Tag Archives: Vesper Sparrow

 This Week’s Highlights 5/2– 5/8/2026.

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It’s May, and May means Neotropical Migrants, like this stunning Scarlet Tanager that graced the
Bradbury Mountain Spring Hawkwatch on 5/5.

It’s May, and things are happening whether the weather wants it to or not! But finally, the migratory floodgates opened, with huge overnight flights Monday into Tuesday and Wednesday into Thursday. It’s on! The flood of new arrivals those days got things back closer to schedule, until the second half of the week, when progress slowed down once again. The warm weather ushered in by an extensive southwesterly flow all of the way down to the Gulf Coast and South Atlantic Bight from Monday night into Wednesday ushered in a wave of “southern overshoots’ around the state. Here, for example, is the wind map from mid-day on Wednesday, showing the extensive southwesterly flow originating way down in the Gulf of Mexico.

I didn’t try to chase any of the reports but was certainly monitoring my feeders and local patches with extra vigilance! Not surprisingly then, most of my observations of note over the past seven days were of the FOY variety.

  • 10 Lesser Scaup, 1 Blue-winged Teal, 10 Lesser Yellowlegs, etc, Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 5/4 (with Jayden Mowry).
  • 10 species of warbler (FOY, finally), led by only 15-20 Yellow-rumped Warblers and 5+ Black-and-white Warblers, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 5/5.
  • 66 Lesser Yellowlegs, etc, Walsh Preserve, Freeport, 5/7.

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

  • 6 SANDHILL CRANES, over I-295 at Exit 22, Freeport, 5/2 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • 1 Spotted Sandpiper, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 5/2 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • 1 Gray Catbird, feeders here at the store, 5/2.
  • 1 American Pipit, flying over our Durham property, 5/3.
  • 1 White-crowned Sparrow, feeders here at the store, 5/3.
  • 1 Northern Parula (finally! Quite late), Hinckley Park, South Portland, 5/4
  • 1 Solitary Sandpiper, Hinckley Park, 5/4.
  • 1 Nashville Warbler, Hinckley Park, 5/4.
  • 11 Vesper Sparrows, Kennebunk Plains, Kennebunk, 5/4.
  • 2 Prairie Warblers, Kennebunk Plains, 5/4.
  • 2 Marsh Wrens, Sanford Lagoons, Sanford, 5/4.
  • 2 Yellow Warblers, Sanford Lagoons, 5/4.
  • 1 Green Heron, Sanford Lagoons, 5/4.
  • 2 Bank Swallows, Pelreco Marsh, Scarborough Marsh, 5/4 (with Jayden Mowry).
  • 1 LITTLE BLUE HERON, Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 5/4 (with Jayden Mowry).
  • 1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird, our feeders in Durham, 5/4.
  • 1 Baltimore Oriole, our feeders in Durham, 5/5.
  • 2 Northern Waterthrushes, Florida Lake Park, 5/5.
  • 2 Black-throated Green Warblers, Florida Lake Park, 5/5.
  • 1 Chimney Swift, Florida Lake Park, 5/5.
  • 3 Common Yellowthroats, Florida Lake Park, 5/5.
  • 1 Ovenbird, Florida Lake Park, 5/5.
  • 1 Magnolia Warbler, Florida Lake Park, 5/5.
  • 1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Hidden Pond Preserve, Freeport, 5/5.
  • 1 Eastern Kingbird, Hidden Pond Preserve, 5/5.
  • 1 House Wren, Runaround Pond Road, Durham, 5/5.
  • 1 Chestnut-sided Warbler, Runaround Pond Preserve, Durham, 5/5.
  • 3 Least Sandpipers, Florida Lake Park, 5/6.
  • 3 Least Flycatchers, Old Town Hose Park, North Yarmouth, 5/7.
  • 4 Eastern Warbling Vireos, Old Town House Park, 5/7.
  • 5 Bobolinks, Old Town House Park, 5/7.
  • 1 American Redstart, Old Town House Park, 5/7.
  • 1 BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, Old Town House Park, 5/7.
  • 1 Great-crested Flycatcher, our property in Durham, 5/7.
  • 3 Veeries, Morgan Meadow WMA, 5/8.
  • 5 Black-throated Blue Warblers, Morgan Meadow WMA, 5/8.
  • 1 Blackburnian Warbler, Morgan Meadow WMA, 5/8.
Vesper Sparrows are “in” at the Kennebunk Plains.

Bradbury Mountain Spring Hawkwatch.

The 20th year of the project began on March 15th and will conclude on May 15th. 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 7 report.

Upcoming Tours (with space available).

Birds On Tap℠ – Roadtrip! Warblers and Wort -THIS SUNDAY, SPACE AVAILABLE!

May 10, 2026; 8:00am – 2:00pm

Portland Explorer (formerly Maine Brew Bus) and Freeport Wild Bird Supply are excited to continue our collaboration for 3 very special outings in 2026. 

These unique, relaxed birding and beer-ing adventures that you have come to love combine great local birding at seasonal hotspots with visits to sample the delicious creations of some of our favorite local breweries. These tours are a perfect introduction to birding and/or craft beer, and a great opportunity to travel with significant others, friends, and family that have interest in one topic, while your interest is primarily in the other (for now!). Seasonal birding hotspots and great local beer – a perfect combination, and we’ll even do all of the driving!

We’re bringing back the “Mother’s Day Special” in 2026, with a return to Portland on one of our most popular annual itineraries. May means warbler migration, and the destination for Warblers and Wort will hit two of Maine’s most famous springtime migrant traps, Portland’s Evergreen Cemetery and nearby Capisic Pond Park. Two oases in the urban jungle, featuring water sources and a mix of various habitats, help concentrate migrant birds that found themselves in or over the city come sunrise. After migrating all night, tired travelers look for refuge: food, water, and shelter, and urban greenspaces are absolutely critical for refueling.  

Warbler diversity will rapidly be increasing, over 15 species possible by the middle of May, depending on the progression of the season. Other species, such as sparrows, raptors, and other Neotropical Migrants such as orioles and tanagers are also on the move, increasing our chances of seeing a diversity of species. If the cemetery’s apples and cherries are blooming, we may be in for quite a treat as these are absolute magnets for hungry migrants.  Meanwhile, most trees have yet to fully leaf out, making them easier to spot! 

It’s sometimes hard to leave Evergreen on a busy spring morning, but if we do, it will be for the very short trip over to Capisic Pond Park, where we’ll continue to seek migrants of all shapes and sizes.

​After about 3 hours of birding, we will be transported to two of our great local producers to sample their offerings and learn their styles. Our brewery destinations are subject to change, but the current plan is to visit Foundation and Rising Tide Brewing Company.

This Week’s Highlights 10/23 – 10/29/2025.

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I’m just a big fan of “Ipswich” Savannah Sparrows, so it was nice to spend some quality time with them this week, including these two at Kettle Cove on Monday.

Most of my birding over the past seven days was very local, especially on our property and out the store’s window. While those were both pleasantly birdy, my few days in the field were even more rewarding. Rarity season is certainly upon us, and while I didn’t chase anything that has been seen recently, I made sure to check spots on my own that could be productive at this time of year. Here are my observations of note over the last seven days.

  • I spent a lot of time birding our property in Durham this week, with the most notable sighting being a late AMERICAN REDSTART on 10/23.
  • 292 Ruddy Ducks, 131 Lesser Scaup, 124 Greater Scaup, 21 distant scaup, 6 Greater Yellowlegs, 3 Semipalmated Plovers, etc, Sabattus Pond, Sabattus, 10/23.
  • 1 Nashville Warbler, Auburn Riverwalk, 10/23.
  • 1 Nashville Warbler, garden here at the store, 10/25.
  • 1 VESPER SPARROW, 2 Orange-crowned Warblers, 3 Common Yellowthroats, 2-3 “Ispwich” Savannah Sparrows, etc, Kettle Cove-Crescent Beach State Parks, Cape Elizabeth, 10/27.
  • 1 “Ipswich” Savannah Sparrow, 3 Great Egrets, etc, Back Cove, Portland, 10/27.

Our Last Tour of 2025 still has some space remaining, speaking of rarity season!

  • Birds on Tap℠ – Roadtrip! Rarity Roundup

November 9, 2025; 8:00am – 3:00pm.

Portland Explorer (formerly Maine Brews Cruise) and Freeport Wild Bird Supply are excited to continue our collaboration for six very special outings in 2025. 

These unique, relaxed birding and beer-ing adventures that you have come to love combine great local birding at seasonal hotspots with visits to sample the delicious creations of some of our favorite local breweries. These tours are a perfect introduction to birding and/or craft beer, and a great opportunity to travel with significant others, friends, and family that have interest in one topic, while your interest is primarily in the other (for now!). Seasonal birding hotspots and great local beer – a perfect combination, and we’ll even do all of the driving!

Early November is a fantastic time of year in Maine for vagrants – birds normally seen in far-off places.  Due to a combination of weather patterns, changing seasonal food resources, falling temperatures, and other factors – some of which are not completely understood – birds that may have ended up in Maine by “accident” begin to concentrate at the coast in “migrant traps” and “hotspots.”  In other words, this is the time of year to expect the unexpected.  

A traditional “Rarity Roundup” involves teams of birders heading out on a given day during rarity prime time, looking for species that are not supposed to be around. And in honor of that tradition, that’s exactly what we are going to do on this unique tour. We may “chase” a rarity (go to see something that has already been found, aka “twitch”) or we might choose a destination known for rare birds in an attempt to find one of our own. Or perhaps, we’ll do both!

​Anything between Portland and Kittery is fair game, and we might not even know where we will head until we are on the bus and the latest rare bird alert is received. For those who love adding a bird to your Life or State List, and/or basking in the thrill of discovery, well then this is the tour for you! In between seeing great birds, we’ll discuss the complex factors that are involved in delivering rarities to an area, and how we go about finding them.

​After about 3-4 hours of birding, depending on drive time, we will be transported to two of our great local producers to sample their offerings and learn their styles.