Historically restricted to the western half of this continent, Evening Grosbeaks have expanded eastward thanks to the food they found here. Evening Grosbeaks are large finches, and like other finches will often have irruptions in winter, meaning they’ll leave their typical range when food is scarce. …
Birds
Winter Bird Atlas Returns: Count birds this winter
It is almost time for the start of the Winter Season of the Maine Bird Atlas, a project by the Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to document the breeding and wintering distributions of Maine's birds. This five year project has just one breeding season (in 2022) left, and we are about to …
Backyard Bird of the Month for December: Eastern Bluebird
An increasingly common sight during Maine’s winter is the bright sky blue flash of an Eastern Bluebird lingering in our backyards. The trend has been well documented thanks to long running surveys like the Christmas Bird Count (CBC), showing that just a couple of decades ago bluebirds were scarce …
Bird/Glass Collision Project Wraps Fall 2021 Season with Record Numbers
Every morning between September 7 and October 31, 2021, more than 20 volunteers woke up early to hit the streets of Portland to search for birds that collided with glass windows. This monitoring program began just a year ago, during the fall of 2020, and so we were able to compare seasonal data for …
Rare Birds of November 2021
Many birders affectionately refer to November as "rarity season" since it tends to be the month that brings the most rare birds to Maine and the northeast. November 2021 has been no exception, with the highlights (so far) being a Barnacle Goose in Rockland and an Ash-throated Flycatcher (above) in …
Announcing the 2022 Junior Duck Stamp program!
Announcing the 2022 Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program! Educators, now is the time to get your students prepared to create some innovative and beautiful waterfowl art! Maine Audubon is collaborating with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the 28th annual statewide Federal …
Backyard bird of the month for November: Black-capped Chickadee
Perhaps the best known bird in the state, holding the title of “Maine’s State Bird”, the Black-capped Chickadee is an amazing survivor thanks to its wits. For a bird that is just over five inches long and that weighs less than the equivalent weight of five pennies, it is remarkable that it can …
Backyard Bird of the Month for October: Rufous Hummingbird
Vagrant hummingbirds Although the majority of our Ruby-throated Hummingbirds will have departed for Central America by early October, the hummingbird feeders and late blooming flowers in your yard can act as an important fueling station for late migrants or as an attractant for vagrants from the …
Backyard Bird of the Month for September: American Goldfinch
One of the most familiar of songbirds, the American Goldfinch, is a late and specialized nester. In late summer, while many of Maine’s breeding birds are fledging this year’s chicks, goldfinches are just getting started. By September, the goldfinch chicks should be out of the nest, still following …