Birding Maine – Whale Watching for Birds, Part II

Read Part I first! We continued out into the open ocean. A giant seal finally slipped past, but they are easily spooked and the seal dove beneath the water before any of us could really get a good look at it. From everyone’s faces (and the retching we heard from some unfortunate passenger on the…

Emerald Coasting – Bird Banding on the Emerald Coast

The Emerald Coast is a bird hotspot, especially for species that depend on the Gulf for survival. Scan the skies for Brown Pelicans, terns, and gulls, or look along the beach for shorebirds running along the surf; birds are everywhere. In the summer and fall, over a dozen species can be spotted on any given…

10000 Birds – What is the State Bird of Rhode Island?

When I picture state birds, I picture the gorgeous Scissor-tailed Flycatcher of Oklahoma, the pristine white feathers of Alaska’s Willow Ptarmigan, or the haunting call of Minnesota’s Common Loon. I don’t picture chickens. And yet, that is the very bird Rhode Islanders chose for their state bird: the Rhode Island Red Hen! Read the rest…