Tag Archives: Upland Sandpiper

 This Week’s Highlights 5/9– 5/15/2026.

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This immature male Orchard Oriole, and a female it was foraging with, that I found on Peak’s Island on the 11th are likely part of a continuing influx of “southern overshoots” that arrived after last week’s
weather pattern (see last week’s blog).


It’s hard to not have a great week of birding in the middle of May, and this week was certainly no different. Some “southern overshoots” added to the mix of migrants and new arrivals, and some rather surprising lingering winter birds as well, all making for a fun-filled week of bird watching. Here are my observations of note over the past seven days.

  • 1 continuing WESTERN CATTLE EGRET, Highland Road, Brunswick, 5/9 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • 1 female SUMMER TANAGER, 1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, 12 species of warblers, etc, Evergreen Cemetery, Portland, 5/10 (with Birds on Tap Roadtrip: Warblers and Wort! Tour group). Unfortunately, I whiffed on photos as we all struggled to follow her across the cemetery!
  • 16 species of warblers, led by 35 Yellow and 16 Common Yellowthroats, Peak’s Island, Portland, 5/11.
  • 6+ Red Crossbills including 2+ fledglings, Peak’s Island, 5/11.
  • 1 1st/2nd cycle Iceland Gull (getting late!), Portland Harbor, 5/11.
  • 1 SANDHILL CRANE, Bradbury Mountain Spring Hawkwatch, (the 14th of the season here, but my first from the summit this spring), 5/12.
  • 1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, our property in Durham, 5/13.
  • 15 species of warblers, led by 13 Black-and-white Warblers and 11 Common Yellowthroats, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 5/14 (with Bill Thompson).
  • 52 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS (with 1 Cedar Waxwing), Union Street, Brunswick, 5/14 (with Bill Thompson). Even more incredible than seeing so many Bohemians so late in May, is that we saw them on the same day we easily recorded 17 species of warblers. Not sure that will happen again for a very long time around here!
  • 16 species of warblers, led by 13 Black-and-white Warblers and 11 Ovenbirds, our property in Durham, 5/15.

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

  • 4 UPLAND SANDPIPERS (been present for a few weeks now, but I hadn’t made the time to visit!), Brunswick Landing, Brunswick, 5/9 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group). Bill Thompson and I had 1-2 on 5/14, with one singing from the Bowdoin Sandplain proper.
  • 2 Lincoln’s Sparrows, Evergreen Cemetery, Portland, 5/9 (with Birds on Tap Roadtrip: Warblers and Wort! Tour group).
  • 2 Wilson’s Warblers, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/9 (with Birds on Tap Roadtrip: Warblers and Wort! Tour group).
  • 2 ORCHARD ORIOLES, Peak’s Island, Portland, 5/11.
  • 1 Cape May Warbler, Peak’s Island, 5/11.
  • 1 Scarlet Tanager, Bradbury Mountain Hawkwatch, 5/12.
  • 1 Wood Thrush, our property in Durham, 5/13.
  • 1 Short-billed Dowitcher, Walsh Preserve, Freeport, 5/13.

Bradbury Mountain Spring Hawkwatch ends today!

The 20th year of the project began on March 15th and concludes at 5:00pm today, May 15th (maybe! But tomorrow looks so good!) The quickest and clearest way to view daily reports is by clicking on the Hawkcount link contained on the website link above. Meanwhile, we will continue to post weekly summaries on the News Page of our website. Here’s the Week 8 report. I’ll post a season summary next week.

Upcoming Tours (With Space Available)

​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.

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This Week’s Highlights, 7/1-7,2023

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I didn’t hit the shoreline at all this week, other than a quick jaunt to the Brunswick waterfront, so I don’t have a lot of observations of note, other than 2 Upland Sandpipers at Brunswick Landing, Brunswick, 7/1 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group) and continued scattered Red Crossbills.

However, bird-watching was fantastic this week overall, even if it did not produce anything out of the ordinary. From a visit with clients to Salt Bay Farm Preserve in Damariscotta on Thursday to a stroll this morning at Old Town House Park, I found plenty of entertainment in the life and antics of our common breeding species.

In fact, on a couple of mornings, I just couldn’t tear myself away from our feeding station, which is chock-full of activity right now, including multiple pairs each of Baltimore Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Gray Catbirds, Purple Finches, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and 5 species of woodpeckers, including fledglings of many: Downy, Hairy, Pileated, Red-bellied, and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Yeah, we’re going through a lot of suet right now!

Therefore, I’ll just leave you today with some of my favorite photos from last month’s tour with NJ Audubon.  And maybe next week I’ll have some more time for bird-finding again!

A Summer Visit to the Kennebunk Plains

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It was a perfect morning at the Kennebunk Plains.  Dry, Canadian High Pressure has finally built in, dropping dew points to non-saturated-shirt levels.  A light northerly breeze was just enough to keep bugs at bay, too.

Eastern Meadowlarks (10), Grasshopper Sparrows (12+), and Upland Sandpipers (4-5) were particularly conspicuous today.  All of the other regular Plains denizens, from Field and Vesper Sparrows to Prairie Warblers and the pair of American Kestrels were present and accounted for, although Vesper Sparrows still seem fewer and farther between here this year.  Unfortunately, no sign of the Clay-colored Sparrow today.

Wood Lilies were in full bloom…
Wood Lily, KennyPlains,7-12-13

…and the first few Northern Blazing Stars were beginning to bloom.
NorthernBlazingStar,KennebunkPlains, 7-12-13

But my goal of the day was to improve our collection of Upland Sandpiper images.  Although I was really hoping to see some chicks, these photos made the trip more than worth while.
UPSA1,Kenny Plains,7-12-13

UPSA2,Kenny Plains,7-12-13

UPSA3,Kenny Plains,7-12-13

And one Grasshopper Sparrow was particularly confiding.

GHSP1,KennyPlains,7-12-13

GHSP2,KennyPlains,7-12-13

EATO-Female,KennyPlains,7-12-13
Here’s a female Eastern Towhee

FISP,KennyPlains,7-12-13
A Field Sparrow in full song

More importantly, I always find a visit to the Kennebunk Plains to be good treatment for the birding soul, so this morning was refreshing in more ways than just the weather.

Since I was in the area, I took a swing out to the Sanford Sewerage Facility.  Not surprisingly with all of the rain of late, the water levels were very high, and therefore shorebird habitat was virtually non-existent.  There were plenty of Spotted Sandpipers, however: 14 in all, including juveniles.  Wood Ducks were even more aplenty, with a total of 45 individuals from adult males in eclipse plumage down to only-week-or-so-old downy chicks.  And the late summer flocks of blackbirds are beginning to build; about 200 Red-winged Blackbirds have already coalesced here.  Meanwhile, a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was still present along the edge of the facility.

Lastly, I stopped in at WoodlandCemetery in Biddeford, to check on a nest I found here in early June.  After seeing a displaying pair of Merlins in the area a week or so before, I looked around for nest sites, and happened up on a perfectly-sized twig nest in a Red Pine.  Unfortunately, after three visits, it does not appear that this is an occupied nest this year – by a Merlin or anyone else.  I did have 6 Fish Crows nearby, however, as a consolation prize.