Special Entry: Maine Vacation!

Hi everyone, as I have promised I am writing today about my recent trip to Belgrade Lakes, ME. I know this blog typically focuses on Long Island Birding but let’s face it, a vacation is always nice! Maine is a very special place for me. My parents started renting a lakefront cabin on Great Pond in Belgrade when they where in their early twenties, before my siblings and I ever existed, it quickly became an annual summer tradition. A tradition that continued throughout my childhood, my sister and I crossing days off of our calendars waiting for the day we all piled into my dads truck for the eight-hour drive into the most beautiful spot on earth. When I met Steven ten years ago my parents decided it was time to pass the tradition along and he and I began renting the cabin each summer. Today we are happily married and each year eagerly look forward to our summer trip to the lake.

The smell of pine is so thick in the air that your skin nearly sticks with sap. The trees are the greenest you have ever seen and the waters the most crystal blue. Wildflowers grow like weeds along roadsides and porcupines stroll down wooded roads without causing a passing glance. We try our best to be outside for as much of the day as possible, hiking, swimming, fishing, and exploring. Aside from being an absolutely incredible place to relax and unwind, Maine is also an incredible place for observing wildlife! Every morning I woke with the rising sun and climbed into my one person inflatable rowboat, pushing off onto the lake while the night’s shade still clung to the air. Thick clouds of mist rose up from the water as the warmth of the morning sun kissed the surface. To the right of our cabin the lake curves into a small bog called Austin Bog, which also happens to be a sensitive nesting area for many birds and amphibians.

Every morning I paddled myself to the bog, camera around my neck wrapped in plastic just in case disaster struck and things got wet. The sound of loons could be heard echoing through the air all day and night, a sound I have grown to love above any other. With every turn of the shoreline new treasures awaited finding. Songbirds zipped in and out of Pickerel rush and bramble while large shorebirds waded along the shore for fish. Ducks and Loons hunted the deeper waters or guarded their nests along the twig strewn shores. Turtles and frogs lifted heads from the calm lake as though taking notes on my activity. Even a Bald eagle took to the air a few times a day crossing from one side of the lake and back again. Austin bog was definitely the area where I captured most of the photos I will be posting below. Over the course of nine days, it is rather difficult to give you a step by step accounting of where and when I spotted each bird, as I usually try my best to do. So for this article, I will instead give a summation of each spot I tried my hand at, explaining the environment and the type of species mostly seen as well as the overall conditions. Then at the end of the article, I will post my best shots of each species encountered, brace yourself, there were a lot!

Another spot I like to try while I am in Maine is Stoney End Farm in Rome, ME. This quaint little farm is owned by an amazingly kind woman who loves getting visitors. Steven and I started visiting about 3 years ago after discovering their AMAZING homemade jams at a local farmers market. Once we arrived we discovered how breathtaking the property was, with separate plots for strawberry fields, raspberry plants, vegetable gardens and a bog at the back end of her land with wild blueberry bushes. Songbirds flocked to the fields to indulge in the sweet berries and dine on the many insects. Lucky for us the farm owner loves when people enjoy the property and encourage visitors to explore the land and gardens, there is even a trail leading down to the bog with a few benches to sit and enjoy the views. A large nest perched atop a tall thin birch tree within the bog. Later after speaking with the property owner for a while, I was informed that it was the nest of a Great Horned Owl! Sadly, I did not get to see an owl on my visit but I did see a few Herons and still got to stock up on some delicious raspberry jam!

Later in the week Steven and I decided to venture out somewhere new, a wildlife sanctuary on the Monmouth/Litchfield town line. The Woodbury Sanctuary is a 401 acre donated section of land consisting of thick woods, ponds, a cemetery, and lake. Conditions were not ideal as it was stiflingly hot but also incredibly humid and bugs were out in droves. After only a short while in the preserve, we realized that ticks were becoming a major problem despite us both taking precautions against them. Wearing light clothing it was fairly easy to spot the small ticks crawling over us as we walked below the canopy of tree branches and walked through knee-high grasses. After a stop by the pond, we decided it best to head back to the car and not press our luck since Lyme carrying ticks have been reported in the area and things seemed to be getting worse rather than better. We did have some luck during our quick stay, however, though not as much as I had hoped for, seeing quite a few American Goldfinches, a Veery (another Lifebird for me!) Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and a small variety of songbirds.

All other sightings seemed to be a mixture of just having my camera with me at the right time, ( going to the gas station or wondering around town) watching the sky and shore while out on the boat fishing or simply sitting out on our front porch relaxing waiting for feathered friends to stop by for a visit. I am the first person to volunteer as a cheerleader for Long Island, I honestly think it is one of the greatest places to live. That being said, vacations are a necessary part of life, everyone needs to get away from time to time. Those of us who do live here know how expensive it can be and how hard we all work to be able to stay in such an amazing place, Vacations are needed lol. I debated posting this article for quite a while, not sure if people would be turned off by me talking about a place so far away but who knows, perhaps some of you are looking to get away for a while too. If you are anything like my husband and I; love to be outside, the peace and quiet, hiking, kayaking, fishing, exploring nature, swimming and an amazing “Lobstah Dinnah” or two, then you absolutely should give Maine a try for your next family trip! I have two more short trips planned before the end of the year which I hope to share with you as well so long as there are no objections; one camping trip to Promised Land State Park in PA and another to Block Island, RI (which is practically Long Island if you ask me). Hope you all enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you! Until next time my friends, Happy Birding!

American Goldfinch