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
birders
Congratulations, You’re a Birder!
“I’m not a birder, but I do enjoy my bird feeders.” We hear this a lot when we’re out and about, birding at a preserve or at a coastal overlook or some other place where others are out enjoying the same place. The conversation usually starts by them asking what we’re seeing for birds, and Read More
How and Why We Invested in Bird-friendly Glass at the University of New England
In the breathtaking closing scene of the 2015 documentary, The Messenger, children and adults visiting the Royal Ontario Museum sort and organize thousands of birds that died after flying into windows in Toronto, Canada. The colors, shapes and sizes—of both birds and people—are striking. I show this film to the Avian Ecology and Conservation class Read More
Robin Hunting—and Eating—and the Year of the Bird
You may know that the early settlers to North America named the American Robins we know and love today. But did you know they also ate them? When the first European settlers saw the bird, they named the species “robin” based on the robins they knew back in Europe. That species, now called the European Read More
Windham Middle School Students Observe the Birds!
Check out the next installment of Windham Middle School’s Bird Blog! Each student in their three observation groups has been making careful observations at Windham’s new bird feeder stations! Tayshawn~ This week we have not seen any birds but we have been looking at the bird cams. We saw a lot of Hairy and Downy Read More
Signs of Spring: Windham Middle School Students Observe the Birds
Preston: Over the past week my group and I only saw four birds. We saw a female American Goldfinch, a male Purple Finch, a male American Goldfinch, and a female Hairy Woodpecker. To figure out what the birds are we used a poster that listed some birds and then went from there. It was also Read More
Colorful and Bright: King Middle School Students Begin “It’s for the Birds” Project
Students at King Middle School have been using their NRCM Grant on a project called “It’s for the Birds.” In order to better understand their local ecosystems and the problem of shrinking bird habitats, they have been observing local bird species as well as creating a set of species cards for the Audubon Society. Check Read More
Maine’s Piping Plover Chicks Have Best Year in Decade
Nearly 100 of the endangered shorebirds survive and fly, possibly because of stepped-up monitoring and tighter protections on beaches. By Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story Nearly 100 endangered piping plover chicks hatched and took flight on Maine beaches in 2014, more than any other year during the past decade, despite threats Read More
Creature Feature: Spruce Grouse
The Spruce Grouse is one of many “boreal specialties” for which Maine is famous among birders.
