I enjoyed some excellent birding over the eight days, from oodles of shorebirds to a State Bird! I also covered a lot of ground but had some great birding right in the backyard as well. Since I covered all of my shorebird “data points” in the last week, and with so many observations of note, I thought it was best to post now.

• Highlights from our Durham property this week included a Yellow-billed Cuckoo on 8/18, 2 Cape May Warblers on 8/19, and a juvenile Peregrine Falcon on 8/20 that was our 161^st property bird!

• 1 imm. FORSTER’S TERN, Hill’s Beach, Biddeford, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty and Bill Thompson).
• 1 continuing imm. FORSTER’S TERN, Great Pond, Biddeford Pool, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty).
• 20+ Roseate Terns, Biddeford Pool Beach, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty). Quite a few continue elsewhere around the area as well, many with juveniles in tow. High numbers for this late in the summer continue.
• 4 continuing adult Red-necked Grebes, Ocean Avenue, Biddeford Pool, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty). See above.
• 1 imm. Great Cormorant and 1 female Black Scoter, Ocean Ave, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty).

• Migrant passerines at Florida Lake Park in Freeport on 8/15 included one each of Cape May and Prairie Warblers (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).

• THE continuing THICK-BILLED MURRE, Western Beach as viewed from Pine Point Beach, Scarborough, 8/16 (with Birds on Tap – Shorebirds and Steins! Tour group).

• 1 continuing CRESTED CARACARA, Rustlewood Farm, York, 8/18 (with m.obs). Present here for at least three days, I caught up with the bird on the morning of its final (for now?) morning here. This was my 409^th species in Maine, and #6 on my “My Next Birds in Maine” list thanks to the spate of regional sightings over the last few years. Due to fog and distance, my phone-scoped photos don’t quite do this Mega justice!

And here are my shorebird high counts over the past 8 days (see previous blogs for an explanation of the “data” included here), with a goodly total of 20 species:

• AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER: 4, Pine Point, Scarborough, 8/16 (with Birds on Tap – Shorebirds and Steins! Tour group).
• Black-bellied Plover: 124, The Pool, Biddeford Pool, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty).
• Killdeer: 5, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 8/15 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
• Semipalmated Plover: 345, Hill’s Beach, Biddeford, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty).
• Piping Plover: 5, Hill’s Beach, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty).
• Ruddy Turnstone: 28, Biddeford Pool Beach, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty).
• STILT SANDPIPER: 1 ad. (FOY), Walsh Preserve, Freeport, 8/20 (with Jeannette).
• Sanderling: 4, Hill’s Beach, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty).
• BAIRD’S SANDPIPER: 1 juv (FOY), Great Pond, Biddeford Pool, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty).
• Least Sandpiper: 40+, Pelreco Marsh, Scarborough Marsh, 8/16 (with Birds on Tap – Shorebirds and Steins! Tour group.
• White-rumped Sandpiper: 1, Hill’s Beach, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty) and 1 Pine Point, Scarborough, 8/16 (with Birds on Tap – Shorebirds and Steins! Tour group).
• Semipalmated Sandpiper: 296, Biddeford Pool Beach, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty). Still a low single-location high count for this time of year.
• Short-billed Dowitcher: 52, The Pool, Biddeford, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty)
• Spotted Sandpiper: 6, Great Pond, Biddeford Pool, 8/14 (with Ian Doherty).
• Solitary Sandpiper: 6-7, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 8/15 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
• Lesser Yellowlegs: 67, Walsh Preserve, Freeport, 8/20 (with Jeannette).
• (Eastern) Willet: 3, Jones Creek, Scarborough Marsh, 8/16 (with Birds on Tap – Shorebirds and Steins! Tour group.
• Greater Yellowlegs: 26, Walsh Preserve, Freeport, 8/20 (with Jeannette).
• RED-NECKED PHALAROPE: 8, First Chance Whale Watch, Kennebunk, 8/19 (with Ian Doherty and Bill Thompson).
• RED PHALAROPE: 1, First Chance Whale Watch, 8/19 (with Ian Doherty and Bill Thompson).