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 … Continue reading →

Ten of us joined leader Andy Aldrich at the sewage ponds for a busy 3 hours of birding under mostly cloudy skies. It was breezy but warm as we ambled around the productive property. Highlights included pipits in the scope, a large movement of robins, several Pectoral Sandpipers, a remarkable 31 coots, and a scaup challenge. Canada Goose 15 Wood Duck 4 American Black Duck 1 Mallard 100 Blue-winged Teal 4 Northern Pintail 6 Green-winged Teal 150 Ring-necked Duck 120 Greater Scaup 1 Bufflehead 1 Hooded Merganser 8 Ruddy Duck 22 Pied-billed Grebe 2 Double-crested Cormorant 30 Great Blue Heron … Continue reading →

Brownfield Bog is located near the Maine/New Hampshire border in Brownfield, Maine. It is an ideal location for multiple state listers, lovers of pristine Maine woods, and searchers for specific target species. Without question it is one of the top birding spots of interior New England. Maintained by the State of Maine as the Brownfield Bog Wildlife Management Area, it is comprised of 5,700 acres of shallow wetlands that are bisected by the Saco River and interspersed with forested tracts. Spring migration and the early breeding season are ideal times to visit this site.  York County Audubon sponsors a field … Continue reading →

Thursday, May 12, proved to be like so many other days this May — cloudy and chilly, with a biting northeast wind. Nine intrepid birders braved the conditions, in hope of viewing recently arrived migrants. It seems the northerly windflow may have hindered migratory progress; we saw only six species of warblers. Over a period of three hours, we were finally able to tease out a total of 37 species, including some new arrivals, such as Eastern Kingbird, Warbling Vireo, and Baltimore Oriole. Near the “beach,” we were treated with a pair of Eastern Bluebirds, which appear to be nesting nearby. … Continue reading →

At the (then) thermal nadir of the season sixteen thermally challenged troopers (as it turned out), attracted as moths to light to the instructive birding of Eric Hynes, joined him January 15 after navigating to The Nubble through Arctic smoke and sea fog at subzero temperatures. We flapped arms and rolled up collars while checking out the usual marine suspects around the light for a while, before Eric began to institute his program for keeping us thawed. Such a benign beginning: we thought his plan stopped at wind-breaks and automobile heaters with quick stops at sheltered feeders just inside The … Continue reading →

Just a few highlights from a two day downeast field trip of the York County Audubon Society that tallied roughly 90 species: We hit Machias at high tide on Saturday morning, August 7. Bonaparte’s Gulls were as far upriver as I’ve ever seen them — all the way to the Bad Little Falls. A roosting flock of Lesser Yellowlegs and a distantly foraging flock of Common Terns slowed our rush to Lubec. Although we hit the South Lubec Sand Flats at the ideal time and tide, it was relatively lackluster. A strong northwest breeze the previous evening seems to have sent … Continue reading →