Search
Close this search box.

Head Harbor Passage 2018 Trip Report

On Saturday, August 25th, we ran our second annual Head Harbor Passage boat trip out of Eastport and it was another amazing spectacle for the numbers and density of wildlife in that small area. The narrow waterways of Head Harbor Passage pair with extreme tides to create upwellings and the famous “Old Sow” whirlpool that drives food, like krill, to the surface for birds to feed on. Beneath the surface, seals, porpoises, and whales chase after these and larger prey items. We time our trip for ideal tides to maximize the number of birds feeding and this year those numbers were great enough to be difficult to count!

Our big target for this trip is to pick out a Little Gull among the thousands of Bonaparte’s Gulls. Last year we had to work a little harder to spot one roosting on a ledge but this trip was much easier as we got one on the water and eventually in the air, where its black underwings are easy to spot.

The number of Sooty Shearwaters was also amazing this year. For the past few weeks, numbers have been building in Head Harbor Passage and on the day of our trip we had a conservative count of 700+ birds all resting or feeding near East Quoddy Head. Last year we only had about 30 Great Shearwaters during the trip and no Sooty.

Species List:

Below is a complete list of species and an estimate of the total number of each species that were seen.

Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) – 1
peep sp. (Calidris sp. (peep sp.)) – 5
Common Murre (Uria aalge) – 6
Razorbill (Alca torda) – 10
Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle) – 21
Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) – 389
Bonaparte’s Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) – 2097
Little Gull (Hydrocoloeus minutus) – 2
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) – 472
Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus) – 102
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) – 1
Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea) – 2
Common/Arctic Tern (Sterna hirundo/paradisaea) – 4
Common Loon (Gavia immer) – 1
Great Shearwater (Ardenna gravis) – 20
Sooty Shearwater (Ardenna grisea) – 737
Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) – 2
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) – 2
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) – 28
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) – 2
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) – 4
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) – 1
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) – 7

Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) – 5+
Gray Seal (Halichoerus grypus) – 2+
Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) – 30+
Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) – 2+
Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) – 4+
White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) – 2

Thanks!

I want to thank everyone who came on this trip – you are not only supporting Maine Audubon but also an under-birded region of the state that can benefit from ecotourism opportunities like this. Also, to our wonderfully knowledgeable and exceptionally skilled guides, Chris Bartlett and Woody Gillies, for helping get us on such great birds throughout the morning!

eBird:

eBird users can add the segmented checklists to their accounts by clicking on the “Add to my eBird” links below. ONLY click on the red links if you were on this trip, otherwise you can still view the lists using the blue “view” links.

Maine Audubon-Head Harbor Passage 2018–Segment I – ViewAdd to my eBird
Maine Audubon-Head Harbor Passage 2018–Segment II – ViewAdd to my eBird
Maine Audubon-Head Harbor Passage 2018–Segment III – ViewAdd to my eBird
Maine Audubon-Head Harbor Passage 2018–Segment IV – ViewAdd to my eBird
Maine Audubon-Head Harbor Passage 2018–Segment V – ViewAdd to my eBird
Maine Audubon-Head Harbor Passage 2018–Segment VI – ViewAdd to my eBird
Maine Audubon-Head Harbor Passage 2018–Segment VII – ViewAdd to my eBird