At first look, you may think these photos have nothing to do with birds. Where are the birds? Well folks, this is the view from one of my favorite late summer and early fall birding spots. Popham Beach State Park lies on the southern tip of the peninsula south of Bath, Maine.

The beach is very quiet after the tourist season ends. Sharon and I walk this beach looking for shorebirds, Bald Eagles and Osprey and we usually are not disappointed. Last September, we watched 6 Osprey feeding in the outgoing tide of the Morse River. Hovering above the water, the Osprey look for fish, and upon finding one, will dive and pick up the prey with their tallons.

The area is rich in history: Ft. Popham; Ft. St. George; Ft. Baldwin; Popham Colony which is the site of the first English colony (1607) in New England; The first ship  built by the English in the New World (The pinnace, named Virginia of Sagadahoc) was completed during the year of the Popham Colony and was sailed back across the Atlantic Ocean to England.

This is my first entry for Skywatch Friday. Enjoy!

View looking south from Popham Beach State Park - September 2008 | Click for larger view

September 2008 - View southeast from Popham Beach State Park - Seguin Island Lighthouse | Click for larger view

Skywatch Friday

©2012 Birding in Maine. All Rights Reserved.

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New England survived the remnants of Tropical Storm Hanna last night. Here at home, we received 5.80″ of rain in under ten hours and had a high wind gust of 31 m.p.h. The highest rainfall amount locally that I heard about was 6.92″ in Gray, Maine. At times last night, the torrential downpours woke me up but no lightning or thunder was observed.

I took a ride this morning to Popham Beach State Park. Several low lying areas had water across the road, a few branches and limbs were down and light beach erosion was evident at the park. We have a new pond beside our driveway, but it is receding nicely.

The birds seemed to fare well here at home. Hummingbirds and juvenile American Goldfinches were at the feeders before the sun came up this morning. Eleven Green-Winged Teals with 2 Blue-Winged Teals mixed in were observed this morning in the river just off our back yard.

Down at Popham Beach, not much activity was observed. A few Dunlin and a smattering of Semipalmated Plovers were feeding on the exposed flats.  A lone Osprey was seen hovering near the Seguin Island Lighthouse and several Double-Crested Cormorants were seen toward the Morris River. We had a juvenile Herring Gull follow us around like a puppy while we were on the beach.

All in all not a devastating storm except for a few flooded roads and basements.

The view early this morning from Popham Beach State Park:

Happy birding!

©2012 Birding in Maine. All Rights Reserved.

Related posts:

1. Photo of the Day: Broad-winged Hawk
2. Juvenile Ospreys – Ready to Face The World