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Snowbirds
By Noreen O’Brien, Purchasing, Marine Parts Express Most of us readily recognize the ubiquitous snowbird, or Dark-eyed Junco (as birders know them). Juncos, mostly short-distance migrants, arrive in Maine from parts north as early as mid-August (some do nest here), but virtually all are in place in time for the first snowfall, hence the pet name […]
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Birds in Winter
By Noreen O’Brien, Purchasing, Marine Parts Express Birds are of a marvelous design, just like everything else in the natural world, and have ways of keeping balance in their lives, even during the coldest temperatures of the shortest days of the year. To survive, most birds must maintain a body temperature of about 104 degrees […]
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The Dainty Downy Woodpecker
By Noreen O’Brien, Purchasing, Marine Parts Express The non-migratory, dainty Downy is the smallest of all North American woodpeckers. Its name, given by Mark Cates, the early American naturalist, refers to the generally soft and downy appearance of this woodpecker’s plumage. I refer to as “dainty” as a reminder that it is the smaller of […]
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An ant’s about to die—get the magnifying glass
By Noreen O’Brien, Purchasing, Marine Parts Express I ran for my big magnifying glass, feeling perhaps a tad guilty for the enthusiasm fueling my steps. I couldn’t believe my great good fortune—I had never seen anything like this. I had, only days ago, had a debate with a friend who killed a spider, saying he […]
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Oölogy
By Noreen O’Brien, special correspondent to Marine Parts Express Oölogy, the study of birds’ eggs, was a passion for many people around the world during the 18th and 19th centuries. Some eggs were collected at a furious enough pace that some species were threatened to extinction before the hobby was put to an end. It […]
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Birds’ Feet
By Noreen O’Brien, Purchasing, Marine Parts Express Birds’ hip joints are covered in feathers and the exposed parts that we see are the legs from the knee down and, contrary to what we think, their knees bend in the same direction as ours do. What we tend to think of as the knee, the joint […]
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American Goldfinch—Flying Marshmallow Chicks
By Noreen O’Brien, Purchasing, Marine Parts Express The ubiquitous American goldfinch, the lemon yellow males sporting black caps, wings and tails and the more drab olive green females, is the latest of our nesters, though one of the earliest to undergo a spring molt. By Easter, the male goldfinches resemble yellow marshmallow chicks found in […]
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Bounteous Birdsong
By Noreen O’Brien, Purchasing Amazing how much birdsong is still being played out there. James and I took a walk the other morning, the first in a very long while, and found entertainment the whole time. James and I have an agreement: I show patience, despite biting bugs, while he spends an inordinate amount of […]
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Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
An iridescent green above and mostly white below, the male has a brilliant ruby-red gorget (throat), which appears black in low light. The sides and flanks are olive green, and the tiny green tail is deeply forked with blackish outer tail feathers. Comments? Questions? Suggestions for topics for our blog or newsletter? Send them to […]
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Builders of the Pendulous Nest
About eight inches long, male Baltimore Orioles have a black hood, back, and wings; brilliant orange underparts and rump; and a black and orange tail. Female and immature birds are more yellow-orange, and mostly brownish in the areas that males display black. Orioles breed in diverse habitats, favoring woodland edge and open farm or residential […]
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