Interesting, that at a time of year when warblers, vireos, orioles, and other songbirds are streaming into and through the state for their spring migration back from warmer climes, the Maine Birds listserv is abuzz about…Blue Jays. We once overheard someone in another state declare the Blue Jay to be the most beautiful of all Read More
That’s One Determined Osprey
Ospreys, clever birds that they are, sometimes make mistakes. They misjudge or mistime a plunge for a fish. They may show up in a place they aren’t typically found. And sometimes they make bad choices as to where to build a nest. This happened recently with an Osprey that tried to set up housekeeping on Read More
Clarry Hill: Exemplary Birding, Extraordinary Opportunity
Some places are special for all sorts of reasons. Take Clarry Hill in Union. Its high elevation provides spectacular views of the Camden Hills, glimpses of Muscongus Bay, and acres upon acres of lowbush blueberries that are highly valuable to local jobs and Maine’s economy. These lands are also important for countless species of birds. Read More
Bird Songs: More to Them Than What We Thought?
The temperature was skin-numbing. Even the slightest ripple of wind cut our lungs like fire. And yet, the birds sang. Sure, the sun was shining. The sky was brilliant blue. But the temps were so freakily cold that our little dog Loki, despite double layers of sweaters, would get just a short walk, for the Read More
Celebrity Steller’s Sea-eagle Returns to Maine
The superstar Steller’s Sea-eagle is back! Last winter, Maine hosted the mega-popular rarity that delighted birders with stops along the midcoast, sending birders and the simply curious alike flocking to places like Georgetown, Boothbay Harbor, and Pemaquid. Unless you live under a rock, you probably remember the flurry of excitement. After all, this is one Read More
Jeepers Creepers, That’s a Cool Bird
We have been fascinated with Brown Creepers from our earliest birding days. That’s a really long time! By “long time,” we mean back to junior high school days, where Allison caught her first glimpse of this mysterious tree-hugging bird along the forested edges of the Winthrop dump (ya, the foreground was not very scenic!); Jeff Read More
A Worldwide Gift of Birds and Biodiversity
Common Loon. Wood Thrush. Bobolink. Rusty Blackbird. Harlequin Duck. Black-throated Blue Warbler. White-throated Sparrow. Piping Plover. Broad-winged Hawk. This is a tiny fraction of the bird species that are found here in Maine that will benefit from the signing of a new global biodiversity agreement. The signing took place on Monday, December 19, in Montreal, Read More
Evening Grosbeaks are on the Move
When we think of Evening Grosbeaks, we remember the hordes of them gorging themselves at the double-decker platform feeder at a former family home in Winthrop. We’d watch from the large living room window as the plump golden, black, and white orbs chomped through gobs of sunflower seeds with their enormous bills. Sometimes the flocks Read More
Puffins and a Purposeful Person
Many people think of Dr. Steve Kress as “the puffin man.” He’s widely revered for reestablishing puffin colonies to the coast of Maine, and rightly so. But when it comes to bird conservation, Steve is much more than that. We first met Steve when we were graduate students at Cornell University years ago. (Interestingly, Steve Read More
