Read Part One Here.

Jonathan catches a bit of evening down-time.

We awoke to dead-calm conditions on Thursday (the 26th), which allowed us to hear a number of songbirds from the two islands (McGlathery and Round), including Pine Siskins, Dark-eyed Juncos, and a Blue-Headed Vireo. Unfortunately, this calm also meant that we would not be heading farther offshore today. With very little wind, the French would not be powering through a developing swell, but instead we would be feeling each and every wave – a very uncomfortable experience indeed.

Instead, we stuck to inshore waters once again. A large Herring and Great Black-Backed Gull and Double-crested Cormorant colony on Southern Mark Island, however, provided one of the major avian highlights of the trip. A total of 7 Bald Eagles (four adults, two 3rd Cycle, and one 1st Cycle) were wreaking havoc. I was fascinated by the behavior of the adults – instead of flying around randomly, they would land in tall vegetation at the edge of a cluster of gulls or cormorants and just wait. I assume that they are waiting for a mistake – a young gull to wander too close, or possibly for a very young cormorant to be left unattended by its parents. We were fascinated by this stealth tactic, but then all of the sudden there was a bit of commotion near the interior of the island – one of the adult eagles had apparently pounced on a fledgling gull. It was mantling it, flapping wildly to get off the ground, while adult gulls were desperately trying to drive away the predator. The eagle was trying to lift off, but the meal was too heavy – it would have to withstand the barrage of gull beaks in order to enjoy today’s meal.

Southern Mark Island.

5 migrant Short-billed Dowitchers passed by, but the chatter on our boat revolved around the eagle performance that we were treated to. As we headed up Jericho Bay, through Casco Passage, and past Ship and Barge Islands, we spotted many more Harbor Seals and 5 Harbor Porpoises. Other than Black Guillemots and a few Common Terns, however, the day’s trip – since we stuck to inshore waters – did not produce any true pelagic species. Essentially, it was just TOO nice out! So, we enjoyed the weather, the scenery, and time to read and relax.

Jeannette dives into the new Harry Potter book.

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.

This morning, my friend Cameron Cox – who’s one of Nikon’s excellent “Birding Market Specialists” and I visited Scarborough Marsh. Unfortunately, we spent about half the morning in the car waiting for rainshowers to pass (and trying to watch terns in the Pine Point Narrows through the rain and the windshield wipers). In the light showers early this morning, we birded a few locations that kept us close to the car. No Yellow-crowned Night-Heron – a bird I have yet to see in Maine but was reported the other day – behind the Clambake, but I did see my first Solitary Sandpiper of the fall. Pelreco and Dunstan Landing produced the usual cast.

After the heaviest of the rain passed, however, the birding was fantastic. We walked the Eastern Rd Trail out into the salt pannes. Nelson’s and Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows were incredibly active – a real treat for Cameron, as they really seem to love this drizzly, damp weather. Unfortunately, because of the rain delay, we reached the pannes as the tide was already racing out, so many of the shorebirds had already dispersed to tidal feeding areas. We did enjoy 3 spiffy Stilt Sandpipers however, plus about 150 Least Sandpipers, 40-50 Short-billed Dowitchers, 10-15 Lesser Yellowlegs, 6 Semipalmated Sandpipers, and 5 Greater Yellowlegs. Southbound shorebird numbers are really on the rise now!

Then, as the mudflats of the Pine Point Narrows were exposed, we shifted to the feeding areas, and had a great tally from Pine Point, including a goodly 6 Whimbrel and the local pair of American Oystercatchers. The rest of our totals we pretty good as well, for this time of year, including about ~180 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 125 Short-billed Dowitchers, ~120 Least Sandpipers, 20 Lesser Yellowlegs, 10 Semipalmated Plovers, and 4 Greater Yellowlegs. We also watched a hen Gadwall struggle to lead her 5 very young ducklings upriver into the marsh against the strong current. Somehow, with much effort, the family reached the safety of the slackwater of Jones Creek.

Cameron is in town for more than just birding, however. He’ll be displaying Nikon’s wares at our store throughout the weekend. He’ll be outside, showing off and demonstrating Nikon products. He’ll be answering any and all questions you might have about Nikon products, digiscoping, and birding – if you have ANY waterbird questions, for example, this is the guy to ask.

In addition to this, Cameron will be joining us for our usual Saturday morning birdwalk (meets at the store at 8:00am, for a carpool to a local park). There, he will help us spot and identify birds, but also demonstrate digiscoping techniques. Then, when we return to the store – by 10:30am – he will be presenting a complete digiscoping program. All of this is free, so if you have any interest in learning more about digiscoping (I know I sure do!), this is the weekend to drop by!

So, if the weekend wasn’t going to be crazy enough with a friend in town and the Yarmouth Clam Fest, we will also be scrambling to prepare (both the store and our luggage) for our 6-day, 6-night Windjammer pelagic birding cruise on the Schooner French that begins Sunday night. We stay onboard Sunday night, but depart Camden on Monday. We then have 5 full days of deep-sea birding before returning to port Saturday morning. This is certainly going to be one heck of a trip, and Jeannette and I (we’re the guides for this adventure) have most definitely been looking forward to this for quite some time. Besides the great birding potential (I sure hope that Red-billed Tropicbird is still on Matinicus!) and the relaxation (will I be able to sit still for 6 days without going insane?), I am definitely looking forward to being disconnected with the modern world for a week. Yipppeee!!!

But, our summer of birding-by-boat is far from over! In August, we have two great trips, which we are now taking reservations for. The first trip, on Saturday, August 4th is our second Casco Bay Terns aboard the Lucky Catch trip out of Portland. Then, on Sunday, August 19th, is our second ½ Day Pelagic, also out of Portland. For more information on both of these trips, see www.yarmouthbirds.com/travels.asp. After the success of the first of each of these trips, we are really looking forward to the second. I hope you can join us!

Speaking of out first ½ Day Pelagic, here’s two more great accounts of our spectacular day:
Dan Nickerson’s Blog
Kirk Rogers’ Photojournal

(And, our store’s big 3-Year Anniversary celebration is on Saturday, August 11th, so mark your calendars for that as well – more details soon.)

So, unless Cameron and I sneak out (and I will have to have packed early, which is not typical for me!) Sunday morning and find something really noteworthy, I will not be in touch until next weekend. So, here’s wishing for calm seas, following winds, and lots of tube-nosed birds! Talk to you soon…

Jeannette and I began the day yesterday at Fort Foster. This is one of those parks that if I lived nearby, I would bird all the time. The potential for rarities is great, and the diverse habitat almost always results in at least decent birding. No rarities today, but we did enjoy a pair of Indigo Buntings along with a lot of activity from the various summer breeders, from Barn Swallows to Yellow Warblers. A single Sanderling and 2 Spotted Sandpipers were the only shorebirds at nearby Seapoint Beach, which was a little disappointing, however.

After checking the river from Fort McClary for feeding terns – just a few Commons today - we headed over to Legions Pond, the home of the only known pair of Mute Swans in the state (although I think there might be a breeding pair now somewhere on the lower Ogunquit River). The swans, reaching the northern limit of their range on the Eastern seaboard here, have been at this pond for a few years now.

And once again, the Legions Pond pair has produced offspring – two cygnets were feeding on duckweed with their parents. Although, from a rarity-in-Maine perspective, this is a great sight, it is more than a little bittersweet to me. The problem is Mute Swans are introduced from Europe, and are expanding. They compete with, and often dominate, native waterfowl, including native swans. They are extremely aggressive towards other birds, animals (including pets), and even people! Plus, they tend to damage wetland vegetation because they often uproot many of the plants that they eat. In other words, they are big, beautiful, and really bad news! I think we (and our native species) will be better off if the Legions Pond pair remain the only Mute Swans in the state.

Now, I’ll be honest, July birding in Kittery has not produced a whole lot of great birds for me (migration is much better, but last August hosted the Western Reef-Heron!). However, we still really enjoy our summertime forays down in this direction. Part of it is that our dog loves the parks down here (Fort Foster and Seapoint Beach in particular), but also because of the food! We hit the Bagel Caboose for breakfast, and then hit one of two lunch stops: either Loco Coco’s Taco or the Jamaican Jerk Center up the road in York (in the “off” season, Flo’s Hotdogs replace the JJC as our northbound choice, for the record). Both are great places that we love to go – and we wish these too were a bit closer. Today, we were planning to stop at the JJC on the way north, but as we drove from Legion’s Pond back towards Pepperell Cove (to check to see if the terns were feeding there yet), we noticed the sign for Enoteca Italiana gourmet market.

On Sunday, I ran a field trip to feature some of the specialty birds of Maine’s southern coast for participants of Saturday’s pelagic who were visiting us “from away.” Our targets were primarily Nelson’s and Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows and Roseate Tern, with a few other species hoped for as well.

We met up at Pine Point in Scarborough, where we enjoyed a significant concentration of wading birds in the narrows at low tide. 69 Great Egrets, 31 Snowy Egrets, 18 Black-crowned Night-Herons, 3 Great Blue Herons, and 2 Little Blue Herons stalked baitfish along the shoreline.

We then proceeded to a “secret” location for the two sparrows, both of which were exceptionally cooperative. We enjoyed at least 2 individuals of each species within 25 or so feet! The day was off to a great start; two target birds within the first ½ hour. Unfortunately, it took us the next 5 ½ hours to see our last official target.

We drove down to Biddeford, checking the Pool and the Beach for shorebirds. There wasn’t much, but really we were just killing time while the tide started to come in at Hills Beach. Over at Hill’s, we did see Roseate Terns – 4 of them – but they were much farther than I would have liked, beyond Basket Island. Plus, with the first juvenile Common Terns already around, the Roseates were a little tough to pick up.

The shorebird diversity on the Basket Island Sandbar, however, was quite good, as the southbound migration is definitely underway. 49 Short-billed Dowitchers, 23 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 16 Black-bellied Plovers, 13 Semipalmated Plovers, 8 Sanderlings, 5 Lesser Yellowlegs, 1 American Oystercatcher, and 1 Whimbrel to be exact.

On Saturday, gloriously calm seas and light winds awaited the first ½ Day Pelagic from Portland sponsored by See-Life Paulagics and the Wild Bird Center of Yarmouth aboard the Odyssey. The only thing that beat the weather was the birding!

Paul Guris and I guided, along with spotters Anita Guris, Don Mairs, and Mike Fahay. Many thanks to E.J. Raynor and Dan Nickerson for the excellent chumming job – we thank them for doing our dirty work! A delicious menu of chopped herring and mackerel, bunker oil, and popcorn courtesy of Nickelodeon Cinemas (which was then soaked in fish blood, mmm-mmm good) was served up to bring birds close to the boat.

Dan shows off the good stuff.

I was really amazed by the amount of activity was had for most of the trip. Once we hit deep water, the tubenose activity was virtually non-stop. The chum slick had constant activity, with up to 14 Greater and 4 Sooty Shearwaters closely following the boat at a given time, but every time you looked in the wake, there would be Greater and Sooty Shearwaters and a small swarm of Wilson’s Storm Petrels.

Yesterday, I had to run down to South Portland, so I decided to spend the morning birding there. The spots I usually hit aren’t usually too productive at this time of year – not many breeding birds – but today, each stop yielded an interesting sighting or two. It just goes to show you that there is no bad time to be birding!

First, at Bug Light Park, a Merlin zipped by. I wonder if this species is now beginning to nest along the south coast – summer sightings do seem to be on the increase. More out of place, however, was an Eastern Meadowlark standing rather conspicuously in the short mowed, green grass. My guess is this bird has dispersed from a recently mowed or hayed field.

At Fort Williams Park, just across the border into Cape Elizabeth, a Common Raven was being pursued by a small murder of crows, and a Brown Thrasher foraged along the park’s southern edge. Both of these species also seem to be increasing in the south coast; Ravens moving in from the west and north, and thrashers spreading from the south.

At Hinckley Park, a Red-bellied Woodpecker – speaking of species that are expanding from the south – flew overhead, likely part of the pair that has bred here and in the nearby vicinity in the last 2-3 years. Finally, a quick stop at Knight Park did not produce the Peregrine Falcon family, but it did yield a Glossy Ibis commuting overhead.

This morning, I spent a couple of hours in the backyard working on my latest product review for Birding magazine. I’m doing a comparision of the high-end 8x32 binoculars from Leica, Nikon, Swarovski, and Zeiss. Standing on the back porch, with all of the optics lined up, I split time between my pseudo-standardized tests and enjoying the action at the feeding station.

Jeannette and I have just returned from a long weekend trip down to New Jersey. After three late nights with friends and family, including a wedding – and the associated gluttony associated with weddings and visits with friends and family – we were finally back into the field early Monday morning. I was after Kentucky Warblers.

My NJ state list is still sans Kentucky Warbler, since I have only heard them – although on many occasions – and I only count seen birds on the state lists for states that I live or have lived in (not for any particular reason other than I like to see birds!). And, since I have decided to work on filling this hole, Kentucky Warblers have turned into quite a nemesis for me down here.

After contacting some friends for recommendations, we decided to pursue my quarry in Burlington County. Close proximity to my Mom’s house – where we were staying for the second half of our visit, allowing for a reasonable start time, sealed the deal. Plus, my friend Tom provided some fantastically specific directions.

Kentucky Warblers are reaching the northern limits of their range in New Jersey, and reach the limit of their relative common-ness in Central NJ. They prefer dense, tangly, impenetrable streamside thickets. That doesn’t help in making them easy to see. Plus, they arrive on territory early in May down here, and have usually shut-up by now. (Other than whirlwind visits for the World Series of Birding, where I have failed in seeing one during scouting, my time in NJ during Kentucky Warbler prime time has been rather limited). My work was cut out for me, and my hopes were not high.

However, our morning’s plan included visiting two locations that I have never been to, and we would undoubtedly see a number of fun species that we rarely – if ever – see in Maine, so really, the Kentucky Warbler was just an excuse to go birding in this area!

Perfect Kentucky Warbler habitat!

With the 4th of July conveniently falling on a Wednesday, Jeannette and I were treated to a rare 2-day weekend (since our store is closed on Tuesdays). Therefore, we made a run for the mountains! The weather was nearly perfect, in the upper 60’s and low 70’s during the day – although it was pretty darn chilly at night, with temps by morning falling to the mid to upper 40’s.

After lunch in Rangeley, we began a march up Saddleback Mountain via the Appalachian Trail. We parked on Rte 4, where the trail crosses the highway, and proceeded 5.7 miles to the summit of the mountain. The goal was to finally get Jeannette her lifer Bicknell’s Thrush – she’s only heard them – but also to survive! This was our first backpacking trip in 3 years, and the first time I’ve had a real pack on since my knee (runner’s knee) and foot (plantar faciitis) injuries. Now, with my plantar faciitis cured, and my knee a little better, we decided to give it a try. We weren’t about to embark on the 100-Mile Wilderness quite yet, but this hike – one I’ve wanted to do for a while – seemed like a good test – strenuous, but not too long. The first 3.8 miles of the hike were not too bad at all, really, but it was the last 2 miles – especially on the way down! – that left a mark!

As we began the trek, we set a very slow pace, both due to my knee and our birding. In fact, our pace is ALWAYS slow due to our birding! But, with this being our first time backpacking in a while, we were not going to be running up any summits anyway. We began in mixed woods, enjoying the likes of Black-throated Blue and Blackburnian Warblers and Swainson’s Thrushes. As we ascended, and the spruce began to dominate, Magnolia and Blackpoll Warblers took over, and we soon encountered our first “boreal” species – a female Black-backed Woodpecker, which was very well seen and studied at Mud Pond. We then ran into a pair of Boreal Chickadees, and heard a couple of Yellow-bellied Flycatchers as well.

As we approached tree-line, the stunted spruce – the krummholz – habitat, the realm of the Bicknell’s Thrush surrounded us. We heard one thrush calling, and it sounded like it was coming closer. At least until a Merlin zipped by, scattering the White-throated Sparrows and rendering the thrush silent once again.

Jeannette and Sasha scan the summit.

At the summit, Dark-eyed Juncos and White-throated Sparrows were everywhere in the alpine habitat, which is relatively extensive on the long, exposed top of Saddleback. After “summitting” the mountain, we dropped down slightly to set up camp (it is illegal to camp above treeline, not to mention unpleasantly windy and potentially dangerous, but also because we wanted to camp with the Bicknell’s Thrushes!)

Approching Saddleback's Summit.

Yesterday, Ed and I birded the Wells area. We began at Laudholm Farm (Wells Reserve) as we walked over to Laudholm Beach. We were hoping for an unusual tern or two (this is a good time of year to find southern terns that wander north, likely failed and/or non-breeders), but that was not in the cards today. We did enjoy watching the very busy Least Tern colony here, however, with many males flying around presenting small fish to females. One Piping Plover stood guard by the shoreline, and 3 White-winged Scoters and 2 Surf Scoters were lingering offshore. The most unusual sighting, however, was a drake Wood Duck – nearly in eclipse plumage – riding the waves of the incoming tide.

Heading over to Drake’s Island we were disappointed to not see any Purple Martins (for the second year in a row). A colony of this rare and declining species (in Maine) had persisted here until very recently, when a new homeowner took down a Martin house. The birds have not taken to any of the other houses located in the neighborhood, unfortunately.

We then wandered around the marsh off of Harbor Road for a while, hoping to run into something like a Seaside Sparrow, but all we turned up was one fleeting glimpse of an unidentified sharp-tailed sparrow. The salt pannes along the road, however, held one Greater Yellowlegs, which was joined a little later by a flock of 5 Lesser Yellowlegs – my first migrants of “fall.” Yup, I said, “fall!” The first southbound migrant shorebirds – again most likely failed and/or non-breeders – are already on the move.

Then, today, I headed out with clients Jim and Sherry from Cambridge, Mass in the Boothbay area. It was a casual outing, with a general birding focus, rather than specific targets. Since we weren’t targeting specific species, we simply took walks at a handful of the wonderful Boothbay Region Land Trust properties. We covered a diversity of habitats, as we strolled Lobster Cove Meadow, Penny Lake Preserve, Porter Point Preserve, and the Zak Preserve – all great spots, and we thoroughly enjoyed the breeding birds that we encountered, along with an assortment of butterflies (I did my best to identify them!) and wildflowers.

We totaled 9 species of warblers (plus the Northern Parula that I heard while waiting for them outside of their inn), with Common Yellowthroats especially ubiquitous. Blackburnian Warblers were also more vocal than can be expected at this time of the year, but they were their usual difficult selves to get good views of! The sampling of various habitats provided a good mix of species - and combined with an absolutely gorgeous day – made for a successful excursion.