Tag Archives: Yellow-throated Vireo

This Week’s Highlights, 5/17-5/22/2025.

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This immature male Orchard Oriole was singing up a storm – when we wasn’t being chased by a territorial male Baltimore – at tiny, but often-productive – Lake Grove Park in Auburn on the 18th.

A sneaky good flight overnight Saturday into Sunday made for a tremendous day of birding: it took me over three hours to leave my yard! The rest of the week, however, was very slow by mid-May standards, with the exception of a very surprising morning At Fort Foster on Friday. My observations of note over the past six days before I head off to Monhegan with my tour group included the following:

  • 17 species of warblers, led by 38+ American Redstarts and 16 Black-throated Green Warblers, our property in Durham, 5/18.
  • 1 Louisiana Waterthrush, Papermill Trail, Lisbon, 5/18.
  • 1 immature male ORCHARD ORIOLE, Lake Grove Park, Auburn, 5/18.
  • 1 Lesser Scaup, Pine Point, Scarborough, 5/20.
  • 19 species of warblers, led by 27+ American Redstarts and 19 Yellow Warblers, but also including 8+ Bay-breasted Warblers, Fort Foster, Kittery, 5/22.
  • 120 Brant (impressive flock for Maine!) and 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Fort Foster, 5/22.

My personal “first of years” this week also included:

  • 1 Indigo Bunting, our property in Durham, 5/18.
  • 1 Bay-breasted Warbler, our property in Durham, 5/18.
  • 1 Swainson’s Thrush, Papermill Trail, Lisbon, 5/18.
  • 8+ Common Nighthawks, our property in Durham, 5/18.
  • 3 YELLOW-THROATED VIREOS, Morgan Meadow WMA, Gray/Raymond, 5/19 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 Tennessee Warbler, our property in Durham. 5/20.
  • # Least Tern, Pine Point, Scarborough, 5/20.
  • 3-4 Saltmarsh Sparrows, Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 5/20.
  • 1 Black-billed Cuckoo, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 5/21.

Upcoming Tours (with space available):

Rangeley Birding Festival, June 5-8

This Week’s Highlights, 5/4– 5/10/2024

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This Ovenbird on our property paused for a moment as it enjoyed a snack it pulled from the leaf litter.

The migratory floodgates really opened this week, as expected, with the diversity of Neotropical migrants increasing dramatically. Days like the 7th and 8th are truly special, but any day birding – especially in May! – yields its own rewards. My observations of note over the past seven days also included:

  • 10 species of warblers (FOY) led by ~40 Yellow-rumped Warblers and 25+ Black-and-white Warblers, Morgan Meadow WMA, 5/6 (with Jeannette).
  • 15 species of warblers (FOY) led by 100+ Yellow-rumped Warblers and 13 Black-and-white Warblers, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 5/7.
  • 1 continuing TRICOLORED HERON (FOY), Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 5/7.
  • 15 species of warblers led by 50+ Yellow-rumped Warblers and 15-20 Black-throated Green Warblers, our property in Durham, 5/8.
  • 15 species of warblers led by 35+ Yellow-rumped Warblers and 20+ Black-and-white Warblers, our property in Durham, 5/10.

As is typical of early May, new arrivals were the headliners of most days of birding. Additional personal first-of-years this week also included:

  • 1 Yellow Warbler, Hidden Pond Preserve, Freeport (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • ~40 Chimney Swifts, over downtown Portland at dusk, 5/4 (with Jeannette).
  • 4+ Common Terns, Curtis Farm Preserve, Harpswell, 5/5 (with Harpswell Heritage Land Trust birdwalk group).
  • 1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird, our property in Durham, 5/6.
  • 1 Cape May Warbler, Morgan Meadow WMA, 5/6 (with Jeannette).
  • 5 Common Yellowthroats, Morgan Meadow WMA, 5/6 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 Solitary Sandpiper, Morgan Meadow WMA, 5/6 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 Chestnut-sided Warbler, our property in Durham, 5/6.
  • 1 YELLOW-THROATED VIREO (a little early), Morgan Meadow WMA, 5/6 (with Jeannette).
  • 3 Least Flycatchers, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 5/7.
  • 3 Magnolia Warblers, Florida Lake Park, 5/7.
  • 2 American Redstarts, Florida Lake Park, 5/7.
  • 1 Scarlet Tanager, Florida Lake Park, 5/7.
  • 1 Veery, Florida Lake Park, 5/7.
  • 1 Blackburnian Warbler, Florida Lake Park, 5/7.
  • Since I had not been in Scarborough Marsh in a few weeks, a number of personal first-of-years on 5/7 for me that have been present for a while now included Lesser Yellowlegs, Glossy Ibis, Willet, and Least Sandpiper, while more recent arrivals included 1 Least Tern (Pelreco Marsh) and 1 Spotted Sandpiper (Pelreco Marsh).
  • 1 Warbling Vireo, our property in Durham, 5/8.
  • 1 Wilson’s Warbler, our property in Durham, 5/8.
  • 2 Bobolinks, Wharton Point, Brunswick, 5/9 (with Dan Nickerson).
  • 3 Prairie Warblers, Bowdoin Sand Plain, Brunswick Landing, 5/9 (with Dan Nickerson).
  • 1 Canada Warbler, our property in Durham, 5/10.
  • 1 Lincoln’s Sparrow, our property in Durham, 5/10.

TOURS AND EVENTS:

Nothing like the splash of color from a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak at the feeding station to brighten a gray day in the backyard.

This Week’s Highlights, 5/13– 5/19, 2023

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I haven’t been carrying my camera much, and with only one working arm still, my photography has not been very successful. But this Gray Catbird posed nicely for me at Hinckley Park on the 19th.

I had a very busy week of programming, with two tours and some private guiding. With limited free time in between, I made the most of it with some excellent morning outings. Highlights included lots of migrants and more new arrivals, as well as uncommon local breeding birds.

My observations of note over the past seven days included:

  • 16 species of warblers led by 15+ American Redstarts and 10+ Black-and-white Warblers, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/14 (with Down East Adventures Spring Songbird Workshop tour group).
  • Unknown number in a small group of calling Red Crossbills, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/14 (with Down East Adventures Spring Songbird Workshop tour group).
  • 1 pair SANDHILL CRANES, 3 YELLOW-THROATED VIREOS, 1 LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH, and 1 BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, Morgan Meadow WMA, 5/15 (with Jeannette.  That was a great morning!)
  • 30-40 Long-tailed Ducks, Stover’s Cove Preserve, Harpswell, 5/18 (with Harpswell Heritage Land Trust tour group).
  • 19 species of warblers, led by 14 American Redstarts and 9 Black-and-white Warblers, but also including 5+ Tennessee Warblers, etc, Hinckley Park, South Portland, 5/19. My best warbler morning of the season so far.
  • 4 Red Crossbills, Hinckley Park, 5/19.

My personal FOY’s this week once again included a mix of “they’ve been around for a while but I haven’t been in the habitat,” regular and on-time arrivals, a few species that have been slow to arrive given our abnormal spring weather pattern, and even an oddly early arrival or two.

  • 4 Magnolia Warblers, Florida Lake Park, 5/13 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • 1 YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER, Florida Lake Park, 5/13 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group. Exceptionally early; likely my earliest record by at least several days if not over a week).
  • 1 Lincoln’s Sparrow, Florida Lake Park, 5/13 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • 1 Blackburnian Warbler, Florida Lake Park, 5/13 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • 3 Red-eyed Vireos, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/14 (with Down East Adventures Spring Songbird Workshop tour group).
  • 2 Tennessee Warblers, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/14 (with Down East Adventures Spring Songbird Workshop tour group).
  • 1 Cape May Warbler, Bradbury Mountain Spring Hawkwatch, 5/14.
  • 1 House Wren, Hidden Pond Preserve, Freeport, 5/16 (with clients from Maine).
  • 1 male Indigo Bunting, our feeders in Durham, 5/17.
  • 10+ Bobolinks, Old Brunswick Road, Durham, 5/18.
  • 8 Blackpoll Warblers, Hinckley Park, 5/19.
  • 3 Swainson’s Thrushes, Hinckley Park, 5/19.
  • 1 Black-billed Cuckoo, Hinckley Park, 5/19.

TOURS AND EVENTS:

This Week’s Highlights, 5/6 – 5/12, 2023

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With my guiding season now in full swing, I have no choice but to be out in the field a lot, regardless of my shoulder situation. And with much finer weather and some good nights of especially Saturday and Thursday nights, the arrivals of migrants caught up to the date quite rapidly. Many new arrivals – as well as a lot of personal first-of-years since I had not been getting out much – resulted in a nice long list of highlights for me -and my clients – over the past 7 days. 

My observations of note over the past seven days included:

  • 10 Greater Yellowlegs, our property in Durham (thanks to a flood in our field), 5/5 diminishing to 3 by 5/7.
  • 250-300++ White-throated Sparrow in impressive fallout, Evergreen Cemetery, Portland, 5/8 (with client from Spain).
  • 1 female Red Crossbill, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/8 (with client from Spain).
  • 10 species of warblers, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/8 (with client from Spain). This tied my latest date for reaching 10 species at one place in one morning for the first time of the season.
  • 1 WHITE-WINGED SCOTER (looking very out of place) and a pair of RUDDY DUCKS, Sanford Lagoons, Sanford, 5/8 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
  • 1 drake Northern Shoveler, Dunstan Landing, Scarborough Marsh, 5/8 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
  • 1 pair LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH, Morgan Meadow WMA, Gray/Raymond, 5/11 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
  • 1 BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 5/11 (with clients from Spain and Maine).

The long list of my personal FOY’s this week also included:

  • 1 Ovenbird, Florida Lake Park, 5/6 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • 1 Common Yellowthroat, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/8 (with client from Spain).
  • 1 Nashville Warbler, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/8 (with client from Spain).
  • 3 Chimney Swifts, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/8 (with client from Spain).
  • 2 Yellow Warblers, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/8 (with client from Spain).
  • 1 American Redstart, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/8 (with client from Spain).
  • 1 Green Heron, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/8 (with client from Spain).
  • 1 Black-crowned Night-Heron, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/8 (with client from Spain).
  • 1 Chestnut-sided Warbler, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/8 (with client from Spain).
  • 1 Prairie Warbler, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/8 (with client from Spain).
  • 20+ Field Sparrows, Kennebunk Plains, 5/8 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
  • 3 Vesper Sparrows, Kennebunk Plains, 5/8 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
  • 1 Eastern Meadowlark, Kennebunk Plains, 5/8 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
  • 2 Solitary Sandpipers, Sanford Lagoons, 5/8 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
  • 1 Spotted Sandpiper, Sanford Lagoons, 5/8 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
  • 1 Least Tern, Pelreco Marsh, Scarborough Marsh, 5/8 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
  • 30+ Common Terns, Pine Point, Scarborough, 5/8 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
  • 4-6 ROSEATE TERNS, Pine Point, 5/8 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
  • 1 Eastern Kingbird, Dunstan Landing, Scarborough Marsh, 5/8 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
  • 1 Northern Waterthrush, Florida Lake Park, 5/9.
  • 1 Black-throated Blue Warbler, Florida Lake Park, 5/9.
  • 1 Northern Rough-winged Swallow (finally, extremely late for my first of the year, and this one was not due to lack of visitation of its habitats), Florida Lake Park, 5/9.
  • 1 Veery, Florida Lake Park, 5/9.
  • 1 Cliff Swallow, Florida Lake Park, 5/9.
  • 1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird, our yard in Durham, 5/9.
  • 1 White-crowned Sparrows, feeders here at the store, 5/10.
  • 14 Least Flycatchers, Morgan Meadow WMA, 5/11 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
  • 2 Great Crested Flycatcher, Morgan Meadow WMA, 5/11 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
  • 3-4 YELLOW-THROATED VIREOS, Morgan Meadow WMA. 5/11 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
  • 1 Scarlet Tanager, Morgan Meadow WMA, 5/11 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
  • 1 Warbling Vireo, Durham River Park, Durham, 5/11 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
  • 1 Bank Swallow, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 5/11 (with clients from Spain and Maine).
  • 1 Wood Thrush, our property in Durham, 5/12.
  • 1 Canada Warbler, Florida Lake Park, 5/12.
  • 1 Wilson’s Warbler, Florida Lake Park, 5/12.

TOURS AND EVENTS: