BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 2, 2025
Birding in Maine is like a farm-to-table restaurant. The offerings are always fresh, and the menu changes with each season. Recently, I spent an afternoon on my deck overlooking the lake. Five loons and six ospreys were raising a ruckus for hours. Then a foraging flock came along; 20 warblers fluttered in the branches. I counted at least ten species. Last Saturday, Bar Harbor Whale Watch took 130 birders on a 12-hour voyage to Cashes Ledge in the Gulf of Maine. I saw more Cory’s shearwaters in ten minutes than I’ve previously seen in my entire life. There are so many adventures out there right now that I’m not keeping up. I have yet to go shorebirding this season. Most years I make at least one trip to the Lubec sand bar before Labor Day, and another after. Hawk-watching season has arrived. Now that reservations are needed to drive up Cadillac Mountain, this adventure requires pre-planning. Watch the forecast, look for a morning in mid-September when good weather and a northwest breeze are predicted, and hope there’s parking space available. If that sounds like too much effort, remember the simplest option: pour a coffee, sit on the patio and let Maine’s birds come to you. ~ Bob Duschesne