Birding With Our Grandkid. And More... 8-25 & 26, 2026

We gave my granddaughter Lilah a pair of binoculars for her 14th birthday and she actually requested that we go up to Maine to take her birding at some point this summer. With Andrea being on vacation, this was the week (also because school starts next week). We made plans to visit an Audubon sanctuary up there but on the way up, Andrea found that it was closed that day. Quickly, she found another spot that wasn't too far off. We picked Lilah up and headed to a marshy area a few towns over from her in Cumberland County.

When we got there, we first went to a spot where lots of people were sitting out with cameras and binoculars but despite that, there wasn't much going on over there, so we headed across the street to walk the trails along the marsh. We saw tones of Egrets, both Great and Snowy, in the distant fields but nothing up particularly close. Finally, towards the end we saw a few birds flitting. I got an ass-end shot of my #73, an Eastern Bluebird.

This Phoebe is molting and looks like it's not happy at all because of it.

We saw a shorebird flit next to the marsh and we snuck over to peer over the edge of the grass and saw a group of Lesser Yellowlegs on the sand. Lilah was ecstatic.

At the end of this path, I looked across the street and saw that there was another parking area and walkway so we headed back to the front for the car. On the way, we marveled at the wind-blown grass.

The next spot was really nice, with loads of Double-crested Cormorants (which entertained Lilah to no end) and plenty of small shorebirds hopping around. On the far side of a marsh was #76, a Common Raven, who also looks a bit disheveled.

Lilah has a pretty keen eye and saw this momma Wolf Spider with a back full of babies.

Some Sandpipers... a Least and a Semipalmated.

I was chuffed when I saw our #77, a few Semipalmated Plovers.

What a treat it was to be out in nature with my grandkid. The apple doesn't fall far, as they say. She's in a Bird Club, is into isopods and all nature in general. It was great to spend some time together doing what we all love.

The next day, we had to stay close and since we slept in a bit, we just went over to our favorite pond in Norfolk County, a place we've been going to for almost 20 years. We didn't expect to see much and we didn't, really. But we got in our 5+ miles despite being a bit tired. Plus, we saw some stuff!

The only turtle on the day, a very happy Painted Turtle.

The pond was low, making for sandy areas to walk along the edges. That scared up a Pickerel Frog or two. This guy was wearing an ill-fitting purple sarong.

Walking along, I thought I saw an acorn top, but then I stopped thinking it looked like a weird design for that. Sure enough, it was the coil of a new model shoestring Garter hiding in the brush, safe and sound.

Up at the Hobo Camp, a super pretty Garter was coiled up in between a couple of flat rocks.

Last up was one more Garter that was near a log I'd planned on flipping. Not an easy shot but it came out OK.

So that was the Tuesday and Wednesday of Andrea's vacation week. I had a doctor's appointment on Thursday so that would be our day off. Maybe. But it was great to be in nature, see my kid and her kids and, mostly, to spend more time together. Good stuff.