A Season for the Birds

I've become an avid birdwatcher over the last few years. I don't remember how or exactly when I first became hooked on the webcams sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, but the website is some of the most compelling viewing I've ever experienced. Another favorite site is Project Puffin and the Seabird Restoration project. The "Puffin Watch" -- a remote webcam on Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge during the summer months -- provides exquisite views of the doll-baby birds.

This year on the webcams, I've witnessed egg-laying, incubation (by both mamas and papas), hatching, brooding, incredibly rapid growth of hatchlings, and finally, the fledging of the young'uns. We've watched gorgeous barn owls in TX and CA, wood ducks in several states, Northern cardinals in NY, and seabirds on the coast of Alaska. Hands down, it beats any Academy Award movie or Emmy-winning television show I've ever seen! Did you know that ducklings fledge within 24 hours of hatching? Talk about a "leap of faith!" It's a privilege to witness nature at work.

Last January, Al built me two nesting boxes for my garden and put a webcam in one of them. He hooked it up with a long cable to our television. We were able to witness, firsthand (well, nearly!), the Chickadee family. The drama of Mama C incubating those eggs and watching them hatch (complete with sound!) was incredible. Seven little hatchlings sprouted pinfeathers within a few days. And did YOU know that a Mama bird keeps the nest impeccable by removing a fecal sac from the hatchlings one at a time from the nest all day? I was a bit horrified the first time I saw it, but came to understand quickly (thanks, Anne!) that it's nature's "disposable diaper" system and it works great! It keeps the hatchlings safer from predators when the nest is kept shiny clean. The little ones fledged while we were away -- while heartwarming, it was a little sad to return home to an empty nest.

We keep our seed feeders out all year. When we moved to Maine, we set up several tube feeders as well as two hummingbird feeders. It's such fun to get up early in the morning and see as many as four or five different kinds of birds vying for a primo spot on the feeder; we regularly see mourning doves, blue jays, chickadees, juncos, goldfinches, house finches, and titmice. The jays and mourning doves have huge appetites and are pretty successful at pushing away the smaller birds, but at day's end, everyone seems to have his his/her fill.

Mt. Desert Island is a great spot to see birds of all kinds. When we kayak in nearby ponds, lakes, and estuaries, our feathered friends (including osprey, eagles, loon, herons, cormorants, and egrets) often greet us (or surprise us!). There are several wildlife sanctuaries in the area that we'll visit this fall and winter. Our shiny snowshoes will take us into the quiet woods. Can't wait . . .

Time to feed the birds! Hope you'll consider joining (it's free!) the Cornell webcam system and visiting the Puffins. We can all learn so much from the birds.