This winter, join us virtually to improve your birding from the comfort of home, with Virtual Birding, a free online program taking place every other Monday evening, December through February. Through the magic of live-streamed bird feeder cameras, I will guide viewings of birds in Maine and throughout the world. Each program, we will watch […]
Birds
BirdSafe Maine – Fall 2023 Season Summary
October 31 was the final morning for our Fall 2023 BirdSafe Maine route in Portland. It marked the end of another successful season, but in that somber way that these seasons are “successful”: we once again proved that migratory birds are dying against glass windows in Portland and around the state. Despite the continued challenges, […]
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 vacant for many years. However, […]
Singing in the Rain with the Maine Loon Restoration Project
One of Maine Audubon’s most visible projects is the Annual Loon Count, where more than 1500 volunteers go out, on the third Saturday in July, to count loons and give us a snapshot of the loon population. But we’ve also got a major project aimed at increasing loon nesting success and survival, called the Maine […]
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 share some thoughts about what their experiences were […]
Where are the birds?!? (post Hurricane Lee Edition)
It is that time of the year again, when a combination of factors can cause a decreased detection of birds, especially at bird feeders. Some years this is more noticeable than others, and based on the number of phone calls and messages we’ve been getting recently, there are a lot of people asking “where are […]
Backyard Bird of the Week for September: Hairy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpeckers get their name from the long, hair-like white feathers on their back. They share this patch of white feathers with their local lookalike, the Downy Woodpecker. You can identify Hairy Woodpeckers by their longer bill (approximately the same length as the head, or longer), white outer tail feathers (with no black spots), and […]
Backyard Bird of the Month for August: Black-and-white Warbler
Some warblers are poorly named, but the Black-and-white Warbler is not one of them. These warblers are black-and-white-striped in every plumage, which is one way to distinguish them from other warblers. They are the only North American warbler that regularly searches for food in bark, creeping along tree trunks and large limbs, much like a […]
Plover Party spreads good cheer and great care
Thanks to all the folks who joined our Coastal Birds Crew at Crescent Beach State Park in Cape Elizabeth for a plover party last week, especially to special guest Beacon, the Maine Mariners mascot! Also a big shout out to the rangers and staff at the state park, and to our new group of volunteers […]