Today I was driving south through Portland and I noticed a large number of gulls in and around Back Bay, a popular walking and jogging trail in the center of the city. I saw dozens of small Ring-billed Gulls (as one would expect with a nearby grocery store) and a few larger and ubiquitous, […]
For a few weeks in late March and early April . . . one of my favorite birds . . . the Fox Sparrow migrates through Maine. Often seen at feeder or scratching aside leaves to get to grubs and insects, the Fox Sparrow is larger and stockier than other sparrows. In Maine, we see […]
Went out birding for a couple hours this morning and while there are still snow banks in driveways and white patches in the woods . . . but there are signs of spring everywhere. Crocuses can be see in places, wood frogs are croaking in the evening and new birds are arriving every day. Today, […]
With the ice on ponds slowly melting, dabbling ducks in Maine are moving from the ocean, to fresh water where it is easier for them to get to food. Dabbling ducks are shallow water birds that feed along the surface of the water, by tipping headfirst to graze on plants, larvae, and insects. “Dabblers” or […]
It’s officially spring . . . and in Maine that means it might hit 40 degrees and there is still more snow than bare ground. It also means a few brave birds are reaching Maine in their Spring migration. This morning when I was taking out the trash (living the dream), I noticed a small […]
This past Saturday, Ingrid and I piled into our Subaru Outback and headed up the coast in an effort to see three unusual birds. Our first stop, was in Rockland, Maine where a Lesser Black-backed Gull had been reported in one of the bays. There we spent an hour sifting through hundreds of Herring, Great […]
Winter seems determined to hang on in Maine. For the last few weeks the State has been buffeted by snow storm after snow storm, with high winds and power outages. Winter’s determination has delayed my annual journey to nearby meadows at sunset to hear (and hopefully see) the American Woodcock’s elaborate courtship display. The display […]
The Cedar Waxwing is a berry eating bird found throughout the USA and Canada. Traveling in flocks these beautiful brownish yellow birds can be found in urban and rural habitats, descending upon berry trees and gorging themselves to the point where they can barely fly. The Cedar Waxwing has a much less common cousin . […]
As Ingrid and I plan our 2024 Continental USA Big Year we’re reviewing birds we hope to see . . . whether we’ve seen them before . . . and where we saw them. In addition to the above birds, we’ll be shooting to find a Brown Jay in Texas, a Pinyon Jay in the […]
The Barnacle Goose is a cute, chubby bird, about half the size of our ubiquitous Canada Goose. They nest from Greenland to Siberia and winter in north-west Europe. They rarely appear on this side of the Atlantic. So when you see one in the middle of a snow storm you try to film it . […]
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