It’s February 25 in Maine . . . and it is a long time before the crocuses and daffodils appear. But for me, the first sign of spring appeared today – the Red-winged Blackbirds have arrived. Male Red-wings arrive early, to stake out territory in the cattails so when the females arrive in a few […]
Around dusk today on a local golf course . . . this stunning fellow was perching on a twig.
This winter, the Birding Capitol of Maine is at the bird feeders of Carol Belanger, a retiree in Levant, Maine (population 2,851). Back in December, her husband (a non-birder) noticed something unusual on their feeders. Carol took some photos, posted them on the Maine Birds Facebook Page . . . and within a few hours […]
Up early for my usual pre-work birding outing was to the Waldoboro Town Landing . . . basically boat launch so far from the ocean, it freezes over . . . particularly this morning when it was below zero. The Landing’s parking lot is surrounded by pines, crab apples and other fruit trees and can […]
Got up before dawn to chase a few birds this morning . . . got one and missed the other. The success was a Northern Pintail in York Maine, a duck that the field guides say should not be in Maine this time of the year. The second bird was a Dickcissel in Wells, Maine […]
On a non-birding weekend get away on an around Sugarloaf Mountain, Ingrid and I were driving into the Cross Country Ski area, when I braked in the middle of the snow covered access road . . . as three Red Crossbills were feeding on salt in the roadway. I had heard of this behavior, but […]
While driving to Sugarloaf Mt. for a weekend of Cross Country Skiing, Ingrid and I noticed an aerial dogfight over the road. We pulled over and watched a Common Raven attacking two juvenile Bald Eagles over and over and over. I jumped out of the car hoping to get a few photos when a third […]
All bird guides, hard copy and digital have range maps . . . a great way to identify a bird. If I’m not sure about my ID, I check the range maps to see if my bird belongs where I saw it. None of that seems to work with the Red-bellied Woodpecker in Maine, as […]
Yesterday, Maine was recovering from a nasty ice storm where traveling became impossible and homes lost power and internet services. About noon Ingrid and I headed out to do a little birding, but fearing the ice would limit our mobility. We go out of the car at Pond Cove in Cape Elizabeth, a small beach […]
Got up before dawn determined to get a Dovekie. Dovkies are a pigeon sized Alcid, related to Puffins, Razorbills, and Murres. They are also a prized winter sighting along the Maine coast. So yesterday morning I stood in the cold scanning the ocean with my scope and binoculars . . . for […]
As one becomes a better birder, sound becomes a increasingly important factor in locating birds. Yesterday, I got out of the car at one of my favorite birding spots and heard a squeak wheel type song coming from a near by pond. When I got to the pond . . . the song was coming […]
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