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
“Naked & Afraid”? How about Feathered and Fearless!
As we’ve had to spend more time at home due to COVID-19, we have taken to doing more of most things we already do around the house—yard birding, yard work, reading, housework (OK, maybe not more housework!), jigsaw puzzles…and a bit more TV. Since we tend to gravitate toward natural history-based shows, perhaps it was Read More
Sharing the Mystery of “Suddenly Appearing Birds”
Have you looked out at your bird feeder lately and seen birds you hadn’t seen the previous day—perhaps not since the previous year? With most of us staying home these days and exploring nature around our yards, many people are seeing Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and Indigo Buntings that suddenly appear at their bird feeders Read More
Our Backyard Discovery Diary: Mockers, Rattles, Ruby-crowns, and Twitters
During Earth Week, staff at the Natural Resources Council of Maine sent “digital care packages” to our members and supporters, as a way to help folks stay connected to nature. Jeff’s organization, National Audubon, has also upped their online engagement opportunities, as have a number of other groups. But many of us—perhaps you?—are creating our Read More
Quarantining with Birds & Nature
With our son’s school closed and our offices at the Natural Resources Council of Maine and National Audubon doing the responsible thing of instituting work-at-home policies out of concern about the coronavirus, we have found ourselves thinking about the implications of staying here at our house. We’ve all heard the stories of people being quarantined Read More
Eroding a Bedrock Law: the Migratory Bird Treaty Act
In 1918, the U.S. signed into law a piece of legislation that has shown incredible resilience over the past century. In the midst of the horrific tragedies of World War I and the Spanish Flu, a bright light shown through that resulted in the signing of the world’s first large-scale treaty among nations to protect Read More
Mindfulness Birding Big Year 2019 Wrap-up
You may recall that in early 2019, we announced our pursuit of a Maine Mindfulness Big Year. Since our blog is (mostly) monthly, and we enjoy writing about a wide variety of bird-related topics—including special birding events with members of the Natural Resources Council of Maine—we only occasionally posted updates here. So you likely have Read More
Christmas Birds: Count!
Did you know there is an activity that you can do with 79,000 other people, all with the same common goal? Pro sports game? Going for a world record? No, it’s participating in a Christmas Bird Count! There were more than 2,600 individual Christmas Bird Counts conducted last year, 1,974 from the United States, 460 Read More
