"Nature Notes" will be a near-weekly blog post to keep you updated on some things going on with Maine's wildlife. This will include incidental observations (many of which are shared on our Instagram page), recent unusual bird sightings, and notes on our bird walks or other field …
Maine's Naturalist
Rufous Hummingbird visits Portland
A frequent question I receive in the fall is: "When can I take my hummingbird feeders down?" I answered this a blog post in October 2014 by saying that most of our Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are gone by early October, however you should keep the feeders up later than that because it is October and …
Who has been chewing on our building?
While photographing a Sigmoid Prominent outside our Environmental Center, I noticed a series of long narrow marks along the wood siding of the building. We shared a photo of them as a quiz on our Facebook page. Do you know who made these bizarre markings? It didn't take long before their …
Predicting Hummingbird Arrivals
Spring is coming and many of our most loved birds will be here any day! Thanks to long running citizen science projects we can pretty accurately predict when certain species are going to arrive. One migrant that a lot of people are already talking about and eagerly awaiting is the Ruby-throated …
Students in Search of a Snowy Owl
I recently had the pleasure of going birding with a group of students from Windham Middle School to look for a Snowy Owl. I've had the pleasure of working with this group before. Their teacher, Ryan Rumsey, has been working with Maine Audubon and teaching his students to bird for a couple years now. …
The Maine North Woods Through the Eyes of a National Geographic Young Explorer
This is the first in a new series of blog posts for Maine Audubon written and photographed by Erika Zambello Maine birds have always been special to me. I grew up to the sound of laughing Black-capped Chickadees in my backyard, and Common Loons singing me to sleep when I spent the summers in …
Winter Reading List
Short days and cold temperatures often limit our outdoor explorations so it is a good time to hit the books. Below is a list of books I recommend for this winter. First off, if you haven't read Doug Tallamy's Bringing Nature Home, then stop reading this blog and go read it now. This book does a …
Winter Moths and Bruce Spanworms
Have you seen any moths flying around lately? In the late fall (and even into winter) we often see “winter moths," especially on warm nights. I wrote about these moths in a post last year but with a mild December we have seen an increase in reports about them so I think it is worth …
Gifts for the Naturalist on your Holiday Shopping List!
It's December and that means one thing: the annual Christmas Bird Count! Well, maybe to birders that's what it means, but for everyone else, it is a time for celebrating the holidays. Here are some gift ideas for the budding naturalist and nature lover in your life: Sibley Birds, Second …