by Laurie Pocher
The Maine Young Birders welcomed two new members on our September outing: Luke M. and Kaliste R. It was great to have them both along as we explored beach, estuary, and saltmarsh habitats in search of shorebirds.
MYBC was on the move this month, shorebirding from Kennebunk to Biddeford with three stops along the way: Parsons Beach, Fortunes Rocks Beach, and Timber Point.
While we were waiting for everyone to arrive, a Clay-Colored Sparrow popped out of the brush to welcome us to Parsons Beach. We were also treated to flyovers by a Merlin, a few Great Egrets, and a very acrobatic Great Blue Heron. All the while a Belted Kingfisher perched overlooking a group of Double-Crested Cormorants. Not a bad showing for the first 15 min in the parking area!
Other highlights from Parsons Beach include a single Black-Bellied Plover and several Semipalmated Plovers on the beach, and two Greater Yellowlegs, four Killdeer, and four Snowy Egrets on the marsh.
On our way to Biddeford, we stopped for a Wild Turkey crossing, where a single turkey had traffic stopped in both directions while the rest of the flock tried to decide which side of Rt 9 they wanted to be on.
On to Fortunes Rocks Beach, where we stepped out of the car to witness a cloud of 50+ Tree Swallows swirling over the pond. A Northern Mockingbird monitored the parking area as beachgoers and surfers arrived to take advantage of the late summer sunshine and high surf. On the beach, we were treated to side-by-side comparisons of Semipalmated Sandpipers and Least Sandpipers foraging along the wrack line. A few Sanderlings kept to themselves on the rocks along the water’s edge.
The tide was coming in fast, so we relocated to Timber Point. A beautiful mature Red-Tailed Hawk was surveying the marsh when we arrived. We quickly realized that while September 6 may have been World Shorebird Day, here in Southern Maine September 10 should be declared Semipalmated Sandpiper Day! Well over 100 of them, accompanied by several Semipalmated Plovers and one Least Sandpiper, were working the wrack line. We set off on Timber Point Trail, where we saw a dozen Red-Eyed Vireos, eight Eastern Bluebirds, four Gray Catbirds, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, an Eastern Phoebe, and a Northern Flicker.
Aside from the species already mentioned above, we saw 60 Double-Crested Cormorants, 43 Common Eiders, 26 Herring Gulls, 20 Canada Geese, 12 European Starlings, 6 Great Black-Backed Gulls, 6 Black-Capped Chickadees, 4 House Sparrows, 4 Blue Jays, 3 American Black Ducks, 2 American Goldfinch, one Tufted Titmouse, and one Yellow-Rumped Warbler.
You can view our trip report including counts for all 35 species here: https://ebird.org/tripreport/74815
Keep your eye out for our October trip announcement coming soon! Happy Birding!
