A Flock of Sunrises and a Singular Sunset on Monhegan Island
YES, THE DAWN CAN GLOW through the fog on Monhegan Island. But these sunrises were tiny warblers, glimmering for us birdwatchers in hues of red, orange, yellow, bay, blue and green.
The songbirds were castaways in the fog a dozen miles off Maine’s midcoast. In three days of birding on Monhegan, my friends and I spotted more than 100 species. No news there. We’re at peak spring migration here in northern New England. And I can think of no finer place to witness it all than Monhegan, where I was welcomed back (after missing my annual visit last fall, owing to my heart attack) with kindness and grace from folks on the island.
On our final night, the sky glowed like a Blackburnian Warbler (male and female) and a Cerulean Warbler. As for the songbirds, I was too busy gawking to take photos. So here is a gallery from my pal Bill Thompson.
And soon you will see from me a blog post about elfins — tiny butterflies I chased among the blackflies and black spruce in northern Maine. Warblers and early spring butterflies — gems of earth and sky.
