Birding Wonderland and Ship Harbor

Located on the southern end of Mount Desert Island, the Ship Harbor and Wonderland trails are two flat hiking trails with excellent birding opportunities. Both trails provide easy access through boreal and mixed wood forests out to the rocky coast. A variety of migrating and breeding songbirds are frequently found in this area as well as a chance to view seabirds along the coastal sections. Both trails are a short 5 minute drive down Route 102A from one another and can be explored in the same morning.

Details

Activity

Birdwatching

Pets Allowed

Yes

Activity Fee

No

Entrance fees may apply, see Fees & Passes information.

Location

Wonderland and Ship Harbor Trails

Reservations

No

Season

Year Round

Time of Day

Day, Dawn, Dusk

Osprey landing on a spruce tree

Will Greene, Friends of Acadia, NPS

If you are traveling south from Southwest Harbor down Route 102A, the Wonderland Trail is your first destination on the left-hand side of the road. The Wonderland trail goes through a mixed forest and a small stand of jack pine before giving you a view and access to the rocky coastline. As one of the most southern parts of Mount Desert Island, it can be the first place migrating warblers land after a night of flying north. As a result, during May and early June a variety of warblers can be seen from common species such as Black-throated Green Warbler or Northern Parula, to uncommon migratory warblers such as Bay-breasted Warbler and Blackpoll Warbler. During the summer months breeding Song Sparrow, Winter Wren, and Common Yellowthroat are abundant.

Once out at the access point to the coastline you can scan both the rocks and the open ocean. During the spring, summer, and fall, shorebirds can be found staged along the rocky coastline such as Short-billed Dowitcher, Semipalmated Sandpiper, and either yellowlegs species. Additionally, during this months on the open ocean, species such as Northern Gannet, Common Eider, and Black Guillemot are commonly found. During late fall and winter, the rocks along the coastline can host Horned Lark, Snow Bunting, and on the rare occasion American Pipit. Winter can host Harlequin Duck, Common Goldeneye, and Long-tailed Duck along the open sections of the ocean seen from the end of the trail.

After exploring the Wonderland Trail, if you continue down Route 102A toward Bass Harbor you will reach the Ship Harbor Trailhead and parking area on the left-hand side of the road. This trail is a 1.5 mile figure-eight round-trip trail that takes you through a similar forest type as the Wonderland Trail and gives you access to the rocky coastline and open ocean. The most defining feature of the Ship Harbor Trail for birding opportunities is the saltwater inland that western side of the trail provides views of. During low-tide in the fall, this inland becomes a large mudflat that contains a number of shorebirds including Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper, and Semipalmated Sandpiper.

Although the forested sections of the Ship Harbor Trail host similar breeding birds as the Wonderland Trail, the trail has hosted a pair or two of breeding Palm Warbler, the only place in Acadia National Park that this species breeds. Additionally in recent years White-winged Crossbill have been noted to be potentially breeding nearby along with other species regularly occurring along the trail such as Merlin and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

Notable Species: Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Yellow-billed Cuckoo , Summer Tanager