The Bird Word 2026 Season

The annual spring migration appears to have reached its peak here in Lincoln County between Friday, 15 May, and Tuesday, 26 May, during which time well over 7 million birds passed over the county. Monday, 25 May, had the highest single-day total in that five day stretch, with over 3,400,000 birds detected. Of course, only a fraction of those birds stopped in the Boothbay area after flying most of the night from somewhere well south of Maine. Still, that’s a sizeable number of birds, many of which (41 species) were seen and heard during a field trip to Autumn View Preserve last Saturday.

Although the daily numbers are beginning to decline, the spring migration is far from over. More birds will be coming through by the end of the month before the migration is essentially complete. Morning is the best time to see and hear birds, and the earlier the better. Most of the migrants will have landed in trees and shrubs, or on the ground, to rest and feed after flying all night.

One of the most unusual, if not rare, birds to appear in Maine this season is the Little Blue Heron. As the name implies, this bird is smaller than the more commonly seen Great Blue Heron but is a much darker shade of blue—almost slate-colored. A Little Blue was seen at Oak Point Farm on Monday, 18 May, and again on Tuesday and Wednesday. Hopefully, it will stick around for the summer!

Bird breeding activity in the Boothbay area is picking up with Tree Swallows starting to lay eggs in nests on several BRLT preserves. Autumn View currently has 9 Tree Swallow eggs in 2 different nests and 4 Easter Bluebird eggs in another nest. There are 4 growing young Bluebirds at Lobster Cove Meadow and 4 more young Bluebirds at Oak Point Farm. Tree Swallows are not to be outdone at Oak Point, boasting 9 new eggs in 2 different nests. Penny Lake is doing well with 4 young Bluebirds in 1 nest and at least 3 Tree Swallow eggs in another. Singing Meadows still leads with 9 young Bluebirds in 2 different nests. And finally, Zak is doing well with 3 young growing Bluebirds and 6 new Tree Swallow eggs.

The Osprey nest platform at Oak Point hosted the first reported visit of an Osprey on Wednesday, 20 May. It’s too soon to say if there will be repeated visits.

The Kestrel nest box at Zak Preserve, which is being monitored by Midcoast Audubon, had a few brief visits by a male Kestrel last week, but no evidence of nesting activity has been identified since that time.

Many of the Bluebird eggs we reported on last week have hatched. As of today, we have 19 new baby Bluebirds in 6 different nests at Singing Meadows, Zak, Penny Lake, and Oak Point Farm. The four Bluebird eggs seen in a nest at Lobster Cove Meadow last week are expected to hatch within the next 24 hours. Unfortunately, five of the six eggs in a nest at Singing Meadows failed to hatch, possibly due to the chilly, wet weather we had during much of the incubation period.

Tree Swallows continue their preparations to nest in several nest boxes on all Land Trust preserves, but as of this week, have not deposited any eggs. That is expected to change with warmer weather on the way.

The spring migration continues to build to its peak in Maine by this weekend, with thousands of migrants being seen every day all across Maine. Highlights include Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and Baltimore Orioles right here in Boothbay, and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Northern Parula, Summer and Scarlet Tanagers, and eleven different Warbler varieties elsewhere in the state. If you haven’t done so already, be sure to put out your nectar feeders for the hummingbirds. The nectar mix is 4 parts water and one part granulated white sugar, and be sure to change it every 3 to 4 days. No red food coloring is necessary.

The local bird nesting season is well underway. We have nests containing eggs on five of the six land trust preserves with nest boxes. As of today, Bluebirds lead the way with a total of 27 eggs in six different nests. Singing Meadows has three nest boxes containing 4, 5, and 6 eggs, respectively, all of which are expected to hatch on or about May 6th. Lobster Cove, Oak Point Farm, and Penny Lake have at least one nest box, each containing 4 eggs. Most of those are expected to hatch within a week.

Tree Swallows are just beginning to establish nests on each of the preserves, but as of yet have not deposited any eggs in those nests. That should change as the weather warms up, leading to an increase in the flying insects needed by the adults to feed themselves and their young.

The Spring bird migration is really ramping up here in Maine, where we are seeing a daily increase in the number of birds returning from their winter vacations down south. Many of those birds are making their way to breeding grounds not just in Maine but beyond into Canada and as far north as the Canadian Arctic.

Recent local sightings include Broad-winged Hawks, several Warbler species, including Pine, Yellow-rumped, Northern Parula, Yellow, and Common Yellow-throat, as well as both varieties of Kinglets. Chipping, Swamp, White-throated, and Savannah Sparrows are becoming more frequently seen and heard as well. A few of the sea ducks (Surf Scoter, Long-tailed, and Common Eider) that winter here in Maine are still hanging around in the harbor and along the coast before they head north to their breeding areas.

Peak migration in Maine will occur in the next couple of weeks, with millions of birds flying every night and settling in the morning to rest and feed before resuming their flights north. This will be a great time to get out on Boothbay Region Land Trust preserves to witness this incredible miracle of nature at its best.

Despite some cooler-than-usual weather, spring bird breeding activity is off to a good start on the Boothbay peninsula. Eastern Bluebirds have not only started building nests on most of our land trust preserves, but they also have already laid eggs in at least four of those nests. Singing Meadows is currently in the lead with four nests, one of which already has four eggs. Eggs are anticipated in the other three nests in the near term.

So far, Oak Point Farm and Penny Lake Preserves each have one Bluebird egg each in a nest, with more anticipated this week.

Lobster Cove Meadow and Zak preserves have one nest each with Bluebird eggs expected soon.  Autumn View has Bluebirds and Tree Swallows hanging around, and nests with eggs are anticipated there as well.

The spring bird migration is well underway, as exemplified by the birdsong that is easily heard on the preserves.  By far, the most vocal birds you are likely to hear during a walk on the trails include Song Sparrows, Goldfinches, Robins, Red-winged Blackbirds, Titmice, Black-capped Chickadees, and Cardinals.  Many other bird species will be arriving daily, adding their songs to the avian symphony.

For those of you who like to walk at Oak Point Farm, you will likely see a new bird-related “structure” on the property.  An Osprey nest platform was recently installed to the right of the trail from the farmhouse to the dock. We are hopeful that a pair of Ospreys will soon find the platform to their liking and build a nest on it this season.