SSBC Goes to Lake Umbagog! June 3-7 2022

Below is a writeup from Dana Duxbury-Fox on two double-header three-day trips out to lake Umbagog she and Bob led.

Group 1 SSBC Trip to the Umbagog Region 3-5 June 2022

Day 1, Friday June 3, 2022, After a long drive with good weather, everyone reached Gorham NH and began birding the 38-mile Gorham – Errol Road (Route 16). There were the boom piers in the Androscoggin River, the huge ski jump, a bridge with nesting Cliff and Barn Swallows, and the photogenic osprey nest. At Pontuck Resevoir many of the group met our co-leaders (SSBC members who moved north) Charlie Nims and Joe Scott. Here there were some Ring-necked ducks, a wonderful marsh.

Soon everyone reached Errol, turned right, and found the Errol Motel just past the church. At 5 p.m. there was a Happy Hour in Room 10, then we all walked to the church for a wonderful turkey dinner prepared by a team of ladies from the church.  After ordering our bag-lunch for next day, everyone went upstairs for a talk by Dana Duxbury-Fox. Dana has become an expert on the area’s most famous birder, William Brewster, and she talked about his adventures a century ago.

Day 2, Saturday, June 4, 2022, began at 6:15 a.m. with an early cold breakfast at the church so we could early reach the high areas on the Dixville Turbine Road by 8 a.m. for the best birding. The elevation is only about 2,700 feet, but its location favors more spruce-loving northern breeding species. Charlie led the five-car caravan first to the road’s end while birds were in song, then we birded back down the road making several stops for special birds. Some of the birds seen and photographed at the top included Bicknell’s Thrush, Blackpoll Warbler,Canada Jay, Boreal Chickadee, and Nate heard a distant Fox Sparrow. Attention also turned to sundews, ferns, Nodding Trillium. We paused beyond the port-ta-pot- ties for Lincoln’s  Sparrow and Mourning Warbler.

Magnolia Warbler, photo by Carol Molander

We ate our picnic lunch back at the motel picnic tables. The afternoon birding trip started by going north for 5 miles on Route 16 to a good boreal bog. Then we went further north to the Dartmouth Second College Grant property and our interests expanded with Nate catching dragonflies and butterflies, and others checking out plants and ferns as well as seeing a new group of birds. 

Beaverpond Baskettail, photo by Leslie Flint

The Umbagog region is located between two plant/animal areas called biomes, so it is only a short distance between species we might expect in southern NH and those of the great northern forests.

Just south of the Dartmouth College grant road found us checking a field with bird houses everywhere where we saw an Eastern Bluebird and Tree Swallow, making a scenic stop at the park headquarters and reaching the motel for Happy Hour and a wonderful lasagna dinner. Bob Quinn, who has led many trips to the area, gave a short talk about Umbagog.

At dusk some checked out woodcocks that had been spotted the night before in the fields beside our motel. Charlie, Joe, and Bob Fox drove back west  on Rt. 26 and had woodcocks and a Whip-poor-will; they returned about 10 p.m.

Day 3, Sunday, June 5, 2022, began again at 6:15 (early coffee in room 10) with a drive to Lakeside Road. Here were a different group of birds, interesting plants, and a gravel pit. While we could have stayed here longer, we rushed back for a hot breakfast at 7:50 a.m. We spent a few minutes checking out and packing cars for our trip home.

At 8:30 we left for a pontoon boat-trip that went from Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters down the Magalloway River to the northwest corner of Lake Umbagog to Leonard Marsh then along the Androscoggin River to Harper’s and Sweat Meadow and back up the Magalloway reaching the Headquarters about 3 p.m. Yes, we had a rest-stop and our picnic lunches near Harper’s Meadow. During the whole trip, the park senior biologist explained what we were seeing and answered questions. And it was his day-off!

The crew, photo by Charlie Nims

A Pileated Woodpecker started the trip. Along the way we saw Loons, Bald Eagles, Wilson’s Snipe and the twitching ears of a moose.

The eBird Trip Report details for June 3-5

https://ebird.org/tripreport/63184

Group 1 Google Photos

https://photos.app.goo.gl/gZzd1fGgHEskJFFg9 

 

Group 2

Members of the South Shore Bird Club birded the Umbagog Region on June 5-8, 2022

Day 1 Sunday June 5, 2022. Three members of Group 1 stayed on and took part in Group 2 as well. Others after a long drive with good weather, reached Gorham NH and began birding the 38-mile Gorham – Errol Road (Route 16). There were the boom piers in the Androscoggin River, the huge ski jump, a bridge with nesting Cliff and Barn Swallows, and the photogenic osprey nest. The Pontuck Resevoir, a large lake-like body of water with great marshes was a must stop. 

Soon they reached Errol, turned right, and found the Errol Motel just past the church. At 5 p.m. there was a Happy Hour around Room 10 where we met our guides, Phil Brown and Katrina Fenton. Levi Burford and Bob Quinn also joined us. We walked to the church for a wonderful pulled pork dinner prepared by a team of ladies from the church. After ordering our bag-lunches for the next day, everyone went upstairs where Dana explained the trip schedule. She gave an illustrated talk on William Brewster the area’s most famous birder, a subject she has researched in depth. Bob Quinn, a tour leader in the area for many years, added some comments on Brewster and Umbagog.

Day 2, Monday, June 6, 2022.  The day began with a 6:15 am cold breakfast at the church so that we could reach our birding destination while birds were still in full song. We drove on Route 26 some 8 miles towards Dixville Notch, before turning left onto the Dixville Turbine Road. It was a rough dirt road, and we went another 15+ miles to just beneath several turbines and a closed gate. The end of the road was full of birdsong, the day perfectly clear, and the temperature cool but pleasant. We had Boreal Chickadees, Canada Jays, Bicknell’s Thrush, male and female Blackpoll Warblers and Phil spotted a Black-backed Woodpecker. We walked up the hill beyond the gate and down a steep dirt path. We spent several hours on the wide dirt the road enjoying and photographing boreal species. As we drove down, Phil had some special stops for a “restroom” and a singing Philadelphia Vireo. Unexpectedly, there was a Ruffed Grouse standing in the road, and then a Snowshoe Hare.

Boreal Chickadee, photo by Soheil Zendeh

Back on Rt. 26, we headed west for Dixville Notch but paused at the Dixville Notch State Park to eat our picnic lunch. Our next stop was at the west end of the Notch where Bob gave a brief talk expanding on his paper on the geology of the Notch that participants had received before the trip. 

We continued west from the Notch and turned right on Diamond Road entering the wonderful grasslands, the largest such habitat in NH. Katrina Fenton briefed us on the history and future of this area. There were rolling fields with scattered woodlands, and some once prosperous farms now in disrepair. We saw the special birds of this area – Bobolinks, Savannah Sparrows, Cliff Swallows nesting on the one working farm, a distant Harrier and three Kestrels before heading back to Errol. One quick stop just before the notch let us see the “pillow lava” outcrop mentioned earlier by Bob. 

Grasslands and farmland by Dixville, photo by Leslie Flint

Happy hour and dinner. Phil went north on Rt. 16 and saw moose.

Day 3, Tuesday, June 7, 2022, began at 6:15 a.m. with a prebreakfast trip to a boreal bog spot about five miles north on Rt. 16 where we had a singing Olive-sided Flycatcher, and Palm Warblers. Back to the church we had a fine breakfast and then drove east to Mollidgewock Road off Route 26 about 5 miles from the motel. We birded this dirt road to a gravel pit where there was a kingfisher nesting and Palm Warblers and plants as well. We returned to the motel and had our picnic lunch under the trees.

Screaming Olive-sided Flycatcher, photo by Carol Molander

eBird Trip Group 2 Summary

https://ebird.org/tripreport/62174

Google Photo Group 2

https://photos.app.goo.gl/yzM64ErXsTAasD1b9