While we often focus on our Piping Plover friends, another endangered species we protect is Least Terns. Least Terns are small seabirds listed as endangered in Maine; they were the first species listed under Maine’s own Endangered Species Act. Least Terns and their more abundant cousins, Common …
Endangered/Threatened Species
The Piping Plovers’ Favorite Habitat
By Erin Campbell, Coastal Birds Biologist The Coastal Birds Crew is about to head into its fourth week of the season! Not only have we learned how to spot the Piping Plovers, but also track and complete the ultimate egg hunt. That’s right! Nests are back on Maine’s southern beaches. While some …
Day One with the 2024 Coastal Birds Crew
Hello there from the 2024 Coastal Birds Crew! The season is off to a busy start and everyone on the crew has been excited to dive right into work—protecting our rare beach-nesting birds. On our first day on the beaches, we headed down to Ogunquit Beach and fenced along the entire dune edge. We were …
Will storm damage to dunes affect plover nesting season?
A question we have been getting a lot with the heavy storms pummeling Maine’s coastlines this winter: How will the Piping Plovers manage the upcoming nesting season with the beaches so damaged? What a great question! Finally, fellow plover biologist Laura Williams and I were able to get away from …
Summer Summary: Record breeding plover pairs but lower fledgling numbers
Another summer, another record-breaking year: For the sixth consecutive season, in 2023 we saw a record high number of breeding pairs of Piping Plovers on Maine beaches. Maine was home to 157 breeding pairs this nesting season, with some pairs nesting in places never before occupied or that had been …
Maine Audubon goes to Washington!
Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox and I had the opportunity to take part in a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act with our partners in wildlife conservation across the country, who gathered in Washington, D.C., in September. This gathering brought much-needed attention …
From the Interns: Spending a Summer with the Piping Plovers
The Coastal Birds project hires seasonal biologists, technicians, and interns every summer to help with Piping Plover and Least Tern conservation on the beaches from York to Georgetown. Every summer, we are fortunate to have energetic students who are willing to do whatever it takes! Here, they …
Fighting for the Future of the Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act is turning 50 this year! Enacted in 1973, this law is one of our most important tools to conserve our nation’s most vulnerable species – which, right now, includes 740 animals and 940 plants. Fifty years of experience has proven that the Endangered Species Act works: the …
Maine Audubon in Augusta: Summing Up an Amazing Session
The First Session of the 131st Maine Legislature was one of the busiest and most successful we've ever had. Super-powered by the addition of our new Policy Advocate, Ches Gundrum, Maine Audubon was able to work on—and help pass—more wildlife-benefitting legislation than any session in recent …