It was a busy week around the Greater Portland area. I was able to add 21 FOYs in the Portland area this week, as there seemed to be a large push of migrants passing through this week.
The week started with a White-eyed Vireo being reported on May 9 at Capisic Pond. I was able to see it after work and found it in the exact same bush I had seen one 4 years earlier to the day.
Other notable FOYs from the week include:
Warbling Vireo (09 May 2022, Capisic Pond Park)
White-crowned Sparrow (10 May 2022, Falmouth High School Fields)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (10 May 2022, Evergreen Cemetery)
Orchard Oriole (11 May 2022, Capisic Pond Park)
Nashville Warbler (11 May 2022, Capisic Pond Park)
Common Yellowthroat (11 May 2022, Capisic Pond Park)
Least Flycatcher (13 May 2022, River Point Conservation Area)
Veery (13 May 2022, River Point Conservation Area)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (13 May 2022, River Point Conservation Area)
But the real highlight of the week was Saturday's Global Big Day and World Migratory Bird Day. I gathered a small group of three young birders (ages 11 to 16) to attempt to see 80 birds between 7a to 5p in the Falmouth, Portland, and Scarborough areas. We started at Gilsland but skipped birding there and opted instead to run over and pick up the easy Louisiana Waterthrush at Hurricane Rd in Falmouth. It was a lifer for all three young birders and while we didn't get good looks we were able to hear it very well.
Then it was off to Evergreen Cemetery, Capisic Park, and Hinckley park. After finishing those three spots, we had already passed our goal of 80 and were starting to talk about how we might be able to get over 100. We were ready to head off to Cape Elizabeth as the temperature was around 85f and having spent all morning walking around in it we were feeling it. After a quick bag lunch at Thomas Knight Park, in South Portland, to watch for Peregrine Falcons, we continued on to Cape Elizabeth.
As we headed off to Cape Elizabeth to find some sea birds and Piping Plovers, spirits were high that we would make the 100 mark. There was a growing dark cloud in the form of Nashville Warbler. As we moved away from our more "warblery" areas this little bird loomed large in our minds. It was growing into our nemesis bird. One young birder had seen one at Gilsland that morning but it took off before they could get anyone else on it, so we didn't count it. Then while working Charles Jordan Rd for Bobolink and American Kestrel another young birder saw one from the car. We all jumped out but couldn't relocate it. We would end the day without having seen or heard one.
After going to Dyer Point and Kettle Cove, which were packed with people, we were over 90 and had changed our minds from cracking 100 to hitting 110. We still had a few hours before we needed to be back for guardian pick-up and we were heading to Scarborough Marsh to pick up some shorebirds, ducks, and terns. Our 100th bird species was either a Black-bellied Plover or Ruddy Turnstone, there was some debate there, at Pine Point Coop. Afterward with some time to spare so we headed off to walk some of the Eastern Road through the marsh. At this point we still hadn't seen one heron species having missing both Green Herons and Black-crowned Night-Heron earlier in the day and were motivated to find at least a Great Blue Heron.
As 4:30p came around we were sitting on 106 birds, about 8 miles walked, and 3 applications of sunscreen. One younger birder had more lifers than he could keep track of in the moment. And overall we had a great time strategizing our plan, puzzling out identification questions, and experiencing spring migration in southern Maine.
To see our full list of birds identified and locations we traveled, here is our eBird Trip report:
https://ebird.org/tripreport/53994
Finally, here is the rest of the new arrivals I've seen this week in the Greater Portland area:
Great Crested Flycatcher (14 May 2022, Evergreen Cemetery)
Magnolia Warbler (14 May 2022, Evergreen Cemetery)
Blackburnian Warbler (14 May 2022, Evergreen Cemetery)
Canada Warbler (14 May 2022, Evergreen Cemetery)
Indigo Bunting (14 May 2022, Evergreen Cemetery)
Alder Flycatcher (14 May 2022, Hinckley Park)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (14 May 2022, Hinckley Park)
Northern Waterthrush (14 May 2022, Hinckley Park)
Bobolink (14 May 2022, Gilsland Farm Audubon Center
Spotted Sandpiper (15 May 2022, Stroudwater Crossing, Fore River)
Solitary Sandpiper (15 May 2022, Conant Property, Westbrook)
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