Cape Elizabeth birding report

Although March can be unpredictable and unpleasant, for me this late winter month also brings a unique anticipation along with a re-kindled sense of hope and possibility for spotting the unexpected in the days ahead. February’s siege of cold and snow down south has definitely impacted the spring migration. On the last day of February in the two prior years Cape had already started to see Common Grackles announcing their arrival with croak-like whistles and iridescent bluish hoods and Woodcocks were sounding off deep within the Gull Crest Marsh.

February 2021 yielded reasonable numbers of winter wanderers along our coastline including reports of a starling-sized seabird that almost looks like a miniature penguin – a penguin that can fly as well as dive deep. The Dovekie or Little Auk as it is also referred to breeds in immense colonies in the High-Arctic. Also, Thick-billed Murre’s along with Razorbills were visible under the right conditions from Dyer and Trundy Point.

Another member of the auk family, the Black Guillemot is a medium-sized seabird with striking bright red legs, feet and mouth. In reading Peter D. Vickery’s “Birds of Maine,” I learned that the Black Guillemot’s are abundant and common residents along the Maine coast and breed “in crevices on about 150 islands in Maine.” Higher concentrated populations can be found from Pemaquid Point east to Lubec and ranging down to the latitudes of the Isles of Shoals. This time of year (nonbreeding/immature) Guillemot’s can be tricky to identify because younger seabirds have mostly whitish heads, neck and underparts.

On the windy bluebird day of February 21 my wife, son and I were exploring the farmost fringes of a frozen over Great Pond and spotted an immature light-phased Rough-legged Hawk. The Latin name for this large hawk means “rabbit-footed” as its legs down to the feet are covered with soft white feathers. When compared to a Red-tailed Hawk, the Rough-legged Hawks wingbeats are visibly more pliable and not rigid. The hawk flew the length of the Pond, and directly over us, allowing the sun to illuminate the black patches at the wrist and all white tail except for the dark tip. The Rough-legged breeds in the Artic and is a sporadic winter visitor (snowbird) for Cape.

On the snow squally afternoon of February 24, I watched two immature female Goldeneye Ducks dive along the tidal Spurwink river. Despite being able to observe these two ducks quite closely and for several minutes I left thinking I really did not know whether they were Common or Barrow’s Goldeneye ducks. I read as much as I could find on the challenges associated with identifying the subtle, subjective and inconsistent differences between female Barrow’s and Common Goldeneyes.

Probably the best source of information on this subject comes from David Sibley who writes, “watch the bird as it moves around for a good period of time, pay special attention to details of head shape and bill. Identification will be based on the sum of many small features.” In a nutshell I clearly still have work to do in order to identify this species with confidence.

Other noteworthy mentionings in February: a Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, a male and female Carolina Wren, and a solitary Pine Siskin all in the same old Crab apple tree in my yard on February 24. Later that same day on Trundy Point I spotted three Common Goldeneyes, the aforementioned Black Guillemot, two Harlequin Ducks, Common Eiders, a Common Loon, Black and Surf Scoters (aka skunk-headed coots) and nineteen Purple Sandpipers. This particular Sandpiper has the northernmost winter range of any shorebird and is considered a specialist when it comes to rocky, wave-battered coastlines. Two days later on February 26 on Trundy Point I found a single Barrow’s Goldeneye duck diving for mussels. Lastly, on February 28 a Northern Flicker, Red-bellied and Pileated Woodpecker patiently waited turns at the suet cage.

In other bird related news, on a nearby island in Casco Bay the whinny trill of an Eastern Screech Owl has been reported. A Species of Special Concern in Maine, this robin-sized nightbird has seen a population decline in the northern range limit (chiefly southern Maine). Another owl that is a rare breeder in Maine is the Short-eared Owl. Interestingly, Short-eared Owls have been spotted with greater frequency this winter across Maine than in the last several.