UNE student tracks down rare bird in Biddeford

Maine birders, including several students at the University of New England, were ecstatic to discover a rare summer tanager in the waters near Biddeford Pool last week.

The scarlet songbird, which is native to the American South, was spotted in a pool off Elphis Road in the seaside community, said Harry Wales (Environmental Science, ’22), who quickly alerted his fellow birders of the find.

“I originally went to the pond to look for blue-winged teals, but then I saw this blur of red and orange,” reflected Wales, co-president of the UNE Birding Club. “It was exciting because it’s only my fourth or fifth time ever seeing this bird, and I really wanted people I like to bird with and care about to see the bird as well. It was extra-special for me that I found this bird initially, and now they’re all flocking here and seeing it — no pun intended.”

A Swampscott, Massachusetts, native, Wales is turning his lifelong passion for birding into a career. After he walks the stage at Commencement later this month, Wales will travel to Kenya for a course under the direction of Richard Peterson, Ph.D., professor of environmental studies in UNE’s School of Marine and Environmental Programs, where he’ll raise money to benefit several Kenyan nongovernmental organizations.

Once he returns to the U.S., Wales will begin a job conducting bird surveys for the Maine Bird Atlas and Maine Audubon, using the skills he learned at UNE to identify birds and assess their habitats and behaviors.

“It’s perfect,” he said. “I get paid to do my passion.”