We always get questions about fireworks around the Fourth of July, but since the change to Maine’s law in 2012, now allowing Maine municipalities to adopt consumer fireworks ordinances, we hear about more and more conflicts with wildlife and not just around the July holiday. This simple answer is yes, fireworks definitely disturb birds, but […]
Birds
Maine Audubon Celebrates Passage of Neonicotinoid Pesticide Legislation
Maine Audubon is pleased to announce the passage of LD 1323, Resolve: Directing the Board of Pesticides Control to Evaluate the Impacts of Neonicotinoids on Pollinators, Humans and the Environment in the Maine Legislature. The bill requires the state to further evaluate impacts of neonicotinoid pesticides (“neonics”) on pollinators and people. LD 1323 secured bipartisan […]
BirdSafe Maine – Spring 2025 Season Recap
May 31 marked the end of BirdSafe Maine’s Spring 2025 bird monitoring season. It was, sadly, another eventful effort in Portland and around Maine, though there are signs of significant progress. Read on to learn about how it went. On the Portland Route We recorded 43 total birds dead or injured on the streets of […]
Backyard Bird of the Month for June: Eastern Phoebe
“FEE-BEE!!” Many Mainers look forward to this raspy song each spring. Eastern Phoebes spend the winter in the southern United States and Mexico, and are early migrants back to the Northeast. These large flycatchers are dark gray with nearly black heads and light undersides that often show a faint yellow wash. Their large eyes—typical of […]
Make Way For Chicks!
Above photo: A Piping Plover chick on Wells Beach in late May. Photo by Coastal Birds Project Technician Kaily Rich Two weeks ago, the Coastal Birds Crew received some wonderful news: The first Piping Plover chicks of the season hatched! As of May 29, there are 10 chicks running around on Maine’s beaches, and many […]
A Window of Opportunity: Bangor Fifth Graders Step Up for Birds
Glass might look harmless to us, but to birds, it can be deadly. That’s why this month fifth graders at Fairmount School in Bangor have taken action to make their communities safer for migratory birds. Ms. Heath’s 5th grade class from Fairmount School visited the Collins Center for the Arts at the University of Maine […]
Pollinator Parade Celebrates 10 Years!
Local families, including pollinator enthusiasts of all ages, will gather at Maine Audubon’s Gilsland Farm on Saturday, May 10, 10 am to 1 pm, for the 10th annual Pollinator Parade and Picnic, to honor the winged species essential to our ecosystems. Since 2015, Birth Roots and Maine Audubon have partnered to raise awareness about the […]
Building for Barn Swallows
In my years of regular birding at Gilsland Farm, I’ve seen several species come, and others go, as breeders on the landscape. These changes are generally caused by changing habitat compositions and of course our warming climate, which has caused historically southern species to now nest here. We typically think of nesting habitats as the […]
Wins for Wildlife: How We Worked to Site Wind Energy and Protect Wildlife in the Gulf of Maine
Offshore wind holds incredible potential to help meet the clean energy goals needed for a healthy climate. The Gulf of Maine, in particular, with its strong, sustained winds, is one of the best locations in the world to harness renewable wind energy. However, offshore wind development must be sited with care to avoid potential conflicts […]