Birding report for last week of August through Labor Day

Good numbers of fledgling white-breasted nuthatches, tufted titmice and American goldfinches have been frequenting our feeders. A young female Carolina wren briefly made herself known within the thickets of Pond Cove. Seeing and hearing this immature Carolina wren is a wonderful sign that wren populations are starting to push back into their northern ranges.

As we slip into September the loud, rolling rattle of northern flickers (yellow shafted) is heard throughout the mixed woodlands of Cape Elizabeth. This bird’s call is very similar to that of the pileated woodpecker. I have also had good looks at immature American redstarts (warbler) both in the yard and across the Gull Crest trail system.

A common nighthawk was seen around sunset migrating south across the Spurwink Trail Greenbelt property along Scarborough Marsh. Two types of flycatchers, eastern phoebe and eastern kingbird were also seen in this area on September 2.

Strangely one of the first sightings I have had in some time, on Labor Day there was a male belted kingfisher perched on a snag along the Spurwink River. Females typically make the move south sooner than males, and they have a tell-tail chestnut band across their breast (one of the few bird species where the female is more brightly colored than the male.) Additionally, although kingfishers are most often spotted along streams and shorelines, they can also be seen and heard making long commuting flights far from water, over forests and fields.