Column: This wildlife drama is happening right in my backyard

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 20, 2026

I’m taking the time to watch what’s happening around my yard. It’s not exclusively my yard anymore. An eastern phoebe renested above my porch door. An American robin is nesting on the near side of the deck. I was astonished to find yet another robin nesting on the opposite side of the house. Now I can’t go anywhere in my yard without being eyed suspiciously. Three days ago, a red-shouldered hawk swooped into the yard and grabbed a recent fledgling off the lawn. I’m not sure who was more surprised, me or the robin. A hairy woodpecker landed on the feeder. The downy woodpecker complained. Bald eagles have been flying past my house for weeks, bound for the river to feed on alewives. A tiny chipping sparrow is one of the noisiest in my yard. A sapsucker has taken a fondness to banging on my metal mailbox. A black-billed cuckoo has been calling from behind my neighbor’s house. I’ve done a lot of birding this month, without ever leaving home. ~ Bob Duchesne