The song of the male Song Sparrow is one of the most frequently-heard vocalizations across the continent. The exact song varies by region and individual, and individuals will often sing multiple distinct songs, but they always follow a discernable pattern: two to four introductory notes, followed by …
Birds
Happy Fourth of July: Loon Restoration Project Update
By Ethan Daly, Loon Restoration Team Technician I was recently checking in on one of our new loon nesting raft sites near Gray, Maine. As I stood on the shore, speaking with a volunteer about how to minimize human disturbances to the raft, we watched two paddle boarders weave in between our …
Wildlife in Maine’s “Queen City”
Experiencing wilderness is not always synonymous with urban dwelling. But groups of Bangor area residents joined Maine Audubon staff on Saturday, June 15, to experience their city in a new way. It all started at 9 am with a bird walk along the Penobscot River led by Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist …
Portland City Council Passes Bird-Friendly Buildings Ordinance
Bird-glass collisions kill up to one billion birds in the U.S. each year, and BirdSafe Maine has been working since 2020 to understand the problem in Maine. We’ve done a lot in that short time, including our recent awards, our statewide legislation, school curriculum, years of collision monitoring, …
Backyard Bird of the Month for June: Blackburnian Warbler
If there are spruce, fir, or hemlock trees around your backyard, listen carefully for the high-pitched, buzzy song of the Blackburnian Warbler. While they can be difficult to see, often hidden among foliage high in the canopy, and share habitat with several closely-related species, like …
Chicks on the beach!
Exciting update from the coastal birds crew: On Monday, May 27, we saw the first Piping Plover chicks on one of our Maine beaches! Though no one was able to capture any photos from that day—the chicks are quite small, move around a lot, and are super fast—we are delighted at the prospect of chicks …
BirdSafe Maine Announces Winners of Inaugural Bird Safe Awards
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 28, 2024 MAINE AUDUBON media@maineaudubon.org BirdSafe Maine Announces Winners of Inaugural Bird Safe Awards BirdSafe Maine—a partnership between Maine Audubon, the University of Southern Maine, and the Portland Society for Architecture—honors companies, schools, and …
Backyard Bird of the Month for May: Red-eyed Vireo
Here I am! Where are you? Way up here! In the tree! So goes the song of the Red-eyed Vireo, heard in nearly every forested area between Kittery and Fort Kent from May until early autumn. True neotropical migrants, Red-eyed Vireos spend the nonbreeding season in the Amazon Basin, especially in …
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 …