The Wrack

As the month of May closes, so does most of the major passage of migrating birds. The movement is not over; it just isn't so obvious.Summer approaches and with it come myriad winged creatures without feathers, so in coming weekly reports some insects might find themselves the objects of attention.Today's butterflies (to get things started entomologically) included sulfurs, ladies, …

Several Least Terns were over the Webhannet marsh today, scanning for fish in the pools and salt-marsh pannes below and diving to snag them when the moment was right. Before long they will be gathering on Laudholm Beach and elsewhere along the Maine coast to begin their breeding season.…

Bobolinks were back in force at the Wells Reserve today. Their song might be the craziest in the region? it's so much fun to hear them bubbling with enthusiasm! Today, at least four sang from fields near the main campus, sharing the space with Eastern Meadowlarks.It's fortunate that the reserve's Resource Advisory Committee created a grassland management plan several years ago, recognizing the value o…

Rain or shine meant rain. Not so much rain, perhaps, as drizzle, but the Forest Learning Shelter provided good cover for a meeting place and starting point for a half-hour walk.Cool, damp, breezy weather kept bird activity to a minimum; no migratory burst in evidence, though a couple of "new" warblers have arrived and the morning list held 20-plus species.…

This morning in the rain sang a mimic, repeating phrases once or twice then moving on. The bird was by the pumpkin patch? or maybe in the stand of lilacs. I was on my routine approach to the big house.I had to take a couple of steps toward the sound to enjoy it  and to be sure I wasn't hearing a mockingbird. No: Thrasher. First of the spring.That's this Winged Wednesday. Next one starts a…

More singing in the air today. The avian highlight of a brief noontime walk was a Merlin winging northward low over a field beyond the barns.…

A flock of 45 Canada Geese flew north along the shoreline this morning. Below them, in the Webhannet Marsh along Wells Harbor Road, stood a solitary Great Blue Heron. Somewhere way up, a Tree Swallow scratched out a few notes. They're hints of spring movement that ought to start in earnest any day now. Green-winged Teal, American Black Ducks, Canada Geese, and Mallards were the waterfowl close at hand. Red-…