Local birding report

In early January, I am thankful for many things, including but not limited to, the fine sweet trill of a Red-breasted Nuthatch, the thin, silvery calls of Golden-crowned Kinglets deep within the forest, the way a Brown Creeper’s song calls to mind pine boughs sighing in the wind, the sweetly whistled Tufted Titmice tune that accompany the falling snow, the hurried winter song from the ever curious Carolina Wren couple, the cheery warbler of rosy-red House Finches, the low sweet melodies sung by Dark-eyed Juncos, and the querulous chatter of five Eastern Bluebirds socializing around the birdbath on a shivery morning.

One day several weeks ago I noticed an unusual bird in our backyard. Amongst the White-throated Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos was a stout, sparrow sized bird with two rather prominent white wingbars that contrasted against a subdued grayish colored wing. A pale eyering, which birders refer to as “spectacled” was also visible. There are very few wood warblers that dare to brave the winter months of Maine, and this happened to be one of them, Setophaga pinus, a female Pine Warbler!

Although not as glamorous as its male counterpart who arrives early every spring cloaked in bright-yellow, olive and green, the presence of this modest minstrel of our pine woods has added a bit of excitement to our backyard. Pine Warblers are among the earliest warblers to arrive and the last to leave Maine. According to Peter Vickery’s “Birds of Maine,” small numbers of these warblers are known to survive through the winter, subsiding on seed and suet from backyard feeders. In addition to eating insects, the Pine Warbler is the only warbler that regularly eats seeds, primarily pine seeds but also sunflower seeds, cracked corn, millet and suet. As of January 7 this hardy little songbird has continued to persevere.

Over the last two weeks another uncommon winter visitor has been regularly sighted along the Two Lights Road/ Kettle Cove area, a Snow Goose. Of the thirteen species of geese found in North America, nine have been spotted in Maine, and only three (including the Snow, Canada and Brant) are regularly recurring.

Amongst two hundred or more Canada Geese, this rather large white goose with black wingtips easily stands out from the crowd. Its pinkish bill with distinctive black ‘grinning patch’ or smile gives this goose a unique facial expression.

Snow Geese come in two color morphs, a more common white morph and less common dark (blue) morph which has a bluish-grey body and white head. Until 1983 the American Ornithological Society treated the “Blue Goose” as a separate species.

A medium distance migrant, Snow Geese seen along our coastline in winter typically arrive from the Canadian Arctic tundra where they were born. The population of Snow Geese has grown rapidly since the mid-twentieth century, possibly because of warming conditions on their artic breeding grounds. Snow Geese also nest in remote areas and their breeding colonies have suffered minimal impact from humans. Additionally, they have adapted well to winter foraging within agricultural fields. Interestingly, this goose picks the same mate for life, choosing an individual of the same color morph (white or “blue”) as the family members they grew up with.

Of note, there have been two other sightings of individual Snow Geese in Cumberland County so far this winter.