When submitting eBird observations at Reid State Park, it is most helpful to start a new checklist for each hotspot within the state park. Use this general hotspot when you have a checklist that includes multiple locations or if no other hotspot or personal location is appropriate for your sightings.

A typical outing begins with a quick peek into the tidal lagoon where the entry bridge crosses into the parking lot. Next, ascend Griffith Head. The entire expanse of Mile Beach and ocean is visible from here. Stroll the beach at least as far as Todd’s Point on the opposite end. Beyond it lie Half Mile Beach and the mouth of Little River. There is a picnic area atop Todd’s Point and the road that serves it is squeezed between the tidal lagoon and wetlands. This access road is frequently used to make a loop out of the beach trip, returning to the entrance gate through an area that is good for songbirds.

Sanderlings may be found even in January. Wintering Purple Sandpipers are common on the rocks at both ends of the beach and sometimes forage on the beach like Sanderlings, an unusual behavior for this species. Surf Scoters are the most common, but Black and White-winged Scoters may also be present. Red-breasted Mergansers and Black Guillemots are usually around. This is northernmost large sand beach along the Atlantic coast until well into Canada and the last protected breeding area for endangered Piping Plovers and Least Terns.   

Look for dabbling ducks in migration and American Black Ducks at any time. Smaller diving ducks, such as Buffleheads and Red-breasted Mergansers, regularly feed in its shelter.

Horned Larks, Snow Buntings and the occasional Lapland Longspur are possible from late September through March around the dunes and beach edges. A few hardy Yellow-rumped Warblers may linger in milder winters. When present, Northern Shrikes are easy to spot, perching high on the spindly tops of shrubs and trees. In summer, Nelson’s Sparrows nest in small numbers in the salt marsh fed by the Little River. Look carefully for any dabbling ducks in the river on the far side of the service road. Canada Geese are usually present if the water isn’t frozen.

Reid State Park bears the distinct honor of being Maine's first State-owned Saltwater Beach. In 1946, prosperous businessman and Georgetown resident Walter E. Reid donated land to the State of Maine to be preserved forever, and a few years later Reid State Park became a reality.

Today, thousands of visitors enjoy the park's long, wide sand beaches like Mile and Half Mile, which are rare in Maine. Enjoyed as a recreational resource, the beaches are also essential nesting areas for endangered least terns and piping plovers and resting and feeding areas for other shorebirds. Rarer than beaches along Maine's coast are large sand dunes, like those at Reid. For a geologic tour of the beaches visit The Geology of Mile and Half Mile Beaches. Learn about the geology of the area on the interactive Maine Geologic Facts and Localities map.

From the top of Griffith Head, a rocky headland overlooking the park, visitors can view sweeping seascapes and spot the lighthouses on Seguin Island, The Cuckolds, and Hendricks Head. Visitors can also see several islands, including Damariscove, a thriving fishing community in Colonial times; Outer Head, protected as a tern sanctuary; and Southport, where noted naturalist Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring.

Read the December 8, 2017 Rubys on the Road review of the park.

The Maine Birding Trail has tips for birding throughout the park.