Seven months ago, a nest of Snapping Turtle eggs hatched at the edge of the parking lot at Gilsland Farm. You can read about that eventful day and the decision to overwinter one of the hatchlings in a previous blog post, Introducing Our New Roommate: A Baby Snapping Turtle.� After consulting various experts and the […]
Environmental Education
Family Fun Connections: Animal Homes and Nests
One unexpected outcome of spending all this extra time at home has been seeing what other creatures find shelter in my neighborhood, too! This week, my challenge to you is to look for places where wildlife live, hide, and nest all around you. And once you see something, take a closer look! What I thought […]
Elementary Connections: Spring Wildflowers
What woodland flowers bloom first in our area? How can you tell them apart? What insects or animals help these early blooming flowers reproduce and grow through pollination? Ephemeral: What does that mean? When talking about the early-blooming flowers that pop up in forests around New England, folks often use the phrase �spring ephemerals.� Ephemeral […]
Good luck, young salmon!
If you’ve followed along with our adventures in salmon-rearing in previous years, you know that May is when we typically release our Atlantic Salmon fry into the Presumpscot River watershed. Of course, this year has been anything but typical, with participants in the Fish Friends program scrambling to adapt to school closures and stay at […]
Connections: Great Migrations, Part 1
Nature in the Middle The sights and sounds of birds around us are increasing every day as we move further into spring.� This annual symphony of color and song is the result of something called migration. Migration is a strategy used by many bird species to survive seasonal changes in their environments. The birds that […]
Connections: Attract Orioles To Your Yard!
Baltimore Orioles are back! We’re not talking about the baseball team (though we can’t wait for the Sox to play again!), we’re talking about one of the brightest and most beautiful bird species in the entire country. The first of these migratory birds have returned to Maine just a few days ago, and thousands more […]
Connections: Nature’s Reading List
Looking for ways for you and your family to stay connected to nature during this time of social distancing? While getting outside and exploring is certainly the best way to experience nature, sometimes that just isn’t possible.� So, grab a book and take in some nature that way. There are many wonderful titles that can […]
Family Fun Connections: Listening to Birds
Have you been hearing more birds lately? Each spring, as resident songbirds begin to sing and new migrants join in by the day, I vow anew to become better at identifying birds by ear. If your child has already mastered barnyard animal sounds (or even if they haven’t!), why not try learning some bird sounds […]
Connections: Mast Landing scavenger hunt
Mast Landing Audubon Sanctuary is a little gem right outside of downtown Freeport. It’s often overlooked but is a great place for a short family-friendly walk. If you have a chance to visit, see if you can spot any of these things below! This is an action scavenger hunt, in which you are challenged to […]