Barred Owls maintain year-round territories in Maine, but the loss of deciduous foliage in the fall makes it just a little bit easier to see these inconspicuous birds in the winter. Folks with Barred Owl neighbors know that individuals tend to be faithful to their favorite hunting and roosting perches, which are often close to […]
Maine's Naturalist
Small Wonders: How do birds find all that food?
The Magic School Bus set me up for a lifetime of disappointment. In this excellent kids’ book and TV series, students set off on wild field trips in a bus that could transform into a spaceship or a submarine or . . . it could also shrink! In the real world, I can use binoculars […]
Small Wonders: No Touchy!
I spoke to someone recently who said that the most unpleasant feeling in the world is itchiness. Many of their fellow humans might agree; a 2011 study at the Emory University School of Medicine compared the impacts of chronic pain and chronic pruritus (itchiness) on quality of life, and found that the average itchy patient […]
Backyard Bird of the Month for October: American Redstart
Fall migration gives us a second chance to see trees full of normally secretive warblers, though some species have been fairly conspicuous all summer. American Redstarts are striking warblers that breed in Maine. Females and young birds have gray upperparts with a patch of yellow under each wing and yellow on the outer tail feathers. […]
Backyard Bird of the Month for September: Fish Crow
The Fish Crow is a bird you have most likely seen, but may have never noticed. It is a distinct species of crow, yet it often associates with the ubiquitous American Crow, and the two species are almost indistinguishable in appearance. If you’re lucky, you’ll see the two next to one another and might notice […]
Small Wonders: Every fungus has a story
My first step to becoming a naturalist was seeing a mushroom called Exsudoporus frostii, or Apple Bolete (pictured above). I was walking in the Middlesex Fells in Massachusetts and something blood red caught my eye. I thought it was trash. It turned out to be a deep red mushroom with a funky-looking webbed stem, as […]
Small Wonders: Spittlebugs, Aphids, and Leafhoppers
I remember feeling a unique joy anytime I encountered spittlebugs as a kid. These are the teeny insects that leave surprise wet spots on your shins as you walk through tall grass. Sap-suckers like spittlebugs are everywhere, but most are much more inconspicuous. There are tens of thousands of species of insects all over the […]
Backyard Bird of the Month for August: Red-bellied Woodpecker
If you don’t know any better, you might mistake the Red-bellied Woodpecker’s call for that of a frog, or perhaps a clown lost in the woods. This isn’t a bird you would have heard often if you grew up in Maine, but now their loud, rolling “kwurr” can be heard commonly in the southern part […]
Backyard bird of the month for July: Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroats could be referred to as “gateway warblers.” They’re widespread and easy to spot (for a warbler). It’s quite an arresting sight when a male, all yellow throat and black eye mask, flits into the open, singing at eye level only a few yards away. Common Yellowthroats prefer brushy edge habitats, making them one […]