By Thea Kastelic, Coastal Birds Crew Field Technician The summer is drawing to a close, and with it, the work of the Maine Audubon Coastal Birds Crew comes to an end. After spending months lugging heavy equipment, surveying, and managing shorebirds up and down Maine’s brutal and beautiful sandy coast, the crew is excited for […]
Birds
Visit the New “Birds of the Marsh” Nature Trail at Scarborough Marsh
Picture this: You take a short walk in a beautiful setting, view lovely artwork, and learn some interesting facts and natural history about marsh birds. That’s the experience you can have now along the Nature Trail at Scarborough Marsh. Last year, we installed sign holders and displayed pages from The Secret Bay, a picture book […]
New Statewide Shoreland Harvesting Standards Set to Take Effect Soon
Shoreland areas – those places adjacent to wetlands, streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes – are incredibly important for fish, wildlife, and water quality. We know that around 85% of vertebrate wildlife in Maine use shoreland areas some time during the year for hiding, nesting, denning, feeding, and traveling, and that a dense cover of herbs, […]
Backyard Bird of the Month for July: Song Sparrow
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 a trill, and then a jumble of quick […]
Backyard Bird of the Month for August: Scarlet Tanager
Despite being one of the most boldly patterned birds in the eastern woodlands, Scarlet Tanagers are seldom seen. Males are bright red with black wings, and females are yellow-green with black wings. They only nest in deep, deciduous forest, and spend most of their time high in the canopy of oaks, maples, and birches. The […]
Maine Audubon Annual Loon Count Set for July 20
Nothing symbolizes summer in Maine quite like the haunting wail of a loon. The urge to help them and make sure that future generations will be able to hear that call is what has galvanized people to turn out, year after year, early on a Saturday morning in July, to count loons and aid in […]
Backyard Bird of the Month for July: Song Sparrow
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 a trill, and then a jumble of quick […]
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 strategically placed raft […]
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 Doug Hitchcox. The Penobscot […]