Finding the Birds of Mount Desert Island

The goal of this project was to identify birding hotspots on Mount Desert Island. To do this, I used data from  eBird  to determine which birds are most common in each sector. The sectors are areas used by birders during the annual  Christmas Bird Count . Birding hotspots are areas that birders go to frequently. eBird groups nearby data into hotspots, which makes it easier to determine whether an area has good birding or not. This is great for beginner birders because they can easily find new areas to bird without having to have years of knowledge.

When exploring this story map, feel free to click on the sectors above to read about them in whatever order you choose. You can also just scroll down to read about them in order. On a smaller screen, you may need to click the little arrows to see all the tabs. You'll notice that all the birds mentioned are links. You can click on these links to read more about the birds mentioned.

• Click on the map to interact with it.
• The + and - buttons will zoom in and out. The yellow stars are the birding hotspots -- if you zoom in you can see the names of them.
• The house button returns you to the original view.
• The circular button will zoom in to your current location. Click on it again to make it stop.
• The arrow pointing left will bring you to the previous zoom and the arrow pointing left will bring you to the next zoom.
• On the green sidebar, if you click the button that looks like a list the legend will appear. The button below that is the list of layers that you can turn on or off by clicking the checkboxes. To collapse the sidebar, click the arrows at the bottom.
• The left button below the search bar is a swipe tool. This allows you to easily see under a layer without turning it off. When you click on it you'll have to select which layer you want to see under.
• The right button under the search bar will give you directions to a place on the map. Sadly, you will need an esri account to use this one.

Some birding hotspots in Sector 1 are the Thompson Island Picnic Area and the Blue Horizon Preserve. The most common birds here are  American Crow ,  Herring Gull ,  Song Sparrow ,  Ring-billed Gull , and  Common Loon . Some interesting birds to be found here are  Bald Eagle ,  Horned Grebe ,  Black-bellied Plover ,  Red-throated Loon , and  Killdeer . This sector is mostly water and, therefore, is good for spotting seabirds. This sector is also an excellent area to spot shorebirds because a large mudflat is exposed at low tide  ¹  . The Blue Horizon Preserve is made up of small meadows and spruce forest providing a relatively diverse habitat for birds  ²  . Sparrows are likely birds in this area.

Sector 2 has two hotspots: Indian Point Blagden Preserve and Pretty Marsh Picnic Area. The most common birds here are  Blue Jay ,  American Crow ,  Black-Capped Chickadee ,  Greater Yellowlegs , and  Herring Gull . Some notable birds here are  Black-throated Green Warbler ,  Cedar Waxwing ,  Osprey ,  Yellow-Rumped Warbler , and  Dark-eyed Junco . The Indian Point Blagden Preserve is mostly forested with mature-growth trees and is a good place to find warblers and woodpeckers  ³  . The Pretty Marsh Picnic Area is located in a spruce forest and is right by the coast. This means that there are a combination of both seabirds and forest birds, like warblers and woodpeckers, in the area  ⁴  .

Sector 3 has one hotspot, Babson Creek. The most common birds in this sector are  American Crow ,  Black-capped Chickadee ,  Blue Jay ,  Mallard , and  Canada Goose . Some notable birds are  Mourning Dove ,  American Black Duck ,  Common Merganser ,  Turkey Vulture , and  Hairy Woodpecker . Babson Creek Preserve is home to a salt marsh next to the creek  ⁵  . This combination of habitats means that various types of ducks, and other waterfowl, are common here.

There are no hotspots in this sector, but you can still find interesting birds here! Some of the most common birds found in this sector are  Common Loon ,  American Crow ,  Osprey ,  Black-capped Chickadee , and  Song Sparrow . Some other interesting birds that can be found here are  American Goldfinch ,  Common Yellowthroat,   Pine Warbler ,  Merlin , and  Red-breasted Nuthatch . Pretty Marsh Road runs through the middle of this sector, which makes for some great roadside birding. There are also several ponds in this sector, which means that ducks should be relatively easy to find.

Sector 5 has four hotspots Seal Cove, Mill Field, Lopaus Road and Back Beach, and Clark Point Road. The most common birds in this sector are  American Crow ,  Black-capped Chickadee ,  Herring Gull ,  Song Sparrow , and  Black-throated Green Warbler . Some other birds that can be found here are  Gray Catbird ,  Golden-crowned Kinglet ,  American Redstart ,  Great Black-backed Gull , and  Blue-headed Vireo . Mill Field is a great place to bird because one can easily access Bernard Mountain to look for birds in a more mountainous habitat  ⁶  .

Sector 6 has six hotspots Bass Harbor Marsh, Bass Harbor, Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, Ship Harbor Trail, Wonderland Trail, and Seawall. The most common birds here are  American Crow ,  Herring Gull ,  Song Sparrow ,  Great Black-backed Gull , and  Mallard . Other birds in this area include  Common Eider ,  American Robin ,  Red-breasted Merganser ,  Northern Parula , and  Long-tailed Duck . This sector has extensive marshland, which means good chances of spotting marsh birds such as  American Woodcock   ⁷  . Bass Harbor Marsh is a salt marsh managed by Acadia National Park and is a good place to spot American Black Ducks. Ship Harbor Trail is another good combination of coastal and forested habitat, meaning that birds ranging from seabirds to songbirds can be found here  ⁸  . Wonderland Trail leads to a beach with exposed tide pools at low tide  ⁹  . This is a good place to find shorebirds like  Purple Sandpiper .

Sector 7 has three hotspots Hadley Point Beach, Hamilton Pond, and Hulls Cove. The most common birds here are  American Crow ,  Black-capped Chickadee ,  Red-breasted Nuthatch ,  American Goldfinch , and  American Robin . Some other interesting birds in this area are  Downy Woodpecker ,  Purple Finch ,  Chipping Sparrow ,  Double-crested Cormorant , and  Red-winged Blackbird . Hadley Point and Hulls cove are both great places to see seabirds, whereas Hamilton Pond is a wonderful place to see ducks, herons, and other marsh birds.

Sector 8 has four hotspots: the Alewife Fish ladders in Somesville, Somes Sound, Beech Mountain, and Valley Cove. The most common birds here are  American Crow ,  Mallard ,  Red-breasted Nuthatch ,  Herring Gull , and  Black-capped Chickadee . Sector 8 has many interesting birds including  Winter Wren ,  Black-and-white Warbler ,  Bufflehead ,  Swainson's Thrush , and  Blackburnian Warbler . Somes Sound is a unique body of water because it is a fjard -- similar to a fjord -- and it is the only one on the east coast of the US  ¹⁰  . This is a great place to find seabirds because of how sheltered it is. Beech Mountain is another great place to find birds that prefer a more mountainous climate. Valley Cove trail is closed every year from March to August because of nesting  Peregrine Falcons   ¹¹  . During the other times of the year this is another great spot to look for seabirds in the sound.

Sector 9 has five hotspots: Mount Desert Island High School Ponds, Sargent Drive/Suminsby Park, Asticou Gardens, Thuya Gardens, and Northeast Harbor Town Pier. Common birds here are  Mallard ,  American Crow ,  Song Sparrow ,  Black-capped Chickadee , and  American Robin . Other interesting birds are  Wood Duck ,  Tree Swallow ,  Eastern Phoebe ,  White-throated Sparrow , and  Common Raven . Asticou and Thuya Gardens are both cultivated areas containing numerous flowers  ^{12,     13}  . Birds such as  Hummingbirds  and  Orioles  might be found here.

Sector 10 has five hotspots, all of which are located along Acadia National Park's Park Loop Road. Common birds in this sector are  American Crow ,  Black-capped Chickadee ,  Common Loon ,  Double-crested Cormorant , and  Herring Gull . Some other interesting birds in this area are  Black Guillemot ,  Black Scoter ,  Northern Gannet ,  Ovenbird , and  Pileated Woodpecker . The hotspots in this area overlook the sea and are a great place to look for seabirds. There are also many trails in this area that are great for looking for more terrestrial birds. Keep in mind that much of Park Loop Road is closed in the winter!

Sector 11 has three hotspots Cadillac Mountain, the Bubbles, and Jordan Pond House. The most common birds here are  Black-capped Chickadee ,  American Crow ,  American Robin ,  Black-throated Green Warbler , and  Red-breasted Nuthatch . Other interesting birds are  Eastern Towhee ,  Eastern Wood-Pewee ,  Broad-winged Hawk ,  Sharp-shinned Hawk , and  Snowy Owl . In the winter, Cadillac Mountain is a good place to try to spot a Snowy Owl. You'll have to hike up the mountain, but that gives you a chance to spot other winter visitors such as  Snow Bunting  or  Bohemian Waxwing.  In other seasons, check the mountains for hawks and other birds of prey.

Sector 12 has six hotspots. Common birds in this sector are  American Crow ,  Black-capped Chickadee ,  American Goldfinch ,  Herring Gull , and  Song Sparrow . Some interesting birds in the sector are  Swamp Sparrow ,  Northern Cardinal ,  Rock Pigeon ,  Barred Owl , and  House Finch . Great Meadow and Sieur de Mont's Spring are a good place to potentially spot Barred Owls, as they are known to nest in the area. Many of the more urban birds can be found in Bar Harbor. From about an hour before to an hour after low tide, you can walk out on the Bar Harbor Sand Bar and spot more seabirds. Precipice trail is yet another area where  Peregrine falcons  nest, so keep an eye out if you're in the area.

Sector 13 has two hotspots: Great and Little Cranberry Island. Common Birds here are  Black Guillemot ,  Common Loon ,  Common Eider ,  Double-crested Cormorant , and  Great Black-backed Gull . Other interesting birds are  Red-necked Grebe ,  White-winged Crossbill ,  Alder Flycatcher ,  Black-throated Blue Warbler , and  Chestnut-sided Warbler . The islands in this sector are only accessible by boat, which means that seabirds are very common. The islands themselves still have plenty of terrestrial birds though. There are ferries running out of both Northeast and Southwest harbor that go to the island  ¹⁴  .