Redwing. Photo by nottsexminer
Have you heard about the rare Redwing spotted last weekend in Capisic Pond Park in Portland? It was hanging out with a group of Robins eating sumac and multiflora rose fruit. A Redwing is a European thrush that looks a lot like an American Robin in size and shape. Maine Audubon reports that this is only the second time this bird has been reported in Maine.
This Redwing is not the only unusual bird spotted in Maine this winter. A Purple Gallinule, a tropical bird that you would expect to see in southern Florida or even further south at this time of year, has been reported. A Black-headed Grosbeak, a bird who should be in the Southwest or Mexico right now was reported, as was a Dickcissel, a bird of the Great Plains.
Add to these an article I saw about a Snowy Owl reported in New York’s Central Park for the first time in the last 130 years and another about an unusual number of puffins off the beaches of Cape Cod, and you might be tempted to wonder what’s going on with these birds?
The truth is, vagrants are more common than you think. The migratory patterns of birds is not always as neat and orderly as you might think. For all the birds that fly from north to south in a predictable way, there are always outliers that end up places where they are not expected.
Often these vagrants are young birds migrating for the first time. Some get blown wildly off course. In other cases, birds may stray from their normal range in search of food. There also seems to be growing evidence that warming temperatures and wide-spread changes in climate are affecting some bird’s movements.
Finally, one could also assume something in the genetics or brains of some of these birds works differently. Regardless of the reason, it seems vagrancy is a part of the natural world.
The chance of this Portland Redwing starting a new breeding population in Maine is low – probably zero. But remember, the random wanderings of some of these birds occasionally results in success. We’ve seen Sandhill Cranes establish a small breeding population in western Maine in the past decade.
Red-bellied Woodpeckers, a southern species, are reported more and more in the Bethel area. These expansions occur because at least some birds wander further or differently than their peers.
So, watch a little closer when you see a flock of robins or other common birds. Is there one that is different among the bunch? A rare sighting may not be as unusual as you might expect, and you never know what vagrants could be lurking in the crowd.
James Reddoch, of Albany Township and Boston, leads birding events for the Mahoosuc Land Trust. Visit Mahoosuc Land Trust at 162 North Road, Bethel, ME. To learn more visit www.mahoosuc.org. To contact James, send your emails to info@mahoosuc.org.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
