Outdoors
The BDN outdoors section brings readers into the woods, waters and wild places of Maine. It features stories on hunting, fishing, wildlife, conservation and recreation, told by people who live these experiences. This section emphasizes hands-on knowledge, field reports, issues, trends and the traditions that define life outside in Maine. Read more Outdoors stories here.
I’m in Maine today, I think. It’s a little unclear. I’ve gone back and forth across the border several times in the last few weeks, and my smart watch has gotten confused about which time zone I’m in.
This past Monday, I climbed onto Delkin, the sleek, 28-foot boat that serves Eastport Charter. It’s powered by twin 300-horsepower outboard motors, capable of taking six passengers on a chase for any rare bird flying over Head Harbor Passage. Captain Kinny Corthell is getting used to the bird-focused friends I bring with me. He has become quite adept at tracking down rarities.
Best bird of the day: a little gull. As the name implies, the little gull is a tiny species common across the northern half of Europe and Asia, but rare in North America. Small colonies nest in northern Canada and disperse into our area in late summer. They are difficult to pick out, because they resemble Bonaparte’s gulls.
Bonaparte’s gulls are only slightly larger than little gulls. They nest in trees across Canada and southern Alaska — the only tree-nesting gull in the world. In late summer, thousands flood into Head Harbor Passage off Eastport. A little gull in a flock that size is a proverbial needle in a haystack.
But we found two, getting some of our best looks ever.
We weren’t alone. FieldGuides is one of the foremost bird touring companies in the world. Coincidentally, they scheduled a Head Harbor tour on the same day, looking for the same rare birds. That group was onboard Eastport Windjammers, chartering a trip with Captain Butch Harris. That’s another boat tour I’ve taken many times before and always look forward to taking again.
Why is Head Harbor Passage awesome enough to attract international bird tours? Tides at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy are superstrong. When that surging tide gets squeezed between the island of Campobello and the U.S.-Canada mainland, it creates a whitewater river effect in the ocean, churning up fish and invertebrates that whales, seals, porpoises and seabirds feast on.
I never know exactly when I’ve crossed the border when I’m on a boat. It’s about halfway between Eastport and Canada’s Deer Island, neatly bisecting the Old Sow — one of the most powerful whirlpools in the world. Captain Kinny circled around the whirlpool and its eddies so we could feel the awesome force of the tide. As we pitched about, I’m certain we crossed and recrossed the border multiple times.
That’s the thing about Maine’s border with our neighbor to the north. It’s squishy in places. You can take a boat out of Lubec or Eastport and cross into Canadian waters without clearing customs, as long as you don’t land.
On Sunday, Maine Audubon made its annual pelagic birding cruise on Bar Harbor Whale Watch into the waters around Machias Seal Island — a 280-square-mile piece of the ocean that is claimed and freely navigated by both countries. As I said, squishy.
I expect most American politicians don’t realize that Maine is attached to Canada by a 611-mile border and to the United States by only a 200-mile border with New Hampshire. It’s natural that we have strong trading relationships with our neighbors. I’m not sure what our trading relationship is with New Hampshire, but I think it’s mostly Mainers going across the border for cheaper booze and no sales tax.
I spent last week birding Grand Manan. Prior to that, I spent three days birding Campobello. I can testify that the area around Cobscook and Passamaquoddy Bay is some of the best birding in or near Maine, due to the abundant variety of habitats influenced by the strong tides and maritime climate. Indeed, more bird species have been identified on Grand Manan than anywhere else in New Brunswick.
I enjoyed talking to many Canadians during my birding adventures these past two weeks. They have their own favorite places to visit in Maine, but they universally decline to return while under attack in a trade war. Weirdly, I’ve also encountered plenty of like-minded Mainers who choose to vacation across the border. Seems like most of us don’t hate our neighbors.
Ocean birding on both sides of the border has been above average this month. After several down years, the number of sooty shearwaters offshore has rebounded. Jaegers from the Arctic and south polar skuas from the Antarctic are mixing it up out there. It’s a fine time to be an adventurous international birder.
