The goal for today was to make it to the eastern-most point in the United States: Quoddy Head. In addition to a lighthouse, this is a great spot to look for seabirds. Admittedly, there was little interesting in that department, mainly Common Eider. But, the trail along the cliffs was excellent for American Redstart, Yellow-rump and Magnolia Warbler. Still, no Boreal Chickadee. Despite the lack of new finds, the trails are incredibly beautiful and made a wonderful day with Delta.
eBird had reports of Sharp-tailed Sparrows in the area, and this has been a long standing blank on my life list. It took some time to find the parking lot, but we parked, walked along the beach and found the state land which contains a field of wild flowers. It took almost no time to stumble on a Song Sparrow actively singing. This was a handy reference, as another bird was also in the area singing an entirely different song. Perched on a flower, eating a large insect, was a sparrow with an orange face and long bill. My first Sharp-tailed Sparrow. And this young fellow (it was a juvenile) was plenty happy to keep singing as I moved in closer to capture some amazing shots.
That night, we drove up to Cobscock State Park. They gave us a great spot right on the coast. This was Delta’s first foray into a tent, so she was fairly reticent about climbing in. OK, I had to drag her inside. But she enjoyed looking out the screen up top and eventually settled down at the bottom of my feet.
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