Birders in Maine get spoiled by our proximity to Scarborough Marsh. Among other things, there are few places in the world (all between New Hampshire and mid-coast Maine) where two secretive birds, the Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow and Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow are found side-by-side. At Scarborough Marsh, we can find high densities of both species, allowing close side-by-side study at times. Both species nest in the spartina and marsh grasses throughout the area, but access can be difficult. The Eastern Road Trail provides us an easy and convienient way to get into the realm of the sharp-tailed sparrows.

Yesterday, I lead a tour for a couple from Montgomery, Texas. While vacationing in Maine, they spent time looking for target species like Atlantic Puffins at Machias Seal Island. My job was to get them good looks at the two sparrow species. Within 45 minutes after sunrise, we had successfully seen both species well from Eastern Road. We then spent the rest of the day birding the coast, looking especially at migrant shorebirds.

Not a bad way to spend the day!

Visit to find excellent photos of both the Nelson's and Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows. You can sort by alphebetical order in the upper right hand corner of the page to easily find the links to the photographs.