Local birding report

As early summer settles in across Cape there is always something of interest to see or hear and it is just a matter of being out in the yard or the field to chance upon it.

One bird of our leafy woodlands that I have a particular fondness for is the Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Although grosbeaks will readily visit bird feeders, at this time of year they frequently stay out of sight among the treetops. While the female incubates the male feeds her and when he is relieved of this duty he stands guard over the nest, often singing his long sing-songing string of sweet whistles which sound like an American Robin’s song but is more pleasing to the ear. On two occasions in early July I found a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak resting in a Crap-apple Tree behind our house while a male sang somewhere overhead in the canopy. She regarded my sudden appearance with bright startled eyes before disappearing into the shadows of the old tree’s branches.

Over the last several weeks I also was able to view four different types of swallows along the portion of Sawyer Road that crosses through the Spurwink Marsh - Barn, Tree, Northern-rough Winged and Bank Swallows.

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 again 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; 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 Nelson’s Sparrow that popped into view while I was watching the swallows and Least Terns dip and dive, its orangish eyebrow and ‘stash’ was aglow.

One of many birds that I have yet to see in Cape Elizabeth is the Eastern Meadowlark. Every year a handful or less sightings are reported in Cape. Meadowlarks are robin sized grassland songbirds with long spear-shaped bills, bright-yellow underparts and a bold black “V “across the chest. A bird in steep decline, three out of every four Eastern Meadowlarks have been lost since 1970 for a cumulative population decline of nearly 89%.

A primary reason for this bird’s population decline is disappearing grassland habitat. More research is also pointing to Neonicotinoids (a type of widely used insecticide) and although scientists have not yet found a direct link between neonoics and the sharp decline in grassland birds like Meadowlarks, there is growing evidence that suggests this insecticide impacts the metabolism, reproduction and migration abilities of songbirds. Much of the agriculture seed coatings on corn, soybeans and canola seeds contain neoniocs and the largest pesticide manufacturers own most of the seed distributors. Interestingly, according to recent data, 95% of the remaining Eastern Meadowlarks distribution is on private lands. This means that farmland conservation practices (not mowing early in the season for instance) are crucial to the survival of this species.

Another strikingly marked, ground nesting songbird in sharp decline is the Eastern Towhee. Although I have heard several Towhees this season in Cape I had yet to actually lay my eyes on one until a recent excursion to Little Chebeague Island where amongst the abandoned remains of a summer cottage colony I counted five Eastern Towhees, including two males singing and one fledgling female.

Other notes from my field journal include on June 29 before sunset along the margins of the field in Robinson Woods III, a Great-horned Owl was spotted being scolded by two Great-crested Flycatchers and on June 30 along the woodland paths in Gull Crest two fledgling American Woodcocks were testing their wings.

Additionally, on July 4 a Red-breasted Nuthatch and Northern Flicker were dining together on suet in our yard while a Red-eyed Vireo sang high above in a White Oak Tree. The following day my son and I came across two more Red-breasted Nuthatches and a Chestnut-sided Warbler above the shelter at the Winnick Woods trailhead. At dusk on this same day, I spied a trio of Brown Thrashers along the Willow Brook trail.

Lastly, on July 11, a Winter Wren, several Hermit Thrushes and a Ovenbird sang simultaneously at close range, deep within Robinson Woods while a Eastern Wood-Pewee whistled from its sunny perch within the mid-canopy.