Cape Elizabeth birding observations for late March

The two weeks leading up to April 1st saw a slow thawing of snow and significant numbers of Canada geese passing overhead every night, preferring to push north when the pesky daytime thermals have dispersed.

On March 19 around dusk a Barred owl was hunting the fringe, where forest meets field along Shore Road.

On March 20 my wife and I were treated to a shy but agile pair of Pileated woodpeckers doing a side-step courtship dance not fifty feet from the back side of our house. One easy way to distinguish between sexes is that the male has a sharp pair of bright red mustache marks. Interestingly during the fall and winter the male and female sleep in different roost locations, and with the male often claiming the previous nest site as his roost.

On the same day Fox sparrows were spotted in more than one location across Cape. Of the four types of Fox Sparrows, ours is the “Red” variety and migration is typically the best time to catch a glimpse of this bird that typically prefers to keep retired deep within the thickets.

On the morning of March 23, I was alerted to the rolling chatter and two-part sweeping whistles (what I like to refer to as a sick cry) of a Brown cowbird announcing its arrival in the treetops above my backyard. I find it interesting how skittish the cowbirds are, more so than even the Mourning doves. I guess they know when they are not welcome!

Of special note, close to sundown on March 25 a good-sized flock of twenty or more Bohemian waxwings landed in the top branches of a large Maple tree on our property. A big brother of the more familiar and widespread Cedar waxwing, this was the first time I have ever seen Bohemians in Cape.

In a flash I grabbed my binoculars and crept out to find the right angle to spy on these nomads before the sun fully disappeared. My first observations were of birds that were smaller than American robins but seemingly larger than Eastern bluebirds. I was also able to discern two distinctive white rectangular patches on their wings, thick necks and shaggy crests atop their heads. The birds also appeared to be taking sap dripping from the tree.

Bohemian waxwings are known by some as Grizzly Bear birds. They are called this because the North American breeding range of these birds almost completely overlaps with the current distribution of the Grizzly Bear which is the western boreal forests from Northern Manitoba to Alaska. To imagine that these same birds would soon be returning to the land where Grizzly Bears roam is simply off the charts cool.

A last little side point: I am hearing more American woodcocks in Cape this spring than I have heard in the last three. Additionally, on March 29 my wife reported seeing bluebirds with nesting materials. Also, on March 29 I spotted two first of season Ruby Crowned kinglets flittering about the pines in Pond Cove.