The Wilds of Moosehead Lake           June 17-19, 2008    A Mourning Warbler (right) was the top highlight as this year's Wilds of Moosehead Tour racked up 82 northern Maine species over two days, including Boreal Chickadee, Gray Jay, Lincoln's Sparrow, and Olive-sided Flycatcher. This year's tour included (front row) Cathy Morgan of Belfast, Maine, and Oregon's Pat and Jim Crane, plus (back row) Linda Powell of Skowhegan, Maine, Vermont-based travel writer Lisa Halverson, and guide Bob Duchesne. Once again, this tour enjoyed the hospitality of Janice and Hank Dyer at the Evergreen Lodge - B&B that rests in the woods right near some of the area's best bird and moose habitat.       Besides the Mourning Warbler, many other warblers cooperated nicely, including the Blackburnian Warbler (left) that showed off right in the parking lot of Evergreen Lodge. The group scored 16 species - an average number for this time of year. A Canada Warbler circled the group several times, providing great looks despite its reputation for being elusive. Flycatchers were in abundance, including the Olive-sided Flycatcher (right) that dominated Shirley Bog. Alder and Least Flycatchers were numerous, as they usually are. Red-eyed and Blue-headed Vireos were abundant, seemingly always within earshot. Several raptors were present, including Sharp-shinned and Broad-winged Hawks.     An accurate moose count soon became an exercise in futility. As participants came and went, each observed several moose not seen by others. Travel writer Lisa Halverson proposed that her future article would list ten. That's below the number seen by some (Linda Powell's sightings nearly doubled that total) but it was above those seen by others. So ten is a good compromise. Most of the moose were sighted less than a mile up the road from Evergreen Lodge.     Rain was the common factor of the trip. The prediction of "showers" was quite accurate. The group became adept at birding in the sunlight between raindrops. Indeed, so adept did the group become at avoiding showers that its chief bane was insects, which were a little above normal due to the dampness. It seems that birds are more clever than humans when seeking shelter. The Cliff Swallows of Kokadjo (right) remained dry in their mud nests below the eaves of many buildings, while Barn Swallows in the barn and Tree Swallows in their nest boxes avoided the rain, too. The Hermit Thrushes were not so lucky (left).     Perhaps due to the unusual lushness produced by the rain, the Moosehead area was ablaze with floral abundance. Lupines (left) turned fields and roadsides purple. Bob also turned up the biggest patch of rare yellow Ladyslippers that he had ever seen. Good food, great company, and terrific birding made for an exceptional tour. Let's do it again next year!