Birding in and from Boothbay, Maine

 Boothbay, Maine. 7/18 to 7/21/22

Monday, July 18, 2022

Arriving in Boothbay around noontime on Monday after a six-hour drive from Queens, NY, Andy, Carmen and I were too early to check into our B&B but were able to leave the car in its lot. 

Taking a much-needed walk into town to take a look around, I also wanted to locate Cap’n Fish’s boat tours for our Puffin trip tomorrow. The excursion was my son, Andy’s 85th Birthday gift to me and I was thrilled. Carmen (daughter-in-law) was less than excited due to potential sea sickness.

We located Cap’n Fish’s boat trips at Pier 7. We would be out on the water for three hours from 9 until noon.

Meanwhile, we returned to our Harbor Towne B&B to sit out on the pier at an inlet from Boothbay Harbor. The photos below caught the only sighting I had there of a GREAT BLUE HERON and a SNOWY EGRET. 

    Venturing out again later in the day, we decided to get an early dinner at Harborside 1901 Bar & Grill located at the Footbridge of 1901. Thus began our seafood fest for the week.  

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Although breakfast was served at 8:30 a.m. (late for me), coffee and tea were always available. With coffee in hand, I returned to our second-floor deck shared with one other room. With wicker chairs and tables in front of each room, the layout was conducive to meeting our neighbors. On other days, I would sit in the front yard (garden) lush with grass, hedges and trees. There were at least four SONG SPARROW residents along with at least one AMERICAN GOLDFINCH making themselves at home in the lush grounds of the B&B. Hydrangea blossoms were huge.

Front view of our Harbor Towne B&B

                  SONG SPARROW - note how dark-colored it is compared to AZ species

Arriving at Pier 7 in a timely manner, we were able to get seats just a few rows behind the cabin on the starboard side. Lawn chairs were bolted to the floor. Carmen, with her Dramamine protocol in place, was quiet but determined to do this. 

With great weather and calm seas, I was excited about this opportunity to see Atlantic Puffins.  For the past forty years, Audubon’s Seabird Restoration Program in the Atlantic Flyway has restored breeding Atlantic Puffins and other seabirds to islands off the coast of Maine. Books are available that describe the innovative use of decoys, mirrors, and recordings to attract birds to suitable nesting sites. And, now, I would get to observe the results of this hard, sustainable work  To see an ATLANTIC PUFFIN for the first time made it a LIFE BIRD sighting for me.

A small flock of Atlantic Puffins

Two LAUGHING GULL of the many flying about:

ROSEATE TERN

COMMON TERN

BLACK GUILLEMOT, below, was a second LIFE BIRD for me.

Black Guillemot diving through a wave

C0MMON EIDER was my third Life Bird

    My fourth Life Bird was a RAZORBILL that dipped into a valley between swells that I missed with my camera.

    ATLANTIC PUFFIN, although not easy to photograph, was more numerous giving me the opportunity to gather several decent shots.

    

So, it's fair to say, I got my Puffin fix!  And, Carmen, during the higher swells with water flying into the boat on the return trip sat like a mummy, her face stoic, her body unmoving. Yay!

    Though the boat trip was the highlight of the visit planned for me, there were also birds in the inlet behind our room at the B&B.

Distant HERRING GULLs above.

GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULLs

    So, that is it for photos of birds. But, I was always on the lookout, so my eBird lists frequently just list one or two species I happened upon along the way. On a tip from Andy and Carmen's friends from the NY Schools, Connie told me about an Osprey nest right before crossing the bridge into Southport. We spotted it with an adult and one young, fairly grown up, but did not stop for a photo.

    Since I do much of my birding at home at our local Arboretum, I thought the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden would prove to give me some warblers or other song birds. Maybe they were there, but nothing new that I spotted. This could be our time of visiting or it could be because I became so enthralled with the Giant Trolls throughout the beautiful gardens, that I simply wasn't tuned in.

    So, indulge me while I share the three of five GIANT TROLLS we saw.