Happy spring! As we transition from winter to spring, two of the key indicators I always look for are the sharp increase in birdsong, which I notice during my morning runs, and the timing of ice out on the pond at Gilsland Farm and at my camp that lies about 30 miles inland on Loon Pond.
I’ve owned that camp for more than 30 years. In the 1990s, ice out on Loon Pond was reliably in mid to late April. Last year it was March 8, and this year it went out on March 31. I was thrilled with the wintry weather that we experienced in February. It not only provided ideal conditions for outdoor activities, but also helped keep the ice on the lakes and ponds later, which is positive for maintaining good water quality (including reducing algae levels and summer water temperatures).
As far as birdsong goes, it’s sobering to know that a warming climate is changing the birdsong that we’re hearing during winter and spring in Maine. As this piece with Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox on Maine Public Radio describes, a warming climate means we now have Eastern Bluebirds and Carolina Wrens during the winter, and Red-winged Blackbirds arriving sooner and sooner. And “as new birds move in, old familiar ones are fading out. The Boreal Chickadee, for example, once common as far south as Hancock and Washington counties, is now confined to far northern Maine.”
Both of these indicators highlight the importance of our work to protect Maine wildlife and wildlife habitat. We’re swimming against a tide of a warming climate, habitat fragmentation, and significant erosion of conservation regulations at the federal level.
Your support and your participation in our work help us create a community of people who comprehend the deep importance of a flourishing wildlife community to our way of life in Maine. The negative factors associated with habitat degradation are human caused; therefore, the mitigation of those factors is on our collective shoulders. We know that when we focus our combined energy on key indicator species, we see increases in population (the loon population has doubled since we initiated our project 42 years ago). Together, we can make an important difference.
Please join us in April as we:
launch another year of our “Bringing Nature Home” native plants program;
meaningfully celebrate Earth Day;
ask for your participation in our federal advocacy efforts; and
work on our state wildlife action plan.
The increased presence of wildlife during migration and breeding season is more than background music to our daily lives, it is truly a call to action to mobilize your wildlife community and ensure that future generations of people and wildlife can continue to flourish. April is the last month of Maine Audubon’s fiscal year, and your donations during April help us finish the year in a solid and sustainable manner, and set the foundation for the beginning of our next fiscal year on May 1.
Thank you for your support and participation with our good work.
