I enjoyed a busy, but fun, weekend full of friends, family, and Rutgers Football. Unfortunately, birding was limited due to late nights and uncooperative weather! My attempts at keeping a “Tailgating List” prior to Sunday night’s game was thwarted by extremely strong winds. In four hours of daylight, the list only managed to accumulate 7 species (Ring-billed and Herring Gull, American Robin, European Starling, Mourning Dove, American Crow, and Canada Goose).

A few hours at the Montclair Hawkwatch on Monday were much more productive (about 40 raptors in 2 ¾ hours), but I was pretty much showing withdrawal symptoms by the time Jeannette and I arrived at Biddeford Pool yesterday to meet up with our friend Marshall for a ½ day of rarity searching. Luckily, a very productive morning has eased those withdrawal symptoms (then again, the symptoms may also be in response to the two pork roll, egg, and cheese on a bagel sandwiches that I consumed this weekend!).

Jeannette and I arrived at East Point Sanctuary and were excited to find a Short-eared Owl – a species that neither of us had seen in a while. It flushed from the short grass and circled overhead before flying out over to, and disappearing into, the grass of Wood Island. What a treat - I love that bird!

Marshall was in the neighborhood, sorting through scattered migrant groups, and he soon joined up with us at East Point before we all headed back into the neighborhood. Lots of Long-tailed Ducks and Red-breasted Mergansers were offshore, along with a plethora of Common Loons, Red-necked Grebes, and a few Horned Grebes. Oh yes, the seasons they are a’changin”

A group of sparrows along the edge of the gold course provided my first two American Tree Sparrows of the fall. As much as I am a fan of this species as well, it is always bittersweet to see one – they are the last of the common, regularly-occurring migrant passerines to arrive. The arrival of the Trees mean the end of fall is near.

But, unlike the harbinger of winter that is an American Tree Sparrow, late October birding often produced a number of late-lingering Neotropical migrants that remind us of the warmth of the passing season. While we did not find a “Mega” rarity this day, we did enjoy a great list of late migrants: a single Black-throated Green Warbler and a Baltimore Oriole topping the list. Two Field Sparrows, two Common Yellowthroats, and a Western Palm Warbler, along with a Carolina Wren, were seen as well. Meanwhile, a single drake Harlequin Duck continues along the shoreline.

Jeannette and I then stopped at Hill’s Beach for a short time before heading back home. We had great views of our second Ipswich Savannah Sparrow of the day, and a lingering Black-bellied Plover. A growing number of waterfowl offshore also held a single Green-winged Teal and a single female Ring-necked Duck.

I also had another personal season-first this morning at The Hog – an adult Northern Shrike. I heard a slightly odd call overhead – that was quite similar to a Purple Finch – and was lucky to spot the shrike was it quickly lost altitude and dropped into the park, perching on a tree-top at the field’s edge. Shrikes are one of my very favorite birds, so hopefully this is a sign of another productive winter in Maine for observing this spectacular and fascinating species.