www.belfastmaine.org
2011
30
2011 Belfast Bay and Beyond
belfASt bIrdIng corrIdor
1 Sandy Point Beach
2 Cape Ellison Loop
3 Sears Island
4 Belfast
5 Bayside
6 Ducktrap River
for more bIrdIng InformAtIon:
Seth Benz
stbenz@roadrunner.com
207-322-8549
cape Jellison loop
- DeLorme Maine Atlas and Gazetteer Map 15, A-1. From
Route 1/3 in Stockton Springs, turn and follow Cape Jellison Road: bear left at the
split to reach the following locations:
Fort Point Cove (Pull-off area .5 mi. on left from split)
Fort Point State Park (1 mi. beyond FP Cove Pull-off on left)
Stockton Harbor (3-4 mi. beyond FPSP if circling the loop)
Car Pull-off (FPC); Walking Trails (FPSP); Parking area (SH). Habitats: River/Bay/
Cove, spruce-fir forest (FPSP). Birds of note: Ruddy ducks, scoters, other waterfowl;
songbirds.
Sears Island
- DeLorme Maine Atlas and Gazetteer Map 15, A-1. From Route 1/3
two miles north of Searsport, turn right onto Sears Island Road. Follow to end of
causeway to gate.
940 acre island under conservation easement. No current development. Beyond
gate a paved road allows easy walking access and fine birding of surrounding mixed
woods. Several other trails, including beach walking. Habitats: Extensive Bay areas/
River, mixed woodlands, roadside vegetation. Birds of note: Sea ducks, warblers,
sparrows. A single visit usually produces a good variety of birds at any time of year.
belfast harbor
- DeLorme Maine Atlas and Gazetteer Map 14, A-4. Routes 1 and 3
converge on Belfast. Follow downtown to Maine Street and City Pier parking area.
Scan harbor and/or walk approximately .25 mi. N to Pedestrian Bridge or .25 mi. S
to Boathouse.
Pedestrian Bridge (exceptional location for scanning up and down river)
Boathouse (good location to scan mouth of river and entry to Belfast Bay)
Upper Passagassawaukeag River From City Pier return to intersection with High
Street, follow north out of the downtown and continue along river. Best pull-off is at
Old Upper Bridge about 2 mi. from City Pier parking area.
Habitats: Tidal River/Bay. Birds of note: Barrow's Goldeneye (winter); gulls, sea ducks.
bayside town landing
- DeLorme Maine Atlas and Gazetteer Map 14, B-5. From
Route 1 south between Belfast and Northport, take Shore Road to the Bayside Town
Landing. Park and scan north into greater Belfast Bay and south along channel of
Penobscot River.
Habitats: Bay/River. Birds of note: Red-throated loons (Fall), sea ducks.
ducktrap harbor
- DeLorme Maine Atlas and Gazetteer Map 14, C-4. From Route
1 approximately 1.5 mi. N of Lincolnville or 5 mi. S of Northport, turn onto Harbor
Road, follow to gravel bar parking area at road's end. Habitat: Tidal river mouth/Bay.
The Ducktrap River is of special conservation status due to annual run of Atlan-
tic Salmon, one of just 8 such rivers along Maine's entire coast. Birds of note: Bald
eagles, osprey, red-necked grebes, sea ducks.
Osprey
Belfast Birding: Coastal
Corridor from Sandy
Point Beach State Park
to Ducktrap Harbor.
Birdwatching is a great way to stay in
touch with the wonder and awe of the
natural world at home or wherever you
travel. It offers wonderful opportunities
to explore and deepen your learning about
the natural history of any area.
This section of Maine's coast is located within the (West) Penobscot Bay Coastal
Subregion (Bennett, 1988) a section of the state's largest watershed. It is character-
ized by rocky coastline, forests of transition hardwoods interspersed with white
pine and hemlock, island forests of spruce-fir, and cool marine waters. A difference
of 10 feet between high and low tide increases the exposed intertidal zone, adding to
the potential diversity of available habitats and birds found here.
What follows is a selection of the best coastal birding spots with easy access and
parking. More than 250 species of birds have been spotted at the 6 highlighted sites.
The birds you see will depend greatly on the time of year. Some birds can be seen
throughout the year. Others are migratory, found here when traveling long distances
from their breeding grounds to wintering areas. Binoculars are a must and a spotting
scope can be helpful.
Select coAStAl locAtIonS
Sandy point beach State park
- DeLorme Maine Atlas and Gazetteer Map 23, E-2.
Take Routes 1/3 east from Stockton Springs approximately 2 miles, turning right onto
Steamboat Wharf Road and proceeding to the end where there is parking by the beach.
Walking trails, wheelchair accessible trail. Habitats: River/Bay, sand beach, bluffs,
mixed species-mixed age woodlands. Birds of note: Osprey nests, woodland
songbirds, waterfowl.
Peregrine Falcon
American Redstart
Barn Swallow Fledglings
Northern Shrike
Enroll / Subscribe
Waldo.VillageSoup.com
161 High Street
Belfast
207.338.3333
Locally owned
and operated