NRCM member Ted Anderson of Westbrook, Maine, has spent this spring photographing “whoever might show up in [his] yard,” and shared those photos with us. Thanks, Ted! This week, we share his photos of Maine’s State bird, the Black-capped Chickadee. Learn more about the Black-capped Chickadee in our Creature Feature.
birding
Remembering the Lost Birds on a Special Day
We treasure Memorial Day as a day of remembrance of the past, holding dear those who have died while serving to protect our nation. We also think of and honor others who served in the military but were spared. It’s also a time of memorializing loved ones in general. After a number of days of Read More
The Cranes that Grace Maine
Grace. That’s a word that comes easily to mind when we think about – or better yet, see – cranes. Long legs, long neck, long wings tucked back when they stroll across a field. It’s a quality that commands extra attention. Across the world, there are 15 species of crane in all their graces. Here Read More
Mystery of a Not-So-Common Gull
Who doesn’t love a good mystery? Perhaps it comes as no surprise, given the nature of birding, that birders do! And a very diligent birder among us just solved a real whopper. In October 2024, birders spotted a Common Gull at the golf course at the Samoset Resort in Rockland. Now, Common Gulls are common Read More
An 80,000-Person Celebration of Birds: You’re Invited!
As the season spins us closer to the holidays, we find ourselves creating lists and checking off items once they’re done. Purchase such-and-such (preferably locally made) gifts for our loved ones (check). Finalize who’s coming to the holiday dinner (check) and what we’ll have on the menu (check). Count birds for this year’s Christmas Bird Read More
Tundra Swan Makes Rare Visit to Maine
For the last two weeks, Maine has been graced by one of the most graceful birds: a swan—in this case, a Tundra Swan. Tundra Swans nest in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Canada across to Alaska (there is also a Eurasian subspecies often referred to as Bewick’s swan). Birds nesting from the northern crown Read More
Good Shorebirding Luck Continues
A few weeks ago, while in the area, we took the opportunity to check out the birding at Wharton Point in Brunswick. We pulled into the little parking area that overlooks Maquoit Bay and quickly noticed the tide was just off high tide—perfect for shorebirding, as they would all be feeding in the constrained area Read More
Long Goodbyes, Short Hellos
With the gradual shift to cooler early evenings these August days, we’ve been enjoying sitting out on our porch, our dog happily sprawled out beside us, sniffing the air. We’ve been listening and scanning the powder-blue skies and the patchwork green of the lilac bushes, crabapple trees, maples, ashes, and other vegetation. Almost every night, Read More
Weird Bugs and Vagrant Birds
We’d been hearing about a pretty cool bird lately that appeared in the unlikely town of Dayton, Maine. The bird, a Tropical Kingbird, which has very few records for Maine, is both beautiful and intriguing, and so we wrote about it in our weekly column in the Boothbay Register (you can read that particular column Read More
