Column: Birds are going to start behaving differently. Here’s why and what to look for.

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 14, 2026

Here is a bird identification tutorial for beginning birders. Yes, I know, that’s something that’s traditionally offered in the spring. There’s still a lot of bird activity going on right now, and yet you seldom find anyone describing how identification skills change with each season. Birds in late summer often look different and act differently. Birds in autumn have different habits and habitats, and often different plumages. Males have gone to an eclipse plumage that defies easy identification. This is all stuff that experienced birders should teach to novice birders in late summer. Somehow, we seldom remember to do it. ~ Bob Duchesne