After two days of sleeping in (snagged an extra hour before Saturday morning’s birdwalk – which by the way, was highlighted by prolonged scope views of a singing male Indigo Bunting –to go with my laziness of Friday), I was revved up and ready to go early yesterday morning. I headed south for Kittery’s Fort Foster (where I have not been in over 2 months). My mission this morning was to find an Acadian Flycatcher.

Although reported every year or two in Maine, this drab Empid usually shows up in late spring/early summer as an “overshoot.” In other words: a migrant that traveled just a bit too far. However, this spring there have been more than usual reported in the northern limits of their range (they just make it into Massachusetts, and probably New Hampshire, as breeders). This included a whopping 6 banded on Appledore Island in just two days last week – and Appledore is within eyeshot (especially for an Acadian Flycatcher) of Fort Foster, so this seemed to be as good as a place as any to begin my search.

Fort Foster was fairly active this morning, with a few tardy migrants (American Redstarts and a single Magnolia Warbler, 75+ Cedar Waxwings, and a few shorebirds). I did turn up both Least (breeder) and Alder (likely migrants) Flycatchers, along with some Eastern Wood-Pewees (one of which I had to chase around for a bit to get a look at), but no Acadian Flys.

Moving on, the thicket at the end of Seapoint Beach held some migrants as well (another Magnolia Warbler, 1 American Redstart, and 3 Red-eyed Vireos). For the first time, I walked the Cutts Island Trail (in a portion of the Rachel Carson NWR) along Seapoint Road. An easy 1.8 mile loop passed through some nice moist woods in a strip sandwiched between saltmarsh. It even looked REALLY good for an Acadian Flycatcher, but it did produce one migrant: a Swainson’s Thrush.

The next stop was Fort McClary, where I heard a Blackpoll Warbler (that’s at least 3 species of migrant warblers still on the move today) and noticed a good concentration of terns feeding off of the Kittery Town Landing, which soon became my next stop. It also “terned” (hehehe) out to be my highlight of the day, as I spent quite some time enjoying the feeding frenzy of over 150+ Common Terns, in which I teased out a goodly total of at least 10 Roseate Terns.

It was already 11:30, and the wind was picking up by the time I reached Cape Neddick, so birding the patches of trees in the neighborhood here wasn’t too productive. Besides, by now, my stomach had joined my brain in calling for lunch at JJC – the great little Jamaican food joint along Rte 1 in Ogunquit; they close for the winter, and have just reopened on Memorial Day. Along with finding an Acadian Flycatcher, a visit here was also one of the goals for the day. So, I was batting .500 when I headed back north.

In the steady rain and driving onshore wind today, I began the morning seawatching under the shelter of the Lobster Shack at Dyer Point in Cape Elizabeth. Even between bands of heavier rain (thanks to the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry – although I can’t complain, the garden needed a thorough soaking) when the visibility was pretty good, I didn’t spot much. My one-hour tally only consisted of 7 Common Loons, 4 Red-throated Loons, 6 Black Scoters, and 2 Northern Gannets, all heading north (with about a dozen Gannets wandering back south). Scrapping this plan, I checked a few sites on the way to Ferry Beach in Scarborough. Arriving just as the tide began to come in – prime time at this location, I was treated to a fair amount of activity (lots of Least and Common Terns feeding in the channel, for example). The shorebirding was also pretty good, headlined by 3 Red Knots, always a treat to see in the spring in Maine. But, before long, the rain had increased once again, and my lenscloth was now saturated. Therefore, my lack of dry optics forced me to head out in search of some hot chocolate.