Trip report and bird list

for Maine Venture

11-19 July 2005

Getting to Maine this year was a challenge. Hurricane Dennis was dumping rain all up through Georgia and any of those flying through Atlanta had quite a trip north to Portland. Despite this somewhat wet start to the trip, I think that Maine may have been the driest state in the east during this rather soggy period in July. After meeting in Portland, and after what our soon to be habitual ice cream stop, we spent the afternoon enjoying the open spaces of Scarborough Marsh. This is the only place on our itinerary that we can usually get any numbers of herons and egrets. We also managed to see a few early returning migrants such as Short-billed Dowitcher and both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs. Despite the wind we also managed to see several Sharp-tailed Sparrows singing their wheezy notes from the marsh grasses. Saco Heath is always a pleasure to visit and the boardwalk takes you deep into the bog - like stepping into another world and our picnic on the rocks at Biddeford was surely one of the most picturesque of the trip. If only a Roseate Tern had decided to fly by - oh well! Our boat trip out of Bar Harbor was not the best as we were fogged in with no whales to be seen at all. (We had to be content with the long dead Humpback on the beach at Great Wass Island!)

Despite the bad weather, we did manage to see a handful of puffins through the fog. BUT this was all put in the shade by our visit to Machias Seal Island with Capt. Norton. Getting better views of Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills, and Common Murres is barely possible as these birds were so-o-o-o close. Also a couple of Manx Shearwaters along the way were a nice bonus on our way to the island. Also those nice folks at Tall Barney's Restaurant were awfully nice to that bunch of out-of-town birders who would not have made their boat on time without some help.

So then it was up to "down east Maine" and my favorite part of the state. Rock headlands, colored lighthouses and foggy coves of fir and spruce really make up the Maine experience. Okay, so we never found the Spruce Grouse, but we did have great views of Boreal Chickadee, Alder Flycatcher, LOTS of warblers, Lincoln's Sparrow and Hermit Thrush. A porcupine along the side of the road was almost a Spruce Grouse too! We had wonderful blueberry pies at Helen's and several lobsters were devoured on this trip. I still wonder on the case of the disappearing ice-cream shop, but we did stop a few times here and there for great food (including the obligatory lobstah!!

Other highlights? They had to include the Common Grackle catching and dismembering the young Tree Swallow (that was a "lowlight"!), the beautiful and birdy Orono Bog Boardwalk, the RR hikes - rocks and roots, and much, much more. That is what a birding trip to Maine is all about!