Local birding report

Discovering moments of joy can be as simple as the sudden appearance of a new bird in the yard. Fortunately, early spring migrants like the Song Sparrow are appearing in greater numbers every day now.

This unquenchable optimist sings its “Silver tongue” song loud and cheery.

Found around our feeders this time each year and generally where thickets abound, this shy medium-sized sparrow will spend most of its time over the next several weeks carving out territories before engaging in the pleasant pastime of courtship.

Although the Song Sparrow is often identified by the large spot in the middle of its striped breast, there are several other sparrow types that exhibit a very similar type of marking. I recently learned that this spot is merely an arrangement of spotted feathers which do not always appear on young birds and may even be absent in some adults. The tumbled trill of Red-winged Blackbirds can also be heard across town. Juxtaposed to the flashy scarlet and yellow wing patch donned by the males, the females look sparrow-like (too big though) and are far more subtle, with brown streaking throughout.

A few notes from the field and yard include: on March 11 as the sun began to set three northbound Turkey Vultures circled high above the high school while several American Woodcocks sounded off within the fringes of the nearby marshland.

Additionally, on March 17 along the section of the Sawyer Road that crosses the Spurwink Marsh I spotted three Hooded Mergansers and a single Common Merganser feeding in a shallow salt-water pool. It has been said more than once that few New England ducks are handsomer than the male Common Merganser. In its breeding plumage this large fish-eating duck has an iridescent green shine to its black head and a deep red, serrated bill. The Common Merganser is almost always found on freshwater rivers and lakes or during migration in estuaries and backwaters where the tide runs in and out.

Also, on March 18 while meandering along the back beach trails of Crescent Beach State Park my son and I heard the far-carrying cry of four Killdeer overhead.

Of the plover family, these robin-sized birds are one of the least water-associated of all shorebirds. Killdeer are considered partial migrators because the more southerly populations stay put year-round. The Killdeer that arrive this far north are known as leap-frog migrants because rather than compete for food and space with the year round residents inhabiting the southern half of the U.S., they will use the earth's magnetic field, practically flying straight from Mexico or Central America to Cape Elizabeth and beyond.

On this same day the Carolina Wren couple that had spent the winter with us were singing a duet as they explored nesting locations around the yard. Interestingly, only the male Carolina Wren sings the loud songs. The female will add her own unique chatter vocalizations to the male's song - this by the way is the easiest way to identify male from female, only the female does the chatter.

Later in the afternoon I was listening to two Woodcocks displaying in a wet field nearby to my house when a Great-horned Owl's hoot added to the chorus. The following afternoon, March 19 within the Robinson Woods II, a Barred Owl called out from its shadowy perch as a Great-blue Heron flew overhead.