I just can’t seem to shake these southern birds of prey. I should be talking about migration – it’s getting to be peak time for adult neotropical songbird migration and also peak species diversity for those hemisphere-trotting, Arctic nesting shorebirds we’re so famous for here. But yes, that history-making family of Swallow-tailed Kites is still wowing slack-jawed gawkers at that church thrift shop in Cotuit, and a sighting by the LL Bean outlet in Mashpee Commons yesterday represents the first ever September record for this notoriously cold-averse species. But yet another weird, warm-climate wanderer of a raptor has popped up. For the second time this summer a Crested Caracara has appeared on the Cape.
If you’re like me, you probably forget what a bird report was about as soon as you hear it, so to recap: a Crested Caracara was seen at Race Point and environs back in July, allowing some blurry photos by a few lucky birders over two days, then disappeared as mysteriously as it arrived. But last week, during a sanctuary bird walk, Mass Audubon educator Brooke Shellman and patrons were startled to see a big, unfamiliar bird flying across the salt marsh. It eventually landed close by – it’s distinctive black crest, long legs, and blue-and-red face revealed it to be a Crested Caracara.
The photos show worn looking, very brown immature bird rather than a crisp, black and white adult. I can’t say for sure from the photos of the one in July if they are the same individual, but I have to wonder where it’s been hiding for six weeks – this is not a shy, retiring species that disappears into woodlands. It’s probably a new bird – for some reason, like city-folk realizing they could telecommute from Cape Cod, Caracaras started wandering out of their normal home range around the pandemic times in 2020. From none 20 years ago, we now have six records in the listening area, including two just at Wellfleet Bay sanctuary. One was in Maine two weeks ago, but that one was an adult, so not this Wellfleet bird.
I have no explanation for the sudden change in the dispersal patterns of a previously sedentary species, but these birds went from being unheard of north of Florida to showing up all over northeastern North America the last five years. This year alone there have been several from New Jersey to the Great Lakes and across to Maine and the Canadian Maritimes. One has apparently wintered on Prince Edward Island, which is a long way from the palm-dotted Central Florida cattle pastures they call home.
Sadly, the caracara at Wellfleet Bay has not been seen again – I was there that same morning and couldn’t find it. It’s still worth scrutinizing any big bird you see at the top of a tree to see if it has a big blue and red schnozz and gangly legs. But there are plenty of other ornithological reasons to get out right now, like the handsome Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Race Point – a classic, but rare, September shorebird. You could ogle the ultra-slim, smart-looking Tricolored Heron or the usually shy but oddly performative Clapper Rail that’s been in West Harwich Conservation Area. Or check those migration spots like Aquinnah and High Head for the warblers and vireos quietly slipping through right now.
As for me, I’m still wondering what the Swallow-tailed Kite was doing at LL Bean in Mashpee yesterday. Wait a minute – LL Bean? Flannels! This deranged bird is thinking about spending the winter!
