I met Marshall early this morning at Biddeford Pool Beach. On the incoming tide, shorebirds were rapidly building in from the Pool and Hill’s Beach as those locations were being flooded. We’ll get to the shorebirds in a moment, but even besides the throngs of shorebirds, there was just a lot of activity this morning.

Small groups of Barn Swallows maneuvered overhead, Common Terns were busy commuting, 3 Common Loons loafed offshore, a pair of Black Scoters were still around, Northern Gannets were passing by, and Marshall spotted a fly-by Manx Shearwater – always a treat to see from land. A family group of 4 Green Herons were vociferous and busy flying around for no apparent reason, a Merlin briefly landed on the beach before continuing her hunting, and a few early-migrant warblers were buzzing overhead (at least one of which was a Yellow).

The shorebird numbers weren’t too bad either:
200+ Semipalmated Plovers (a nice count indeed)
~ 500 Semipalmated Sandpipers (another nice tally)
50 Sanderling
2 Ruddy Turnstones (with about 10 more on the rocks nearby)
1 juvenile Piping Plover (always good to see)

We then dropped into East Point Sanctuary for a spell. A Northern Waterthrush along the path was definitely a migrant – they don’t breed nearby - so along with the Yellow Warblers in flight earlier, it is clear that passerine migration is underway. Five Spotted Sandpipers worked the rocky shoreline, but larger numbers of shorebirds were on the rocks off of Ocean Avenue, so we soon headed over there.

Mike arrived, and we tallied the plethora of shorebirds settling in for a high-tide snooze:
570 Semipalmated Sandpipers
110 Semipalmated Plovers
15+ Ruddy Turnstones
10+ Sanderling
2 Willets
2 Spotted Sandpipers
1 American Oystercatcher (a good bird for the day list, and a state bird for Mike)

Meanwhile, another Manx Shearwater – only slightly closer than the last – passed by, among the other usual cast of characters. However, the real reason for our rendezvous this morning was not shorebirding at Biddeford Pool, but “twitching” "hummers" in western Biddeford.

We had received permission to visit a yard that a vagrant adult male Rufous Hummingbird has been frequenting. Unfortunately, the bird has not been seen since Wednesday afternoon, so we “dipped” on the “twitch.” We did enjoy the activity in the yard, however, which included at least 3 Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and a family group of 4 juvenile Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. No Rufous, however. Oh well, it’s the thrill of the chase, right?

Despite both having a lot of work to do today, Marshall and I decided to make a quick trip over the Sanford Sewerage facility for some more shorebirding. Besides, we had some more business to discuss, so we were in fact technically working!

And, our truancy was rewarded with a heckuva show at the sewage ponds. At least 1,200 Tree Swallows were swarming overhead, roosting in the grass, and even sitting in clumps on the dike. At least 50 Bank Swallows joined the aggregation as well, providing for a really fantastic spectacle.

The shorebirding was once again excellent as well. In fact, our tally of Least Sandpipers was one of the highest totals either of us had seen in northern New England. The totals were as follows:
550 Least Sandpipers
45 Semipalmated Sandpipers
35 Lesser Yellowlegs
13 Spotted Sandpipers (also a good total)
9 White-rumped Sandpipers
8 Killdeer
6 Semipalmated Plovers
4 Solitary Sandpipers
4 Pectoral Sandpipers

Despite our mutual interest in spending the rest of the day here – or anywhere else with this many birds! – we both had to come to terms with the fact that our business discussing could be strung out no further, and it was time to part ways. Marshall headed off to a meeting in New Hampshire, and I headed north to pick up tables, chairs, and our popcorn machine for our store’s anniversary celebration this weekend (how’s that for a segway to this shameless plug!)

Which, by the way, I wanted to remind you about! The full schedule of events is on our website.