White-nose syndrome is a nightmare, almost literally, for hibernating bats. The fungus that causes white-nose syndrome stressing bats out and speeds their metabolism so that they wake up hungry and low on energy, and with itchy, irritated skin. Infected bats might leave their hibernacula in search …
Maine's Naturalist
The Big Sit! The Largest Number of Birds With the Least Amount of Effort
The annual Big Sit is a combination of two things I love: birding and sitting down. The idea is to count as many birds as possible in a single day without leaving a 17-foot circle, and Maine Audubon will be hosting our 11th consecutive Big Sit event this coming Saturday, October 13. Big Sits are …
Nature Moments: One Year Later, Nature Moments Calls it a Day
After twelve months, the weekly Nature Moments video series is wrapping up. In this final installment, Bowdoin professor and Maine Audubon trustee Nat Wheelwright looks back and thanks the team of writers and technicians at Bowdoin College who helped him produce the …
Trip Report: 50th Anniversary of the Bald Eagles of Merrymeeting Bay
One morning in 1969, Maine Audubon and friends motored up the Kennebec River to Swan Island in hopes of seeing a Bald Eagle. A sighting was no sure thing in those days, as the pesticide DDT and other factors had worked to reduce the state's Bald Eagle population to just 14 nesting pairs. The 1969 …
“How Long Should I Keep My Hummingbird Feeders Up?” – Answers To All Your Fall Hummingbird Questions
Watching hummingbirds zip around a garden or gracefully sip from a hanging feeder are enduring pleasures of a Maine summer. But as the seasons change the hummingbirds leave Maine, flying south to look for warmer temperatures and blooming flowers. So there's no reason to keep your hummingbird …
Join us on Monday: Tom Fleischner on “Why Natural History Matters”
I'm very excited about this special event we are hosting at Gilsland Farm on Monday evening: Why Natural History Matters: Saving the Earth and Feeding Your Soul Through the Study of Natural History, with Tom Fleischner, Executive Director of the Natural History Institute In his only east coast …
2018 Bar Harbor Pelagic Trip Report
On Saturday, September 15, we ran our annual pelagic trip out of Bar Harbor. The weather and sea conditions in the Gulf of Maine during the fall can always be a challenge, and we were especially cautious this year with Hurricanes Florence and Helene throwing waves our way. Fortunately, Saturday …
Nature Moments: The Sound of Extinction
Whip-poor-wills, swallows and other birds that feed on flying insects are rapidly disappearing throughout the northeast. The same is true of too many other animals and plants, says Maine Audubon board member and Bowdoin professor Nat Wheelwright. Once you pay attention to nature and come to care …
Nature Moments: Parade of Frogs
How can so many frog species co-exist in the same pond without competing for food or accidentally mating with the wrong species? One solution is to reproduce at different times of year. From mud season until the first autumn frosts, you can witness a parade of different …