What is your favorite bird species?
I hate to be cliché, but I usually answer this as “whatever happens to be in my binoculars at the moment.” I do mean that, but really, picking a favorite is just too hard!
What is your name, and where do you live?
Derek Lovitch, Durham, Maine. Owner of Freeport Wild Bird Supply in Freeport, Maine.
What are the main regions or locations you cover as a bird guide?
My guiding these days is almost exclusively in Northern New England, roughly from the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont through the state of Maine.
How long have you been a bird guide?
I have been guiding in some way for over 30 years (since I was a teenager!), but I have been based solely in Maine for the last 22 or so years and have guided within (and beyond) the state ever since.
How did you get into bird guiding?
When I was in college, a birding tour leader offered me what was essentially an apprenticeship. It provided a lot of great early opportunities for someone who didn’t have the resources to travel on my own, introduced me to a lot of birds and birding locations, and formulated the basics of my tour guide customer service skills. My first experience with full-time guiding, after an early career doing bird research, migration counting, etc, was being hired to be a guide in St.Paul Island in Alaska’s Pribilofs. I ended up spending three summers and a fall there.
What are the aspects of being a bird guide that you like best? Which aspects do you dislike most?
I most enjoy the “a-hah” moments of a birder when they “get it,” like how easy Roseate Tern becomes to pick up on one’s own after only a modicum of guidance, or when a Bicknell’s Thrush finally shows itself. But even more satisfying is when a budding birder starts getting it – even that first moment of using binoculars correctly and seeing a bird well for the first time.
I love it when a client learns more than they ever expected to and finds joy in all things birding, with their guiding experience becoming more satisfying than just adding birds to a list.
Increasingly, the biggest challenge to me is the decline of so many birds, especially those sought by birders who visit Maine, such as Bicknell’s Thrush, Spruce Grouse, and Boreal Chickadee. It’s just getting harder to find so many birds that my clients want to see, and I want to see myself. A climate in crisis doesn’t just mean more unpredictable and extreme weather during tours, but affects all of the factors that make for more birds (like insect abundance and food resources). Pesticide use, invasive plants, habitat loss, window strikes, and cat kills (a huge problem on Monhegan Island, where I guide extensively), and so on. It’s tough on birds out there, and it’s getting tougher for birding. How do I not be a downer when we’re looking for Saltmarsh Sparrows and the marsh is flooding, again, or when we’re up looking for Bicknell’s Thrushes but we’re surrounded by Swainson’s Thrushes that are marching uphill? As a guide and a birder, these connections are very important to me, and I hope to my clients as well, but remaining positive can be a challenge these days. Of course, there’s nothing like living in the moment, the thrill of discovery, and that “ah-hah” moment that can bring us back to a happy place, though!
What are the top 5-10 birds in your region that are the most interesting for visiting birders?
- Bicknell’s Thrush
- Atlantic Puffin
- Saltmarsh Sparrow
- Nelson’s Sparrow
- Roseate Tern
- Spruce Grouse
- Canada Jay
- Boreal Chickadee
- Diversity of breeding warblers
Can you outline at least one typical birdwatching trip in your area? Please briefly describe the locations, the key birds, and the approximate duration of such a trip
Every trip I do is different. My private guiding caters to all levels of experience and knowledge, so I can be doing an introduction to bird watching one day and adding lifers to an experienced, visiting birder’s list the next. My organized tours run the gamut: an 8-day “every bird in Maine” tour for visiting groups, a two-day intensive gull workshop, and 4 days on Monhegan Island birding from dawn to dusk, all the way to free Saturday Morning Birdwalks aimed at new birders and even van trips that visit craft breweries on our way back from birding!
What other suggestions can you give to birders interested in your area?
Maine truly is a year-round birding destination, so your goals dictate when to visit. When you generate your automatic “needs” list, be sure to check range maps and seasonal status, however. Sorry, I can’t get your Bohemian Waxwings and Saltmarsh Sparrows on the same tour! Regardless of season, bring one more layer than you think you are going to need…we’re still a cold-water maritime climate, at least for now.
If any readers of 10,000 Birds are interested in birding with you, how can they best contact you?
Does email count as “old school” now? While we’re active on social media and can correspond in various ways, emailing us at info@freeportwildbirdsupply.com is always best, especially in the busy season when I am away from the office. We work hard to be as prompt in responding as possible, but things like Facebook messages or texts get pushed out of view far too quickly.
Leave a Comment