Local birding report

As the birding doldrums of early summer settle in across Cape, there is still always something of interest to see or hear and it is just a matter of being out in the field to chance upon it. That said, on one of the last days of June, I spotted a large, dark-backed flycatcher sallying out to catch insects high above the pond in Robinson Woods III.

Visibly smaller than a Robin but bigger than an Eastern Phoebe, the Eastern Kingbird prefers to breed at the intersection of overgrown meadows, forest edges and ponds. Interestingly, I recently learned that Kingbirds have a crown of red, orange, or yellow feathers on their head. The displaying of the crown is reserved for potential predators and is otherwise concealed. Also, during one of the last days of June, at dusk along Charles E. Jordan Road I heard the unmistakable hissing of two youngsters and one hooting adult Great Horned Owl. Within a half hour time span I also heard five different types of thrushes singing - Eastern Bluebird, Veery, Hermit Thrush, Wood Thrush and American Robin.

On July 2 within the Rachael Carson National Wildlife Refuge along Sawyer Road I observed a territorial Willet driving a Kingbird from its metal pole perch. I also was able to view four different types of Swallows - Barn, Tree, Northern-rough Winged and Bank.

As for identification of the latter three, Tree Swallows are a good default for comparison with other swallows. Both adult and juvenile Tree Swallows have clean white throats, while the Northern-rough Winged’s throat and breast are visibly dingy brown. I had forgotten how adult female Tree Swallows are often brownish above with limited hints of blue and first year birds are especially brown (not blue). Bank and Northern Rough Winged Swallows are similar in size and can be tricky to differentiate between however the Bank Swallow’s slightly forked tail is often visible as is a brown band along its chest. Unfortunately, Bank Swallows populations in southern Maine have declined more than any other aerial insectivore and are currently estimated to be at less than 1% of its 1966 population. One additional notable was a single Saltmarsh Sparrow that popped into view while I was watching the swallows and Least Terns dip and dive; its orangish eyebrow and ‘stash’ were aglow.

On the morning of July 3 five fledgling Baltimore Orioles and a Red-breasted Nuthatch managed to find room on our suet cage and were surrounded by an entourage of crying young - in particular, Red-bellied and Hairy Woodpeckers, Blue Jays and Tufted Titmice. A family of Common Grackles also showed up. Later that afternoon my wife, son and I took a trip down to the Kennebunk Plains Preserve which is a spectacular grassland and pine barren ecosystem. There we were treated to our first of the year Grasshopper Sparrows, Vesper Sparrows, Eastern Meadowlarks, Prairie Warblers galore and a singing male Scarlet Tanager.

Additional mentionings include, on July 10, to our delight a Roseate Tern dove within close range as my son and I were taking a late afternoon dip in the ocean at Kettle Cove. The easiest way to tell the difference between Roseate and Common Terns during breeding season is to look at the terns bill. Roseate Terns have a thinner dark bill with noticeably less red in it than the Common Tern. Also, on July 11 within Robinson Woods I and II the following birds were observed or heard: Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Great Crested Flycatcher, Common Yellowthroat, Pine and Black-throated Green Warblers were all singing.

Lastly, on July 12 while exploring the more forested and wet section of Two Lights State Park with my wife and son we spotted what first appeared to be three juvenile night herons, however as we crept closer for better looks it soon became apparent that we were looking at a total of four American Bitterns, one adult female and three young. According to Peter Vickery, Bitterns are rarely seen in numbers greater than two. Although American Bitterns are fairly common in Maine’s wetlands, there are remarkably few confirmed nesting records statewide. This is primarily because of its cryptic coloration and elusive, solitary demeanor. Known by some as “thunder pumper,” this striking bird has experienced a remarkable 43% decline between 1966-2015 across the Northeast. In other bird related news the American Ornithological Society (AOS) announced recently that it will be forming an ad hoc committee tasked with developing recommendations to identify and change “harmful English bird names.” Specifically, some birds are named after people who have been associated with racism, slavery and white supremacy - Townsend’s warbler, Hammond’s Flycatcher and McCown’s longspur to name a few.