This morning I went to Trott Island in Cape Porpoise by boat. I started on the side that faces Cape Porpoise harbor around 6:45, then worked my way around the island along the Stage Harbor side until I could see the Goat Island Light again. By that time (11:00), the tide was low enough that I could venture out onto the flats, so I looked for shorebirds. Around 12:30 I boated over to the mouth of the Batson River (south side of Goose Rocks Beach), and spent about 3 hours walking up the river into the marsh there.
-- Trott Island was excellent. The second I got on the island I found warblers, but they didn't really start to be active until around 8:30. For warblers I had 10 species, and good numbers of Redstarts and Yellows:
3 N. Waterthrush
3 Black-and White
1 Nashville
19 Yellowthroat
23 Redstarts
7 Magnolia
32 Yellow Warber
1 Black-throated Blue (male)
3 Yellow-rumped
1 Prairie
In addition to the warblers, other highlights at Trott Island were a flyover American Golden-Plover (9:00; photos on the checklist), a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher at the Pine Grove campsite, two Peregrine Falcons (I watched one chase a Semi Sandpiper straight into a honeysuckle bush! - the sandpiper left the bush cautiously 10 minutes later), and a White-rumped Sandpiper on the flats. To top it all off, I had a close encounter with a juvenile Northern Goshawk on the eastern part of the island. Being from MA, I rarely get to see this species. Full Trott Island list is at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S15048745
The Batson River mouth was quieter, but still rewarding: there was another Peregrine, an Eagle, and a Red-breasted Merganser. The terns have largely left; I only saw one, but my brother reported seeing four more. The full list for this location is at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S15048527
Trott Island is only accessible by boat (except maybe at slack low tide from the pier island, but then you can't bird for any amount of time), and beware TONS of poison ivy. I can walk right through it and it's not a problem, but for someone who gets it, pants are mandatory. The stinging nettle that I mentioned in my last CP post doesn't seem to be present on Trott, but keep an eye out. Most of the best birds were seen in the vicinity of the pine grove campsite.
Good birding!
Cole Winstanley
Concord, MA / Kennebunkport, ME
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