Portland Warbler Hotspot Questions

[Matthew Gilbert]

Although I've been birding in the Portland area a lot recently with school out, I still have some questions about which hotspots are best and when:

It seems like, at least this year, Hinckley park has consistently the highest diversity (I had 21 sp. of warbler yesterday) and the best totals. Has this changed, or has it always been the case? Why has Evergreen Cemetery been so lackluster this year?

Is there a way to tell (based on wind or radar) whether Evergreen, or Hinckley, or Capisic is better on a certain day? Do some places get better/worse as May progresses? Which places are better for other migrants like flycatchers or thrushes?

Thanks, and Happy Birding!

Matthew Gilbert

Cumberland

[S. Davis]

Evergreen has always been hit or miss in my experience. It’s such a large area that the warblers have a lot of places to move around. If you catch a mixed flock moving by, it can be an amazing 5-10 mins, but more often than not it’s pretty tame there.