Sometime last fall, a man with a scruffy beard and a tattered ball cap walked into the store. He was interested in a spotting scope for use on his boat - for observing seals, other boats, birds, and even stars. As we discussed the options, we chatted. To make a long story short, this man was Captain Garth Wells of the Schooner Lewis R. French.

The L.R. French is a 105-foot (65-foot of deck-space), 2-mast coasting schooner built in 1871 and is a registered National Historic Landmark. Captain Wells runs trips throughout the summer, from 4-day to 6-day excursions out of Camden Harbor. As we discussed the finer points of optics – and the variables we need to consider for his uses, we also discussed a possible birding-themed outing. Not long thereafter, we confirmed the plans: Jeannette and I would be the guides for a 6-day, 6-night Birding by Schooner trip in the Gulf of Maine.

Last Sunday night, Jeannette and I boarded the French in Camden Harbor, along with 22 excited participants (the full capacity of the boat). We met Garth, First Mate Jonathan, Cook Chad, and Mess-mate (and Garth’s fiancée) Jenny. We then got settled into our cubby-hole sized bunk (and we got one of the larger bunks!)

The Lewis R. French. (The photos presented here, by the way, are taken by both me and Jeannette. Most of the good ones are hers.)

Camden Harbor.

After dinner on our own in Camden, we were back on board, and the Mallards in the harbor were the first official birds of the trip. The next morning (Monday), the yawl boat motored us out of the harbor, and then we set sail. Ospreys, Laughing Gulls, Black Guillemots (45 in total by nightfall), Common Eiders, and others were soon spotted, and we began to tally a few landbirds that we heard and/or saw as we moved out of the harbor.

A Laughing Gull stands gaurd.

Leaving Camden Harbor.

Our first destination was Matinicus Rock. Yup, I wanted that Red-billed Tropicbird that has been seen here! Exclusively under the power of wind and sail, we sailed into the wind with thoughts of tubenoses and alcids dancing in our minds. Northern Gannets (32 on the day) and many Wilson’s Storm-Petrels (an excellent tally of 270 by day’s end) were soon being seen – a very good start indeed – and then we began our steady dripping of mackerel oil as chum.

Captain Garth Wells.

Lots of Wilson’s Storm-Petrels, and soon our first Greater Shearwaters of the trip. The wind was perfect for our day’s plan, and the rain was SUPPOSED to hold off until nightfall. However, not long after Matinicus was visible on the horizon, fog and drizzle began. A little bit of a swell sent some folks down below, and then the rain began. As we neared Matinicus Rock, heavy rain and fog dampened (pun intended) our view, and we had to keep going.

Arctic and Common Terns were in the air, a few Atlantic Puffins (8 in total) flew by, as did 2 Razorbills and a single Common Murre. Oh, but that Tropicbird – and all of the other seabirds of Matinicus! - were so close, yet so far! The wind and increasing seas called for us to head for shelter, and the fog and heavy rain was hampering our ability to see birds anyway. So, with hopes for a second chance, we turned west, and headed for Monhegan Island.

On the way, through the thickening fog, we spotted a few more Greater Shearwaters (for a total of 20 on the day), and our first and only Sooty Shearwater of the trip. We moored off of Smutty Nose – serenaded by a Winter Wren, and headed down into the galley for our only indoor meal of the whole week. By the way, Chad’s food all week was simply fantastic! (I know I usually mention our “fooding” in the blog, but since each meal was so great, a thorough coverage of the culinary delights of this adventure would make this entry even more brutally long that it already is!)

After breakfast, we motored the yawl boat to the dock on Monhegan, and enjoyed a couple of hours of terra firma-based birding. Although late July is not exactly prime-time for Monhegan birding (passerine migration in spring and fall is), we did enjoy a few sightings of note, such as 2 singing Carolina Wrens, a great show by two countersinging and very actively displaying House Wrens, and a few fledgling Yellow Warblers. Earlier, from the boat, 4 migrant Whimbrel had passed overhead, heading south, as did at least one heard-only Least Sandpiper.

Monhegan Island.

Us and the Captain.

The fog rolls in.

Back on the French, we ate lunch, and then set sail for Eastern Egg Rock. The fog was thick, but we decided to go for it anyway. In what was possibly a good omen, 5 Atlantic Puffins were well seen as they materialized from the gray only about 300-500 yards off of Monhegan. Despite the dense fog, we continued on a course for Eastern Egg, and as we neared it the fog began to lift. A handful of Wilson’s Storm-Petrels fluttered about, and a single unidentified phalarope briefly alighted on a floating mat of seaweed.

With the sun now shining brightly, we were greeted by a great look at a subadult Parasitic Jaeger – always a treat for me as this is one of my favorite bird families. Roseate, Common, and Arctic Terns were all well seen, including some great close-up studies and comparisons as they passed the boat – many carrying fish for hungry youngsters- and swirled over the island. Atlantic Puffins, looking like big, black-and-white bumblebees or flying rugby balls buzzed to and fro, with dozens upon dozens of Black Guillemots loafing on the rocks and in the water. As Garth and crew adeptly maneuvered the boat around the island, followed by a tack for a second pass of the west side, ooh’s and ah’s emanated from the boat.

Approaching Eastern Egg Rock.

Eastern Egg Rock.

Leaving Eastern Egg, we headed into inshore waters, tallying more Wilson’s Storm-Petrels on the way. We traveled the Davis Straight through Georges Island, past Port Clyde, Mosquito Island (which we happily quickly passed by at a safe distance!), and then towards Spruce Island. A few more migrant shorebirds were noted, including a single Ruddy Turnstone, a few small groups of Semipalmated Sandpipers (with more peeps being recorded simply as “unidentified peep”). A 3rd-Cycle Bald Eagle was on Benner Island, and we spotted a Merlin shortly thereafter.

We dropped anchor on the north side of Spruce Head, with a couple of Great Blue Herons heading to roost passing overhead, along with another southbound Whimbrel. On Tuesday morning, we ate breakfast with Great Blue Herons commuting overhead, and Black-throated Green Warblers singing from land. A handful of us then elected for a bit of exercise by taking the row boat for a spin into the cove, providing us a few more landbirds for the trip list, along with great, close-up views of four Bonaparte’s Gulls, and two flyover migrant Lesser Yellowlegs.

Sunrise from anchorage off of Spruce Head.

Sailing from Spruce head, we made our way between Otter and Ash Islands, across the mouth of the Penobscot, south of the white islands, up Hurricane Sound, into the Fox Islands Thoroughfare through Merchant’s Row (on the north side of Isle au Haut), and eventually dropped anchor between McGlathery and Round Islands. With today’s journey restricted to nearshore and inshore waters, our seabird diversity was low, limited to only a handful of Common Terns, a few Northern Gannets, and 55 Wilson’s Storm-Petrels – no doubt having been blown in by the easterly winds of the past few days.

A total of three Bald Eagles, 10 Ospreys (plus two nests with young), a group of 10 migrant Semipalmated Sandpipers, and the addition of some more landbirds to the trip list, exemplified our nearshore travels today. 6 Gray Seals hauled out near a large pack of Harbor Seals (of which many hundreds were seen today, mostly hauled out at favored spots at low tide), added diversity to our mammal list for the trip. Our day’s travels came to a close when we dropped anchor between McGlathery and Round Islands, with a Swainson’s Thrush greeting us with a short bout of its beautiful, melodic song echoing from the woodlands.

The "feed line." Here, Chad serves up lunch, a different soup and salad each day. Each meal was fantastic, and even the "light" lunches set me on my way to accumulating an extra 3 1/2 pounds by the time we returned home!

This day, sticking to inshore waters, was quite different from our first two days of the trip. “Scenic” doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the beauty of this area. However, my real interests lay farther offshore – in deeper waters and isolated islands teaming with breeding seabirds. But, when you’re sailing, you are at the mercy of the winds (the benefit is that our trip’s carbon footprint was limited to a few gallons of diesel for our yawl boat and the wood-burning stove in the galley). In the upcoming days, Garth will get us back offshore if the winds and seas permit.

Derek and Garth discuss the plan.

Stay Tuned for Part II tomorrow!