Maine shares a 611-mile border with Canada and is connected to the rest of the United States only by a 58-mile border with New Hampshire. It’s no wonder I’ve often espoused the concept of a two-nation vacation.
Last week, I discovered a three-nation vacation.
Roosevelt Campobello International Park is on Campobello Island in New Brunswick, across the bridge from Lubec. It is the only international park in the world, operating under the joint supervision of the U.S. and Canada. It was once the boyhood summer home of America’s 32nd president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The park has been an enduring symbol of the friendship between the two nations.
Now it’s actually a symbol of three nations. On June 28, the park will dedicate a new trail, named Witapehkewakoni – Awt/Friendship Trail. It seems fitting that the three nations within the Cobscook Bay area share a new symbol of their long friendship.
Last winter, I had an opportunity to view maps and aerial photos of the new trail. Over just a few miles, I saw the trail pass through a maritime forest, then an area of black spruce bog. Beyond the trees, the trail popped out onto a large, raised peat bog, bisected by a marsh, and spanned by a bridge. A metal boardwalk extended across the entire bog, passing above the delicate vegetation.
In short, what I saw from those aerial photos was a trail that passed through one terrific habitat after another. I hastily volunteered to identify every bird in there. Last week, I did just that.
It was even better than I imagined. The eruption of bird songs started the moment I stepped onto the trail. The dense maritime forest is home to winter wrens, Swainson’s thrushes, golden-crowned kinglets, red-breasted nuthatches, and several woodpecker species.
As the forest gave way to a thinner stand of bog and black spruce habitat, warblers and flycatchers took over. The songs of magnolia, black-throated green, black-and-white, Nashville, yellow-rumped, and palm warblers were audible in every direction. American redstarts, common yellowthroats, and the occasional northern parula outnumbered them.
Hermit thrushes replaced the Swainson’s thrushes in the more open terrain, while white-throated sparrows sang.
Yellow-bellied flycatchers are uncommon south of Bangor since they are denizens of the northern boreal forest. Here, several were calling.
I can’t remember a time when I’ve had alder flycatchers calling alongside yellow-bellied flycatchers, but there they were — yellow-bellied on the left, alder on the right.
Song sparrows took over for the white-throated sparrows once I reached the big bog. One Lincoln’s sparrow sang. A killdeer probed the mudflat for food, calling often.
Abruptly, a northern harrier flew in. These hawks are typically silent hunters over marshes and fields. This one was circling and calling incessantly. In my entire life, I’ve heard them only once before.
Bald eagles circled. Nesting crows hate them, and one crow chased a low-flying eagle to the horizon. Another eagle soared higher in the sky. It was likely beyond the reach of crows, but a raven circled with it on the rising air currents of a warming day.
The surprises kept coming. At the far end of the boardwalk, the trail continued into another stand of maritime forest, full of ferns. A bay-breasted warbler sang from the understory — my favorite warbler. They’re not seen south of Bangor except in migration. In fact, they’re not easy to see even on their nesting grounds. They’re wicked cute, but elusive.
In a short while, the dense forest cover gave way to a more open boggy area, dominated by black spruce and tamarack. The next woodland patch was higher and drier, featuring large stands of yellow birches and a mossy forest floor.
The bird species changed with every change in habitat. I can think of only afew local places where there is such an abundance of birds, representing so many different species. Granted, my hike was at the height of singing season on a sunny, windless morning, and birding conditions are seldom that ideal.
The songbirds will get a little quieter as June rolls along and summer visitors will not notice as many birds. However it will be just as beautiful. I’ll get back there again soon, and I can guarantee another visit next year. I must witness that again.
It took seven years to complete the trail, as care was taken to avoid damage to these sensitive habitats. At a time when the American government is cutting support for our national parks, it’s refreshing to see the world’s only international park get much-deserved attention.
