York County Audubon

The Sabbatus Pond field trip started out in a heavy fog. But five stalwart YCAS members carried on anyway, joined by Jay Adams. We peered at silhouettes in the eerie mist. We didn’t do too badly, teasing out six duck species. The major challenge was distinguishing between Greater and Lesser Scaup. We managed to do it quite successfully, with Jay’s help. All together, when the land birds were added in, we tallied 30 species, including the first American Tree Sparrows of the season.

Magnificent weather encouraged 17 people to arrive at Historic New England’s Hamilton House property in South Berwick on June 9 for our second annual bird walk at this tranquil and beautiful site. Barn swallows coursed over the field as we climbed a gentle rise to get the sun at our backs, but songbirds were a bit of a challenge to see in tall grass and thick foliage.

With a mix of experienced birders and novices, we slowly but surely introduced various species to the beginners. For many, the highlight was discovering male and female bobolinks carrying food for nest-bound young. Our disturbance kept the caterpillar-carrying male cautious enough for folks to enjoy a scope view, then we moved past so the couple could feed their young. As soon as they were left behind, a Baltimore oriole appeared in front of us and sang brightly in full view.

Neighboring Vaughan Woods State Park beckoned, so we skirted its edge to pick up a few forest species including a singing winter wren. Soon after, we braved a mucky path back to the Hamilton House, where a scan of the Salmon Falls River shore revealed a spotted sandpiper.

In the tidy gardens, a hide-and-seek indigo bunting and a cooperative hummingbird capped off our 2-hour stroll, which put 34 species in the notebook. Donuts and coffee in the gardener’s cottage were a welcome treat offered by our hostess for those who had a few minutes to spare.

1. Great Blue Heron
2. Turkey Vulture
3. Osprey
4. Sharp-shinned Hawk
5. Red-tailed Hawk
6. Spotted Sandpiper
7. Mourning Dove
8. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
9. Downy Woodpecker
10. Eastern Phoebe
11. Great Crested Flycatcher
12. Red-eyed Vireo
13. Warbling Vireo
14. Blue Jay
15. American Crow
16. Tree Swallow
17. Barn Swallow
18. Black-capped Chickadee
19. Tufted Titmouse
20. White-breasted Nuthatch
21. Winter Wren
22. Eastern Bluebird
23. American Robin
24. Gray Catbird
25. Yellow Warbler
26. Common Yellowthroat
27. Chipping Sparrow
28. Song Sparrow
29. Scarlet Tanager
30. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
31. Indigo Bunting
32. Eastern Meadowlark
33. Baltimore Oriole
34. American Goldfinch

On Saturday, May 5th, veteran Maine naturalist Bill Hancock led a group of birders on an exploration of the Intervale Marsh in New Gloucester, Maine. It’s an area of exceptional habitat, much of it protected by the Royal River Conservation Trust. While we were a little too early for many of the migrants, we still saw a good number of birds. Our highlights were great up close visits with a couple of Virginia Rails and a couple of Marsh Wrens. Afterwards, at Bill’s suggestion, we continued our birding up the adjacent Woodman Road, and were delighted to be greeted by the calls of several Sandhill Cranes. Our great thanks to Bill Hancock for leading the trip and introducing us to this great habitat.