Local birding report

Inspirational nature quotes can impact our motivations and shape our mindset. One of my favorite bits of well-expressed birding wisdom comes from Maine’s pioneering female ornithologist Cordelia Stanwood who said, “Listen to the silence like the birds do.”

As for wild notes from the forest, on May 8 and for the second spring in a row a solitary Wood Thrush began regularly singing from the depths of the nearby woods. A terribly reclusive interior forest bird, the Wood Thrush is more often heard than seen. This pot-bellied, long-legged thrush’s scientific name is Hylocichla mustelina, meaning “weasel-colored woodland thrush” refers to the bird’s rich, brownish red head, back, wings and tail.

Years ago, I was given a copy of John J. Audubon’s “Birds of America.” First printed in 1827, it contains 435 life sized watercolor prints of birds. On plate 73 can be found Hylocichla mustelina. Audubon, a founding father of American birding was undoubtedly a controversial figure, and one whose legacy is intertwined with that of our present and past culture of racial oppression. Audubon was particularly fond of Wood Thrushes and his admiration towards these bewitching birds in was captured in writings such as when he wrote, “seldom, indeed, have I heard the song of this Thrush, without feeling all that tranquility of mind, to which the secluded situation in which it delights is so favorable. The thickest and darkest woods always appear to please it best. The borders of murmuring streamlets, overshadowed by the dense foliage of the lofty trees growing on the gentle declivities, amidst which the sunbeams seldom penetrate, are its favourite resorts. There it is, kind reader, that the musical powers of this hermit of the woods must be heard, to be fully appreciated and enjoyed.”

Lack of density combined with our conserved forests like Robinson Woods align with the wood thrushes preferred habitat of deciduous and mixed forest, preferring late-successional upland woodlands with wetlands and a moderately dense shrub layer. This thrush also seeks out breeding areas with running water, moist ground and trees taller than 50 feet. Wood Thrushes do breed in woodland habitat patches as small as .99 acres however smaller territories increase the risk of nest parasitism and predation.

Additional notes from the field and yard over the last two weeks include:

On May 2 Baltimore Orioles started to show up across town and on May 7 both male and female Rose-breasted Grosbeaks started appearing in our backyard to re-power on sunflower and safflower seeds. Their journey between Central America and Cape spans thousands of miles, following ancient routes that take them through lands where poachers look to trap and illegally traffic them as caged songbirds. Rose-breasted Grosbeaks breed locally in our forests.

On the morning of May 11 while my son and I worked in the garden three Great-crested Flycatchers called loudly above us while a boisterous House Wren exhibited its ‘rush-and-jumble song’ within the surrounding tangles.

And on May 12 a Sharp-shinned Hawk made an appearance in our yard. I had forgotten how small the males are, not much bigger than a Blue Jay. Later that morning I made an excursion to Hinkley Park in South Portland. This park attracts impressive numbers of migratory birds every spring and fall. On my brief outing I noted twelve distinct types of wood warblers, three types of vireos, a Solitary Sandpiper, four Baltimore Orioles and a striking male Scarlet Tanager.