Local birding report

Each year around this time, I eagerly await the Finch Research Network’s special forecast predicting which boreal birds—known as “winter finches”—might grace our backyards during the colder months. These northern nomads typically reside in Canada’s vast forests, but when natural food sources like seeds and berries run low, they often journey south in search of better foraging. Unlike predictable seasonal migrations that many songbirds follow, irruptions are driven by ecological pressures and represent irregular movement of birds into areas where they’re not typically found—often in large numbers and outside their usual migratory patterns.

According to this year’s report, nature is setting the stage for one of the most exciting irruption years since 2020–2021. A widespread failure of seed crops—especially White Spruce, Tamarack, and White Birch— across the boreal regions from central Quebec to Manitoba is driving many finch species farther south than usual.

Highlights from this year’s report include moderate southward movements of Pine Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins, and Evening Grosbeaks. Pine Grosbeaks last descended upon ornamental fruit trees across Cape five years ago, while Evening Grosbeaks—those bold-beaked beauties—will hopefully be visiting feeders stocked with black oil sunflower seeds. Just as exciting, the forecast predicts strong southward pushes of Purple Finches and Redpolls.

Redpolls are tiny Arctic finches with fiery red foreheads and a heartiness that defies their size—they tunnel into snow to sleep, store seeds in their throats, and migrate in dazzling, erratic flocks that can appear and vanish like a winter squall. For me, Redpolls have long been, in birding terms, a nemesis bird—one of those elusive species that always seems just out of reach, as if actively avoiding me irruption winter after irruption winter.

Other noteworthy mentionings in the forecast include Red-breasted Nuthatches and Bohemian Waxwings. Red-breasted Nuthatches have already irrupted and can be found threading through our woods with their nasal calls. As for waxwings: Bohemians are larger and more vividly adorned, with grayish underparts, a black mask and neck, and rufous undertail coverts. Cedar Waxwings, by contrast, are sleeker, with warm brown chests fading into pale yellow bellies. Bohemians favor northern boreal forests and irrupt south unpredictably in winter, while Cedars are more widespread year-round here in Cape.

A few brief notes from the yard and field over the past two weeks: On the summery afternoon of October 4, I made a brief but rewarding trip to Richmond Island. Highlights included a Northern Harrier coursing low over the fields, countless Yellow-rumped Warblers, and four sparrow species: White-throated, Ipswich, Song, and Lincoln’s. Lincoln’s Sparrows are subtly elegant songbirds with finely streaked buffy chests, gray faces and delicate mustache stripes. According to Peter Vickery, author of “Birds of Maine,” this sparrow is rather common but often overlooked during fall migration. The bird I saw materialized from the island’s rambling thickets shortly after I heard his soft, gurgling song. With a little patience, the bird eventually revealed itself and sang its wren like ditty again, perhaps with a lingering echo of summer days long past, territorial instinct or courtship rehearsal. Lincoln’s Sparrows’ breeding range starts in the Downeast region (Great Heath) Mount Desert Island and extends northward and west.

Additionally, on October 8, a southbound male Wilson’s Warbler and a female Black-throated Blue Warbler passed through my yard. Unlike many warblers that adopt drab fall plumages or skulk in the understory, both male and female Wilson’s retain their bright yellow below and yellowish-olive above, with the male’s jet-black cap lending a touch of drama. One of the smallest warblers in the U.S., the Wilson’s is a pure delight—its spritely dances and circular tail-wagging exude a kind of feathered charisma.

And lastly, while spending as few days in Acadia National Forest recently I visited the Wendell Gilley Museum nestled in Southwest Harbor. Wendell Gilley was a pioneering wooden bird carver whose work helped elevate bird carving from a folk craft to a respected art form. Born in 1904 in Southwest Harbor, Gilley began his professional life as a plumber, but his passion for birds and craftsmanship led him down a very different path. Over his career, Gilley produced more than 10,000 carvings, ranging from small decorative pieces to detailed, anatomically accurate sculptures that captured the spirit and posture of birds in the wild. Many of his carvings are housed at the museum including a life size King Eider drake that he carved for the opening of the museum in 1983. Gilley was not only a master carver but also a trail-blazer who helped shape the field of decorative bird carving in America. This immersive museum has not only preserved his work but also serves as a center for bird art and education, continuing this man’s mission to connect people with birds through creativity and craftsmanship.