Greg Miller Big Year Tour Series
MAINE: Mountains & Coast
TOUR FOCUS
BIRDS & WILDLIFE
SCHEDULED TOURS
2026 :: June 1 - June 7
TRIP LEADERS
TOUR COST
From: $2,950 (See details)
Cost is per person, double occupancy from Bangor, Maine. (BGR)
GROUP SIZE
6 - 10 Participants
AVAILABILITY
2025: SOLD OUT!
2026: 10 spaces available
PRIVATE TOUR OPTION
This tour is available as a private trip for any size group. The tour cost will vary with the number of people and any custom requests.
TESTIMONIALS
Highlights of MAINE: Mountains & Coast
Description of MAINE: Mountains & Coast
This adventurous tour will explore the coast of Maine, travel to the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire, and wind through Vermont’s “Northern Kingdom” during a 7-day loop of the northern New England region! Our trip begins with a half-day boat trip from Camden to Seal Island in the Gulf of Maine. This small island refuge is home to thousands of nesting seabirds including the largest US colonies of Atlantic Puffins and Great Cormorants. The island also hosts many breeding Razorbill, Black Guillemots, and the ever-vigilant Common and Arctic Terns! A careful scan through the terns may turn up a rare Roseate Tern! The surrounding waters sometimes hold pelagic prizes such as Common Murre, Northern Gannet, Great Shearwater, Wilson’s Storm-Petrel, or Sooty Shearwater – so keep your eyes peeled! Dozens of Atlantic Harbor Seals and Atlantic Gray Seals can be seen hauled out on the rocky shoreline of the island!
Throughout our route the landscapes are quaint and beautiful. Maine’s largely rugged coast is broken up by short stretches of sandy beaches, while picturesque lighthouses stand proudly on seaside cliffs. Venturing into the Northwoods we’ll pass through vast deciduous forests interspersed with dense patches of spruces and dark old-growth bogs. These incredible forests are part of the great songbird nurseries of eastern North America. We might even see a Moose or two!
Throughout our route the landscapes are quaint and beautiful. Maine’s largely rugged coast is broken up by short stretches of sandy beaches, while picturesque lighthouses stand proudly on seaside cliffs. Common Eider, American Black Duck, Piping Plover, and Roseate Tern can be found here. Large saltmarsh estuaries are another iconic habitat of the southern Maine coast. Saltmarsh and Nelson’s Sparrows, ‘Eastern’ Willet, and various eastern songbirds will be top targets in this habitat. Venturing into the Northwoods we’ll pass through vast deciduous forests interspersed with dense patches of spruces and dark old-growth bogs. These incredible forests are part of the great songbird nurseries of eastern North America and provide some of the southern-most outposts for boreal specialties. We might even see a Moose or two! Alder Flycatcher, Yellow-billed and Black-billed Cuckoos, Lincoln’s Sparrow, and Canada Jay are crowd favorites! Tough-to-find Boreal Chickadee, Black-backed Woodpecker, and Spruce Grouse are top targets during our time in this area. A visit to the subalpine zone at the top of Mount Washington will allow us easy access to the very range-restricted Bicknell’s Thrush! American Pipit, Red and White-winged Crossbills, Pine Siskin, Blackpoll Warblers, and other uncommon songbirds also call the mountain their summer home! The forests of northern New England are the breeding grounds for an amazing diversity of wood-warblers, and over 20 warbler species are possible including Mourning, Blackburnian, Bay-breasted, and Canada!
Throughout this trip, we’ll have many opportunities to eat locally caught lobster rolls, lobster bisque, and cooked lobster – not to mention all things blueberry – like muffins, scones, pancakes, and pie! New England’s birding, scenery, and food is truly legendary!
Consider participating in the Acadia Birding Festival leading up to this tour!
Length of Tour
7-Days/6-Nights
Brief Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrivals at Bangor Int. Airport in Bangor, ME (BGR). Essex Woods & birding hotspots in route to Camden. Night in Camden, ME.
Day 2 – Puffin trip to Seal Island (or Petit Manan Island depending on conditions). Birding hotspots in route to Portland. Night in Portland, ME.
Day 3 – Scarborough Marsh, Pine Point Beach, Tidewater Farm, Gilsland Farm Audubon Center. Night in Portland, ME.
Day 4 – Capisic Pond, Kennebunk Plains, Brownfield Bog. Night in Jackson, NH.
Day 5 – Mount Washington, Pondicherry NWR. Night in Lancaster, NH.
Day 6 – Moose Bog, Dixville Notch, and Messalonskee Lake. Night in Augusta, ME.
Day 7 – Morning birding in route to Bangor as time allows. Departures no earlier than noon from Bangor Int. Airport in Bangor, ME (BGR).
Detailed Itinerary
NOTE: Each day’s specific route is subject to change – birding requires some flexibility, and we cannot control the weather – but the following is our intended itinerary.
Day 1 – Arrivals at Bangor Int. Airport in Bangor, ME (BGR). Essex Woods & birding hotspots in route to Camden. Night in Camden, ME.
Please plan to arrival at Bangor International Airport in Bangor, ME no later than 12pm/noon on Day 1. We do encourage arriving the day before and staying at the airport hotel and/or to participate in the Acadia Birding Festival based out of nearby Southwest Harbor. We will spend the afternoon birding at Essex Woods in Bangor, and then visit multiple locations along the Maine coast as we drive ‘down east’ to Camden Harbor. We can anticipate our first introductions to classic eastern songbirds like Purple Finch, Pileated Woodpecker, Alder Flycatcher, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and much more! Night in Camden, Maine.
Day 2 – Half-day boat trip to Seal Island (or Petit Manan Island depending on conditions). Birding hotspots in route to Portland. Night in Portland, ME.
Puffins are at the top of almost all birder’s most-wanted list for this tour, so we are getting right to it with a private boat trip to the huge seabird colony at Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge off the coast of Maine. At 8:30am we will set out from the Camden Harbor onto the massive Gulf of Maine – a 36,000 square mile region that was the former home to the now-extinct Sea Mink and Great Auk! Today, the Gulf of Maine remains a healthy ecosystem with a prosperous fishing community and is a critical region for rare animals like the Northern Right Whale and the charismatic Atlantic Puffin! Seal Island is a tiny, 10-acre rock that is host to one of the largest breeding colonies of Atlantic Puffins and Great Cormorants in the United States! Various gulls, Common Eiders, all 3 scoter species, and Black Guillemot can be abundant. Close views of the island and surrounding waters should produce excellent views of Atlantic Puffin, Common Murre, Razorbill, and both Common and Arctic Terns! A Peregrine Falcon may strafe the island in search of a winged meal, while Bald Eagles scan from prominent treetops. Both Gray Seals and Harbor Seals are often seen loafing on the rocky shorelines. During the commute to and from the island there is a possibility of seeing several rare pelagic species like Wilson’s Storm-Petrel, Great Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Northern Gannet, and Red-necked Phalarope!
If weather conditions do not permit the longer over-water journey to Seal Island, we will reschedule this day to take another charter to Petit Manan Island which is also a wonderful seabird colony hosting many of the same species listed above, but is closer to the mainland.
Following our private boat trip to the island, we will drive south along the coast toward Portland, making a few birding stops as time allows, and then we will celebrate the puffins over dinner in the city! Night in Portland, Maine.
Day 3 – Scarborough Marsh, Pine Point Beach, Tidewater Farm, Gilsland Farm Audubon Center. Night in Portland, ME.
Scarborough Marsh will be our main birding destination for the morning. This vast saltmarsh estuary is one of the best places in the World to find both Nelson’s Sparrow and Saltmarsh Sparrow together…. and without getting covered in mud! Least Terns can be seen here in addition to ‘Eastern’ Willets, Tricolored Herons, and Glossy Ibis. The declining population of American Black Ducks is still holding on here, and many can be seen in the marshy channels. Pine Point Beach and Higgins Beach can offer close views of Piping Plovers, Least Terns, Roseate Terns, and lingering waterfowl.
For the afternoon we will visit Tidewater Farm and Gilsland Farm Audubon Center along the shoreline of Presumpscot Bay just north of Portland. Classic species like Osprey, Yellow Warblers, Willow Flycatchers, Veery, and Wild Turkeys may be seen in the area. Portland is also the northernmost range of a few songbirds including Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Tufted Titmouse, and Carolina Wrens. Night in Portland, Maine.
Day 4 – Capisic Pond, Kennebunk Plains, Brownfield Bog. Night in Jackson, NH.
Today we will travel from sea-level to the foothills of the tallest mountain in the northeast! An early start is required for everything we have planned for today, and our first stop will be to Capisic Pond where we may find a few migrant songbirds, Orchard Orioles, Baltimore Orioles, and Black-crowned Night-Herons.
A visit to the sandhill grasslands around Kennebunk Plains will target Upland Sandpiper and Bobolink. This rare, remnant habitat is home to some equally rare plants, like Northern Blazing Star, which are found nowhere else. The plains are also a great location for Grasshopper, Savannah, and Vesper Sparrows in addition to Eastern Towhee and Brown Thrashers – all of which we are unlikely to encounter anywhere else during the tour. Clay-colored Sparrow is rare but also possible. Sometimes a pair of American Kestrels can be found staking out a nice snag to nest in. Prairie Warblers nest in the short pine trees and Pine Warblers nest in the tall pine trees.
Any birder would be filled with eager anticipation as we begin our journey north toward the Canadian border. Our next birding site just happens to be a good ol’ Northwoods bog. From Kennebunk Plains we have a winding 1 hour, 30-minute drive to Brownfield Bog, located at the southeast edge of the White Mountains. Wilson’s Snipe and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers breed here! Both Yellow-billed and Black-billed Cuckoos can be found here in addition to Wood Ducks, Hooded Mergansers, and other interesting species. A whopping 8 species of flycatchers have been reported in June at this location. Yellow-throated Vireos can be common in addition to various eastern warbler species. Our journey north continues through the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Watch for Common Loons nesting on small ponds along the roadside! Night in Glen House, New Hampshire.
Day 5 – Mount Washington, Pondicherry NWR. Night in Lancaster, NH.
After some birding around the hotel grounds, we will begin our drive up to the summit of scenic Mount Washington! As we climb in elevation toward the 6,288ft summit, you will see how the habitat changes from birch and maple deciduous forest to spruce and hemlock coniferous forest, then to stunted spruces, and finally to the rocky and barren alpine zone! Mount Washington is famous for its extreme weather with sub-zero temperatures, hurricane-force winds, and intense snow and ice possible throughout the year, and the summit rarely reaches above 60F in the summer.
Our primary target on Mount Washington is the rare, endemic Bicknell’s Thrush which can be found in the stunted spruces near the alpine zone. These thrushes are one of America’s most range-restricted and localized birds. They have only recently been considered a distinct species from Gray-cheeked Thrush, and current research points toward them being more genetically most similar to Veery. There are only a few, scattered high-altitude locations in the northeast that offer the specialized habitat these thrushes require, and Mount Washington is perhaps the easiest and most beautiful location to try for them. Other birds we will be looking for include Boreal Chickadees, Olive-sided Flycatchers, Blackpoll Warblers, Red Crossbills, and White-winged Crossbills. Snowshoe Hares and North American Porcupine are possible along the road. Breeding American Pipits occur in low numbers on the alpine tundra. Fog can often obscure views, but whatever the weather conditions may be – it’s always beautiful and special up there at the top of the Northeast! The summit visitor center includes a wonderful weather museum and gift shop.
We will spend the afternoon birding around nearby Pondicherry National Wildlife Refuge and other New Hampshire hotspots in search of various songbirds and other targets. Ruffed Grouse are possible in this area. After dinner we will have an optional excursion for night-birding; targeting Moose, Northern Saw-whet Owls, and Barred Owls. Night in Lancaster, New Hampshire.
Day 6 – Moose Bog, Dixville Notch, & Messalonskee Lake. Night in Augusta, ME.
This area of northern Vermont is affectionately known as the ‘Northern Kingdom’. The forested mountains and ridges certainly frame the area like massive castle walls. This is a remote area with fantastic habitat and equally fantastic birding possibilities. Ruffed Grouse are rare here, but the colorful, rare, and secretive Spruce Grouse still lurks through these dark, damp forests. Even where this bird is expected, it can be very easy to miss but Moose Bog should hopefully produce a sighting, and this is a great site for several harder-to-find boreal goodies including Canada Jays, Black-backed Woodpeckers, and Yellow-bellied Flycatchers. Alder Flycatchers, Brown Creepers, Canada Warblers, ‘Yellow’ Palm Warblers, Swamp Sparrows, and Winter Wrens. Stunning male Magnolia Warblers and Blackburnian Warblers may be singing from the treetops! Swainson’s Thrush and Hermit Thrush nest here, and Red Crossbill flocks may be heard flying overhead. Threatened and declining populations of Rusty Blackbirds breed in the alder-lined creeks. This beautiful little spot can be hard to leave, but we can at least dedicate a few hours exploring it!
We’ll grab a lunch for the road and head back into New Hampshire to Dixville Notch. An access road cuts through the forest to a ridgetop wind-turbine facility which allows us birders easy access into habitat where we will search for Mourning Warblers, Bay-breasted Warblers, Philadelphia Vireos, and Purple Finches. Although this area is just as far north as Moose Bog, the habitat is slightly drier, and Ruffed Grouse is possible again. There will be another opportunity here for Bicknell’s Thrushes, Boreal Chickadees, Golden-crowned Kinglets, and Dark-eyed Juncos, among others! From there, we will say our goodbyes to the Northwoods and begin heading back ‘down east’. Sit back and relax as we travel through beautiful forests and rolling farmland. Broad-winged Hawks may be perched along the roadside. Night in Augusta, Maine.
Day 7 – Morning birding in route to Bangor as time allows. Departures no earlier than noon from Bangor Int. Airport in Bangor, ME (BGR).
Our final together will focus on visiting Messalonskee Lake. This large lake has a marshy shoreline and contains Maine’s only breeding colony of Black Terns. Other marsh birds found here include Common Loons, American Bitterns, Northern Harriers, and locally-rare Sandhill Cranes. Please plan departures for no earlier than 11:30am from Bangor International Airport (BGR) in Bangor, Maine.
Cost
Cost is $2,950 per person, based upon double occupancy, from Bangor, Maine. (Airport code BGR).
This trip ends in same as arrival city (Airport code BGR).
Cost Includes
Cost includes airport transfers, all ground transportation, accomodations, entrance fees and services of your professional leader(s).
Cost does not Include
All meals, flights to/from destination city, trip insurance, or anything that is not specifically mentioned in the itinerary.
Minimum Number
If fewer than the minimum number of participants registered, the trip can still run with a small-group supplement fee per person determined by the number of participants.
Single Supplement
If a single room is preferred, or we are unable to find a suitable roommate for you, a single supplement fee of $550 will be assessed.
Deposit Requirements
A $750 deposit per person is required to hold each space on this tour. Deposit may be made online by clicking the "Book Your Trip Now" button and using any credit card. If you prefer, you may call us at 888-875-9453 to pay by phone. You may also mail us a check, however, remember that all space is held on a first come-first served basis as deposits are received.
Minimum Number
If fewer than the minimum number of required participants are registered, we may still be able to run the trip by adding a small-group supplement fee, per person, determined by the number of participants registered.
How to Book
In order to hold your space, click the "Book Your Trip Now" button above and complete the deposit process, including payment of the deposit through our Paypal portal using ANY CREDIT CARD. Upon completion of deposit, please visit our secure, online CLIENT INFORMATION FORM to complete your registration.
Final Payment
For all land-based tours: full payment by check is due 120 days prior to the departure date.
For all boat-based adventure cruises of 7-days or longer: full payment by check is required 180 days prior to departure.
NOTE: If you prefer to use credit card for final payment, a 3% fee may be added to cover the credit card merchant fees we incur.
Six night’s accommodations in standard motels, all ensuite and comfortable. Wherever possible, we support local establishments that implement eco-friendly practices. Full-size, luxury SUVs will be used for this tour.
Activity Level Rating: 2 (Note: 1 is easy and 5 is difficult)
Most walking will be short hikes on mostly flat terrain, but please prepare to walk 2+ miles at a time. Our boat trip to visit the seabird colony will be 6+ hours on the water, and you must be prepared for a variety of weather and sea conditions. Mount Washington is famous for its extreme weather, and even in June we have braved 70+mph winds and snow blizzards to reach the summit! Prepare accordingly!
Recommended Field Guide
Sibley Birds East (2nd Edition, 2016, Knopf)
by David Allen Sibley
Sibley Birds is also available as an App
Project Puffin: The Improbable Quest to Bring a Beloved Seabird Back to Egg Rock
by Stephen Kress and Derrick Jackson
Purchasing Flights
Do not purchase your flights until the trip has been confirmed to go.
Detailed Trip Information
Upon notification that final payment is due (120 days prior to departure for land based tours / 180 days for boat based tours), you will receive a trip package of detailed information for your tour.
Any additional information about the trip, including lodgings, contacts, participants, meeting locations, etc., will sent about 2 weeks prior to the trip departure, or after final payment is received for late registrants.
Travel Insurance
As with all tours, we recommend purchasing Travel Insurance to help cover your investment, for covered reasons. Please see our section on Travel Insurance.
Passport & Visa
US Citizens may require a visa to enter certain foreign countries. See above for any required visa information.
Participants arriving to the USA from a foreign country may need to get a travel visa to enter the United States. Be sure to check the requirements for your country of origin.
Itinerary Changes
The trip itinerary is developed many months ahead of time. Occasionally, despite our best planning, changes may occur during the trip, or we may be forced to alter our plans. Changes may occur because of weather, road conditions, safety concerns or other circumstances. In these situations, it is the leader(s) responsibility to carefully consider and implement appropriate alternatives. Any additional costs incurred because of changes will be the responsibility of each individual participant. Refunds will not be issued as a result of itinerary changes.
Trip Reports/Species Lists:
MAINE: Mountains & Coast 2024 eBird TRIP REPORT
MAINE: Mountains & Coast 2023 eBird TRIP REPORT
MAINE: Orange County Audubon Private Tour 2022 eBird TRIP REPORT
MAINE: Mountains & Coast 2022 eBird TRIP REPORT
MAINE: Mountains & Coast 2021 #1 eBird TRIP REPORT
MAINE: Mountains & Coast 2021 #2 eBird TRIP REPORT
MAINE: Mountains & Coast 2019 TRIP REPORT
MAINE: Mountains & Coast 2019 eBird TRIP REPORT
MAINE: Mountains & Coast 2018 eBird TRIP REPORT
MAINE: Mountains & Coast 2016 SPECIES LIST
iNaturalist Guide to Wildlife, Insects, & Plants seen on this tour!
Additional content:
LOCATION SPOTLIGHT: Mount Washington
LOCATION SPOTLIGHT: Quoddy Head State Park
Maine Attractions: Regulars and Rarities
