Two birdwalks, two shorebird-centric tours, and two whale-watches made for a very nice, diverse array of observations of note for me over the last 10 days (see note in shorebird high counts):

• 3 Long-tailed Ducks (2 continuing from previous week), Simpson’s Point, Brunswick, 8/9 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).

• 1 Bonaparte’s Gull and 6 Great Egrets, Sabattus Pond, 8/11 (with Jeannette).

• 8/12 morning Puffin/Whale Combo cruise with Cap’n Fish’s Cruises out of Boothbay Harbor (with Bill Thompson): 2 American Oystercatchers at Eastern Egg Rock. Offshore of EER = 159 Wilson’s Storm-Petrels, 17 Cory’s Shearwaters, 11 Great Shearwaters, 2 Northern Gannets, 1 Sooty Shearwater (Bill added a second Sooty and 1 Common Murre).

• 8/12 afternoon Puffin/Whale Combo cruise with Cap’n Fish’s Cruises out of Boothbay Harbor: 5 American Oystercatchers at Eastern Egg Rock. Offshore of EER = 104 Wilson’s Storm-Petrels,  6 Cory’s Shearwaters, 3 Great Shearwaters, 2 Northern Gannets, 1 MANX SHEARWATER.

• 1-2+ Red Crossbills, Popham Beach State Park, Phippsburg, 8/14.

• 1 molting adult Bay-breasted Warbler (more evidence of a limited molt-migration in Boreal birds to the southern coastal plain), Old Town House Park, North Yarmouth, 8/16 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).

For my “shorebird high counts,” I prefer to visit at least one of each: high tide hotspot, low tide spot, “grasspiper spot,” and a freshwater location, and it must include a visit to local hotspots Wharton Point and the Walsh Preserve as I attempt to make these comparisons comparable week-to-week and year-to-year, which, for my own notes if nothing else, is why I put these together (but hope you find them of value, too). Just due to life and scheduling, it now often takes me more than a week to hit all of these “requirements,” so I am going to try and do every 10 days instead of weekly. Therefore, here are my high counts over these past 10 days:

• American Oystercatcher: 5, Eastern Egg Rock, 8/12 (via Cap’n Fish’s Cruises Puffin/Whale combo trip). Plus 3 (2 ad with 1 juv), Upper Green Island, 8/17 (with Birds of Casco Bay with Seacoast Tours tour group). Photo above
• Black-bellied Plover: 163, The Pool, Biddeford Pool, 8/18 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop group).
• Killdeer: 13, Crystal Spring Farm, Brunswick, 8/9 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
• Semipalmated Plover: 300+, The Pool, 8/18 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop group).
• Piping Plover: 13, Popham Beach State Park, 8/14.
• Ruddy Turnstone: 3, multiple locations this week.
• Sanderling: 20, Popham Beach State Park, 8/14.
• 1, Popham Beach State Park, 8/14 and 1 at Great Pond, Biddeford Pool, 8/18 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop group).
• Least Sandpiper: 42, Sabattus Pond, 8/11 (with Jeannette).
• White-rumped Sandpiper: 15, Hill’s Beach, Biddeford, 8/18 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop group).
• Semipalmated Sandpiper: 1600, The Pool, 8/18 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop group).
• Short-billed Dowitcher: 40, The Pool, 8/18 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop group).
• Spotted Sandpiper: 4, Sabattus Pond, 8/11 (with Jeannette).
• Lesser Yellowlegs: 66, Royal River, Yarmouth, 8/17 (with Birds of Casco Bay with Seacoast Tours tour group).
• “Eastern” Willet: 24, Pine Point, Scarborough, 8/18 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop group).
• “WESTERN” WILLET: 1 (FOY), Pine Point, 8/18 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop group).

• Greater Yellowlegs: 22, Wharton Point, Brunswick, 8/9 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).