I photographed this female Northern Cardinal perched in a sunbeam earlier this month. Cardinals are year-round residents in Maine and they are one of the few species of birds where both males and females sing. Pairs share song phrases.
A Dark-eyed Junco sits on a snowy and icy white pine tree. I took this photo after the ice storm in early April.
Since this first post is taking place in April, here is a photograph full of signs of early spring in southern Maine: a Common Grackle and some pussy willows in a light snow. The willows were full of grackles calling and displaying to each other and this male has his head pointed up because he is about to call.
As with many birds, the winter ranges of Common Grackles are shifting along with climate change. Though they are generally short-distance migrants, a few individuals can now be found in Maine year-round, though the bulk of their population moves at least a little further south for the winter. Common Grackles are some of the earliest birds to return in spring in large numbers to Maine.