Evening Grosbeak

In my mind the most spectacular of these winter finches is the Evening Grosbeak and it would be a real treat to see a flock of these elegantly heavy-set wanderers in Cape Elizabeth this winter.

With December already upon us now I’ve got my fingers crossed for a flock of Evening Grosbeaks.

As of last year, this report has grown to include detailed forecasts for eight irruptive finch species, including Purple Finches, Pine Grosbeaks, Common Redpolls, Hoary Redpolls Red Crossbills, White-winged Crossbills, Pine Siskins and Evening Grosbeaks.

There has also been at least one report of an Evening Grosbeak in Cape.

Inland, the winter finch irruption continues to unfold, yielding more and more reported sightings of Evening Grosbeak, Pine Grosbeak, Common Redpoll, Pine Siskin as well as White-winged and Red Crossbill.

The silver lining in the finch forecast is that we may see Evening Grosbeaks trickle into our neck of the woods.

In recent birding news, according to the 2022-2023 Winter Finch Forecast this fall and winter look to be a promising flight year for several species of boreal finch including, Common and Hoary Redpolls, Pine Grosbeaks and the elusive Evening Grosbeak.

On the drizzly morning of October 25, a pair of Evening Grosbeaks briefly visited my backyard.

Speaking of snowbirds, the Winter Finch forecast for 2024-25 had predicted a moderate flight of Evening Grosbeaks southward this fall.

This list includes birds that can still be seen in Cape Elizabeth at certain times of year like the Evening Grosbeak, Bobolink, Golden-winged Warbler, Eastern Towhee and Yellow-billed Cuckoo.