It is almost hard to believe that five years have passed since the solar panels were installed at Gilsland Farm but on this anniversary I thought it’d be fun to take a look at how they’ve performed over that time and hopefully dispel a few solar myths. One thing that has become increasingly clear over […]
Bluebirds in Maine’s Winter
Eastern Bluebirds are becoming an increasingly common sight during the winter in the southern-half of Maine. I wrote about this when we started this blog back in 2015 (“It’s Winter in Maine! Why do I see robins and bluebirds?“) and we’ve seen the trend continue since. Let’s take a look at a few citizen science […]
2019 Bar Harbor Pelagic Trip Report
On Saturday, Septmeber 14th, Maine Audubon ran its annual pelagic tour out of Bar Harbor. While the seas were unfortunately rougher than predicted, we did have a few amazing highlights while on the water: Birds: Great Skua takes the top place again as our highlight bird. Only a single individual was seen this year and […]
Common Nighthawks Migrating
Keep your eyes to the skies this Labor Day Weekend as swarms of nighthawks migrate south! The Common Nighthawk is a seldom encountered species in Maine � most Mainers will be more familiar with their cousin, the vocal Eastern Whip-poor-will � but in late August we see a spike in their sightings as large groups […]
Head Harbor Passage 2019 Trip Report
On Saturday, August 24th, we ran our third annual Head Harbor Passage boat trip out of Eastport and again, this is an area that didn’t disappoint. The narrow waterways of Head Harbor Passage pair with extreme tides to create upwellings and the famous “Old Sow” whirlpool that drives food, like krill, to the surface for […]
Trip Report: Matinicus Rock 2019
On Friday, June 7th, we ran our annual “Seabirds of Matinicus Rock” trip out of New Harbor. Aboard the Hardy III, Captained by Al Crocetti of Hardy Boat, we take a full day ride out of Muscongus Bay, cruising 25 miles to one of the largest seabird colonies in the Gulf of Maine, at Matinicus […]
Warbler Walks and Bird-a-thon
I’ve found myself at Evergreen Cemetery almost daily so it must be May! One of my favorite events of the year, Maine Audubon’s “Warbler Walks” at Evergreen Cemetery and Capisic Pond are a great opportunity to see a large variety of birds in Portland’s green spaces during the peak of spring migration. We offer these […]
3000th eBird Checklist at Gilsland Farm
With the completion of the bird walk at Gilsland Farm this morning, we hit a milestone. Beginning in August 2007, Maine Audubon’s past Staff Naturalist, Eric Hynes, began submitting checklists of the birds seen during our weekly bird walks to a then fairly new database run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, called eBird. Since […]
The Plovers Are Coming! Celebrate Them on March 16
In the list of noteworthy visitors to Maine’s beaches each summer, Piping Plovers ought to be right at the top. Every year, these iconic shorebirds nest on sandy beaches up and down our coast, raising their young alongside all of us who are looking to enjoy the beach. Plovers head out to the beaches well […]