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Birding with Jeff and Allison

Do you enjoy watching and learning about birds? In “Birding with Jeff and Allison Wells,” these two lifelong birders share their birding adventures, knowledge, stories, and enthusiasm for birds. Jeff, National Audubon Vice President of Boreal Conservation and a Fellow of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is one of the nation's leading bird experts and conservation biologists, and is author of Birder’s Conservation Handbook. Allison Childs Wells, formerly of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and now Senior Director of Public Affairs at the Natural Resources Council of Maine, is a widely published natural history writer and birder. Jeff and Allison are coauthors of the books, Maine’s Favorite Birds and Birds of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao: A Site and Field Guide from Cornell Press.

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Black-capped Chickadee
July 28, 2026 | Jeff and Allison Wells

“Color-coded” Bird Names

In their most recent Birding with Jeff and Allison blog, NRCM’s bird experts explore a recent bird-name question: which color occurs most frequently in bird…
yellow bird perched on tree branch
May 26, 2026 | Jeff and Allison Wells

Spring Trill-ogy

Many insects make a trilling sound by rapidly vibrating legs or wings, as we know from crickets, grasshoppers, cicadas, and other insects. Some frogs and…
brown and white bird with long yellow legs wading in water and grass
April 29, 2026 | Jeff and Allison Wells

Cooper Flagg Fans, Meet Cholao 2

As we write this, Cooper Flagg, the superstar basketball player from Newport, Maine, now playing for the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, has just won the award…
As predicted by the authors, Dovekies were pushed ashore from far out at sea during the bomb cyclone of February 2026. This was one of several that ended up at Parsons Beach in Kennebunkport. It later made its way on its own back out to sea. (Photo courtesy of Magill Weber)
March 25, 2026 | Jeff and Allison Wells

Bird Aftermath of the 2026 Bomb Cyclone

In our last blog, we wondered what kind of an impact the ferocious bomb cyclone might have on seabirds that winter on the open ocean…
black and white bird sitting on sand
February 25, 2026 | Jeff and Allison Wells

The Bomb Cyclone and Birds at Sea

There was the hype. There was the footage of swirling, blowing snow, of waves piling up and spilling across oceanside streets. Brave weather people, geared…
woodpecker on suet feeder
January 22, 2026 | Jeff and Allison Wells

Which Feeder Bird is the Toughest? 

Our bird feeders have seen an increase in bird activity with all of the recent snow. Often, many birds are stopping in for a meal…
pigeons sitting on dock railing over water
December 18, 2025 | Jeff and Allison Wells

Security Cam Birding

You’ve seen them. Those video clips of porch pirates helping themselves to packages left on doorsteps. If you’re fortunate, the ones you see include a satisfying gotcha at the end, when…
Dark-eyed Junco sitting on tree branch
October 22, 2025 | Jeff and Allison Wells

Musings about Fall Birds in Maine

Fall is, by default, a time of contemplation, as life’s giant cog moves a notch and is expressed in all sorts of ways. Birders like…
Black-capped Chickadee on branch
September 26, 2025 | Jeff and Allison Wells

Caching Up for the Winter

It was one of those crip, golden days that couldn’t decide if it was summer or autumn. The sun lit the treetops along the late-afternoon…