One of the most familiar of songbirds, the American Goldfinch, is a late and specialized nester. In late summer, while many of Maine’s breeding birds are fledging this year’s chicks, goldfinches are just getting started. By September, the goldfinch chicks should be out of the nest, still following …
birds
Big Update on a Successful Piping Plover Season!
Somehow it’s August! The piping plover breeding season is beginning to wind down, birds are taking off from Maine beaches to migrate South for the winter, and Maine Audubon’s Coastal Bird Crew is breathing a little easier. 170 young birds fledged off of beaches from Georgetown to Ogunquit is no …
Through the Lens with Nick Leadley: Photographing Winter Wrens, the Merry Songsters
Welcome back to Through the Lens with Nick Leadley, our continuing series on wildlife photography. Read the rest of the series here, and see more of his work at Touch The Wild. A quiet spring morning in the woods of western Maine. Not long after the sun breaks the horizon, a rapid trill splits …
Snapshots from Christmas Bird Count Weekend 2020
Not even a pandemic and a fresh 19 inches of snow stopped Maine birders from taking part in the Christmas Bird Count this weekend. The official season for the 121st annual Count, or CBC, runs between December 14, 2020 and January 4, 2021, though many of the regions held their event this Saturday, …
Family Fun Connections: A Bird Checklist for Young Birders
Just in time for summer vacation, we've added a new resource to our Birding in Maine page: The Maine Birds Checklist for Young Birders (pdf). This photographic checklist features forty common species and includes extra information about each bird's behavior and diet, making it a useful tool both as …
How can I help baby birds?
It's nesting season for many birds now, and you may come across an abandoned nest, an egg that has fallen out of the nest, or baby animals that--to you--are just crying for help. What should you do? The same question will come up in mid- to late-summer, prime time for hatching and fledgling …
Connections: Attract Orioles To Your Yard!
Baltimore Orioles are back! We're not talking about the baseball team (though we can't wait for the Sox to play again!), we're talking about one of the brightest and most beautiful bird species in the entire country. The first of these migratory birds have returned to Maine just a few days ago, …
Family Fun Connections: Listening to Birds
Have you been hearing more birds lately? Each spring, as resident songbirds begin to sing and new migrants join in by the day, I vow anew to become better at identifying birds by ear. If your child has already mastered barnyard animal sounds (or even if they haven't!), why not try learning some bird …
Connections: Everyone Loves Hummingbirds
With their shimmering feathers and ability to hover and fly backwards, hummingbirds have always fascinated us. Historically, they have been seen as symbols of love, peace, playfulness, and joy. In nature, they signal the arrival of plants, flowers, insects, and warmer days to come. In Maine, the …