Naturalist Journeys is happy to return to the White Mountains of New Hampshire for some mountain and streamside birding. This year we’ve added a day to our journey to take advantage of the wonderful coastal wetlands and marshes around Portland to round out some great summer birding. The primary goal of this New Hampshire nature tour is to get good looks a one of the most range-restricted songbirds in North America: the Bicknell’s Thrush. We’ve timed this journey to run just after the Down East Spring Birding Festival, a fun event to pair with our tour. It is limited to 8 clients (four plus your driver in two mini-vans or SUVs).

Explore the higher elevations of the White Mountains, including the impressive top of Mt. Washington as we look for breeding Bicknell’s Thrush as well as tree-line-hugging plants, American Pipit, the rare White Mountain Arctic Butterfly, and White Mountain Fritillary. In addition to the tree-line realm, spend time in lush spruce-fir forests and northern hardwood mixed conifer forests, habitats dotted with lakes and rivers. With luck we watch Peregrine Falcon hunt from a dramatic cliff where they are known to nest. Enjoy walking trails and keep an eye open for wild sarsaparilla, starflower, and blue-bead lily on the forest floor. In Portland, visit Scarborough Marsh and other hotspots at this coastal location.

This is an upscale trip based out of the luxurious Glen House Hotel, where we booked view rooms with balconies—a real treat!

Tour Highlights

• Search for montane species, with some effort—the reward of seeing Bicknell’s Thrush
• Enjoy the scenic and historic drive up Mt. Washington, home to the highest wind speed on Earth
• Witness mountain wildflowers and endless views of the White Mountains
• Cover a broad diversity of habitats, from rocky seashore to the alpine zone
• Take short walks for specialty boreal birds like Boreal Chickadee and White-throated Sparrow
• Take a morning to bird in coastal Maine looking for Common Eider, Piping Plover, Roseate Tern, and great comparisons of Nelson’s and Saltmarsh Sparrows
• Relax on a short, gentle tour with a small group

Trip Itinerary

Itineraries are guidelines; variations in itinerary may occur to account for weather, road conditions, closures, etc. and to maximize your experience.

Tues., June 4 : Arrival in Portland, Maine

Welcome to Maine! Please plan to arrive no later than 5:00 PM today at the Portland, Maine, International Jetport (PWM). We gather as a group for greetings, dinner, and a chance to see the waterfront area of Portland. This lively, small town of just 66,000 is situated right on the water and is perfect to explore for a few days at your leisure before or after the tour—lighthouses, lobster, and pleasant summer weather make Portland a fun getaway.

We choose an airport hotel with a shuttle to make arrival simple for all. Those that arrive by 2:30PM can enjoy some casual birding with your guide ahead of our waterfront dinner.
Accommodations at the Hampton Inn, near the airport in Portland (D)

Wed., June 5 : Maine Coastal & Wetland Birding

And off we go … after breakfast we spend our first morning birding a couple of coastal hotspots in southern Maine, including Scarborough Marsh, a 3000 acre estuary, where we look for waterfowl, egrets, herons, rails, and perhaps even Glossy Ibis, as well as a number of grassland songbirds like Bobolink that are uncommon in other parts of the state.

Enjoy lunch at one of Portland’s many great restaurants. In the afternoon we have additional birding spots to visit, including Crescent Beach State Park, a mile-long stretch of sand backed by beach grass laden dunes. This is a perfect day to gain a notch on your birding skills with our great guides!
Accommodations in Portland (B,L,D)

Thurs., June 6 : Portland to Mt. Washington | Glen House

After breakfast, we enjoy the scenic two-hour drive to the Glen House Hotel at the base of New Hampshire’s stunning Mt. Washington. We make the morning of it, birding along the way and enjoying a popular local spot for lunch. After checking in to our lovely hotel, we spend the remainder of the afternoon nearby forested areas in search of warblers and other songbirds settled in on their breeding territories.

The Glen House Hotel has a long history, starting in the 1850s when it was converted from an old farmhouse into the original hotel. After multiple rebuilds, the Glen House we see today is the fifth iteration of the hotel, and it’s a luxury we greatly look forward to on this trip. The hotel features views of Mt. Washington, gorgeous natural light through floor to ceiling windows in the bar and dining area, and lovely, quiet grounds. We booked view rooms with balconies—nice!

Dining is a treat here, you’ll be happy to have four nights to sample the menu.
Accommodations at Glen House Hotel (B,L,D)

Fri., June 7 : Mt. Washington, New Hampshire

Today we plan to summit! We spend our day working our way up to the top of Mt. Washington, where we explore the history of the mountain and bird the alpine zone, weather permitting (it can be really windy at the top!). The White Mountains of New Hampshire include the great Mt. Washington at 6288 feet. As we work our way up, we explore and bird amongst red spruce, balsam fir, and paper and yellow birches. The view along the drive up and at the top is stunning; we take time to simply appreciate the stretching mountain views of peaks below.

We take a picnic lunch on the mountain and then spend the afternoon descending the auto road, where we have our first chance for Boreal Chickadee, Bicknell’s Thrush, Blackpoll Warbler, and other boreal specialties. The Bicknell’s Thrush has an extremely limited summer range, from upstate New York to Nova Scotia and Quebec, where this elusive bird nests in small, undersized conifers near the very tops of mountains, maritime forests and logging land … the common denominator is dense balsam fir-spruce forest. Unlike its very close relative, the Gray-cheeked Thrush that winters in South America, the Bicknell’s Thrush winters in the West Indies.
Accommodations at Glen House Hotel (B,L,D)

Sat., June 8 : White Mountains, New Hampshire

After breakfast today we take an early morning to drive up the mountain again, going more direct this time for the chance of hearing the thrushes sing. Our aim is to have additional chances for finding Bicknell’s Thrush and other boreal species we may have missed yesterday afternoon. Bicknell’s Thrush is incredibly rare for a number of reasons, including a difference in forestry and logging management between the US and Canada, and greatly because of intense deforestation in Hispaniola and the West Indies where this species winters.

After lunch at the hotel, we bird local montane hotspots such as Pinkham Notch and Wildcat Mountain. Among other northeastern breeding species, we hope see our first of up to 20 different warblers.

Explore among spruce and fir trees, as well as hardwoods like American beech, sugar maple, and yellow birch, and conifer trees such as eastern hemlock, white pine, and balsam fir. In the understory are striped maple, witch hazel and hobblebush shrubs.

We enjoy dinner and go over our bird list tonight before turning in for the night.
Accommodations at Glen House Hotel (B,L,D)

Sun., June 9 : White Mountains, New Hampshire

Assuming that we have had success with our mountain quests, our last full day takes us to lower elevations and a broader diversity of forest and riparian habitats. In addition to an abundance of warblers, we search for Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Philadelphia Vireo, Swamp Sparrow, and Scarlet Tanager.

After lunch in the Ellis River Valley, known for its picturesque meandering river, we continue birding these lower mountain habitats at some productive hotspots. Wildflowers should be prime and we enjoy lunch at a local restaurant.

Tonight we enjoy a celebratory dinner, reminiscing on our favorite moments of the trip.
Accommodations at Glen House Hotel (B,L,D)

Mon., June 10 : Return to Portland | Departures

We say goodbye to our wonderful hosts at the Glen House Hotel after breakfast. We then find our way back to Portland and return to the airport in time for flights scheduled for noon or later. (B)

Cost of the Journey

Cost of the Journey is $3090 DBL / $3585 SGL based on double occupancy from Portland, Maine. The tour price includes, 6 nights’ accommodation, all meals, ground transportation in SUV or other large vehicle, professional guide services, park and other entrance fees, and miscellaneous program expenses. The tour price does not include round-trip airfare to and from Portland, personal expenses such as laundry, telephone, drinks from the bar, and gratuities for luggage handling or other services. Guide gratuities are at your discretion.

Travel Details

Please plan to make air travel plans only after the minimum group size has been met. We will send you a confirmation email as soon as the trip has been confirmed.

Arrival and Departure Airport: Portland International Jetport (PWM)

Arrival Details: Plan flights to arrive June 4, 2024 no later than 5:00 PM Those that arrive by 2:30 PM can enjoy some casual birding with your guide.

Departure Details:  Plan June 10, 2024 flights after 12:00 PM.

Travel Tip: You may wish to arrive a day early and rest up from your travels. The easiest option would be to book an extra night at our first night tour hotel, the Hampton Inn Portland Airport. If you’d like to explore a bit, there are many interesting things to do in Portland. Portland Head Light, a historic lighthouse that is the most photographed in America, is a popular and scenic spot to visit that also has a museum. The Victoria Mansion is an Italianate villa known for its architectural significance and well-preserved lavish interior that can be toured. And if you’re into art, The Portland Museum of Art is a fascinating place to visit and has over 18,000 works of art including pieces from Andy Warhol and Claude Monet. All these attractions are located within 20 minutes of the airport and can be reached via taxi, Uber, or rental car.

If you wish to arrive early and prefer to stay downtown, we recommend: Hilton Garden Inn Portland Downtown Waterfront (207) 780-0780 AC Hotel Portland Downtown/Waterfront (207) 747-1640

Items of Note

This is a birding and wildlife trip, limited to 8 participants and our 2 guides. This is a strict limit due to weight restrictions on the Mt. Washington Road.

Browse below for trip reports and species lists from past versions of this and other tours from this destination.

• Michael Good
  

  Michael has more than 25 years of experience studying the birds of North America, and brings a wealth of knowledge about Neotropical migrants and the avifauna of the Eastern United States. Michael has traveled extensively in the US, Alaska, Europe, Australia, South America and Cuba. He is also a regional business leader promoting sound ecologically practices in business and land development. Michael has been guiding professionally for many years, focusing on avian ecology in the Gulf of Maine bioregion. His fields of expertise include wetland ecology, ornithology, environmental education and developmental biology. Michael worked for many years at the Marine Biological Laboratory and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, studied numerous aspects of the Gulf of Maine.
  
  In his spare time, he maintains Three Pines Bird Sanctuary in Town Hill, Maine, studying micro-habitat of Neotropical migratory birds on Mount Desert Island, Maine and winter ecology in various Neotropical countries, when given the opportunity.

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