Some lucky Maine birders are seeing some unusual birds at their feeders this winter. They’re yellow, but they’re not goldfinches. They’ve got fat bills, good for crushing seeds, but they’re not House Finches or Eastern Towhees. They’re Evening Grosbeaks, an almost mythical species in Maine and a real treat in the backyard. Let’s start with […]
Maine's Naturalist
5 Creatures You May Not Know Used to Live in Maine
Maine is home to some incredible wildlife. From Moose, Canada Lynx, and Black Bear in our northern forests to Gray Seals, Northern Right Whales, and Atlantic Puffins in the Gulf of Maine, we’re surrounded by fascinating creatures. But not all of them are still around. Here are five animals that are no longer found in […]
For Bats, Acadia’s Real Estate Market is on the Rocks
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 of food that just isn’t available in the middle […]
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 series. Nature Moments�are produced by Nat Wheelwright and Wilder Nicholson, with help from […]
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
Read our latest hummingbird post (October 1, 2024) here > 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 […]
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 talk open to the public, Tom Fleischner — […]
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 provided one of the perfect […]