Cape Forchu - A Vagrant Hotspot

Cape Forchu is a headland community in Yarmouth County. This headland creates Yarmouth Harbour. Although you can drive to Cape Forchu, it is only connected to the mainland at Yarmouth Bar by bridge making it an island. Cape Forchu is most famous for Yarmouth's iconic Cape Forchu Lighthouse. Below is a photo that I took in 2013 of the rugged southern tip of Cape Forchu showing the Town of Yarmouth and Yarmouth Harbour to the right and the lighthouse near the sea cliffs.

Cape Forchu Lighthouse - June 9, 2013

From Yarmouth, Vancouver Street leads you from the Golden Horse Fountain past the Yarmouth Regional Hospital to Highway 304 which leads you through the communities of Overton, Yarmouth Bar and then to Cape Forchu. To view directions from Starrs Road, Yarmouth to Cape Forchu on Google Maps, click here.

In years past there have been many good birds seen at Cape Forchu. One of the local birders named June Graves used to report good migrants and vagrants from that area.

Islands, peninsulas and headlands serve as resting places for migrant birds that have been displaced over the ocean by the winds. A southern bird can end up in Nova Scotia due to a misjudgment in orientation combined with non-favorable wind strength and direction. [All the Birds of Nova Scotia, Ian McLaren]

Prairie Warbler - Cape Forchu - September 21, 2014.

Below is an aerial photo sourced from Bing Maps showing Cape Forchu. Both Gerry Lane and Thomas Road have been excellent places for interesting birds. There are many large patches of alders on both the sides of the dirt roads that should be checked for migrants and vagrants. Both roads are public roads maintained by the provincial department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal.

Cape Forchu - Bing Maps

Below is a list of the interesting migrant and vagrant birds seen at Cape Forchu this fall. The items annotated with a double asterisks (**) breed south of NS and therefore are considered vagrants to this province. Observers are presented as: Alix d'Entremont (AD), Ronnie d'Entremont (RD) and Ervin Olsen (EO).

Species	Date	Observer
Warbling Vireo	Sept. 7	AD
Wilson's Warbler	Sept. 7	AD
**Prairie Warbler**	Sept. 9	EO
**Blue-winged Warbler**	Sept. 11	RD
Nashville Warbler (3)	Sept. 11	RD
Wilson's Warbler	Sept. 11	RD
**Prairie Warbler**	Sept. 21	AD
Blackpoll Warbler (4)	Sept. 21	AD
Nashville Warbler (3)	Sept. 21	AD
Cape May Warbler	Sept. 21	AD
**Prairie Warbler**	Sept. 25	AD
Eastern Wood-Pewee	Sept. 25	AD
**White-eyed Vireo**	Oct. 9	EO
**House Wren**	Oct. 9	EO
Chipping Sparrow	Oct. 10	EO
**Eastern Towhee**	Oct. 11	AD
Wilson's Warbler	Oct. 11	AD
Orange-crowned Warbler	Oct. 11	AD

On October 9, Ervin Olsen found a White-eyed Vireo. The northern limit of the breeding range of the White-eyed Vireo is Massachusetts.

 

Ervin Olsen Photo: Juvenile White-eyed Vireo - October 9, 2014.

 

Overnight on October 8th there were moderately strong SW winds blowing directly from Massachusetts to NS. These winds could have been a factor in this bird's vagrancy to NS. See the wind map below with the black arrow showing the direction of the wind.

Wind map at 9 pm, October 8, 2014

Here are a few more photos from Cape Forchu.

Warbling Vireo - Cape Forchu - September 7, 2014.

Wilson's Warbler - Cape Forchu - September 7, 2014.

Cape May Warbler - Cape Forchu - September 21, 2014.

Nashville Warbler - Cape Forchu - September 21, 2014.

Blackpoll Warbler - Cape Forchu - September 21, 2014.