Although I really do enjoy gardening, I could never become too serious about it. The problem with gardening for me is that the peak of activity in the garden coincides all-to-well with the peak of spring migration! I can’t seem to be in the garden without binoculars around my neck, and that can hamper various activities.

However, I have been spending quite a bit of time this spring enhancing our backyard’s bird habitat. Lots of native fruit-bearing bushes, flowers for hummingbirds – and butterflies, and increasing cover in various corners of the yard. The finally perennial and annual purchases need to be made yesterday, so Jeannette and I planned to forgo a full-day birding trip. Instead, we spent a few hours in the morning birding in Portland, before hitting the garden centers on the way home.

First, at Evergreen Cemetery, we found only a smattering of warblers, but one was a gorgeous male Mourning Warbler, our first this year. (They’re a typical late migrant, usually not showing up until the last week of May). But, migration is certainly winding down, so we only tallied eight other species of warblers, most of which were likely local breeders.

Our next stop was Dragon Field. Jeannette found a Willow Flycatcher here on Monday – a bird that I needed for my Dragon Field patch list. So, the chase of this bird was a goal of this morning’s outing. While waiting for it – not hearing or seeing it though – I spotted an even better “Patch Bird,” as a female Orchard Oriole was foraging on some Chokecherry blossoms. Dragon Field Patch Bird #145! We walked around the area, enjoying a glorious male Indigo Bunting and watching the antics of the resident Bobolinks. As we returned to the corner where Jeannette had the flycatcher yesterday, we heard the distinctive, sneezy “fitz-bew” of this drab olive Empidonax flycatcher. Willow Flycatcher: Dragon Field #146!

So, the decision to spend the day gardening paid off in two Dragon Field birds! Huh, my bird garden is already producing birds. . . elsewhere! While the Willow Fly was a bird that I had identified as a likely candidate to be added to my list there, I was not expecting an Orchard Oriole, a somewhat rare, and very local, visitor to our area. As I look at the checklist, I see a few holes left on my pursuit of 150 in this patch. However, there really is nothing “easy” left. A few regular, but very, uncommon migrants could be added: Philadelphia Vireo, Cape May Warbler, and Mourning Warbler. All of those, especially the Mourning Warbler is a late migrant, and one that I could easily pick up in the first week of June. I probably missed my window until fall for a migrant Yellow-throated Vireo or Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, a Red-bellied Woodpecker could show up again, and an Evening Grosbeak could pass over at any time. Other than that, I may just have to find, or chase, a rarity to finish off this Patch List!

On my last day of birding with Glenn and Maryanne for this visit, we headed down to Kennebunk Plains. Kennebunk Plains, west of I95 and off of Route 99 in Kennebunk truly is a special place. The area was an extensive marine delta during the last ice age, and is now a 1,600 acre protected site, including 600 acres of open grassland. A former blueberry farm, this area is now managed for the unique assemblage of rare birds and plants found here (Source: Birder’s Guide to Maine).

Birders know it best for its population of breeding Grasshopper Sparrows, Upland Sandpipers, and Vesper Sparrows. This is one of the largest Grasshopper Sparrow colonies in New England, and one of, if not THE best place in the state for seeing these species, along with other more southerly species like Prairie Warbler and Brown Thrasher. It was the Grasshopper Sparrow, sandpiper, and Prairie Warbler that were the targets this morning. Glenn had tallied 24 state birds so far in this trip, so we were going for the icing on the cake (the primary goal was 20, but 30 was the ultimate goal).

As usual, the Plains did not disappoint. There were plenty of Prairie Warblers, and we enjoyed excellent looks at some of the other grassland denizens, such as Vesper and Savannah Sparrows. But, walking the length of the plains failed to produce even one call from an Upland Sandpiper.

But, as we hit the western edge, I heard a most unexpected song – a Clay-colored Sparrow. Very rare in Maine, this species is located once in a while in spring, often singing from brushy areas - it is also one of my, if not my absolute, favorite sparrow species. We followed a dirt road through a treeline at the Plain’s edge, and it opened up into a brushy field behind a baseball diamond (Lloyd Nedeau Memorial Park we later learned). Although I only caught a glimpse of what was probably the sparrow flying away from us, this was an exciting discovery, and one which I will follow up on to look for breeding activity.

On Thursday, Glenn and Maryanne and I visited Monhegan Island. It was a short, one-night trip, but the weather, and the birding cooperated with us, providing two very good days of birding. It certainly wasn’t the things that the Monhegan birding legend is made of, but we had some quality birds, and good volume.

Nearing the island from Port Clyde on Thursday, a pair of Bald Eagles passed in front of the both, the noticeably larger female carrying what looked to be a Common Eider. When we arrived on the island, we hit the ground running, and immediately began to tally migrants – and state birds for Glenn – along “Main Street,” Ice Pond, etc. Apparently, a great warbler flight occurred overnight, and the birds that arrived on the island’s southern end at daybreak, were working their way through the island. Although the quantity of migrants that had arrived had by now dispersed throughout the island, we did not miss any of the species that had been recorded that day as part of this recent wave of birds (by the end of the second day). A female Orchard Oriole, a great look at a Philadelphia Vireo, and a very late “Yellow” Palm Warbler were “good bird” highlights, but it was simply great to see 18 species of warblers in one day – all after 12:00pm! (If you count the Ovenbird and Pine Warbler we had in my backyard in the morning, I reached my goal of seeing 20 species of warblers in a day at least once each spring)

We were excited for Friday morning, as southwest winds continued overnight. However, beginning at Lobster Cove at dawn, we did not see a single passerine arrive. Two Black-bellied Plovers on the “beach” at Lobster Cove were good birds in spring here (according to the new “Birds of Monhegan Island” checklist by Peter Vickery that we have published!). However, as we worked the woods, “beating the bush,” it was clear that there was a bit of turnover. There was a much larger percentage of female warblers than the day before, and a few species had increased in numbers overnight (such as Bobolinks and Eastern Kingbirds). But, for the most part, there were many fewer birds around, and our higher tallies (below) for many species reflect a longer day of birding.

Jeannette and I, along with our friends Glenn and Maryanne visiting from Michigan, spent a very productive afternoon birding Scarborough Marsh yesterday. We began with our International Shorebird Survey routes. Glenn, Maryanne, and I walked the beach from the Old Orchard Beach/Scarborough town line to Pine Point, while Jeannette walked up Jones Creek. The shorebirds survey routes weren’t too productive this day -although there was a smattering of various species.

Most of the birds were across the Scarborough River, viewed in the distance from Pine Point. At least 125 Black-bellied Plovers were on the mudflats, along with about 30 Ruddy Turnstones, 20 or so Willets, 7 Short-billed Dowitchers, and 5 fairly-rare-in-spring Red Knots.

These Knots were a “state bird” for Glenn. He has set a goal to find 20 state birds for his Maine list during this visit. He has threatened not to leave the state until he gets 20, so I better get to work!

We missed Blue-winged Teal and Gadwall behind Pelreco (potential state birds for Glenn), but we did enjoy a few more Least Terns (my first of the year). Our next stop was Eastern Road. At low tide, there are usually many fewer shorebirds, and as we were running a bit late (to get home in time to feed the dog exactly at her dinnertime, of course), I almost scrapped the walk out to the pannes. But, I knew we had another chance at Blue-winged Teal, a very good chance at Marsh Wren, and we should “clean up” the swallow list with Northern Rough-winged Swallows.

We soon got the swallow, along with my first Bank Swallows of spring, and there were a small number of shorebirds in the pannes, including two White-rumped Sandpipers among a small group of Semipalmated Sandpipers. Then, Jeannette spotted a “Maine Bird” for ALL of us – a male Wilson’s Phalarope! One or two pairs probably breed in the marsh almost every year, but finding them is searching for a needle in a haystack. We lucked out today, though, giving my a Phalarope Trifecta for this May in Maine.

After getting good looks at a Marsh Wren, we walked back towards the car, and I spotted a Tricolored Heron overhead – after nearly blowing it off as another passing Little Blue Heron. A rare - but regular- bird in the state, and Glenn’s 5th Maine bird of the day. 15 more to go!

A strong cold front moved through in the early evening yesterday. The strong northwesterly winds behind it basically shut down passerine migration for the night. Therefore, it wasn’t too surprising that birding was a bit slower this morning than it has been. I spent most of the morning exploring the Center Pond Preserve in Phippsburg, where I will be leading a free birdwalk for the Phippsburg Land Trust on Wednesday. See their website for more information. Hopefully, migrants will be more active than they were this morning – the beaver pond area looks fantastic for hungry migrants – but I did have 8 species of warblers today. The highlight though, was finding a nest-hole full of rapidly growing Hairy Woodpecker chicks. I THINK I’ll be able to find the hole again on Wednesday.

In other news . . .
Mainer Jeff Wells was in New York this weekend for the International Migratory Bird Day, giving a presentation on Nocturnal passerine migration, a topic that I have been talking quite a bit about recently.

Meanwhile, the second field season of effort to find Ivory-billed Woodpeckers has come to an end, without finding the smoking gun proving the existence of WMD’S (Woodpeckers of Massive Dimensions, that is!).

I also wanted to point out an article that was printed in Birding Magazine a few months ago, and is now available online. This article, by extremely well-known birder – and yes, hunter – Pete Dunne is an excellent piece on how birders and hunters should be working together more often than we work against each other. “Common Ground” details how Pete believes that the interests of both hunters and birders, and each group’s futures that are “dependent upon preserving natural lands (need to) forge an alliance which accomplishes precisely that – and that we need to do it NOW!” Subscribers to National Audubon’s Magazine are familiar with the great writings of Ted Williams, who also works to bridge the gap between hunters and environmentalists. Sure, some birders are completely anti-hunting, and some hunters are anti-everything except killing stuff while drunk, but these are definitely the minority in each group. And for the future of both pursuits, let’s hope we all realize this.

And finally today, Jeannette and I are pleased to announce two Wild Bird Center of Yarmouth publications that are a valuable resource to Maine birders. The first is the “Official Checklist of Maine Birds” complied by the Maine Bird Records Committee. This is a listing of all 423 species “positively documented in Maine,” including breeding status and “review list species.” We’ve published it for the first time, using a handy three-fold style. Also, we have published the first of our (hopefully many) Regional Checklists featuring a special place or area in Maine. The first of the series is Monhegan Island by Peter Vickery. This checklist includes all of the species recorded on Monhegan, breeding status, and – a great resource for Maine birders – seasonal abundance codes. See our website for more info.

At 2:50 yesterday afternoon, an adult female Magnificent Frigatebird was spotted by biologists working on Outer Green Island. The phone message I received said, “Heading south, towards Cape Elizabeth.” Later in the afternoon, I received a call from another birder, who at 3:30pm watched an adult MALE Frigatebird pass overhead at Kettle Cove in Cape Elizabeth.

Wow! Magnificent Frigatebirds are extremely rare north of southernmost Florida. They have occurred a few times as far north as Maine, including one just last summer that was spotted from Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park in Freeport. Now, adult male Frigatebirds are nearly impossible to identify – Great Frigatebird and Ascension Island Frigatebird have an incredibly remote, but not impossible, chance of occurring in the Eastern U.S., and Lesser Frigatebird has already occurred in Maine – one of only a few records for the continent. So, we can assume (but only assume) that these were in fact Magnificent Frigatebirds. And, if you have ever seen one, they truly are magnificent!

Interestingly, this does not seem to be an isolated event. In the past few days there have been multiple sightings of Frigatebirds in the Northeast. A male was spotted at Sandy Hook, NJ (my old patch!) on the 18th, and one seen over the nearby Navesink River a short time later was likely the same bird. That same day, an immature was over Cape May, NJ, and a female was spotted from Cape Cod. This is really an amazing irruption of this fascinating oceanic species. So, get to the beach, and look up!

With visions of frolicking Frigatebirds dancing in my mind, I spent the morning at Biddeford Pool. Hoping that the frigatebird from Cape Elizabeth yesterday afternoon has spent the night in Saco Bay, I spent the first hour and a half of the day seawatching from the East Point Sanctuary. Despite the southwesterly winds (not conducive to seawatching), I tallied 68 northbound Double-crested Cormorants and 149 White-winged Scoters. A handful of Northern Gannets and Common Terns (my first of the year) foraged offshore (a hopeful sign, as a hungry Frigatebird would be attracted to feeding seabirds since they make their living pirating the catches of other species), and at least one migrant flew in last night, as I watched a Baltimore Oriole fly in from off the water, rocketing to the first tree it could find. Three Great Cormorants lingered as well.

In an attempt to save time in the car, and to save fossil fuels, I have been attempting to combine my birding visits in Portland to the days that I have errands to run in town. That was my plan yesterday, but with the birding so productive, the errands never did get done.

Therefore, it wasn’t the worst thing in the world when the birding this morning was a bit slower than I had expected. The easterly winds and dense fog had moved in much earlier last night than we would of hoped for – the best case scenario would have been for yesterday’s southerly winds to continue and the fog to roll in a couple of hours before dawn. That situation would have set up the conditions for a fallout this morning. However, with fewer birds on the move last night, there were fewer birds to concentrate at a migrant trap such as Evergreen Cemetery, where I started my day today. Now, I am not complaining, as a slow day at Evergreen on May 19 still produced 14 species of warblers (and I missed the best bird of the morning, a Cape May Warbler that was seen by a group). The majority of the action was from American Redstarts and Chestnut-sided Warblers, providing a good opportunity to study the highly variable songs of these two species. I also enjoyed a close-encounter with a Black-crowned Night Heron that was stalking frogs and tadpoles at the pond edge.

After a brief stop at Capisic Pond, I was finally on my way to get those errands done – and they were even completed before the rain began to fall!

Tomorrow at the store, Jeannette and I will be welcoming Durham woodturner Peter Asselyn to the second of our Maine Artist Feature Day. Peter has created his own signature style, which he terms Historic Maine. His fantastic works featuring tree burles include bowls, vases, and even birdhouse ornaments that have been a popular item in our store. His stuff is amazing - you definitely want to check it out. He’ll be here at the store from 10-4ish tomorrow (Saturday).

Prior to seeing Peter’s stuff, join us at 8:00 (meeting here at the store) for a walk with the New England Forestry Foundation to their Arnold Family Forest property in Freeport, as part of NEFF’s Community Forest Discovery Day.

With a light southerly wind overnight, partly cloudy skies, and showers towards daybreak, I knew today was most definitely not a day to miss! I began at Bug Light Park in South Portland, with my first Lincoln’s Sparrow of the year, but very little else. Three Least Sandpipers flew over, calling, an addition to my semi-retired Bug Light Patch List. Unfortunately, the “pruning” that has occurred there has severely limited the stopover habitat there for migrants, and many birds likely move on from there at dawn.

Many of those birds that head straight inland likely drop into the more extensive cover of Hinckley Park. And that was my next destination this morning as well. And, I was not disappointed. The first bird that I put my binoculars on was a Yellow-throated Vireo – a rare migrant around here. Two hours at Hinckley produced a total of 17 species of warblers, including my first Blackpoll and Canada Warblers of the spring – later migrants that are just now beginning to arrive. There wasn’t quite the overall volume of birds that I was hoping for, but I hit multiple large pockets of activity here and there. A good percentage of the migrants were American Redstarts and Magnolia Warblers. I also briefly spotted the male of the pair of Red-bellied Woodpeckers that may be setting up shop in the park.

Heading back across the Casco Bay Bridge, I picked up my first visual on a Veery this spring along West Commericial Street. It was pretty quiet there, but there were quite a few (at least 12) Gray Catbirds.

Two singing Northern Waterthrushes were my 18th warbler species of the day, singing from near the pond that is adjacent to the new Commercial Street Extension – and the future site of the new Mercy Hospital. I had 7 warbler species in the area this morning; it will be sad to see this cover bulldozed in the near future.

Finishing up at the Western Promenade (possibly one of the most under-appreciated spring birding locales in the area) and Western Cemetery, I tallied 8 warbler species, and had my first Chimney Swifts of the year overhead.

Finally, I enjoyed a most appropriate ending – for a hawk-lover such as myself - to my successful morning: a kettle of 6 immature Broad-winged Hawks and two young Bald Eagles were circling high overhead as I got into my car.

Yesterday morning, in the rain at the New Gloucester Marsh, Jeannette and I heard little, and saw even less. In the afternoon, we decided to take a “Poor Man’s Pelagic” by riding the Casco Bay Ferry’s afternoon Mailboat run. Brief stops at a number of islands provides you with about 2 ½ hours on the water for 13 bucks each.

Our hope was that the extensive easterly winds of the last few days would push birds in the bay, where they would seek shelter in the lee of the islands. Unfortunately for us, by yesterday afternoon the wind has calmed considerably. The fog lifted, and there was even a bit of sunshine! But, now, it was TOO NICE out – boy, us birders are never happy! However, the improving conditions meant few if any seabirds would be inshore. However, it was a most pleasant – and mostly DRY – trip, and we did see one Red Phalarope, that we had great looks at from within thirty feet of the boat. A pair of Ospreys put on a show as well.

This morning, however, was a MUCH different story. In the rapidly warming sunshine, Hedgehog Mountain Park was alive with birdsong. More Ovenbirds, Black-throated Green Warblers, and Wood Thrushes have arrived, to name a few. I tallied 13 species of warblers, including one Prairie. I also had my first Scarlet Tanager, Veery (my favorite birdsong), and Red-eyed Vireos of the season. A steady trickle of migrant Bobolinks called as they passed overhead. A little while later, I enjoyed my first American Restart of spring in the backyard, along with 7 other species of warblers. What a difference a day makes!

One quick hummingbird feeding tip: with all of this rain, the sugar water in your hummingbird feeders has likely become diluted. Even if it is not spoiled, you should change that nectar. The hummingbirds need a specific percentage of sugar in the feeders: 1 part sugar to 4 parts water to provide the energy that they need. And remember, use ONLY common, granulated table sugar. Avoid honey, molasses, unrefined sugar, and especially artificial coloring!

Despite the persistent Easterly winds, I have not been able to make the time to set up for a hefty helping of seawatching. Finally, I had the time this morning to head down to Dyer Point in Cape Elizabeth, planning to spend the whole morning staring at the water. Numerous seawatching reports from Massachusetts, including great counts of gannets, phalaropes, and jaegers over the last few days only whetted my appetite further. So, with thoughts of these – and other species – dancing in my head, I left the house and headed south.

Unfortunately east and southeast winds – the best seawatching winds in spring – often result in fog along the southern Maine coast. It was nice and clear in Pownal, but as I reached Portland I reached the fog bank. When I got out to Dyer Point, I was heartbroken to see, well, not much! I only had about 100-200 yards of visibility.

Hoping the fog would lift a bit, I began my vigil. Even more frustrating than the fact that the fog wasn’t lifting, was the fact that in those 100-200 yards I did have, I had a fair amount of birds! In the one hour that I stood in the drizzle, I tallied 51 Common Loons, 9 Double-crested Cormorants, 6 Laughing Gulls, 5 Long-tailed Ducks, and 1 Northern Gannet. Also, 4 lingering Purple Sandpipers were hanging out on the rocks. Oh, what else could have been out there? Who knows how many phalaropes, jaegers, terns, shearwaters, storm-petrels, albatrosses (OK, maybe not albatrosses) were passing by, undetected. Oh the frustration, oh the agony!

After an hour, with no progress with improving visibility, I got back into the car, feeling rather dejected. No doubt the most amazing seabird flight ever in Maine was occurring just out of sight! Hoping to make up for my missed opportunity, I spent the rest of the morning birding the shoreline, beaches, lakes, ponds, and inlets around the Cape Elizabeth and South Portland area.

29 Laughing Gulls were laughing up a storm (pun intended) on the beach at Kettle Cove, 14 more Purple Sandpipers were looking very out of place on the sand at Higgins Beach (interestingly, about this time last year, I also saw Purples on the beach here – they are almost never seen off of rocks), 29 Black-bellied Plovers were on Scarborough’s Ferry Beach, and small numbers of Greater Yellowlegs were here and there (shorebirds are definitely increasing). Although I spent little time in the woods, I did have a singing Carolina Wren and my first-of-year Wilson’s Warbler at Fort Williams Park. No phalaropes though.

And, the worst part of the morning - the fog finally lifted - when it was too late. At around 10:00, as I was just about to finish up my birding for the morning at Spring Point Light in South Portland, I was able to see the islands of Casco Bay. A loon flew by, no doubt chuckling at my need to head to work.

Happy International Migratory Bird Day everyone!

"International Migratory Bird Day celebrates the incredible journeys of migratory birds between their breeding grounds in North America and their wintering grounds in Mexico, Central, and South America. The event, which takes place on the second Saturday in May each year, encourages bird conservation and increases awareness of birds through hikes, bird watching, information about birds and migration, public events, and a variety of other education programs. Join us in the celebration! " Learn more at Birdday.org.

With heavy rain and blowing winds this morning, our store's birdwalk went farther afield and ventured to Cape Elizabeth. Instead of taking a wet walk in the woods, we spent more time in the car, beginning at Dyer Point. We enjoyed great looks at Northern Gannets blown closer to shore, and then we drove up the coast, checking sheltered coves with the hopes of finding storm-blown migrant Phalaropes. At our last stop, Fort Williams Park, we found our quarry. A single female Red Phalarope and a single female Red-necked Phalarope were viewed side-by-side, and thoroughly enjoyed despite the driving downpour we found ourselves out in!

It’s kinda wet out there, if you hadn’t noticed. While I have been quite happy with the plethora of precipitation for the garden – I’ve done a lot of tree and shrub planting and transplanting this spring – I’m about ready for some sun again. And, I’m definitely ready for a clear night to facilitate some songbird migrants!

But, the last two days have been far from an birding wash-out. Shorebirds have no problem moving in this weather, and yesterday, Dan and I enjoyed a decent group at Wharton Point in Brunswick: 21 Greater Yellowlegs, 2 Lesser Yellowlegs, 2 Black-bellied Plover, 8 Least Sandpipers, and three Willets. (Plus a Wilson’s Snipe along Highland Road - along with a courting pair of American Kestrels).

A few more Greater Yellowlegs were at Bayview Preserve in Yarmouth this morning in the rain, along with my first Tennessee Warbler of the year. A few more Greater Yellowlegs and three Black-bellied Plovers were at Winslow Park as well.

Feeder watching here at the store has been very productive, with our first Baltimore Oriole on the oranges and grape jelly yesterday (two are feasting today), and at least two Gray Catbirds are harvesting mealworms. We are also thoroughly enjoying six species of sparrows at the moment: Chipping, Song, Savannah, Swamp, White-throated, and White-crowned.

Although warbler season has just begun, we are also now getting into shorebird season – May is a busy month! While this weather isn’t great for warbler watching, it can be very good for shorebird watching. Keep an eye out in flooded farm fields, playing fields, and even open backyards to see what drops in. Meanwhile, check the mudflats along the shoreline at low tide for foraging birds, and the salt pannes and higher salt marshes at high tide for roosting birds.

Endangered Species Day:
Today, if you hadn’t noticed – and most of us likely had not – is the first Endangered Species Day. The designation of this day is the “first-ever national celebration of America’s commitment to protecting and recovering our nation’s endangered species.” Find out what you can do to make this day more than just another little tidbit on the calendar you got for Christmas that lists all of these designated days that no one has ever heard of.

Airborne Ducklings:
Check out this video from National Geographic of a nestful of Wood Ducks leaving the nesthole. That first step is a doozy!

Window Strikes:
It is estimated that somewhere between 100 million and 1 billion birds each year are killed by collisions with windows. We know this is a major problem, but we don’t have a lot of sure-fire solutions. Anything on the window – decals, suncatchers, window bird feeders, etc – help by breaking up the reflection off that glass that makes a bird think that there are trees and sky ahead of them, not your living room. We also know that by angling our windows to reflect the ground virtually eliminates the collision potential. But, we don’t have a lot of data on the specifics of what works, what doesn’t work, and what we can do to make our homes safer for birds. If we were able to compile more specific data, we could make more specific recommendations.

Wild Bird Centers of America have recently introduced their latest citizen science project, Project Prevent Collision. By having volunteer observers submit data from their homes, including architectural and landscape features, and keeping track of any collisions that occur, each of us can participate in collecting the data that will be used to issue recommendations for safeguarding our backyard friends. This is some important stuff, so I urge you to sign up for Project Prevent Collision.

Well, not every day can be beautiful! No complaints here though, we’ve had a great string of days with great weather and great birding. Plus, with a rather yucky (scientific term) next few days, it will back up migrants, so when the weather breaks, we should have some more fun! (Plus, we did quite a bit of planting yesterday, so the rain is more than welcome to me)

Yesterday, we enjoyed our first Blackburnian Warblers of the year, from three different places: Thorncrag Sanctuary in Lewiston, Florida Lake Park in Freeport, and in our Pownal backyard. It's tough to beat the beauty of this little jewel! Speaking of little jewels, our yard’s first Ruby-throated Hummingbird of the spring also arrived yesterday as well.

And speaking of Thorncrag Sanctuary, yesterday was the first time I walked the whole place. I had stopped there briefly one late fall morning, but yesterday Jeannette and I explored it for a couple of hours in the morning. It’s wasn’t the birdiest day, but I was impressed by the habitat, and the sanctuary’s birding potential. Does anybody bird here regularly? I don’t think I have ever seen a report on the listserves from it, but it looked good for migrants, and probably breeding warblers as well.

At the store this morning, two Gray Catbirds (who likely arrived Tuesday morning) were snacking on oranges, mealworms, and dried fruit – wondering why the grape jelly was not out yet! A Pine Warbler is visiting our suet at our house, and many folks have mentioned visits to their feeding stations by Baltimore Orioles, especially in the cold wetness today. This is a great time (weather and season) to use “alternative foods” (things other than seed) to boost the feeding station list!

It’s been a great few days of birding! The weather has been beautiful – not just for the birders, but for the birds, too. Lots of new arrivals have been showing up daily with night after night of clear skies and light winds. This is a fun time of year (minus the sleep deprivation anyway!).

On Saturday morning, a huge flight of birds was descending at dawn. In about an hour from my back porch, I tallied over 200 birds passing, mostly high, unidentifiable silhouettes. The birds low enough to identify, or those that alighted in trees, were mostly Yellow-rumped Warblers.

On our store’s birdwalk, we began with a full-scope view of a nest of Great-horned Owls, followed by a visit to Hedgehog Mountain Park. I was a bit surprised by how little activity (relatively speaking) there was in the park, compared to how much was in the air at dawn, but we did enjoy 5 species of warblers, including very good looks at Black-and-white Warblers and an Ovenbird. Also, Cliff Swallows had arrived.

On Sunday, Luke and I birded the southcoast, starting at Fort Foster in Kittery and birding through Cape Neddick. Light northwest winds overnight produced little migration for the morning, but there were plenty of birds around to enjoy. House Wrens were surprisingly common (8+ on the day) and our first Spotted Sandpiper of the year was at Fort Foster. An American Golden-Plover, a real rarity in spring in the Northeast flew by, a most unexpected sighting.

Wow, what a day! The weather scenario was PERFECT. Light southwest winds as night fell, after almost a week of northeasterlies. A weak front passed near dawn, producing some scattered showers that helped to bring birds down. Conditions were ripe, and I was at Evergreen Cemetery in Portland by 6:30 (would have been there sooner, but I was listening to Yellow-rumped Warblers passing over my yard at dawn)

Evergreen was really hopping today! Dozens of Yellow-rumped Warblers were streaming overhead, passing in a steady trickle until well past 8:00am. Although the rain wasn’t enough to produce “fallout” conditions, with birds foraging low all over the place, there was a lot of activity in the woods. Interestingly, there was the least amount of activity around the main ponds – usually the most productive area of the park. Instead, my best pockets of activity this morning were along the powerline cut, and in the woods behind the “junk pond.”

Hundreds of White-throated Sparrows were scratching under bushes at the wood’s edge and throughout the cemetery. Dozens of Chipping Sparrows were singing. And, warblers are IN! I tallied 13 species of warblers – the glorious stars of spring migration - in Evergreen alone, as well as a total of 12 “First of Year” (for me) species. (Species lists below).

What a glorious morning! And the thorough soaking has really allowed things to green up and the first flowers to bloom. It was a prefect spring morning.

I began at Portland’s Dragon Field. A small movement of Yellow-rumped Warblers was evident and a Brown Thrasher has recently arrived – joining its Gray Catbird cousin that is still there since the fall. Small pools of water often form on the top of the hill there after a heavy rain, so I was hoping for a new shorebird (maybe a Least or Pectoral Sandpiper) for my Dragon Field Patch List. The puddles were there, but no Leasts or Pecs, but I did enjoy a good look at a Wilson’s Snipe as a conciliation prize. Two small flocks of Blue Jays (16 and 7 birds) were migrating overhead, and I heard my first House Wren of the season.

Next, at the Eastern Promenade, a few Laughing Gulls had arrived. A Gray Catbird was singing there as well, also an overwintering individual verses a newly arrived spring migrant. An American Pipit called as it flew overhead, my first of the year for this species. A Merlin – one of my favorite birds, so always a pleasure to spot – zipped by, but only made a half-hearted run at a small flock of European Starlings. (I'm afraid that the ravaging of the vegetation here as significantly impacted the bird habitat here, minimizing the park's value for tired migrants and excited birders)

While I did not add any birds to my Dragon Field List this morning, I did add yet another to my Eastern Promenade List: 28 Purple Sandpipers were E.P. # 152. They were foraging on the rocky islet off of East End Beach. Although common in Southcoastal Maine in winter, they are rare in southern Casco Bay. Also, it’s getting late for this species to be around (most are gone by early April), so this was an unexpected sighting for the day.

More rare than a fallout event. Mor rare than a first state record. More rare than any rarity mentioned on this blog. No, the rarity that occurred yesterday was that I SLEPT IN! (GASP!) It doesn’t happen often, but every now and then, I give in to my body’s urge NOT to be a morning person. I love dawn – I just wish it didn’t come so early in the morning!

But, with poor visibility and a northeasterly wind, even seawatching wasn’t going to be too productive. And, since this is May – my most sleep-deprived month – I wasn’t going to let a good chance to be lazy go by!

We did take Sasha for a wet walk at Wolf’s Neck Woods State Park in Freeport. Not a whole lot singing or moving in the dreary conditions, but we did get good looks at a couple of low-foraging Pine Warblers. A flock of about 40 Long-tailed Ducks offshore was a good number for the area in May. This morning’s visit to Hedgehog Mountain Park was also rather wet, and also rather slow.

But, it’s May, birds are on the way - and I may not sleep again until the middle of June!

Clear and calm nights have allowed a steady progression of migrants to move in and through the area. There have been numerous reports of newly arrived species over the weekend. Hermit Thrushes are moving through en masse, as are White-throated Sparrows. Yellow-rumped Warblers and Palm Warblers are on the move as well, and the next wave of migrant warblers has begun: I had my first Black-throated Green Warbler of the spring on Sunday at Hedgehog Mountain. My 6-mile Pownal Walk this morning produced my first Brown Thrasher, and increased numbers of Chipping Sparrows and Blue-headed Vireos, and about 30 Yellow-rumped Warblers.

The clear and calm nights so conducive to migration is about to give way to a less-than-ideal few days. A large low offshore is going to produce clouds, rain (although we really need it!), and stiff northeasterly winds – not the best for flying north if you weigh less than a nickel! But, since it is already May, some birds will need to proceed despite less than ideal conditions. A similar storm to the one that we are about to see that occurred about this time last year produced unusually high numbers of phalaropes (pelagic wintering and migrating shorebirds) in nearshore waters. Seawatching should be productive for the next few days.

Furthermore, as migrants arrive despite the weather, they are going to be hungry! The cold and wet May of last year produced unusually frequent visits to feeding stations by warblers, Baltimore Orioles, and Scarlet Tanagers for example. When these species do arrive and find cold and wet conditions that minimize natural food sources (insects and nectar), many seek out bird feeders to help with sustenance. Orange halves, dried fruit, grape jelly, live and roasted mealworms, and insect suet are all very popular at this time of year. ONE DAY last May, our fruit and jelly feeder at the store hosted 7 Baltimore Orioles, 3 Orchard Orioles (rare in Maine), and up to 4 Gray Catbirds!

Speaking of new arrivals – the first Ruby-throated Hummingbird reports in Maine were received this weekend! Get those feeders out! And remember, use ONLY PURE SUGAR, in a one part sugar to four parts water solution. Nothing more, nothing less! Red dyes are worthless, and may be harmful to the hummingbirds (they’re also a waste of your money). Honey and molasses should be avoided, as a fungus can develop that can be fatally toxic. Although I minimize refined sugar in my own diet, refined white sugar is all we can use in a hummingbird feeder. White sugar is pure sucrose, which is what a flowering plant makes. Avoid nutritionally and calorically (Is that a word? Well, if the President can make up words, why the heck can’t I!?) worthless dextrose and artificial sweeteners as well. And don’t forget, you need to clean out your hummingbird feeders regularly. Cleaning them every 3 or 4 days reduces the need for scrubbing and soaking, but they need to be cleaned AT LEAST weekly, more often if they are in full sun. A dirty hummingbird feeder with spoiled sugar water in not only unappealing to hummingbirds, but also potentially unhealthy!