If you weren’t a bird watcher before your visit to Maine there’s a good chance you may become one by the time you head home. Dedicated bird watchers have counted more than 400 species of birds dwelling and migrating throughout the state. They range from the familiar robin, song sparrow and a vast assortment of gulls to the rare appearance of a red-bellied woodpecker, rough-legged hawk or barred owl.
Wherever you travel in Maine it’s inevitable that several of Maine’s feathered friends will become your colorful and musical companions.
Two factors make Maine a bird watcher’s paradise. One is the state’s diverse geography. There are thousands of acres of lush woodland and countless rocky coves and beaches where birds congregate. The state’s vast tidal marshes, mudflats and a multitude of lakes and waterways provide birds with an abundant amount of settings for them to thrive.
The second reason is Maine’s fortunate location at the center of the temperate zone, with the 45th parallel passing through the heart of the state. This provides an ideal climate for indigenous birds to proliferate and migrating birds to rest in transit to their next location.
You can enjoy bird watching in Maine throughout the year, although spring and summer offer exciting opportunities to see new life and an influx of bird migration.
When the spring thaw warms the state, bird activity increases in the southern sections first. Then they work their way inland, Downeast and north over the next few weeks. Before long you’ll see all manner of birds in the entire state
Some of the early arrivers include sanderlings, purple sandpipers, barrows, goldeneye, shorebirds, and a great variety of ducks. Also making their appearance are purple and house finches, tree swallows, pine and palm warblers. Eastern phoebes and yellow-bellied sapsuckers show up next. They will be followed by hawks, eiders, buffleheads, scoters and spruce grouse.
In the transition to summer look for ruby-throated hummingbirds, black terns, manx shearwaters, peregrine falcons and black-backed woodpeckers. As temperatures continue to rise you’ll see more shorebirds, puffins, razorbills, common and thick-billed murres.
If the idea of bird watching is new to you, a good way to start is with warblers and gulls. Warblers are plentiful and once you’ve identified what they look like it may be fun to count how many you see. A few to keep an eye out for are orange-crowned, yellow and chestnut-sided warbler.
At the ocean, you’ll find gulls galore. You’ll feel like an expert when you pick out a Bonaparte, ring-billed, herring or great black-backed gull.
Every section of the state offers excellent opportunities for serious and casual bird watching. With a camera, binoculars or just gazing around you can add to the memories of your visit by including bird watching to your fun.
For more about the Maine birds contact the Maine Audubon Society at (207) 781-2330 or www.maineaudubon.org, or the Maine Birding Trail at www.mainebirdingtrail.com.