My birding outing this morning turned into slightly more of an adventure than had bargained for. I took Sasha with me to unofficially survey another stretch of high-tension powerline cuts through Pownal. (See my June 7th entry). I parked on Allen Rd, and walked northeast, crossing Fickett Rd and continuing north-northeast towards Lawrence Rd.

The walk began leisurely enough, tallying the expected powerline denizens, such as Prairie Warblers and Common Yellowthroats. This stretch passed through, or next to, some hayfields, so Bobolinks and Eastern Meadowlarks were also around. A highlight was 4 Wilson’s Snipe in one wet meadow section. Two flushed ahead of us, Sasha flushed one more, and one was performing its winnowing display flight overhead.

A short distance beyond Fickett Rd, 7 White-winged Crossbills flew overhead, high, but calling vociferously. Crossbills are likely now beginning their post-breeding dispersal (they begin nesting in late winter and early spring around here during an irruption year), so we should be on the lookout for them almost anywhere. Lots of White-winged Crossbills stayed to breed throughout most of the state after the winter’s big irruption (which occurred to take advantage of a bumper crop of spruce cones), so there may be a bunch of kids on the move now.

About 45 minutes into the walk, I came upon a field, and the trail dissipated. Did I really want to walk through waist-high hayfields? While ponder this, I noticed just how fast that really dark cloud was approaching. Then, I heard my first rumble of thunder. Good thing I was 45 minutes away from my car in an open field surrounded by high-tension powerlines. I wasn’t worried about getting wet, but Sasha hates thunder – she cowers with each loud rumble, and I hate lightning when I’m standing in an open field surrounded by high-tension powerlines.

So, we turned around and briskly walked towards the car. But, the thunderstorm was rapidly approaching. When I reached Fickett Rd, I had a decision to make – stay on the powerline cut, the quickest way to the car, even though it would keep me in the open longer, followed by the cut rising over a small hill, or do I follow the road. A closer crack of thunder made the decision for me.

The only problem was I wasn’t sure what road I was on. I don’t walk or drive these roads often enough to know them well enough, and I had crossed through an intersection of 4 powerline cuts (one of which was not on my map), and wasn’t entirely sure which one I had followed. IF this is Fickett, does it hit Allen, or have I hit Lawrence Rd already (which parallels Allen). All I knew for sure was that my car was on Allen Rd, and with the thunderstorm now upon us, that’s really the only place I wanted to be.

A pickup pulls up – but he too is looking for directions, to Freeport, and has no idea what road he was on. Well, at least I was able to point him in the right direction. Assuming I was in fact on Fickett, I know if he stayed straight (after turning around), he would eventually hit 136, and making a right onto that would soon bring him into town. But, it didn’t help me at all. Luckily, a very short distance later, I was at an intersection labeled Fickett and Allen, so I now new exactly where I was (and had given the proper directions). I still had to get back to the car though, and the rain had begun to fall. It began to fall much heavier as we ran across another powerline cut – next to an electrical substation lined with lighting rods, and a communication tower nearby. Great.

Finally, I could see my car up ahead. We were both thoroughly soaked, but hey, at least it washed off some of the ticks we had collected. Just then, another pickup pulls up, but this kind gentlemen just wanted to check in to see if we “were all set.” With the car in sight, despite the downpour, I was happy to say, “Yes, thank you!”

Here’s the morning’s tally:
13 Prairie Warblers
11 Common Yellowthroats
8 Alder Flycatchers
6+ Song Sparrows
5 White-throated Sparrows
4 Wilson’s Snipe
3 Chestnut-sided Warblers
3+ Bobolinks
1 pair American Kestrels
2 Eastern Towhees
2 Chipping Sparrows
2 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks
2 Eastern Meadowlarks
1 Red-tailed Hawk
1 Nashville Warbler
1 Magnolia Warbler
1 Swamp Sparrow

By the way, I looked at the radar when I got home. This was literally the ONLY thunderstorm in southern Maine this morning. Guess I was just lucky!