A group of 18 of us joined Ida Giriunas on a Fourth of July weekend birding excursion to Downeast Maine. The focus of the trip was boreal birds, and the breeding colony of Puffins, Razorbills, and Common Murres on Machias Seal Island.
On the first day Ida lead the group to Rogue's Bluff Area near Machias where we encountered our first Spruce Grouse with a chick.
The second day was up in Topsfield where we met up with Marion Bates. Marion took us to several areas where we found Black-backed Woodpecker, Spruce Grouse, Gray Jay, Boreal Chickadee, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, White-winged Crossbills, and other northern breeding birds.
The third day was out to Cutler, where we met Captain Andy Patterson who took us out to Machias Seal Island where thousands of Puffins, Razorbills, and Common Murres nest.
After returning from Machias Seal Island we headed up to Quoddy Head and saw more northern birds, including Lincoln's Sparrow.
Finally on the way home, we stopped in Belgrade to see Black Terns, American Bittern, and Pied-billed Grebes.

It was a great trip thanks to Ida for all her work organizing it, and all the nice people that were there.