Cape Elizabeth birding report

At this time of year, on most evenings if one steps outside after 10:00 p.m. the various chips, zeets and peeps of migrating birds can be heard across the night sky.

On September 20 I flushed two Woodcocks. One within the Gulf Crest Trail system and one out by the Spurwink trail. The second of the two Timberdoodles I saw flew up into the dusky sky and I caught its silhouette against the waning gibbous moon.

On September 21 somewhere within the depths of the 21 acres of CELT land next to Great Pond, I came across a Ruby throated hummingbird chasing a late season male Rose breasted Grosbeak through the mid canopy. Speaking of which, on September 23 Ruby-throated hummingbirds were still visiting the feeders I have left out. For the record, last fall we had our last resident Ruby throated leave our feeders on Sept 22 . I also spotted a new yard bird, a Peregrine Falcon (the 109th unique bird I have seen on our property).

On or about the September 25 the first of many waves of White-throated Sparrows (comes in two forms, one with tan stripes and one white stripes) appeared in Cape Elizabeth.

On the morning of September 26 I caught glimpses of one, then two Blackburnian warblers high up in an old White Pine on Shore Road.

Although Blackburnians don’t quite retain their brilliant orange face, throat and upper breast in the fall, it is still possible to see the washed out orange-yellow coloring. Despite only glimpsing these tiny gems for a fleeting few seconds, my mind immediately drifted to ornithologist Edward Forbush’s description of these birds in their spring finery, “When the low morning sun shines full upon its gorgeous frontlet, backed by the dark recesses of the pines, it flashes out like a burning flame as the bird turns its breast suddenly to the light.” The Blackburnian Warblers face, throat and breast in the breeding season and into early fall are compared to a flaming torch. This is a true boreal forest warbler, breeding in northern Maine and eastern Canada where there are large areas of mature forest.

On September 28 a Great Blue Heron was spied stalking its next victim along the emergent wetlands of Robinson Woods II.

On the last day of September, I arrived home to find a Yellow-bellied sapsucker and a Red eyed Vireo in a Crab apple tree. Adding to the fun, a pair of resident bluebirds with their new son dropped in to teach the young bird how to navigate the suet cage. Every fall now the bluebirds start to get more territorial, guarding the mealworm “lodge” from pesky intruders like the family of four Carolina wrens.

Later the same day my wife and I spotted several Black and white Warblers and a couple of Common Yellowthroats. I also was able to make out a female Nashville Warbler and five or more Northern Parulas that were rapidly flitting and hopping across the upper levels of Robinson Woods’ forest and subcanopy. These plump little warblers tend to flutter around at the tips of branches quickly plucking insects or reaching out to grab its next meal.

Other mentionables, Surf and White winged Scoter (ducks) have arrived for the winter already and are visible just offshore from Fort Williams.

Lastly, in the final few hours of the month I was surprised by the raspy scream of a young great horned owl still begging for food.