Start pre-dawn with a private Mount Washington Auto Road tour for Bicknell’s Thrush, Blackpoll Warbler, Boreal Chickadee, and more. Bicknell’s Thrush is an extremely rare species with very limited mountaintop breeding grounds. In fact, it’s the rarest and most secretive of North America’s breeding thrushes. The Mt. Washington Auto Road offers a rare opportunity to view, as well as hear these obscure birds. Our tour this morning starts before the Auto Road opens to the public. After our morning outing, we’ll return to the hotel for breakfast and checkout, then drive to Bar Harbor, Maine with birding enroute.

Bangor area hotspots include Essex Woods and Orono Bog Walk if time allows. Highlight species to search for today include Sora, Virginia Rail, American Bittern, American Black Duck, Common Loon, Olive-sided, Alder, and Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, Black-billed Cuckoo and up to 21 species of warblers.

Accommodations: Best Western Acadia Park Inn or similar

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Welcome Dinner

Estimated drive time: Gorham, NH to Bar Harbor, ME approximately 4 hrs.

Bicknell’s Thrush Photo – Courtesy of Maurice DeMille.

Acadia’s birding community invites you and your family to celebrate the ecological wonders of the birds of the Gulf of Maine at the Acadia Birding Festival. Explore Mount Desert Island and its birds through numerous events and venues. Greet our warblers on early morning bird walks, visit with puffins and pelagic birds at sea, and observe Peregrine Falcons at an active breeding site in Acadia National Park. The chosen Festival field trips will connect you to Downeast Maine’s many bird species, diverse habitats and to local birding experts. Morning and afternoon field trips both days as part of the 25th Annual Acadia Birding Festival.

Accommodations: Best Western Acadia Park Inn or similar

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Estimated drive time: Hotel to Festival Headquarters approximately 30 mins, but times dependent on field trip locations.

The festival’s popular Pelagic Seabird Boat trip starts the day and provides a unique opportunity to see birds that live and thrive on the open ocean, far from shore-bound eyes. Each trip is different, offering the potential for Atlantic Puffin, Common Murre, Razorbill, Black Guillemot, Northern Gannet, Common Eider, scoters, phalaropes, shearwaters, jaegers, storm-petrels, and terns – plus, there are always a few surprises. We sail aboard the Friendship V, one of the fastest most stable birding platforms in the country. Depending on conditions and recent reports, we may visit Mt Desert Rock (25 miles off-shore), the nearby “Ball Park”, a nutrient rich upwelling, and Petit Manan Island for nesting birds, all known hotspots. Good birds are often seen along the way. Experienced local festival birding guides and a Ship’s Naturalist will assist in locating and directing you to target birds. Although birding is our primary focus, incidental sightings of marine mammals are possible. We sometimes see whales, porpoise, dolphin and seals. This afternoon will include another selected festival field trip.

Accommodations: Best Western Acadia Park Inn or similar

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Estimated drive times: Hotel to Festival Headquarters approximately 30 mins, but times dependent on field trip 

We have a final festival field trip this morning before heading back to Portland with birding enroute. Afternoon birding locations to include Brunswick and Freeport hotspots based on recent sightings and group’s interests.

Accommodations: Home2 Suites or similar

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Estimated drive times: Bar Harbor to Brunswick approximately 2.75 hrs; Brunswick and Freeport to Hotel approximately 30-45 mins.

Full day birding the Greater Portland area including the Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center and Maine Audubon trails at their headquarters in Falmouth. Additional stops depending on recent sightings and group’s interests. Relive trip highlights this evening during our Farewell Dinner.

Accommodations: Home2 Suites or similar

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Estimated drive times: Hotel to Scarborough Marsh approximately 30 mins; Hotel to Falmouth approximately 30 mins.

We’ll have some time to bird more this morning before we transfer back to the airport in time for our afternoon flights home.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Estimated drive time: Hotel to airport less than 10 mins. Plan to depart at 3 pm or later.