So you want to be a Spring Peeper, an amphibious, one-inch long, beloved herald of spring? I get it! Why wouldn’t you want to be a tiny tree-dwelling frog singing your heart out on a warm spring evening? In honor of Maine “Big Nights,” (warm, rainy spring nights during which frogs and salamanders migrate from […]
Amphibians
March Is Here: It’s Time to Get Excited for Spring Programs at Maine Audubon
It may not look or feel like spring outside this year yet, but March 1 always marks the beginning of our busy spring programs season at Maine Audubon. In 2026, we are thrilled to announce a robust slate of events and programs for people of all ages all around the state. Our offerings feature the […]
Call it a Big Night!
In a few short weeks the Earth will mark its journey around the sun with equal sunlight for both its southern and northern hemispheres, also known as the vernal equinox or “spring” in our northern hemisphere. You may have been noticing that the sun sits higher on the horizon these days (called the “solar altitude […]
Maine Legislature Passes Bill to Increase Protections for Vernal Pools
Maine Audubon is pleased to announce the passage of LD 497, An Act Regarding the Regulation of Significant Vernal Pools Under the Natural Resources Protection Act in the Maine Legislature. Formerly worked within LD 1882 in the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, this effort seeks to better protect state-recognized “Significant Vernal Pools,” essential breeding habitat […]
Input needed on State Wildlife Action Plan
May 28 update from Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife: We invite you to provide input on identifying significant Threats and what conservation actions are needed to address those Threats. Step 1: Review the list of Threats and Conservation Actions Step 2: Share your input! Based on your personal understanding of and familiarity with […]
Want to Help Wildlife? There’s a Community Science Project for Everyone
Community Science is your chance to join friends, neighbors, students, and teachers in collecting valuable scientific data on wildlife in Maine. Your sightings will help us better understand, protect, and conserve Maine native wildlife and habitat. From projects led by Maine Audubon to others spearheaded by the state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, there’s […]
A Snapping Turtle Story: Good luck, Muddy!
In September 2022, a nest full of baby Snapping Turtles hatched here at Maine Audubon’s Gilsland Farm Audubon Center in Falmouth, Maine. We kept one of them, the biggest and the muddiest, to spend the winter in our Discovery Room, so it could teach us all about the early life of these ancient creatures. The […]
Make Your BIG NIGHT Last a Week!
Things are starting to spring, and even sing! Our minds often start thinking of spring as birds return to Maine. However, the arrival of Red-winged Blackbirds and Woodcocks are also phenological indicators of something completely different � BIG NIGHT!!!� Maine�s incredible reptiles and amphibians, or �herps� as we affectionately call the subjects of herpetology, have […]
Seven Months in the Life of a Snapping Turtle
Seven months ago, a nest of Snapping Turtle eggs hatched at the edge of the parking lot at Gilsland Farm. You can read about that eventful day and the decision to overwinter one of the hatchlings in a previous blog post, Introducing Our New Roommate: A Baby Snapping Turtle.� After consulting various experts and the […]