Maine [real] Day 6

Our intrepid crew of birders for the Maine Big Year Tour in June – photo by Greg Miller

Yup. Yesterday I wrote the blog initially thinking it was day 6. It was only day 5. So today is the real day 6. Got it. Not all cylinders are firing. It’s good we’re rounding the bend on this trip.

Wow! What a day! We had an EPIC trip out on the water today. We took a boat trip out of Bar Harbor for Whales & Puffins. This was a “Plan B” trip since we got weathered out on Monday for the Machias Seal Island trip. One never plans on an EPIC pelagic on a boat that isn’t specifically focused on birding. But today was just such a day. Wait until I spill the beans.

[beans being spilled here] First spring record of Long-tailed Jaeger. Yeah. Off the charts lucky. South Polar Skua. In Maine waters. In June. EPIC. And then were were the “ho-hum” ordinary Maine stuff like Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills, Common Eiders, Black Guillemots, Common & Arctic Terns, Wilson’s Storm-Petrels, and Red-necked Phalarope. Oh, my! [spoken with your best George Takei accent]

lighthouse at Petite Manan Island – photo by Greg Miller

Yep. EPIC is the word that best describes a lottery-winning-odds day like today. Our trip total is now at 128 species and our year total has been bumped up to 391 species. 400 is close. We should surpass that mark in Montana this month.

We’ve had a great group of birders all eyes and ears finding good birds everywhere and helping each other. That makes for good camaraderie and the grounds for an unforgettably enjoyable trip.

Stewman’s Lobster Pound at Bar Harbor, ME – photo by Greg Miller

We finished the day at Stewman’s Lobster Pound in Bar Harbor. Seafood seems appropriate for celebration. And one last piece of Maine Blueberry pie. I love Maine. Have I told you yet?