The acoustic sounds of spring. This time of year, it’s hard to miss them, as birds are winding up to establish breeding territories and to attract mates. Do you have favorites? Maybe you have some that, when you hear them, make you say, “Yup, spring has arrived!” For us, there are many. The first whistled Read More
Bird-feeding Tips for a Purpose
February has beenall about birds, at least for us bird enthusiasts. For one thing, the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) took February 12 through February 15. We have fond memories of our years at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, one of our best being the brainstorming we did with National Audubon as we all tried Read More
Irruption Underway: Keep an Eye Out for Winter Finches
In Florida, a Purple Finch was recently spotted as far south as Sarasota, and Red-breasted Nuthatches were found at Cape Canaveral. And get this: A Pine Siskin was heard flying over Everglades National Park! Meanwhile, Pine Siskins and Red-breasted Nuthatches were reported far, far to the north in the tiny community of Moosonee, on the Read More
Rock Wren, Rock Star
It’s not every day you get to meet a rock star. They tend to perform on their own terms and make public appearances when and where they darn well please. Often, they live far from the crowds who admire them; when seen, they may or may not accommodate your request for a selfie. This past Read More
We All Want to Help the Birds We Love
People have a tendency, it seems, to want to help birds. We put up feeders filled with seed and suet, telling ourselves that it will do them good while also acknowledging that this will allow us to enjoy hours of watching their behaviors and interactions at close range, without disturbance to them. Some people go Read More
Nature-based Climate Solutions Help Birds
Despite what deniers continue to wrongly promote, we know that climate change is real, and that the level of carbon humans are spewing into the atmosphere is the primary cause of it. The Natural Resources Council of Maine and our friends at places like National Audubon work very hard to also make the point that Read More
Seal River Watershed: The Maine-Canadian Connection
Cool autumn air descended upon us here in Maine from Canada this past week. It brought with it those beautiful, sunny blue-sky days and nighttime temps that drop maybe a little lower than what we’d like for this time of year. So far, we’ve remembered each night to move our porch-dwelling geranium into the garage Read More
An Act of Hope for Migratory Birds
North of us, darkening clouds stretched far into the sky. We could feel low rumbles of thunder vibrating through the warm, humid air, sending the ground into trembles. Having just stepped out from the grocery store, we hurried across the parking lot to reach the car before the impending torrential rains. We glanced up again Read More
A Strange and Mysterious Feathered Creature
Maine has been home to many a mysterious creature. There was the so-called mutant beast that roamed the town of Turner, accidentally killed by a passing car in 2006. In 2018, an animal “that was not a whale” but only “may” have been some kind of shark washed up on the shore of Higgins Beach Read More
