Tour Narrative
In Brief: Quite a few species reach the northern limits of their range in Maine, and plenty of others reach the southeastern limits of their range here as well. Some interesting juxtapostions can occur, and we capitalized on that diversity by experiencing the range of habitats the state offers, from sandy beach and salt marsh to alpine tundra atop Mount Washington. In the end, we tallied 179 species, including 20 species of warbler, nine flycatchers, seven thrushes, five terns, five vireos, and four alcids. Some of the highlights included a great Roseate Tern show, one of the best Upland Sandpiper performances ever, a fourth state record of Eared Grebe, digiscoped Bicknell’s Thrush, a juvenile Black-backed Woodpecker, a Spruce Grouse hen with chicks, pelagic birds off Bar Harbor, and—of course—Machias Seal Island.
In Detail: Our first stop on our first morning was Scarborough Marsh, where we soon saw Saltmarsh and Nelson’s Sparrow very well. Our next stop yielded the first surprise of the trip, a Wilson’s Phalarope with two oversummering Greater Yellowlegs. At Pine Point, we studied Roseate Terns among multitudes of Common and Least, and we spotted a few other birds of note in and around the marsh, including a rare Tricolored Heron and single White-rumped and Semipalmated Sandpipers. We also made time for a visit with Piping Plover, picking up two Surf and five White-winged Scoters along the way—nice birds for a summer tour.
No trip to Maine is complete without a visit to LL Bean’s flagship store in Freeport, and we also made a stop at the productive feeders of Freeport Wild Bird Supply. Then it was on to dinner in Cape Elizabeth, where we enjoyed some casual seawatching while adding Maine’s best lobster rolls to our life lists.
Early the next morning, we hit the Kennebunk Plains, the stage for one of the best Upland Sandpiper shows I’d ever witnessed: at least six birds were calling, flying, and displaying, including a few that passed right over our heads. Grasshopper Sparrows were well seen, as were Prairie Warbler and Vesper Sparrow. A visit to the Sanford Sewerage Facility added Eared Grebe, Common Moorhen, and Ruddy Duck to the tour list, while Brownfield Bog yielded Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Yellow-throated Vireo, two species at the northern limits of their range in southern Maine.
We then worked our way to Gorham, New Hampshire, and after an early dinner boarded the van for a private tour up the Auto Road. It was a gorgeous evening, unusually clear; and with winds of “only” about 30 mph, we couldn’t resist a quick trip to the summit. A stop along the way at the “Cow Pasture” produced a single American Pipit at one of this species’ two eastern US breeding locations. But of course, we were really there for Bicknell’s Thrush, and we were treated to quite a show. One bird even “teed up” and let me digiscope it! We heard a total of four thrushes, but it will be a long time before we forget the astounding views that one particular bird provided.
Our plan for Day Three had been to bird around New Hampshire’s White Mountains, but with Jefferson Notch Road closed, we headed off early to Rangeley instead. A stop along the way netted Philadelphia Vireo, and later in the afternoon we found a juvenile Black-backed Woodpecker that posed for pictures; we also encountered such expected—but still eagerly anticipated—boreal specialties as Alder and Yellow-bellied Flycatchers and “Yellow” Palm and Blackburnian Warblers—and a moose. Dinner at the Gingerbread House in Oquossoc was a most pleasant surprise: great gourmet food, much different from what I usually eat when visiting the area.
The next day started out wet, but soon the rain cleared and the Mourning Warblers that we’d missed early on showed themselves on our second visit. Before heading out of town, we caught up with Olive-sided Flycatcher, a family of Gray Jays, an inquisitive pair of Boreal Chickadees, and other local specialties. On our way east, we visited Messalonskee Lake and its foraging Black Terns, then called on one of the only Purple Martin colonies in the state.
It was 3:00 when we arrived at Bangor’s Penjajawoc Marsh, and we weren’t holding out much hope for the afternoon lull. Needless to say, we were more than pleasantly surprised by the American Bittern that flushed from the trail, the Common Moorhen roosting in the open, the calling Virginia Rail, the excited Willow Flycatcher, and the spiffy male Northern Harrier that flew over. Not bad for the edge of a Home Depot parking lot!
We awoke the next morning to fog and rough seas in the Gulf of Maine, postponing our trip to Machias Seal Island. Our itinerary had allowed for just such a circumstance, and so we simply flipped the days and birded Washington County, where Boot Cove Preserve yielded Lincoln’s Sparrow. Hamilton Cove Preserve turned up Wilson’s Warbler, and Quoddy Head State Park offered more Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, a Lincoln’s Sparrow, fly-by Razorbills, and a single summering adult Great Cormorant. After lunch we toured Campobello Island, where a little patient seawatching produced two of the Black-legged Kittiwakes nesting off East Quoddy Head. Then we checked Boot Cove again, this time scoring the Spruce Grouse we’d missed in the morning.
The next morning found the sun shining, the seas flattening, and our Machias Seal Island trip ready to go. Before embarking, we spent a short time searching the Bold Coast area for a few boreal specialties that we hadn’t seen yet. A fly-over Red Crossbill was nice, as was the pair of Northern Harriers. Soon it was time to board the boat and head over to Machias Seal Island. Our captain adeptly nudged us close to shore, where we had tremendous views of Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills, and Common Murres. Unfortunately, the island’s airspace was eerily quiet, as the entire tern colony had abandoned the island again for reasons still unknown.
After that memorable visit, we headed down to Bar Harbor, where we were joined for dinner by a young scientist conducting seabird foraging surveys in the area. She was kind enough to share some of her study’s results—and stories of the trials and tribulations of field work—a nice way to spice up the evening conversation; the next day, she joined us aboard the Friendship V for a whale and puffin cruise. We began with a visit to the seabird colony at Petit Manan, where we delighted in more Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills, a handful of Common Murres, and many, many Arctic and Common Terns. We also got to see 34 Greater Shearwaters, 17 Wilson’s Storm-Petrels, three Northern Fulmars, a single Sooty Shearwater, and a surprise Leach’s Storm-Petrel that briefly materialized in front of us. We didn’t spot any whales, though, so we were all issued free passes for the next morning—and the group jumped at the chance to get offshore again.
But first there was plenty of birding to be done in breathtaking Acadia National Park. We drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain, took a spin around the Park Loop, and poked around in the botanical gardens at Sieur de Monts springs. The stunning vistas made the afternoon more than memorable, and we ended our day with a successful twitch for Canada Warbler. Our dinner was fresh-caught lobster the way Maine-ah’s like it: at a lobster pound, on a paper plate, no frills, just fresh-as-can-be lobster the way it was meant to be!
Next morning we cashed in those whale watch vouchers, and relished another visit to the puffins, razorbills, and murres of Petit Manan before heading to deeper waters. No fog, glass-calm seas, and lots of seabirds: 378 Wilson’s Storm-Petrels, 157 Greater Shearwaters, six Northern Fulmars, five Sooty Shearwaters, five Northern Gannets, and four Manx Shearwaters—not to mention the three Fin Whales, including a confiding mother and calf.
After another lobster roll lunch, we began the journey south. Hedgehog Mountain Park—my local patch—produced Eastern Wood-Pewee and Wood Thrush to fill in a couple of holes on our checklist. Finally, we birded in relaxed comfort on my back porch, bringing a tour filled with birds and habitats to a successful close.
- Derek Lovitch
Updated: July 2010