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three generations, one passion: maine trip part 3

[This is the third and final installment of my birding trip to Maine.  You can find the first two here and here.]


The next morning we relaxed and ate breakfast as we discussed where we should go to see a few more birds before making our way down the highway home.  A few places jumped out, but were too far out of the way to visit.  We decided to stop at Mattawamkeag Wilderness County Park, a campground and picnic area.  It wasn’t too far off the highway and still north enough to possibly see the Cape May.

Before we left the cabin for the weekend I would get the best singular view of a bird all weekend.  We decided to go for one more trip about the area of the cabin to see what we could get for the morning.  As we made our way up from the lake to the cabin following breakfast there was a flurry of activity from a group of Chickadees high up in the trees nearby.  Mike decided to see if he could phish them down to get a closer look, and see if any other birds would come to see the action too.  The Chickadees and Red-Breasted Nuthatches immediately began to come closer.  They made their way from the tops of the trees to 3/4^ths of the way down and began to make their way closer from 40 yards to only 20 yards away.  The Chickadees began making more racket: “chicka-dee-dee-dee, chicka-dee-dee-dee”.  The birds began to swarm around us to see who the invaders were.  They began to fly down to branches only slightly higher than our heads and only feet away.  A cluster of ten Chickadees and a half-dozen Red-Breasted Nuthatches swarmed us.  A Pine Warbler way off in the distance also began to make its way closer along with a Blackburnian Warbler, with it’s fiery orange and black face that was close enough to clearly see with the naked eye.  Out of the whole trip this was clearly my favorite part.  As the birds realized that a predator was not present or, at least, had flown off, they made their way back up into the tree-tops.  And we headed out to the road to see what could be found across the street. 

With that came the unmistakable double drum and quick flight into the woods of the Pileated Woodpecker.  We followed and drummed on the trees with a rock to see if it would come closer. After a few tries there was no response.  It had flown off.  Another bird however flew into sight – a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.  It’s easily distinguished by its call and white-striped back that differentiate it from a Hairy Woodpecker.  After everyone got a good view of the bird and realized we were being eaten by mosquitoes we headed back to set out for the day.  

Finally on our way home we drove south toward the park.  Arriving at the park - like everywhere in Maine – when we got there we had to drive down an extensively windy dirt road to get to our destination.  After about fifteen minutes of driving (which we later realized was only about 1/3 of the way into the park) we decided to stop at the side of the road and meander into the woods to see what we could find.  What was the most random stop of the whole trip ended up being one of the best birding opportunities of the weekend.  We could hear birds everywhere.  Black-throated Green Warblers were singing in every direction, along with Ovenbirds.  We spotted our first and only Eastern Wood-Pewee of the trip.  (You know the bird that sounds like, “pee-ah-wee”.)  We tracked down a Nashville Warbler by sound, but were never able to grasp the bird in our binoculars.  It would elude us again further down the road.  Later actually in the park we would see a Scarlet Tanager.  It would only be a few minutes later after the Tanager that it began to rain.

The rain at first was drivable.  Then it began to fall harder and harder until I found myself looking from the backseat out the windshield unable to see anything.  We were looking for signs for I-95 and ended up missing our turn.  As we turned around I suggested that maybe we stop for a while until the rain slowed down.  Ed was determined to keep going.  We made our turn, and in front of us (or at least what we could see) was a bridge.  It’s not the scariest time I have ever driven over a bridge, but it was a close second and looking out the front I was unsure how Ed was able to see anything.  We thankfully crossed the bridge safely and decided it would be a good time to stop for awhile.  After the rain subsided we were on our way again in search of the highway headed south to Massachusetts. 

We stopped for lunch and realized that we had been away from civilization for the duration of our trip.  We were now entering civilization again.  Stores everywhere, people everywhere, stuff everywhere.  It was a wake-up call.

After lunch we moved south again.  For the weekend we were at around 65 different species found in Maine for our trip.  Our goal for the trip was 72.  We knew we could get a couple more before we hit the New Hampshire border, but we began to realize that if we didn’t stop at one more place we would not reach our goal.  And at this point - missing the Cape May - we all wanted to get to our goal.  We grabbed maps and begin to look for a place to stop before crossing the state border. 

Cathy noticed a small wildlife refuge in Wells just north of the New Hampshire border.  It’s near the ocean so we figured we might be able to see some shore birds to add to our list.  We pulled off the highway, drove a few miles, took a couple wrong turns, and eventually turned into the parking lot.  

At this point it’s getting late in the evening, so it turns into speed birding.  Spot. Go.  Spot.  Go.  Mike spotted a Willet and Tern from afar.  Then a Killdeer was spotted.  Then a White-breasted Nuthatch began to call.  What was a spot and go ended up being a real birding experience.  We spotted what we thought were two Snowy Egrets, but were not sure.  They flew out of view, so we frantically walked through the trail to another open area and got another view of them – we confirmed the Snowy Egrets.  Their bright yellow feet could be spotted from even far away.  Eventually we reached our goal and more.  As we were completing the last leg of the trail toward the car we observed a couple Eastern Phoebes learning their call, “phoe-be”.  We left Maine satisfied, but unfulfilled thanks to the Cape May.  The trip was a success.  It was three generations of birders from different walks of life all with one passion: birding.

up the mountain: maine trip part two

[If you have missed part one of my trip up to Maine go to my July 1 entry.]


After relaxing for a little bit with our generous hosts we had trout stuffed with crabmeat.  Before leaving Massachusetts we imagined that we would be sleeping in a small fishing cabin in our sleeping bags on the floor.  When we arrived we were treated like royalty with everything from delicious food and drink to the comfortable sleeping arrangements, to the view of lake.  We set our plans for the next day and went to bed early in preparation for a long day of birding. 

We packed our bags full of water, granola bars, bug spray, and bird books and set out for Baxter State Park at first light.  After leaving the cabin and driving down the dirt road we quickly realized we were not going to make it to the park at 7:00 a.m. as we had hoped.  Getting to the park late, the park rangers took down all of our pertinent information and let us journey through the park. On our way to the parking lot luck was on our side as a Ruffed Grouse went scampering across the road in front of us.  Was it to be a sign for a successful day ahead?

As we got out of the car and began to scope out the area we could see American Robins, Downy Woodpeckers, and Cedar Waxwings fly-catching on a tree.  Then Mike heared "che-BEK" and immediately started walking towards a big oak tree.  Mike already knew what the bird was, and also knew that he had never seen one before (and, as it turns out, I've never seen one before) – a Least Flycatcher.  With its distinctive call, eye-ring, and nervous tail flick it can be easily distinguished from similar flycatchers.  After a few minutes Mike still couldn't find the bird.  And after a few more minutes we moved on.  We moved to some more birds calling on the other side of the camp area.  After finding a few birds the "che-BEK" was still calling to us.  We gave it one more try.  After increasing frustration at not being able to find the bird through the leaves I finally spotted it through a tiny hole between some branches.  I called everyone over to find it.  The hunt for the Least Flycatcher was over.

We gathered up our things and followed the trail north towards Katahdin. We heard Black-Throated Green Warblers everywhere and an elusive Winter Wren, which could be heard, but not seen.  The first gem of the park came next – the Bay-Breasted Warbler, an uncommon warbler whose chestnut throat makes it unique to other warblers.  After that the warblers kept coming: the Black-Throated Blue Warbler, Common Yellow-Rumped Warbler, and Common Yellowthroat all made an appearance.  After a couple hours up the trail we were finding lots of birds, just not the one we came for.  We took a little break to re-fuel and then head back town to hopefully find the Cape May. 

On our way down it was unusually quite until we heard a "tee tee tee" in the distance.  Was it the Cape May?  We quickly tried to find the bird, but it was quickly apparent it was deeper into the woods.  Venturing further in we could see flashes of a bird, but nothing clear.  After a while we weren't sure if it had flown away or was just being quiet.  Then, the bird flew.  Mike and Ed saw it, or at least kind of saw it.  From their quick glance they came to the conclusion it was not a Cape May, but a similar sounding bird - a Golden-Crowned Kinglet.  We moved on.

Farther down we heard the same Swainson's Thrush that we had heard earlier going up the trail.  We had given up the first time, but this time we were devoted to finding it.  After a long while we found the bird.  Back and forth along the trail the bird would keep flying, hidden among the leaves on the trees.  It finally stopped on a bare branch for all of us to see.  For many of us it was our first sighting for this species. 

After nearly seeing what we thought was a Cape May and find the Swainson's Thrush we gathered up lunch at a shaded picnic table and replenished our strength for the afternoon.  We talked and watched a brazen little chipmunk gather food around the picnic table.  After lunch we set our sights on a less elevated trail in hopes of more birds.  Our hopes of seeing the Cape May were depleted, but not extinguished.  

We were to be thwarted again.  The afternoon trail would be sunnier and hotter, and the deer flies began to find us, unlike the morning hike.  After crossing a few bridges over rivers and bogs and stopping by a lake that over-looked the mountains the afternoon was pretty much a bust.  No new birds – and by the end we were tired and exhausted from all the hiking and heat.  The day was done.  Even though we were unable to find the bird of the day we still felt it had been a good day.  We had seen a Least Flycatcher, Swainson's Thrush, and a Bay-Breasted Warbler.   

We headed home for the day and had a relaxing dinner.  After dinner Mike collapsed on his bed for a short nap, which ended up being for the rest of the night.  Cathy, Ed, and I were not satisfied with the day – we wanted more.  So, we decided to go owling.  The three of us grabbed flashlights and set out for the night.  Unfortunately, as we learned later, it is easier to find owls when you phish (phising is the act of luring a bird out with sound such a bird recording or bird call) them out.  We didn't know this and were unable to see or hear any owls.  Instead? We decided to walk down to a nearby pond and look for peepers who were making a lot of racket.  Once we were satisfied with the frogs we had found we headed in for the night hoping to find some more birds the next day.

independence day extravaganza

My wife, who is a humble children’s librarian, could have done many things as a career: a beautiful musical, a comprehensive editor, an author, or a producer.  Here’s a video she has produced for today, Independence Day.  [Click full screen for enhanced enjoyment.]

we're not dorks, we're eccentric: maine trip part one

[This is part one of my travels to Maine in search of the Cape May Warbler.  Stay tuned for more.]


It all started with a conversation about dorks. By the end, after rolling into the park-and-ride in Mattapoisett, it was confirmed that we were not dorks, but eccentric. Birding hasn’t exactly gone viral, but today it is a more acceptable hobby and is in fact a money-making industry with everything from a simple bird book to excursions around the world to see birds. A few months ago a trip was set for the local bird club to drive up to Baxter State Park in Maine to try to see the Cape May Warbler and other boreal birds. The trip consisted of four adults: the leader, Mike; Cathy and Ed who are an older couple, and myself. It was three generations of birders. I wasn’t sure what to expect of the trip except that there would be birds – and lots of them.

We left for Maine about 10:00 AM to have plenty of time to make it up to the cabin in Millinocket, just south of Baxter State Park. Baxter State Park consists of the highest point in Maine, Mount Katahdin, the application trail, and apparently an elusive little wood warbler, the Cape May.  Although the park attracts people to it for those reasons and may others, you clearly leave civilization just a few miles north of Bangor.

On the way up the four of us talked about birding. We talked about the birds we wanted to see: the Cape May, the Boreal Chickadee, Three-toed Woodpecker, Black-Backed Woodpecker, Grey Jay, Northern Goshawk, and Spouse Grouse, among others. Then we began into birding stories. Cathy and Ed, who have traveled all around the world because of work, have been able to see some of the most beautiful birds around the world, including birds in Zimbabwe, Thailand, and Peru, and they have the stories to go with them. They talked about everything from painting flies about the tree lines in the mountains of Colorado, to feeding elephants in Africa, to sleeping under the stars on the Baja Peninsula. They’ve seen hundreds of birds, yet don’t have a life-list.

What’s a life-list? It’s what Mike, the leader, has been adding to for over 40 years of birding.  Although birders have different criteria for their life-list, it is basically the list of birds they have identified and seen. It usually consists of size, shape, flight-pattern, sound, habitat, color, behavior, etc.  Mike is someone who is seen as an obsessive birder. He lives and breathes birds. As the leader, he makes it fun. He also has a keen ear for bird sounds that makes it easier to find a bird. Although Mike has an extensive life-list, one bird that has eluded him throughout the years is the Cape May Warbler, a bird that nests and is seen frequently in the black spruce trees in Baxter State Park.

We decided to take a count as to how many birds we would see in Maine. The guesses ranged from 74 to 90. I guessed an optimistic 80, a number that far outreaches any number I have seen in a day or trip. Once we crossed the border we stared counting. The count started with common birds like the Crow and Grackle, and led into Tree and Barn Swallows. Even before we got to Millinocket we were building quite a list. Before we arrived at the cabin, we decided to stop by a rest area in East Millinocket. Next to a small lake we were hoping for something good.  We got out of the car and began to walk into the woods. Not much noise as we entered. One of the first things we would find, though, were Pileated Woodpecker holes, although throughout the trip the big bird would elude us at least two times.

We didn’t hear anything in the woods and began to make our way out to see if we could see anything near the lake. No luck there, either.  As we went to the car, Mike heared something. Hello, Cheerio. We walked slowly into the woods to locate what we were hearing. We tracked where the bird was coming from. It was a blue-headed vireo (formerly known as the Solitary Vireo), and a first for me. It’s a small beautiful songbird with, as its name says, a blue head. Next Mike spotted the sound of a black-and-white warbler, which gave us a nice show of its stripped black and white head. 

After getting our fix, we stopped by the local Hannaford’s, picked up some grub for the next few days and moved on to the cabin where we were staying for the night.  We followed our hosts for the weekend who insisted on leading us to the cabin instead of giving us directions to the place.  We found it odd, until we continued on un-marked dirt roads for the next half an hour.  After traveling for what seemed forever, we finally arrived.