Cape Elizabeth birding report

Every fall for the last 20 or so years two Ontario field ornithologists put together a “Winter Finch Forecast” predicting which boreal birds will likely “irrupt,” dispersing south in mass searching for reliable sources of food. Because this season’s spruce cone, birch, alders and other native conifers seeds were excellent, the East is not predicted to have an irregularly strong year for spotting Northern seed eating birds. That said, the wintery weather during first few days of December set the stage nicely for the arrival of one type of winter finch from the coniferous forests far north. During the first two days of December we had at least two visits from small flocks (2-3) of Pine Siskins. These very active little birds are similar in size and shape to that of a Goldfinch, but their bills are longer and slimmer. A Siskin’s body and head are also distinctly streaked. On one occasion I watched a Siskin hang upside down and pester a Goldfinch until it had had enough, at which point the Siskin assumed its choice perch on the niger tube. One of my favorite things about these birds is their unique humming, buzzing, “zzz-ing” calls that fill the air as a flock springs out from a sheltered nook, swirling back and forth and round-about.

In the last days of November there were a few reports of Snow Buntings in Cape Elizabeth. Another winter visitor from northern latitudes, aka the Arctic Tundra, these chunky ground-dwelling birds feed mostly in fields and farmyards. Bluebird in size, their snow-white underparts contrast with black wing tips and rufous overtones. Speaking of Bluebirds, small flocks of these birds can still be found at this time of year roaming our countryside. And as of early December, we have a record high of five Bluebirds still keeping careful watch over our mealworm lodge. Last winter we had three Bluebirds stay through the winter. These three birds roosted in a woodpecker cavity on the backside of our house! This small stocky thrush is a delight to observe, playful and chatty. The male retains its deep, vivid blue coloring all year long and against a snowy backdrop this bird is a dazzler.

In other bird related news, a PLOS ONE study published in November sheds new light on a mystery that has remained largely unresolved. In ancient Egyptian catacombs, scientist had found millions of African sacred Ibises mummified as an offering to Thoth, god of magic, writing and wisdom. Up until now the general consensus of scientists was that given the sheer number of mummified birds (rooms filled floor to ceiling), that the Egyptians had to have had large scale Ibis farms - breeding and raising domesticated birds for sacrifice. This hypothesis was galvanized by ancient texts that seem to refer to these farms. Typically, domesticated birds (chickens for example) part of large scale operations do not have a lot of DNA variation. What recent DNA analysis on these mummified birds discovered was that there was a great deal of variation – in fact about the same amount of variation as we see in today’s populations across Africa (except of course Egypt where they are extinct). This information has led scientists to believe that there must have been millions of wild Ibises caught in Egypt rather than bred and domesticated.