We begin this month's gallery with classic Maine: Common Eiders along the rocky shore, by guide Eric Hynes from our recent tour.
This American Bittern from our Maine tour made a good show of blending into the background. Photo by guide Eric Hynes.
More classic Maine: Atlantic Puffins from a boat trip out of Bar Harbor. Photo by guide Eric Hynes.
Black-and-white Warbler was among a wonderful diversity of wood-warblers we saw in Maine. Photo by guide Eric Hynes.
This plumage can leave some birders scratching their heads: a juvenile Gray Jay! Photo by guide Eric Hynes.
Not colorful yet very classy: Razorbills nest on several Gulf of Maine islands. Photo by guide Eric Hynes.
An Upland Sandpiper at Maine's Kennebunk Plains -- perhaps not in a position you'd expect? Photo by guide Eric Hynes.
Wintering Purple Sandpipers regularly linger into late May or even early June in Maine. Photo by guide Eric Hynes.
A brilliant male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker lights up a branch. Photo by guide Eric Hynes.
The beautiful view from Quill Hill, in Maine's Rangeley region -- lots of great boreal birds here! Photo by guide Eric Hynes.
Yellow-rumped Warbler is a common species in coniferous forests in Maine. Photo by guide Eric Hynes.
Continuing our northern spring theme: Point Pelee participant Grace Donald captured this lovely male Baltimore Oriole.
Daytime owling is always a bonus, and these fluffy young Great Horned Owls were fun to watch. Photo by participant Grace Donald.
Another colorful and regular migrant at Point Pelee: Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Photo by guide Jay VanderGaast.
We had some fine views of the oft-secretive Wilson's Snipe on the Pelee tour. Photo by participant Grace Donald.
Southward to our spring Arizona and Arizona Nightbirds tours: Even out in the relative open, the striking Montezuma Quail blends in quite well. Photo by participant Max Berlijn.
A fine portrait of a day-roosting Spotted Owl by participant Doug Happ.
Our birding in Arizona's mountains offers lovely vistas. Photo by participant Laura Tobin.
A male Lazuli Bunting is, well, just wow! Photo by Arizona participant Doug Happ.
Birding scrub habitats is very productive for many of Arizona's specialties. Photo by participant Laura Tobin.
Five-striped Sparrow is one of the big "target" birds on an Arizona tour, and we had some fabulous views. Photo by participant Doug Happ.
While Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were at Pelee, Black-headed Grosbeaks were moving north through Arizona. Photo by participant Doug Happ.
Water in the desert: several wetland stops on our Arizona tours add shorebirds and waterfowl to our birding. Photo by participant Laura Tobin.
Moving on to our two Texas Coast tours: Red-headed Woodpecker, appropriately nicknamed "flag bird," photographed by participant Cynthia Jackson.
Nelson's Sparrows winter along the Texas coast and linger into April before moving northward. Photo by participant Neil McDonal.
Let's switch continents now, to our Southwestern Ecuador Specialties trip. This lovely Amethyst-throated Sunangel is from participant Randy Beaton.
With red feet and bill, and that beady eye, Barred Fruiteater almost looks like a plastic model of a bird...but a fine one! Photo by participant Randy Beaton.
El Oro Parakeets, discovered in 1980, are found only in a small area of southwestern Ecuador. Photo by participant Randy Beaton.
Guide Mitch Lysinger (r.) has the group watching for something at the Jorupe reserve near Ecuador's border with Peru. Photo by participant Randy Beaton.
The Long-wattled Umbrellabird (even longer than cropped here!) is a wonderfully bizarre highlight of our SW Ecuador tour. Photo by participant Randy Beaton.
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