We led a Penobscot Valley Chapter – Maine Audubon field trip to Schoodic today. Since one of our participants had never seen a Snowy Owl, we detoured to Bar Harbor Airport in Trenton and grabbed two. The first was sitting on a dirt pile in the distance, but the second alighted on a telephone pole next to the parking lot and completely ignored us.
Upon departure, there was a Northern Shrike teed-up at the top of a tree, just beyond the airport on the Ellsworth side. Good start to the day.
Winter Harbor harbor had five Iceland gulls swirling around, which was a surprise because I have never had them there in previous visits. Surf Scoters were also close to the pier. Black Scoters were in Arey Cove at Schoodic. It was otherwise a little slow, since we caught it at low tide. No Harlequins. Great Cormorants were pretty easy at Blueberry Hill, and there were two Purple Sandpipers roosting among them, but otherwise the sandpipers were completely uncooperative today. At Prospect Harbor, the canning plant is still closed, but a Red-throated Loon was a highlight, and Horned Grebes and more scoters were everywhere. We added White-winged Scoters in the bay opposite Ocean Meadows Inn on the way to Corea. A multitude of Harlequins were in their usual spot in Corea, joined by small numbers of Red-necked Grebes – our only RN Grebes of the day. We returned to Schoodic for another quick circuit. This time, on the rising tide, we did have three Harlequins in the surf at the point. Not a record breaking day, but a darn good one.
Bob and Sandi Duchesne
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