Brownfield Bog

Major Gregory Sanborn Wildlife Management Area (formerly known as Brownfield Bog) is valued by Maine birders because it contains species more common to southern New England. It is the most reliable location in Maine to find yellow-throated vireos. From the parking lot it is occasionally possible to hear the songs of red-eyed, blue-headed, warbling, and yellow-throated vireos simultaneously. Baltimore orioles are common along the woodland edges. Blue-gray gnatcatchers are also common here, more than anywhere else in the state, and there are also better odds of finding either of the yellow-billed or black-billed cuckoos, and willow flycatcher. Purple martins are are unusual breeders in Maine, but have nested here for years.

The bog is part of the Saco River complex. It has probably been a good spot for waterfowl since the last ice age. But that’s nothing a little dynamite couldn’t improve, and new potholes were blasted for waterfowl decades ago. (The dynamite shack is still on the edge of the parking area.) Any duck may be present in migration season. Mallards, American black ducks, wood ducks, ring-necked ducks and pied-billed grebes are particularly prevalent in breeding season, though blue-winged and green-winged teal also nest here. Hooded mergansers and common goldeneyes compete with wood ducks for the nesting boxes posted around the wetland. Least bitterns, Wilson’s snipe, and Virginia rails are hidden among the reeds. The access road is narrow and muddy. Trails can be damp and buggy - really buggy. Be prepared.

Directions: From Route 5/113 in Brownfield, turn east on Route 160 (Denmark Road). This intersection of several roads is signaled by several blinking lights. Proceed 1.4 miles and turn onto Lord’s Hill Road, then an immediate left onto Bog Lane.