlimactic. Even better, it was the only warm and dry day of the week!
As planned, we began at Evergreen Cemetery, but our goal was set forth for us in the continuing presence of a very rare Cerulean Warbler. In fact, when I saw her a few days prior, it was the first Cerulean Warbler I have ever seen in Maine and at least a “state bird” for the several hundred folks who have seen it since. Even if you have never heard of a Cerulean Warbler, the excitement of the dozens of other birds present today was contagious. Luckily, we saw her not just once, but twice, without any concerted effort, and the second view was long and fantastic. Unfortunately, my sad attempt at a photo did not do it any justice.
There were other birds, too! We heard Ovenbirds and Wood Thrushes, saw some close-up Black-and-white Warblers, found our first Wilson’s Warbler of the year, and enjoyed basking Painted and Snapping Turtles.
Other than the Cerulean excitement (do we have to rename this tour Cerulean and Cervezas!?), it was actually rather slow today for mid-May, so we relocated to Capisic Pond Park as the last of the fog burned off and the sun (remember that?) came out. Here, birds were easier to see, including stunners like Baltimore Orioles fighting over territories, and some really close and insanely cooperative Northern Parulas that fed right in front of our faces. A sharp eye yielded a Black-crowned Night-Heron as well.
After some productive and instructive birding, we headed back into town to visit Belleflower Brewing, one of my favorite Maine breweries. Keeping with the bird theme for a little longer, we began with their pale ale, Magpie, with its great citrus and resinous balance, followed by the more grapefruity Finch and Thistle. Belleflower treated us to a third sample, of our choice, and we covered a nice range of their offerings from a Vienna lager to a double-dry-hopped double IPA to savor as we discussed some beer history and mythology.
Next up was Definitive Brewing on the other side of town. With so many options, everyone was able to choose their two samples, and there are no shortages of choices here. I went with Robin (because bird names!) their Imperial Pastry Stout and Blueberry Waffles, a pastry sour. I saw lagers, an IPA, and several sours among the group, and this photo captured the rainbow of colors here, with my choices and those of two of the members of the group. Our birding had something for everyone: a rarity for the “life list” and cool behavior from some of our common and beautiful birds as we learned about the mind-blowing feat of migration. And between Belleflower and Definitive, there was most certainly something for every beer drinker!
3. Birds on Tap℠ – Road Trip! Shorebirds and Steins
Sunday, August 3rd: 9:00am – 3:00pm
The original BoT Roadtrip! Way back in 2015, our most popular tour returned to Scarborough Marsh at prime time for a good variety of migrant shorebirds. And we had absolutely gorgeous, perfect weather to do it!
Beginning at the “Pelreco Marsh” high water levels limited our shorebird numbers a bit, but we were introduced to some of the basics of shorebird identification thanks to a flock of Short-billed Dowitchers and scattered Least Sandpipers. We spied a Saltmarsh Sparrow and talked about its fascinating ecology and peril, and were surprised by the arrival of a rare Tricolored Heron!
Relocating to Pine Point, we hit the tide perfectly, and soon, thousands of shorebirds were before us! The rapidly exposing mudflats steadily sucked in birds, with long-legged sandpipers appearing first, including 3 Whimbrel, with their massive curved bills, 8 Willets, and 3 Black-bellied Plovers. But as usual, it was the masses of the smallest shorebirds that stole the show, with an estimate of 2500+ Semipalmated Sandpipers and 225+ Semipalmated Plovers spread out before us. What looked like the first exposed sandbar was actually solid shorebirds! Learning the basics of sandpiper vs plover and moving on to sorting through the “peeps” for a White-rumped Sandpiper or two, we were introduced to the joys and challenges of shorebird identification, while mostly just enjoying the sight of so many birds! A few of us picked out a couple of Roseate Terns among Common Terns, and later, a mostly-adult-plumaged Bonaparte’s Gull was especially cooperative for photo-ops.
In the photo above, a Black-bellied Plover, Whimbrel, and Willet are in one field of view for comparative study, while I always insist on taking a moment to gawk at the eye of a Double-crested Cormorant.
Eric then led us to our first brewery, Modestman in South Portland. Originally founded in Keene, NH, owner/operator Ash Sheehan opened this second location closer to home here in SoPo. Tucked in a neighborhood down a side street off of Rte 1, someone on the tour who lived a mile and a half away didn’t even know it was there…there were all sorts of discoveries on this tour today, from rare herons to hidden gem breweries.
Coming in from the sun, we began with a refreshing and quenching light berliner Weiss sour, Black Reign with blackberry and boysenberry. Next up was It’s a Beautiful Thing, their flagship single-hope pale ale. Loaded with Citra hops, it blurs the line between a pale and an IPA, but it nicely progressed the palette and the ABV. When Life Gives You Lemons, loaded up with Citra and Simcoe was next up, providing a nice fruity/dank balance that Modestman is known for. I think this beer really nicely captured the essence of what people I know like most about their brews. Everyone got to choose their own last 4oz sample, and I went with Hard Rass Imperial Sour for a big and bold raspberry juice bomb.
Our next destination was the latest tasting room for Westbrook-based Mast Landing, a short distance away on Cottage Street in South Portland. We continued to cover the basics of beer varieties here, starting with the clean and crushable Champ Lager. No visit to Mast Landing – especially a first visit for most of our crew today – is complete without trying their famous flagship Gunner’s Daughter peanut butter milk stout, and enjoying it on Nitro is always a special treat. Like a creamy liquid peanut butter cup (sans the allergens), Gunner’s Daughter deserves its accolades. Once again, our last sample was a personal choice, and since Mast Landing has something for everyone and I believe there were over 10 beers chosen among the 13 people (unfortunately, everyone but Eric, our trusty brewery guide and driver). Since it’s a Birds on Tap – Roadtrip, I for one had no choice but to go with a bird named beer. There are several here, but today I tried the 2025 incarnation of Song of the Swallow, which was laden with 5 varieties of hops for a really smooth and juicy final toast.
5. Birds on Tap – The Boat Trip! Rare Birds and Island Exploration.
Sunday, October 19th , 9:00am to 2:00pm
Here are some photo highlights from this annual favorite!
Big Brown BatDeKay’s Brown SnakeFort Gorges
6. Birds on Tap℠ – Road Trip! Rarity Roundup!
Sunday, November 9: 8:00am – 3:00pm
Our final Birds on Tap! tour of 2025 was our Roadtrip: “Rarity Roundup” on 11/9. Unlike most tours, where we know our destination – chosen to provide the best birding opportunities and highest rates of success possible – this trip didn’t have a destination until we were pulling out of the parking lot in Portland!
Designed to take advantage of the latest rare bird reports, our itinerary was to work our way south, either looking for rarities that had previously been reported, or finding our own by checking the seasonal vagrant hotspots. The southern coast of Maine is usually the best area for really rare birds this time of year, but I threw the plan out the window immediately and we turned northward.
I just couldn’t resist taking people to see a long-staying (since November 2nd!) MacGillivray’s Warbler (only the 7th ever in the state of Maine) in Yarmouth. I felt confident I could find it quickly, thanks to its constant vocalizations, we’d get a look and then we would move on to the next bird. I did not expect, however, to find it that quickly!
In fact, I heard it the very second we entered the trail. It was calling nearby and we slowly and quietly moved in position. We found it foraging low on the ground, in some perennials, only a handful of feet away. Now this skulky bird didn’t exactly sit out in the open, but over the next 15 minutes or so, we all had satisfying (or better) looks, until anxious birders (who had apparently been waiting too far down the trail for up to two hours!) overwhelmed us. We slowly moved away, following the bird’s call notes, eventually finding it again, and then watching as it flew about 2 feet from one of us where it disappeared into a dense thicket.
Wow! What a thrill!
I refreshed the rare bird alerts (and all the different places rare birds get reported these days) as we began our journey south, spending the time in the van working on a little game to practice our “status and distribution” knowledge during this exciting time of year for rare birds.
I didn’t want to ask folks to stand still in Scarborough Marsh for the rest of the morning to maybe hear a Clapper Rail call once, and there were no further reports of the Seaside Sparrow in Wells. So with each passing exit of the Turnpike, I decided to go all in in Kittery, beginning at Seapoint Beach. Yeah, there wasn’t much there, and nothing of note.
So the rest of our time was spent at the delightful Fort Foster, the host of so many vagrants over the years. We hoped the Cave Swallow from two days prior would reappear, or we would find something even better. Um, we did not.
In fact, it was pretty darn slow, at least in the brush and the woods. Offshore, waterbirds were building, and we had some good looks at Surf Scoters, for example. And overhead, there was an absolute massive Double-crested Cormorant migration going on. Numerous large flocks of several hundred were winging it south, in their usual “drunken v’s.”
We swung for the fences and combed Fort Foster, but alas, we were not heroes today: we found nothing rare. But it was fun to try!
And besides, not only did we get a “mega rarity” with the MacGillivray’s Warbler, we got another “mega” rarity when we arrived at Tributary Brewing. There, we found Mott The Lesser, their 10.5% ABV Imperial Stout, released twice a year, and only available at the brewery. And yesterday it was released, so this was quite the “twitch.” You think people drive far to see a MacGillivray’s Warbler!? Well, rare beers are no different. This year’s version was aged in red, white, and tawny port wine barrels and then a rare apple wood rye barrel for additional complexity.
Of course, we didn’t want to destroy our palates, and we were here to learn about a wide range of Tributary’s beers, so we began with their flagship Pale Ale and compared this West Coast American standard to Affluente, an Italian-style Pilsner, with Adriatic barley and a light dry hopping of lemon-forward hops. Moving on to their new Zwicklebier, an “immature” lager, which was more malt-forward thanks to 100% Maine grown and malted barley. Then we tried the Mott the Lesser. And it was good. And bottles were purchased.
Our driver and beer guide Joe started us off with the basics of beer tasting and an overview of styles, but during our tasting, we were treated to a visit from head brewer and owner, Woody, who gave us the history of the brewery, started by his beer-legendary father, and guided us through the tasting. He discussed their commitments to Old World styles of beer and answered questions from the crowd.
Not to be outdone, apparently, Woodland Farms just up the road also laid out the red carpet for us, with owner Pat not only guiding us through our tasting, but providing a tour of the brewery itself, from first boil to final packaging. Woodland Farms is becoming known for their wide variety of offerings, and it was amazing to see how they can pull so much off in this small space!
Their Flagship is Blinky, an IPA with a very complex dry hop bill. We then tried Rossa Matrimonial, their version of an Italian Pilsner, a dry beer made with red malts. We once again remained in the Old World with Tmavy Piro, which means “dark beer” in Czech. A dark lager, it offered the “crushability” of a lager, but with more malt flavors before the crisp lager finish. And finally, everyone got to choose a final sample, with most people choosing the Big Effin Porter, a robust 8.2% porter. I went with the masses and tried this, too, and enjoyed how rich it was without the thickness and weight of an imperial stout.
Woodland Farms is also becoming known for their non-alcoholic beers, a rapidly growing segment of the beer economy. Out back, we learned about the differences in making non-alcoholic beer that tastes good verses beer with alcohol, and especially, mass-produced NA beer that usually tastes like, well, not much. To demonstrate what NA beer means in 2025, we were treated to two bonus samples: the NA Dogwalker with an abundance of sticky, piney-resinous hops, and their NA Festbier, an easy-drinking seasonal malt-forward Oktober-fest style.
So from a mega rare bird and a mega rare beer, learning how to search for rare birds and how to make beer, and trying everything from non-alcoholic to a 10.5% imperial flavor-bomb, we most surely enjoyed an educational, enjoyable, and often enlightening day!
One of at least 15 Cory’s Shearwaters observed from a Cap’n Fish’s Cruises Whale Watch last week, showing the dark outer primaries on the underwing, making for a rounded end to the white of the underwing coverts, separating it from the recently-split Scopoli’s Shearwater.
October is my favorite month of birding in Maine, and this past week showed why. A great diversity of birds are on the move, and my past seven days featured everything from pelagics to yard birds. Here are my observations of note over the past seven days.
Pelagic highlights from a Cap’n Fish’s Cruises Whale Watch out of Boothbay Harbor on 10/4: 4 NORTHERN FULMARS (including one dark morph), 4 ATLANTIC PUFFINS, 14-15 Cory’s Shearwaters (most seen and/or photographed well enough to see full dark outer primaries on the underwing; see above), 6 Red-necked Phalaropes, and one BROWN CREEPER landing on a person on the top deck about 14 miles off of Damariscove Island (photo below). My complete list is posted here.
1 Baltimore Oriole and 1 Nashville Warbler, Wolfe’s Neck Center, Freeport, 10/5 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
Sandy Point Morning Flight, 10/6: 140 birds of 18 species led by 60 Yellow-rumped Warblers. Total tally here.
1 Rusty Blackbird, 1 Nashville Warbler, and 1 Pied-billed Grebe, Capisic Pond Park, Portland, 10/9 (with clients from New York).
20-30+ Cory’s Shearwaters off East Point and Ocean Ave, Biddeford Pool, 10/9. Some just beyond Beach Island in good afternoon light to see dark outer primaries. 15 minutes of counting produced 18 individuals from East Point, all moving north, with 1-3 in view with almost every quick scan thereafter. Good sign for Monday’s pelagic! (with clients from New York).
7 American Oystercatchers and 1 Horned Grebe (first of fall), Ocean Avenue, 10/9 (with clients from New York).
1 American Redstart, Elphis Pond, Biddeford Pool, 10/9 (with clients from New York).
Highlights from our Durham property this week included the arrival of the first few Dark-eyed Juncos, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak on 10/4, continuing multiple Lincoln’s Sparrows, Nashville Warbler on 10/8, and another or the same Indigo Bunting on 10/9.
And here’s my complete trip report from my Monhegan tour and visit on September 27 through October 1st.
Our annual half-day pelagic with our partners Cap’n Fish’s Cruises out of Boothbay Harbor is on Sunday, October 14th – a nice, late date that should put us more in the season of things like Great Skua, and you can be sure we’ll be studying Cory’s Shearwaters hard to find a Scopoli’s! More info and link to registration is here. See notes above from my 10/4 outing.
A few spaces remain on our Birds on Tap! – The Boat Trip! To House Island in Casco Bay on Sunday, October 20th. More info here.
Join us on Monday’s pelagic and maybe a Brown Creeper will land on you!
It might not “count,” but the Ring-necked Pheasants on Monhegan are iconic!
Approaching the island on Friday, 9/27, the fog was rapidly lifting on the mainland, and the skies were clearing. High seas from the previous days were steadily diminishing. An offshore fogbank reduced our chances to see many birds during the boatride, but by the time we reach the island, the sun was shining through.
Things seemed fairly slow, but there were birds here and there. One single bush hosted all three Melospizas: Lincoln’s, Swamp, and Song Sparrows, and one of the tarrying Baltimore Orioles soon joined them. It was a relaxed start to the weekend, affording us time to check in and enjoy lunch before returning to the birding.
We don’t just look at rare birds, we study the common ones…at least on a slow day! Like this cooperative Song Sparrow
The afternoon was quite slow, as expected from the preceding nights with little or no migration on unfavorable winds, but we had birds to look at: Yellow-rumped Warblers sallying for midges at the top of spruces, scattered assorted sparrows, lots of great Merlin performances, and no shortage of Ring-necked Pheasants.
As usual for the end of September, Yellow-rumped Warblers were the most abundant migrant. This one was nicely demonstarting what makes it a “Myrtle Warbler.”
As the sun set, a huge flight was taking off and continued throughout the night. Very light northwesterly winds overnight were a little lighter than I would have preferred, but there was just a massive amount of birds on the move, and a great Morning Flight on Saturday morning to start our day was indicative of that.
The radar return was huge overnight, with lots of birds on the move. We did wonder, however, if that blob over the Mid-Coast was an isolated shower…or perhaps it was “Independence Day!“
Yellow-rumped Warblers filled the air, with handfuls of Blackpoll Warblers and a small number of Northern Parulas. After the morning flight settled down, the rest of our am was also very good. While the very light winds allowed much of the birds partaking in the Morning Flight to leave the island, there were plenty of birds remaining on the island to be seen. In addition to Yellow-rumps, there was a good arrival of White-throated and other sparrows, and pockets of activity were sifted through, producing a wide array of fun birds.
A Dickcissel in the community farm and a total of 6-7 Baltimore Orioles nearby were soon trumped when a first fall female Mourning Warbler actually walked into the open for all to see (for a change) …on a plywood garden table nonetheless! We found a Clay-colored Sparrow feeding amongst Chipping Sparrows, discovered a rather rare on the island Pine Warbler, and enjoyed a nice variety of the expected seasonal migrants.
Clay-colored SparrowClay-colored Sparrow with a molting juvenile Chipping Sparrow in the foreground.
Lovely weather all day encouraged us to enjoy an afternoon on Burnt Head, were we picked up a tardy Chestnut-sided Warbler and a rather rare in the fall on the island juvenile Ring-billed Gull. We also noticed a lot more Red-eyed Vireos during the course of the day, with many at and below eye level.
While a rare Yellow-crowned Night-Heron called over the harbor at nightfall, I was wandering on my own so it doesn’t count for the group, unfortunately. I was still pleasantly surprised by it, and it punctuated the calls of songbirds departing the island.
Luckily, a moderate flight occurred throughout the night (the overall intensity was a little obscured by fog on the radar images) on light west winds that had become calm by morning. Those calm and cooling conditions allowed fog to roll back in, and the Morning Flight was just a trickle to start on Sunday morning, our last morning together.
However, once the sun burned through, birds were in the air and appearing out of nowhere, and the birding really picked up. In flight, it was mostly Yellow-rumped Warblers, but there were more Palm Warblers involved today. We began finding “new” species for the trip list, like a Cape May Warbler, some recently-arrived American Robins, and we enjoyed watching a swirling flock of 16 migrant Black-capped Chickadees.
Late Blackburnian Warbler
After breakfast, the birding was overall quite a bit slower than Saturday, but the quantity was replaced by quality! An Orange-crowned Warbler at the Ice Pond, a continuing female Dickcissel in the cul-de-sac, two different Clay-colored Sparrows. Pockets of activity offered up nice views of a male Cape May Warbler, a few Blackpoll Warblers, and then we found not one, but 3 Nelson’s Sparrows in the Lobster Cove meadow – one even perched conspicuously enough to be viewed by all!
Nelson;s Sparrow sitting in what passes for “the open” with this species!Dickcissel
As the group trickled home, the last participants standing joined me in a little longer hike from Lobster Cove to Burnt Head, which yielded two Lesser Black-backed Gulls, more Great Cormorants, and yet another Orange-crowned Warbler to bring the official tour to a productive conclusion.
I remained on the island overnight, and with light southerly winds and a return of the fog, there was very little in Morning Flight and to start the day. But the day had a “rarity” feel to it (southwest winds overnight will do that!), and my Rarity Fever was soon stoked by a wayward Yellow-billed Cuckoo that sat still for me, gaining the first rays of sunshine of the morning, in a small tree in the Monhegan House lawn. Two Rusty Blackbirds were foraging on the lawn, and once the sun came up, a few more Yellow-rumped Warblers began to appear.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
But as Jessica Bishop and I began a post-breakfast search, the What’s App began to ping. Ken and Sue Feustel had just found an Ash-throated Flycatcher on Wharton Ave, and we did a quick 180 and began the march back across town. The ample Trailing Yew breakfast was weighing on me, however, so my speed could have been improved. Nonetheless, the bird had disappeared before we arrived, so we fanned out to search.
After a short spell, I relocated the bird behind the Trailing Yew, and Jess rushed over and we began photographing it as the rest of the island’s remaining birders convened, including Donna the last member of my to depart. And she was quite happy with the decision to linger to say the least! (The tour was officially over, so this gem doesn’t count for the official triplist…darn!)
We studied the flycatcher, and I made sure to get a shot of the tail that would be adequate for identification confirmation (to rule out an even rarer Myiarchus flycatcher). Here, you can see the outer tail feather on one side, showing the dark brown of the outer web intruding into the end of the inner web – diagnostic for Ash-throated.
This was my 227th Monhegan Bird, and the island’s 3rd-ever, of this southwestern vagrant. What a bird!
While the rest of the day was a little anticlimactic from a birding perspective, Jeannette arrived and we set out to search for the now-missing Ash-throat and whatever else we might stumble upon. Two Clay-colored Sparrows were now together, one of the Orange-crowned Warblers was still at the Ice Pond, and at least one Nelson’s Sparrow was still at Lobster Cove. At dusk, two Wilson’s Snipe launched out of the town marsh, and at sunset, a migrant Great Blue Heron flew over. No sign of the Ash-throat for the rest of the day, unfortunately.
Orange-crowned WarblerPeregrine Falcon
On Tuesday, Jeannette and I awoke to a strong flight on the overnight radar image, but as expected on a north to north-east wind by dawn, only fairly a light Morning Flight occurred. Made up of at least 95% Yellow-rumped Warblers, it was a little busier than I expected, but it ended by about 7:00am. Granted, at least two hunting Peregrine Falcons may have had something to do with that.
We watched a Wilson’s Snipe evading a Merlin in flight, and some more new species for the weekend were overhead, including a Horned Lark, an Osprey, and a Semipalmated Plover. There were at least a half-dozen American Pipits in morning flight, and a new-to-us Brown Thrasher put in an appearance.
Red-eyed Vireo
After breakfast, it was exceeding slow, but we did have a Dickcissel in the garden, and a Scarlet Tanager joined the remaining Baltimore Orioles in the grapes. But most of our morning was spent chasing a reported Yellow-headed Blackbird (seen by two and never again) and Will Russell briefly relocated the Ash-throated Flycatcher – which looked much healthier today and was much more active. In other words, it was soon once again melting away into the scrub. It kept us occupied until it was time to depart, however.
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
A very pleasant boat ride back to the mainland for Jeannette and I was far too nice to produce any seabirds of note, but it was a lovely way to finish up a delightful and fruitful fall weekend.
Here’s the official tour checklist:
27-Sept
28-Sept
29-Sept
American Black Duck
0
0
1
Mallard
8
12
16
Green-winged Teal
0
0
1
Common Eider
x
x
x
Black Scoter
0
0
8
Ring-necked Pheasant
15
15
25
Mourning Dove
10
15
12
Black Guillemot
x
x
x
Laughing Gull
8*
0
2
Ring-billed Gull
0
1
0
Herring Gull
x
x
x
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL
0
0
2
Great Black-backed Gull
x
x
x
Common Loon
1*
0
0
Northern Gannet
2*
0
1
Double-crested Cormorant
x
x
x
Great Cormorant
0
1
5
Bald Eagle
2*
0
1
Sharp-shinned Hawk
2
4
4
Belted Kingfisher
1
0
1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
0
20
20
Downy Woodpecker
2
4
3
Northern Flicker
3
15
15
Merlin
6
8
6
Peregrine Falcon
2
3
4
Eastern Phoebe
0
3
3
Blue-headed Vireo
0
3
4
Red-eyed Vireo
1
30
25
Blue Jay
9
13
9
American Crow
4
4
4
Common Raven
0
1
1
Black-capped Chickadee
x
x
30
Golden-crowned Kinglet
4
15
40
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
2
10
20
Cedar Waxwing
30
40
40
Red-breasted Nuthatch
2
8
6
Brown Creeper
0
4
4
House Wren
0
1
0
Carolina Wren
5
10
10
Gray Catbird
10
x
x
Northern Mockingbird
2
2
3
European Starling
x
26
26
Hermit Thrush
0
1
0
American Robin
0
0
2
American Pipit
0
3
3
Purple Finch
0
4
5
American Goldfinch
10
10
8
Chipping Sparrow
0
10
12
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
0
1
2
Dark-eyed Junco
0
4
2
White-throated Sparrow
15
50
60
NELSON’S SPARROW
0
0
3
Savannah Sparrow
1
6
10
Song Sparrow
x
x
x
Lincoln’s Sparrow
1
5
4
Swamp Sparrow
2
15
20
Rusty Blackbird
0
4
2
Common Grackle
2
20
20
Baltimore Oriole
2
7
6
Northern Waterthrush
0
1
0
Black-and-white Warbler
0
0
3
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER
0
0
2
Nashville Warbler
0
3
0
American Redstart
0
1
0
MOURNING WARBLER
0
1
0
Common Yellowthroat
0
8
10
Cape May Warbler
0
1
3
Northern Parula
1
15
15
Blackburnian Warbler
0
0
2
Yellow Warbler
0
2
1
Chestnut-sided Warbler
0
1
1
Blackpoll Warbler
6
25
15
Black-throated Blue Warbler
0
0
1
Palm Warbler
1
30
20
PINE WARBLER
0
2
1
Yellow-rumped Warbler
20
150
100
Black-throated Green Warbler
0
10
3
Wilson’s Warbler
0
1
0
Northern Cardinal
8
10
6
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
1
0
1
Indigo Bunting
0
1
1
DICKCISSEL
1
1-2
1
Day Total
44
68
73
Warbler day total
4
15
14
3-Day Tour total=
81
Plus with Jeannette after the group and on my own =
13
Total warblers =
19+1
Molting juvenile Cedar Waxwing learning how to eat Winterberry.
And the additional species seen by me without the group, on Monday, and on Tuesday:
Monhegan’s third Ash-throated Flycatcher was found by Ken and Sue Feustel on Monday, September 30th. I was lucky enough to relocate it a short time later and snag these photos. Despite much searching, only one observer saw it on 10/1, but it is likely still on the island but having recovered, moving around widely. It was not in great shape, with a real tattered plumage, but as the morning went on it continued to feed and look healthier. Although one half of the tail is tattered, the photo below shows the diagnostic pattern in the outer tail feathers, where the dark brown from the outer web wraps around to the end of the inner web. This feature eliminates an even rarer Myiarchus flycatcher, which was important given the rather early date of this individual.
My birding this week included five wonderful days on Monhegan, and two very productive mornings on our Durham property.
My observations of note from Monhegan included (full trip report with photos soon):
1 YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON (calling after dark; not with group)
9/29 (with Monhegan Fall Migration Tour group):
2 Orange-crowned Warblers
2 Clay-colored Sparrows
3 Nelson’s Sparrows (ssp subvirgatus)
2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
9/30 (on my own and then with Jeannette):
1 Yellow-billed Cuckoo
1 ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER (see photos and notes above)
2 Clay-colored Sparrows
1 Orange-crowned Warbler
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
2 Wilson’s Snipe
10/1 (with Jeannette):
2 Dickcissels
1 Scarlet Tanager
1 Wilson’s Snipe and 1 Semipalmated Plover
Highlights from the yard included 8+ Lincoln’s Sparrows and a late Nashville Warbler on 9/26, while on the morning of 10/2, 70+ Swamp Sparrows, a continuing Indigo Bunting, and a juvenile Red-shouldered Hawks were among the birds present.
Lincoln’s Sparrows have been quite common in our yard all week, offering ample photo ops.
UPCOMING TOURS:
Our annual half-day pelagic with our partners Cap’n Fish’s Cruises out of Boothbay Harbor is only 1 ½ weeks away! Join us on this annual favorite on October 14th – a nice, late date that should put us more in the season of things like Great Skua. More info and link to registration is here.
A few spaces remain on our Birds on Tap! – The Boat Trip! To House Island in Casco Bay on Sunday, October 20th. More info here.
Blackburnian Warbler near and at eye-level were one of the many highlights during my annual Spring Monhegan Migration Tour.
Five days on Monhegan (four with a tour, one with Jeannette) from 5/24-28 had few rare bird highlights, but good overall diversity and generally very good bird watching opportunities. A total of 93 species in those 5 days included 1 BLUE GROSBEAK (5/25); 1 PURPLE MARTIN (5/24 and 5/26); impressive numbers of RED and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS throughout the island; Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (FOY), Olive-sided Flycatcher (FOY), Tennessee Warbler (FOY), several Black-billed Cuckoos (FOY); 1 Razorbill in the harbor on 5/26; and 4 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES on the ferry ride home on 5/28. There were a lot of uncommon to rare-on-Monhegan migrants around, too, from Blue-winged Teal to Cliff Swallow. A complete report of our tour can be found here.
Back in the real world, my observations of note for the rest of the week included:
1 continuing GRASSHOPPER SPARROW, Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport, 5/30.
With my first visit in three weeks to Scarborough Marsh on 5/31, several personal first-of-years included Saltmarsh and Nelson’s Sparrow, Roseate Tern, and 4 White-rumped Sandpipers (Eastern Road Trail). Other migrant shorebirds included ~70 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 1 Dunlin, and 1 Greater Yellowlegs off Eastern Road, and 10 Ruddy Turnstones, 9 Black-bellied Plovers, and 1 Lesser Yellowlegs at Pine Point. Other observations of note included the continuing TRICOLORED HERON off of the Eastern Road Trail, and 2 PURPLE MARTINS at Pine Point.
2 Willow Flycatchers (FOY, finally), Old Town House Park, North Yarmouth, 6/1 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
Tours and Events:
There will not be a Saturday Morning Birdwalk on 6/8 as I’ll be in Rangeley guiding at the Rangeley Birding Fest. Note that there are still some spaces on a variety of tours still open. They can be found here.
Blackpoll Warblers were pleasantly ubiquitous over the weekend, with endless opportunities to view them without neck strain for a change.
I just can’t walk away from a male Blackburnian Warbler in the sun, especially at eye-level. Just can’t do it. While Blackpolls were the most numerous migrant of the tour, as expected for the end of May, Blackburnian Warblers consistently stole the show.
Our 14th annual Monhegan Spring Migration Weekend was highlighted by three days of insanely gorgeous weather, 18 species of warblers, and loads of crossbills. But what set this year’s tour apart was how consistently amazing the looks were at so many birds, especially both crossbills and some of our favorite warblers.
The tone was set on our Friday crossing from New Harbor, with lovely weather and 2 fly-by Atlantic Puffins. And once again, we hit the ground running after our 10:15 arrival, taking nearly an hour just to walk up Dock Road. One of our favorite corners was just hoppin’, with our first stellar looks at both Red and White-winged Crossbills and Blackpoll Warblers, as well as our only Canada Warbler of the tour.
I ate a lot of hummus toasts for lunch at the Trailing Yew in an attempt to make up for copious breakfasts and decadent feeders.
The afternoon, and the next three days were filled with crippling view after crippling view. Blackpoll Warblers were everywhere, both males and females seen in close proximity repeatedly for good studies. American Redstarts were abundant, as were locally-breeding Common Yellowthroats and Yellow Warblers. But it’s been a long time since we have seen crossbills, especially White-winged, so well and so often everywhere around town and beyond. It’s hard not to name this species the bird of the tour this year.
Male White-winged Crossbills.
In that first afternoon, some of our other highlights were a fleeting glimpse of a Black-billed Cuckoo, and later we found a female Purple Martin. Birds were just unusually low and cooperative, despite the gorgeous weather, so that really set this first day apart.
My days started even earlier than I would have liked as pheasants took to calling from the railing right outside my bedroom window. At 4am. 4am.
Unfortunately, the NEXRAD radar archive was down for the duration of our stay, so I can’t do my usual analysis here, but on Saturday morning, a light morning flight of mostly Blackpoll Warblers and American Redstarts suggested at least some birds had arrived on the light westerly wind overnight. There were also more Magnolia Warblers around, but overall, our two morning walks were slower than yesterday’s birding, but we would repeatedly find pockets of good activity with more great views of most of what we encountered.
This Cape May Warbler showed himself nicely, feeding on little midges/flies buzzing around the buds of this Red Spruce.
A Black-billed Cuckoo was as cooperative as they get, freezing on a bare branch for several minutes. Prolonged scope views of Red and White-winged Crossbills offered the chance to watch their amazing feeding behavior. The afternoon was a little slower, as expected, but still low and close Blackpoll Warblers and crossbills all around. Friends found a Blue Grosbeak that afternoon, which confirmed what I thought “had to be one” that flew across the marsh early in the morning but disappeared into brush before we could confirm its identity.
Of course we took some time to enjoy Rose-breasted Grosbeaks at Donna’s feeders, along with the omnipresent Ring-necked Pheasants.
Despite southerly winds overnight, Sunday morning was quite a bit slower, likely due to rainfall cutting off the flow of migrants from the south. We started the day with a bang though, as we moseyed down to the harbor to enjoy an up-close-and-personal Razorbill that ended up spending much of the day foraging in the harbor.
There was some passerine turnover overnight, however, and new birds this morning included an Alder Flycatcher, a calling Olive-sided Flycatcher, and finally a Tennessee Warbler – perhaps our first uncooperative warbler of the trip! The bird of the morning, however, was Blackburnian Warbler, as we started the day with amazing views just as we started and finished the morning with repeated great looks at males and females. Again, we were just in awe of the repeated great views we were getting of so many species, even if, yes, it was slow by Monhegan standards.
A nice selection of flycatchers over the weekend afforded the opportunity to learn how to break them down via primary projection, such as in this long-winged Eastern Wood-Pewee.
In the afternoon, we took the obligatory walk up to the lighthouse, both for some hawkwatching and snapshots. However, we ended up being enthralled (OK, I was enthralled) by a massive gull feeding frenzy that broke out over the lighthouse hill and beyond. It became clear that the gulls were not just enjoying the weather to soar on thermals but were feeding on some unseen flying insect. While a common event on the mainland, none of the birders present out here has ever seen anything like this over the island. The numerous Herring Gulls attracted a growing number of Laughing Gulls – the most I have ever seen out here (it’s usually just a few pairs around the harbor or fly-bys).
Northern Parula nest under construction.
Monday, the last day of the tour, unfortunately, did not see us go out with a bang. With light easterlies overnight and developing clouds and fog, not only did a new wave of migrants not arrive, but it seemed like just about every single passage migrant had departed! Even Blackpolls were few and far between, and the number of American Redstarts seemed only on par with the number that remain out here to breed.
Pink Lady’s Slipper in the woods.
But once again, White-winged Crossbills stole the show, with the pre-breakfast walk highlighted by incredible views of a feeding family group. And although slow all day, we covered some ground and slowly built up our triplist with everything from a Purple Finch to a calling fly-over Black-bellied Plover. We studied a Great Cormorant (and later, a second), and finally caught up with the long-staying Green Heron in the ice pond. Three tarrying Black Scoters were a surprise in Deadman’s Cove, but not nearly as surprising as the drake Green-winged Teal loafing with Common Eiders on Neigh Duck!
After lunch, an unusual-for-here assortment of swallows over the marsh included two Bank, one Cliff, joining the 2 Tree Swallows and more Barn Swallows that have been out here all weekend. Seawatching at Lobster Cove produced a hen Long-tailed Duck right off the rocks that somehow disappeared in front of our eyes.
Black Guillemots were all around the island, including some close ones off of Lobster Cove that were close enough to see those vivid red feet.
“Lefty” the Red-winged Blackbird has returned for at least his third summer on territory in the marsh.
With the tour coming to an end at about 3:00pm as just about everyone readied to board the Hardy Boat, rain began to fall, bringing our tour to an official close. However, it wasn’t until dinnertime that a few downpours arrived, and so we squeezed out one more comfortable day of birding.
It was just Jeannette and me now, but “FOMO” was unwarranted. While a White-throated Sparrow outside of the Monhegan House after dinner was unexpected for the date, we didn’t add anything new to the trip list that evening, or the next morning. Rain, heavy at times overnight and a strong south wind with fog in the morning precluded any movement of birds, and our pre-breakfast walk was dreadfully slow. Passage migrants were few, just about 9 Blackpoll Warblers, 1 Canada Warbler, and 1 Northern Waterthrush, and it felt downright June-like with birdsong being almost exclusively breeding birds. We did have another look at uncommon Monhegan birds like the Blue-winged Teal, Green Heron, and Bank Swallow, but it wasn’t the hardest day to walk away from.
Juvenile White-winged Crossbill
…. Which was good, as we were forced to depart earlier than planned due to the cancellation of the afternoon Hardy Boat. With a low pressure system moving along the stalled front that likely reduced our flow of migrants over the second half of the weekend was also building the seas. Our 10:15 trip, however, featured following seas that made for a reasonable ride, but the fog remained thick until New Harbor. We did have 4 Red-necked Phalaropes materialize out of the fog, however, with one remaining on the water just long enough for Jeannette to reach for and get her camera ready.
So, while Monday – and our usual day off together on Tuesday – was lackluster overall, it was really hard to beat the weather, birding, and learning opportunities that this year’s tour offered. Hopefully, everyone will now know how to identify Blackpoll Warblers at least! Oh, and my goodness the crossbills…
We tallied a respectable 93 species, including 18 species of warblers, over the four-day tour. Although below our long-term average, this was slightly above recent spring weekends. The following counts are simply guesstimations of the number of each species we encountered each day. Not the number of observations (eg every time we passed the same singing Yellow Warbler) or even a guess as to how many were on the island on a given day, but some crude attempt to quantify how many individuals of each species we think we saw each day. The ebbs and flows and daily changes are more interesting than the undoubtedly inaccurate numbers. For species such as the two crossbills that move around, back and forth, all over each day, it was impossible to really know how many there were. “A lot” should suffice.
Here is the trip list four the four-day tour. * = seen from ferry only. **=not seen with tour group.
Species
5/24
5/25
5/26
5/27
Wood Duck
1
1
1
0
Blue-winged Teal
0
0
1
0
Mallard
15
20
20
15
American Black Duck
1
1
0
1
Green-winged Teal
0
0
0
1
Common Eider
x
x
x
x
Surf Scoter
2*
0
0
1
Black Scoter
0
0
0
3
Long-tailed Duck
1
0
0
1
Ring-necked Pheasant
8
10
10
10
Mourning Dove
8
10
8
8
Black-billed Cuckoo
1
1
0
0
Common Nighthawk
1
0
0
0
Chimney Swift
0
0
2
0
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
1
2
1
2
Virginia Rail
0
1
1
0
Black-bellied Plover
0
0
0
1
RAZORBILL
0
0
1
0
Black Guillemot
x
x
x
x
ATLANTIC PUFFIN
2*
0
0
0
Laughing Gull
6*
20
1
8
Herring Gull
x
x
x
x
Great Black-backed Gull
x
x
x
x
Common Tern
X*
0
0
0
Common Loon
5*
0
1
2
Northern Gannet
3*
0
1
0
Double-crested Cormorant
x
x
x
x
Great Cormorant
0
0
0
2
Great Blue Heron
0
0
1
0
Osprey
0
2
1
0
Sharp-shinned Hawk
0
1
2
0
Bald Eagle
2
2
2
2
Red-bellied Woodpecker
0
1
0
0
Merlin
0
1
1
1
Eastern Kingbird
3
4
5
5
Olive-sided Flycatcher
0
0
1
0
Eastern Wood-Pewee
4
4
4
3
Alder Flycatcher
0
0
1
0
“Traill’s” Flycatcher
0
0
1
0
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
0
1
0
0
Least Flycatcher
0
4
5
1
Blue-headed Vireo
0
1
0
0
Red-eyed Vireo
8
15
10
3
Blue Jay
4
48
4
4
American Crow
x
x
x
x
Common Raven
1
1
1
1
Black-capped Chickadee
x
8
6
6
Bank Swallow
0
0
0
2
Tree Swallow
2
2
1
1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
0
1
0
0
PURPLE MARTIN
1
0
0
0
Barn Swallow
4
1
1
6
CLIFF SWALLOW
0
0
0
1
Golden-crowned Kinglet
1
2
10
2
Cedar Waxwing
40
60
80
30
Carolina Wren
2
7
3
3
House Wren
1
1
2
1
Gray Catbird
x
x
x
x
Brown Thrasher
0
1
1
0
European Starling
x
x
x
x
Swainson’s Thrush
1
1
0
0
American Robin
10
12
8
10
Purple Finch
0
0
0
1
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL
6
12
20
25
RED CROSSBILL
4
15
12
4
American Goldfinch
10
10
10
10
Chipping Sparrow
2
0
0
0
Song Sparrow
x
X
x
x
Bobolink
1
1
1
1
Baltimore Oriole
2
2
1
2
Red-winged Blackbird
x
x
x
x
Common Grackle
x
x
x
x
Northern Waterthrush
0
0
0
1
Black-and-white Warbler
0
1
0
1
Tennessee Warbler
0
2**
2
0
Nashville Warbler
1
0
0
0
Common Yellowthroat
10
15
12
x
American Redstart
30
35
25
10
Cape May Warbler
2
1
1
0
Northern Parula
4
8
8
4
Magnolia Warbler
6
10
4
4
Bay-breasted Warbler
2
0
1
2
Blackburnian Warbler
3
3
5
1
Yellow Warbler
20
20
20
15
Chestnut-sided Warbler
6
8
6
3
Blackpoll Warbler
60
50
35
6
Yellow-rumped Warbler
0
1
0
0
Black-throated Green Warbler
3
8
10
1
Canada Warbler
1
0
0
0
Wilson’s Warbler
2
1
1
0
Northern Cardinal
x
10
8
6
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
2
2
0
1
BLUE GROSBEAK
0
1
0
0
Day Total
64
66
65
62
Warbler Day Total
14
14
13
12
Trip Total
93
Warbler Trip Total
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. I saw a Northern Mockingbird on three occasions, for example, but somehow never saw it during the tour! Likewise, an American Woodcock over the Island Inn after sunset on the 26th and the White-throated Sparrow that Jeannette and I heard after the tour ended on Monday, along with our Red-necked Phalaropes on our way home on Tuesday did not count for the official tour list.
We didn’t care how common Yellow Warblers are…they’re still always beautiful! As are the sunsets from the Trailing Yew.
Two Black-crowned Night-Herons, including this one, were a nice find for a South Portland Big Day on the 21st. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough good finds to make up for a slow morning at the favored migrant traps.
I had just a handful of observations of note over the past six days before I head out to Monhegan, including the following:
On Tuesday, John Lorenc and I did a South Portland-only “Big Day,” trying to see as many species as we could within the city’s boundaries. With limited migrants at Hinckley Park, we clawed our way to a decent tally of 94 species by day’s end with a lot of regular migrants being undetected. Highlights for the city and the date were limited to Long-tailed Duck, Black Scoter, Glossy Ibis, Black-crowned Night-Heron, White-throated Sparrow, and Red Crossbill. We unfortunately did not turn up any rarities. My personal FOY’s were limited to Swainson’s Thrush (1 each at Clark Pond Trails and Trout Brook Preserve) and Common Nighthawk (two over John and Terez’s yard at dusk for our last species of the day, followed by 4 over our yard in Durham when I returned home).
Two tours over the weekend and private guiding on Monday were likewise fairly slow for passage migrants, but there was a distinct increase in territorial birds with each passing day, as it seemed birds were dropping into their desired habitats and not migrant traps. A big overnight flight on 5/22-23 yielded more territorial birds, but surprisingly few passage migrants on the ground.
2 American Bitterns, surprisingly high over the yard in the evening on 5/22. Really threw me off at that altitude!
3 Greater Scaup, Wharton Point, Brunswick, 5/23.
Additional personal first-of-years this week also included:
1 briefly glimpsed MOURNING WARBLER, Capisic Pond Park, Portland, 5/19 (with Birds on Tap Roadtrip! Warblers and Wort! Tour group).
John Lorenc and I finally caught up with this continuing WHITE-WINGED DOVE at Donna Cundy’s feeders on Monhegan Island in our brief visit on the 17th. It appeared minutes after we walked away for the” last time,” but we were alerted by friends and raced back. My photos have a twig in front of that beautiful powder blue eyering, so I’m borrowing Kristen’s photo.
My observations of note over the past seven days also included:
15 species of warblers, led by only about 20 Black-and-white Warblers and about 15 Northern Parulas, Evergreen Cemetery, Portland, 5/12 (with Down East Adventures Spring Songbird Workshop group).
1-2 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/12 (with Down East Adventures Spring Songbird Workshop group).
15 species of warblers, led by 9 Ovenbirds and 7 American Redstarts, our property in Durham, 5/13.
18 species of warblers (FOY), led by 40+ Yellow-rumped and 13 Common Yellowthroats, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 5/14 (with Jeannette).
15 species of warblers, led by 10+ each of Ovenbirds and Black-throated Green Warblers, our property in Durham, 5/14.
15 species of warblers, led by 19 Common Yellowthroats and 10 Ovenbirds, Florida Lake Park, 5/15.
5 Red Crossbills, around the store’s yard, 5/15. More impressive was the 23 that Jeannette had fly over early in the day on the 18th.
A very productive ferry crossing from Port Clyde to Monhegan on 5/17 included 4-6 ATLANTIC PUFFINS (FOY), a group of 6 (or possibly 9) RED-NECKED PHALAROPES (FOY), 6 Black Scoters, several Long-tailed Ducks, etc. (with John Lorenc, Jess Bishop, Ron Joseph, Kristen Lindquist, Bill Thompson, et al). On the trip back, John and I had a total of 10 ATLANTIC PUFFINS and more Long-tailed Ducks.
1 continuing WHITE-WINGED DOVE (photo above) and 1 female-type SUMMER TANAGER, Monhegan Island, 5/17 (with John Lorenc).
Additional personal first-of-years this week also included:
1 Blackpoll Warbler, Evergreen Cemetery, Portland, 5/12 (with Down East Adventures Spring Songbird Workshop group).
1 Red-eyed Vireo, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/12 (with Down East Adventures Spring Songbird Workshop group).
1 House Wren, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/12 (with Down East Adventures Spring Songbird Workshop group).
2 Bay-breasted Warblers, Florida Lake Park, 5/14 (with Jeannette).
2 Eastern Wood-Pewees, Morgan Meadow WMA, 5/16.
4 Laughing Gull, ferry from Port Clyde to Monhegan, 5/17 (with John Lorenc).
4+ Indigo Buntings, Monhegan Island, 5/17 (with John Lorenc).
It was a great week of birding on our Durham property this week, including local breeding birds on territory often put on a show. Jeannette photographed this Yellow Warbler on our property on the 15th, for example.
Tours and Events:
There will not be a Saturday Morning Birdwalk on 5/25 as I’ll be on Monhegan with our tour group.
Luckily for this Great Egret – showing off it’s high-breeding condition lime green lores – last week’s snow didn’t last long in Scarborough Marsh.
The massive “winter” storm of 4/3 through 4/5 produced heavy snow cover and drove a lot of birds to feeders, including those that are not usual feeder visitors. Numerous reports of American Robins eating offerings of dried mealworms, suet, and even some seed were received. At our home in Durham, I spent the snow day experimenting with getting Eastern Phoebes to eat dried mealworms, finally finding success by floating them in the slush at the edge of our pond.
Meanwhile, feeder-watching during the day on the 4th yielded 44 Dark-eyed Juncos (up from 22), and more Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles. By the next day, we had a new recent high of 4 Purple Finches and 6 Pine Siskins. Here at the store our 10 White-throated Sparrows continued, growing to 14 by week’s end. Two great nights of migration 4/8-9 and especially 4/9-10 saw many of these sparrows depart.
Away from feeders, my other observations of note over the past ten days included:
Red Crossbills continue to be widespread, with a highlight of 3 (including a fresh juvenile) feeding on the ground within 20-30 feet of the Saturday Morning Birdwalk group at Winslow Park on 4/6.
1 pair AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS, Pine Point, Scarborough, 4/7.
1 pair Piping Plovers, Pine Point Beach, 4/7.
1 Winter Wren (FOS), our property in Durham, 4/9.
1 Hermit Thrush (FOS), Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 4/10.
2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Florida Lake Park, 4/10.
1 Pine Warbler, Florida Lake Park, 4/10.
16 Palm Warblers, Florida Lake Park, 4/10.
2 Barn Swallows, Florida Lake Park, 4/10.
2 Yellow-rumped Warblers (FOS), Florida Lake Park, 4/10.
TOURS AND EVENTS:
1.Woodcocks Gone Wild – Now Saturday, 4/13
Due to the high winds and precip forecast for the evening of the 6th, we postponed our tour to the weather date of 4/13. There are no current openings, but a short waitlist if you would like to be added in case of cancellations. . Please call the store, 207-865-6000 to register.
2. Community Pizza Night at Maine Beer Company to support Feathers Over Freeport!
April 17: 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. – Maine Beer Company – Freeport Join us for a Community Pizza Night to benefit Feathers over Freeport. Proceeds from a raffle along with 20% of all food sales from 4-8:00 p.m. will be donated to support the annual birdwatching and nature discovery weekend hosted by the Bureau of Parks and Lands. Park and event staff will host an activity & information table and be on hand to answer questions about birding, the Hawk Watch, and Feathers Over Freeport. Location: Maine Beer Company, in the Tasting Room, 525 US-1, Freeport, ME 04342.
3. Birds on Tap! Kick-off event at the Portland Beer Hub!
Thursday, April 25, 2024; 5:00 – 7:00pm. Free!
Join Birding Guide and owner of Freeport Wild Bird Supply Derek Lovitch, and Brew’s Cruise owner Zach Poole, for an exclusive gathering at the Portland Beer Hub to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Birds on Tap! and kick off our new tour lineup.
During this casual meetup, guests will mingle with other bird and beer enthusiasts, discuss the exciting lineup of upcoming Birds on Tap tours, and can enjoy flights of bird-themed local beers (for purchase).
It’s the perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of birdwatching and craft beers. For a bit of fun, be prepared for some impromptu bird trivia and birding games.
Maine Birding Field Notes 