Cape Elizabeth birding report

This is the time of the year that a wide variety of birds are still winging their way south. During the first two weeks of October, the birds that pass through Cape Elizabeth are birds of the eastern forests, boreal birds, grassland birds, waterfowl and raptors. They are guided by their internal GPS which in large part is developed as young birds imprint on the angles of the sun and stars helping orient them on such extraordinary journeys.

As for noteworthy mentionings, it sure has been a great fall for Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers spotting’s. In fact, it’s the best fall in the last four years according to my records. On Oct. 3, Oct. 5 and Oct. 9 I saw upwards of five of these medium sized woodpeckers in orchard trees and maple trees. This nifty bird excavates neat rows of shallow holes called sapwells and laps up the leaking sap and any trapped insects with its crafty, brush-tipped tongue. These woodpeckers are the only fully migratory woodpecker in eastern North America. Interestingly, in boreal forests north of here the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds rely so much on woodpeckers sapwells that they time their spring migration with the arrival of sapsuckers.

Additionally, I had a Common Raven and an Eastern Phoebe (flycatcher) calling along Shore Road on Oct. 5. On time are the Golden-crowned Kinglets that are starting to creep through Cape in good numbers this year. Soon to be followed by Ruby-crowned cousins. These tiny dainty birdlets will mostly migrate through Cape Elizabeth, however some birds do winter in our woods. Additionally, I saw a Tennessee Warbler and a Nashville Warbler traveling south together somewhere around the fringes of Crescent Beach State Park. Adding to the count there were lots and lots of Yellow-rumped (Myrtles) and Black-throated Green Warblers travelling together in the Greenbelt swath of land and small pond area just up from the boat rack area at Great Pond. This is a dynamite birding hot spot.

To our delight, on Oct. 7 a male Black-throated Blue Warbler showed up on the backyard suet. This is the only Black-throated Blue I have seen this fall and every year I feel like I see less and less of them. This is a true warbler of the woods preferring densely shaded second growth forests (unknown if nesting in Cape). Males have year-round feather coloring that is more striking than it is bright. It has sharply contrasting black and white areas, and a rich darkish blue back.

As an ambassador to birds I would not be doing my duty if I did not mention a real wake up of a study just published by seven institutions, including the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and the Cornell lab of Ornithology. The study discovered that North America has lost 2.9 billion birds in the last 50 years. The scale of loss that this study brings to bear is unlike anything recorded in modern natural history. Over the last five decades we have lost 17% of the eastern forest birds. Both Blue-jays and Grosbeaks have declined 25% and Baltimore Orioles by a whopping 31%. Additionally, 33% of boreal forest birds have been lost, 37% of shorebirds and grassland bird populations like the Bobolink (which nests in Maine) are down by over 50% across their entire respective populations. Now for the good news, the study also found that waterfowl and raptor (hawks & eagles, owls fall under this category as well) populations are up by 50% and 200% respectively. This is due to dedicated conservation funding and focused polices like the Endangered Species Act that is being threatened by the current administration in Washington. In our everyday lives we can think harder about making our windows safer, keeping all cats indoors and avoiding the use of pesticides whenever possible. Also consider recording bird sightings on Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s, eBird.org. Birders are the eyes and ears that contribute the data that allow scientists to monitor the health of bird populations.