Bird Watching Mecca – Acadia National Park
When it comes to birding, Acadia National Park is a mecca for sightings. The Park has 338 bird species, which is a record for any national park in the United States. The list of species includes such rare birds as the bald eagle, 23 warbler variations and falcons by the bushel load. If you’re looking to fill out your life list, Acadia is the place to be.
The park has such a wide variety of bird species because of a unique environment. Part of the park consists of offshore islands that provide protected nooks and crannies that are ideal for nesting. To this end, numerous species use these island nooks as their southern breeding headquarters. Nesting species include eiders in addition to other sea birds, herons and raptors. Sandpipers and a wide variety of ducks can also be found on the islands.
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In addition to the nesting areas, Acadia is famous for its rare, predatory species. The park is home to a wide variety of eagles, including the bald eagle, and falcons. Indeed, Acadia is the home of the very rare Peregrine Falcon, which was nearly pushed to extinction in 1964. Reintroduced to Acadia in the mid 1980s, the Peregrines have flourished and established nesting patters in the park.
If you’re looking to add to your life list, Acadia National Park is a destination you must visit. Here’s a list of bird species you just might see:
- Red Throat Loon
- Common Loon
- Pied-billed Grebe
- Horned Grebe
- Red-necked Grebe
- Great Cormorant
- Double-crested Cormorant
- American Bittern
- Least Bittern
- Glossy Ibis
- Black-bellied Plover
- American Golden-Plover
- Semipalmated Plover
- Killdeer
- Pomarine Jaeger
- Parasitic Jaeger
- Dovekie
- Common Murre
- Thick-billed Murre
- Osprey
- Bald Eagle
- Northern Harrier
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Cooper's Hawk
- Northern Goshawk
- Red-shouldered Hawk
- Broad-winged Hawk
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Rough-legged Hawk
- Golden Eagle
- American Kestrel
- Merlin
- Peregrine Falcon
- Gyrfalcon
- Common Nighthawk
- Whip-poor-will
- Red-breasted Nuthatch
- White-breasted Nuthatch
- Bohemian Waxwing
- Cedar Waxwing
- Solitary Vireo
- Warbling Vireo
- Philadelphia Vireo
This list is a very small sample of the species you will find at Acadia. Located in Maine, the park is highly recommended as a destination for amateur and fanatical bird watchers.
Nomad Rick