From Cindy Ahern:
Scott and I have booked a charter with John Drury from the island of Vinalhaven to see the Red-billed Tropicbird that has been returning for a number of years to Seal Island NWR along coastal Maine. We have a trip scheduled for Saturday, August 13, at 2PM, departing Vinalhaven. We also expect to see Alcids, petrels and shearwaters (possibility of Manx Shearwater), gulls, and more. John has many photos on his website:
http://www.maineseabirdtours.com/
The boat can take up to 6 passengers, and I am extending this opportunity for additional birders to join us on this trip. This would be a shared expense trip, at $90 per hour for the charter, expected to be out 4-5 hours (or longer if we desire). In addition to the charter, consider the following individual expenses:
This trip involves taking a ferry to the island of Vinalhaven from Rockland, Maine http://www.maine.gov/mdot/ferry/vinalhaven/ , and an overnight stay on the island the evening of the trip (August 13) since we will not be back from Seal Island in time for the return ferry. We have booked a room at the Tidewater Motel on the island – as of this writing there are rooms available. http://www.tidewatermotel.com/ . You will see the rooms available have multiple beds, so the expense can be split between a few people. An alternate option is to fly on and off Vinalhaven on the same day as the charter. You will probably want to consdier a stay overnight somewhere within driving range of the ferry on the night of August 12- we are staying in nearby Bath.
We plan to stay in Maine for the week following the charter, as we head to the area of Baxter State Forest, and Downeast Maine (Lubec) and south. Migrating songbirds and shorebirds, along with seabirds will be of interest at this time of year, along with lots of blueberries to pick just about everywhere along the way! I can recommend places to stay if you have any interest in this part of our adventure or for future reference.
If you are interested, please contact me at songbird5212 at msn.com, or call or text me at 215-840-4010.