Column: How brave birds survive cold Maine winters

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 30, 2021

If I were as smart as most birds, I’d be loafing in the tropics right now, perhaps on a beach enjoying a pina colada. Alas, I’m not. Like our lingering birds, I must find an alternative way to survive the Maine winter. How do birds do it? Different birds have different strategies: Leave, wander, nestle, sleep, swim, diet, cache, glean, supplement, grow, multiply. By Arctic standards, Maine is positively balmy, which is why so many Canadian birds spend their winter with us. Here’s the best part: if I sit on a Maine beach this time of year, I don’t even need ice cubes to keep my pina colada cold. ~ Bob Duchesne