Local birding report

In early October, our woodlands are filled with the chatter of Tufted Titmice, Black-capped Chickadees and nuthatches busying themselves for the coming winter months. Interspersed between the rattling cries of Northern Flickers and the soft chek calls of Yellow-rumped Warblers, the exquisite vocalizations of Ruby-crowned Kinglets ring out with wiry tsip call notes that occasionally melt into a flute-like, helter-skelter melody of soft liquid warblings.

Over the first two weeks of October my observations from the yard and field include, on October 2 I came across a Baltimore Oriole’s nest that had fallen from an Oak Tree’s branch along the fringes of my yard. Oriole nests can remain in place, high up on the ends of branches for years, so to come across one is always a special occasion. The female Oriole is one of the finest avian architects and her nest is a feat of nature - woven with magnificent craftmanship into a long, flexible gourd like pouch that rain cannot penetrate. On average the nest is placed thirty or more feet above ground, hanging purposely as far out on a limb as possible to dissuade predators from encroaching.

The nest was made up of a complex weave of plant fibers, and fine strips of bark which were held together by milkweed and spider silk. The silk provides support and durability. After allowing the nest to sit under a lamp to fully dry out I carefully opened the pendulum shaped hideaway hoping to find a flame-orange colored feather or piece of bluish white egg with web-like dark-brown markings. I marveled at the way the bird had delicately woven Eastern White Pine needles into the soft, cup-shaped interior. Although neither feather nor egg was present, I did find strands of twine that I could identify as the same used in our garden!

On October 5 I heard a southbound Eastern Towhee calling from the invasive tangles surrounding my yard. Hearing this bird’s unique call brought me back to a warm summer day not long ago where, around dusk I peddled along Charles E Jordan Road and listened to this bird’s rich, full and pleasing song. A large sparrow-like ground nesting bird that can be mistaken for a robin, the Towhee is a bird of special concern in Maine, and over the last fifty years the species’ population has seen an alarming decline.

Also, on October 10 my first Surf Scoter of the year flew over my son and me at close range along Trundy Point. This variety of Scoter is also referred to as a “Skunk-Headed Coot” because of the male’s solid black body with white patches on the forehead. This male’s bright, multi-colored beak and rapid wingbeats gave the bird a puffin-like appearance as it whistled by us. Not as common in our waters as the White-winged or Black Scoter, this large sea duck nests near freshwater in remote boreal-forest regions of Canada and is just starting to arrive in our waters for the winter months.

Additionally on the quiet afternoon of October 12 I came across a Great-horned Owl sunning itself undisturbed, high up in an old pine within Robinson Woods. I also noted a pair of both Red-breasted Nuthatches and Ruby-crowned Kinglets travelling together. Later that same day my two sons and I set up camp in the woods on our property. During the night I was awakened by the reverberant hooting of a Barred Owl, and in the early morning hours we listened to male and female Great-horned Owls dueting for 45 minutes as the twitterings of many White-throated Sparrows surrounded our tent.

Also, on October 13 in the yard I noted a sallying Eastern Phoebe and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker hunting for insects in an old crab apple tree. Other woodpeckers in the yard this day included Pileated, Yellow shafted Northern Flicker, Downy, Hairy and Red-bellied. A five-woodpecker day is never a bad day!

While on the topic, this is the time of year that woodpeckers love to hammer away at our houses. Having tried and failed with many types of woodpecker deterrents, only reflective ornamental spirals (now called scare rods) have proven successful for me. Woodpeckers do not like shiny objects, especially when they move in the wind. I hang these spirals with monofilament line between two nails stretching from the top corner of the house down to the first-floor window. Using longer nails allows the ornament to spin freely and also prevents it from banging on the exterior during windy days and nights.

Lastly, in recent birding news, the American Ornithological Society has determined that the Common Redpoll and Hoary Redpoll are a single species, hence forward referred to as simply Redpoll. Genetic work found that a supergene was responsible for plumage differences between Redpolls. Referred to by Peter Vickery as “a bright, cheery beauty of the far north” these zippy little irruptive finches are occasionally seen during the winter months in Cumberland County. They have nifty red forehead patches, streaked sides, pinkish wash on breast and two wing bars. Despite historic annual sightings in Cumberland County, I have yet to see a Redpoll in Cape and although the 2025 Winter Finch forecast does not indicate any sort of irruption of Redpolls this year into Southern Maine, you never know. Paying extra attention to stands of birch trees and weedy fields may pay off this winter.