Cape Elizabeth birding report

With the waning of peak migration and summertime close at hand, most songbirds have reached their breeding haunts or are already on the nest. In the tops of our taller trees the gentle, high-pitched song of the Blackpoll warbler could be heard throughout the first week of June. This bird makes the longest fall migration over water of any other songbird, equivalent to three days and nights of nonstop airtime. From data gathered through bird banding we have learned that Blackpolls migrating from South America to far western Canada have longer wings than their counterparts that nest in southeast coastal Maine.

Across the more interior intact sections of Cape Elizabeth, Black-throated Greens, Ovenbirds and Pine Warblers are still making themselves known as are Veerys. Of the thrush family, the Veery’s breezy spiraling song is enchanting as it echoes across the understory. Also, still abundant in our damp deciduous and mixed woods is the American Redstart. Males display black and flame colored plumage as they flutter and dart. The Common Yellowthroat, another wood warbler with a personality of its own has secured its respective territories across the most of Cape. The male Common Yellowthroat dons a broad black mask which is contrasted with a bright yellow nape, crown and throat. This warbler is a particularly curious little fellow and the birds distinctive witchety-witchetywhitchety call notes often reveal its presence.

Other mentionables across town include -many hundreds of Cedar Waxwings could be found throughout our woodlands, perhaps mother nature’s way of helping protect our treasured oak trees. Waxwings are almost always zeroed in on berry yielding trees, the exception being during peak spring inchworm periods where they feast on these destructive pests. Waxwings also love blossoms which contain the plant embryos that are a rich source of nutrition. Furthermore, while we do see Cedar Waxwings throughout the year in Cape, the masses of birds that are seen in spring are most surely migratory flocks from far away. Be sure to listen for their high-pitched flight calls which seem to ebb and flow across the upper canopies of our forests.

Starting in early June the intermingled songs of both the House Wren and Carolina Wren can be heard in many of our neighborhoods, including Brentwood, Cranbrook, Delano Park and Winnick Woods. As of June 1, a very busy House Wren has been constructing several nests on our property including the wren house I had built. The male will often craft several nests, called true “dummy nests” which are loosely constructed and lack the egg cup line of grass, feathers, fur and moss. This is done for a few reasons, including signaling possession of a territory and simultaneously making possible nesting sites less appealing or unavailable to competitors. When a female arrives, she will choose the cavity that suits her best and then reconstruct the nest with all the comforts she requires.

On June 2 around dusk I heard what I thought was the buzzy peent call of a American Woodcock approaching overhead; turned out to be a Common Nighthawk. These medium sized crepuscular birds are of the nightjar family. While they may sit motionless all day, come dawn or dusk they take to the wing to roam the skies in search of insects.

On the 6th of June early in the day, my wife, son and I were wandering the bushy meadows of Pollock Brook Preserve when a small flycatcher caught our eyes. The first thing that we noticed was the flycatchers voice which is described as a “sneezy fitz-bew”. Through hearing its song, we were able to rule out other flycatchers such as the Eastern Phoebe, Least Flycatcher and Eastern Wood-Pewee. Other variables such as location, timing of spotting/arrival, the bird’s posture and observed behaviors all pointed to one very special little tyrant, the Willow Flycatcher! The Willow Flycatcher is very challenging to identify and the best time to look for them is late May through June when the males arrive and are singing. Interestingly, before 1973 the Willow Flycatcher and the Alder Flycatcher were considered the same species and went by “Traill’s Flycatcher” which was named by John James Audubon who used the last name of a dear friend and fellow bird lover.

Later that day my wife arrived and quickly proclaimed “There is a King Eider down in Pond Cove!” Having missed the only sighting of a King Eider this past winter off Dyer Point and Two Lights State Park I frantically jumped on my bike and arrived just in time to see this majestic duck before it disappeared along the rocky shoreline. Seeing a male King Eider in our local waters in late spring is such a treat as this bird typically retreats to the high artic this time of year. Arguably no other waterfowl is more elegantly adorned as the King - with black and white feathers, soft greenish face and a striking orange plate above a rich red bill.