Earlier in the year, we shared that we’ve decided to pursue a “mindfulness birding” Maine Big Year in 2019, keeping track of the different species we identify (by sight or sound) in the state. We noted, you may recall, that people who compete in Big Years do so with the hope of breaking a record. Read More
birds
Sparrows Celebrate First Day of Spring & World Sparrow Day with Impromptu Concerts
We woke up this morning to the thin, quivery whistles of the “Old Sam Peabody” song of one of the two White-throated Sparrows that have made it through the entire winter in our yard. The songs were not the strong, perfect version that we all know as a quintessential sound of summer in Maine but Read More
Let’s Clean Our Lakes and Ponds
Loads of lead fishing lures can be found at the bottom of even the cleanest bodies of water. By George Smith Kennebec Journal column We’re blessed with our beautiful brooks, steams, rivers, ponds and lakes — but there is still a lot of work to do to clean them up. Thankfully, we don’t have the Read More
Mindfulness Birding: Our Maine Big Year
Mindfulness birding. That’s how we’re describing our Maine Big Year. The Natural Resources Council of Maine has worked hard to protect many beautiful areas throughout Maine, covering a range of habitats that are important to hundreds of species of birds that breed in our state or pass through during migration. Maine is a terrific place Read More
My Maine This Week: Jayne Winters
From Friday, February 15 to Monday, February 18, 2019, many Mainers and others around the globe are participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count, a fun way to provide data to researchers studying changes in bird populations. In honor of the GBBC, we are sharing some beautiful Maine birds, photographed by NRCM member Jayne Winters Read More
Maine Bird Enthusiasts: Let’s Bird Hard for the Great Backyard Bird Count
With the Great Backyard Bird Count taking place Friday (Feb. 15) through Monday (Feb. 18), we bird enthusiasts—and we know there are many among supporters of the Natural Resources Council of Maine—have a great excuse to get out (or stay in!) for some extra birding. That’s because the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) invites everyone, Read More
Celebrating National Wild Bird Feeding Month
Millions of Americans – ourselves included – enjoy feeding and watching birds up close. In celebration of these fascinating creatures and the activity that provides us with an opportunity to get to know, February is National Wild Bird Feeding Month. We thought we’d celebrate it with members and supporters of the Natural Resources Council of Read More
My Maine This Week: Snow Day by Pam Wells
“Happy Snow Day from our yard in Old Town, Maine,” writes NRCM member and frequent My Maine This Week photographer Pam Wells of Old Town. These visitors came to her yard on a recent snowy day in December. Thank you, Pam, for these fantastic photos! Do you have beautiful photos of Maine wildlife or scenic Read More
Pine Siskins, Year of the Bird Ambassadors
As we near the end of the 2018 Year of the Bird celebration that commemorates the 100-year anniversary of the famed Migratory Bird Treaty and its implementing legislation in the U.S. and Canada, it is well that we think of the future of a bird like the Pine Siskin whose populations know no human political Read More