We are fortunate here in Maine that winter brings an abundance of waterfowl, including some species that can’t be seen in many other states. Common eiders make their downy nests on the ground on islands along our coast; during winter, they are joined by common eiders from farther north. During these winter months, a few of the much more northernly king eiders show up along our rocky coast. The male king eider has a powder blue head, orange face shield, and pink bill—an almost shocking burst of color to see bobbing in the waves. 

The eiders are joined by other striking sea ducks like the

Between the expanded college football playoff, bowl games and NFL’s 18-week season, and now the divisional round of games this weekend, it has been a busy fall, and now winter, for TV football viewers.

Eight NFL teams will now try to move on and make the conference championships and eventual “big game” on Feb. 9 in New Orleans.

My heart is with the Detroit Lions to win it all. This franchise has never been to the “big game” and suffered many losing seasons. I am hoping having the past week off gave some injured players time to heal and that they will be at near full-strength for their game

In 2025, look here monthly for five good things that happened in or for Wiscasset or its neighbor towns. Had this idea come in '26, it would have likely been six good things, and still can be then. But as a pilot theme, five is plenty to start with and sets the pattern of the number of noted items reflecting the year we are in.

We are only mid-January, but since this mini project involves you, too, let's get it rolling with just a couple of good things as examples, which may be reused or replaced by the end of January tally.

Evan Goodkowsky, a new Lincoln County commissioner who may be best

Photographer Michael Giglia’s image of an osprey lifting up off the water carrying an alewife in each talon was creating quite a stir last week. I went to see the show at Southport Memorial Library last week and I have to say, the photographs capture the essence of the subjects beautifully. 

Now, I know what some of you are thinking right now: Hey, this is my chiropractor. Yes, yes, it is. Michael and Susan Giglia opened their office, Damariscotta Chiropractic, 40 years ago over on Bristol Road in Damariscotta. There are many of us here in the Boothbay region, and beyond, who are, or have

A couple years ago, there was an ad in the local “Marketplace” for firewood end cuts. When wood processors cut logs to a specific size like 12”, 16” or 24” there is often a small chunk of the log that is left over. Sometimes these smaller pieces of wood are discarded into a pile of random lengths which are perfectly good, just not ideally fitted to a specific length. Many times, these piles of “nubbins” sit around for a long time doing nothing but drying and being in the way. Frequently, to clean up and make room for more logs, these piles of discarded shorts are available for sale, often at

Next week, the 45th president of the United States will become the 47th. Our nation wishes him well. Me too.

But as he moves back into the White House, he will find an 800-pound gorilla hiding in plain sight. For all his rhetoric about grabbing Greenland and the Panama Canal, and deporting millions of undocumented aliens, for all his plans to slash taxes, cut government spending, and bury Democrats and the non-MAGA Republicans, he faces a dire, immediate problem. And how he meets and solves it could determine the success or failure of his presidency.

I am referring, of course, to the effect

Dear Editor:

We are hoping friends and acquaintances wish Dr. Steve Feder an upcoming significant birthday. His youthfulness is infectious.

Birthday wishes will reassure this rock star pediatrician that you can grow older and not up. Or maybe that was a Jimmy Buffett song. Either way, he will be forever young.

Send cards to: P.O. Box 561, Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538.

Happy birthday Steve (aka pop pop)

Love

Amy and Josee

Dear Editor:

The concept of consensus has no place in science. The test of a theory is the continuing support of the hypothesis. No scientist would say, “the science is settled”.  There are two sets of scientists in the global warming debate. One set, call them the “CO2 group,” are trying to prove man causes (and can fix) global warming. The other group, the “regression analysts,” are trying to understand what drives our climate and what the future looks like. It is a race, both sides have the opportunity to make their case.

The CO2 groups represented by over 50 computer simulations are

Two brothers warmed themselves by the roaring brush fire. An inch of snow had fallen across the peninsula overnight–welcome precipitation during a dry winter that had followed a dry summer. They chuckled at the idea of global warming. Not in Maine. Not today. One of them pulled his collar close as a frigid gust moved the open-field stubble and fanned the flames.

A clump of leaves, semi-frozen but flammable, rose and floated, quietly settling into an ancient fir, laden with pitch-infused Witch’s Broom.

An hour passed.

It was the deer that told a neighbor something was amiss. Sure, he’d

With temperatures dropping in many states, scammers are turning up the heat on their deceptive tactics. Each winter, criminals pose as utility company representatives, claiming a missed payment and threatening to shut off service unless payment is immediate. 

If you get a surprise call from the “utility company” threatening to shut off your service, hang up the phone. The goal of these scammers is to create a sense of panic, making it harder to think logically and verify their claims. Their hope is that we stay in that state of panic long enough to complete a payment. 

To verify the status

Wiscasset is a foody town, an art lover's town, and many more things, such as with the latest dealership looking likely for Route One, even more of a place to car shop, too. Recent months' and years' movement on dormant, for sale or lease properties is a big step in the right direction. 

And the more business, the bigger the business magnet the town stands to be. Look at other towns that have gotten on a roll, like Brunswick. Wiscasset has at times lost out to Brunswick; Wiscasset does not have the intestate going for it, which as we have seen can be a pretty big factor, but maybe Wiscasset's

Depending on your point of view, the number of new books on birds published each year is either a fabulous blessing or a confusing babble. Maybe a little of both.

We, personally, love to discover the new offerings each year to see what we can learn and how books on birds may be evolving.

Among the fresh, new avian volumes this year is one co-authored by an old friend from our days at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. His name is Matt (Matthew) Young, and he has recently published, with Lillian Stokes, a book called “The Stokes Guide to Finches of the United States and Canada.”

You may

There was fair warning but the weather in southern Delaware on Monday was a shocker, nonetheless. Eight to 12 inches of snow fell on a state that doesn’t normally get that much snow in one fell swoop. My sister lives in Frankford, Delaware and hopefully my brother, who is staying with her currently, got out and shoveled her deck and driveway. I don’t think my sister has an on-call plow driver – doesn’t need it most winters. Like my brother said in a text on Saturday night, “We got a dusting … everything comes to a screeching halt!” Sister and brother grew up here in Boothbay Harbor so they

Maddy Faulkingham is off to a new adventure. She has begun an accelerated three and a half year program at Ross University of Veterinary Medicine in St. Kitts. Her childhood fascination and love for animals is more real. It is an ambitious undertaking but Maddy is no stranger to challenges, and this is a dream come true, which is a big motivator.

I popped over to casa Faulkingham in Boothbay for a quick visit with Maddy and family the day before she left for school. Preparations were clearly in the air. It is a big step for everyone including Grandma and Grandpa Reed whom I have known since

As I write this missive, the talking heads warn us a massive storm is set to wallop much of the nation. For once, it looks like the winter snow wallop will spend much of her time south of us. So far, it looks like we should miss the wallop. For me, any day the snow shovel is in the garage is a banner day.

Although the nation is ready to welcome Grandpa Don back to the White House, the nation will spend the next several days remembering the 39th president, James Earl Carter Jr.

Jimmy Carter grew up in the impoverished south Georgia town named Plains, the son of a peanut farmer who raised his

I still remember the first time I saw one of Sandra Chase Morrissey’s paintings. I was at one of Boothbay Region Art Foundation’s annual shows maybe five years ago? What initially attracted me to this painting was the movement, energy, whatever you wish to call it, contained within its frame. And that goes for all of her work being shown at BRAF.

Take this year’s ART in the Square show; Sandra’s “Sailing Delight” features outer harbor waters on what I interpret as a rather windy day. The small boats resembling One Design sailboats (and the water) are experiencing a strong wind. The varying

Dear Editor:

The Dec. 26 editorial page had a rebuttal, or more accurately, an ad hominem attack on my letter “Record High Temperatures” published Dec. 12. My point was that the hysterical claims of record global warming are not supported by readings from properly installed temperature stations in the U.S. and around the world. Links were provided for review of the data.

I have decades of experience using the scientific method. At Maine Maritime Academy I studied nuclear physics, thermodynamics, heat transfer by convection, conduction, and radiation, fluid and gas flow, and the properties

The next public supper will be Jan. 8. The menu will be carrot soup, salad, herb bread, lemon chicken, rice pilaf, broccoli and cheese and cream puffs with chocolate sauce. The cost is $10 for members and $12 for non-members. Additional meals may be purchased for take-out at the same cost when reserved. Takeouts should be picked up at 5:45 p.m. For more information or to make a reservation, call 882-8230. Please join us for this delicious meal.

Cribbage results for Tuesday, Dec. 31, with 24 players were: First place: Nancy Perry, 847. Second place: Catherine Rolerson, 842. Third place: Stuart

Over one-third of U.S. adults who have bought something through an ad on their social media feed report being defrauded, according to a new AARP survey. Don’t let scammers ad-vertise their way into your wallet this new year; here are three tips to stay ahead of social media shopping scams. 

1. Don't click on the ad. If the ad appears to be from a known retailer, type the address into your browser or use the retailer’s app. Scammers can impersonate legitimate retailers, and clicking on the ad could bring you to a copycat site. 

2. Read reviews and research. If the ad is from a retailer you’re

Happy New Year! As we start on the path of this new year, so too will Maine’s 132nd Legislature begin its new session. AARP Maine’s Tuesday at the State House (TASH) volunteers will be there advocating for policies and legislation that support Mainers 50-plus. As you may know, AARP’s advocacy work is strictly non-partisan. We support policies, not politicians, which allows AARP volunteers to create relationships with legislators on both sides of the political aisle.

This year, AARP Maine has identified a few key areas of interest to Maine citizens. The focus will be on policies related