News & Notes

Fireworks: dazzling for some, distressing for wildlife

—By Kevin Mullan, Coastal Birds Seasonal Outreach Coordinator; photos by Megan Maher, Marketing Coordinator As the nation prepares for the 250th anniversary of its independence this Fourth of July, celebrations both large and small are being planned up and down the coast of Maine with games, barbecues, and, of course, fireworks. However, the invitations for […]

Small Wonders: Hardcore Butterflies

Butterflies are synonymous with gentle beauty, but what if, under those bright colors and bouncy flutters, there’s another side to butterflies… one that’s a little more rough and tumble? By now, some butterflies that pupated earlier in the season are looking pretty tattered, but they’re still out there flying from flower to flower, doing the […]

Phenology Summit Draws Educators to Gilsland Farm

On a cold and rainy Saturday at the end of May, approximately 100 educators gathered at Gilsland Farm Audubon Center in Falmouth to participate in a daylong professional development workshop program. The Phenology Summit: Being with the Seasons was held in partnership with Portland Arts and Technology High School (PATHS), the recipient of the Climate […]

Breaking News: Maine Audubon Celebrates Rodenticide Restrictions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 5, 2026 MAINE AUDUBON media AT maineaudubon.org Maine Audubon Celebrates Rodenticide Restrictions State Board of Pesticides Control moves to restrict harmful toxins often found in owls, eagles, pets, and other non-target wildlife AUGUSTA – The Board of Pesticides Control (BPC, Board) moved forward today with a restriction on the sale and […]

Big news regarding little birds: we have Piping Plover chicks on the beach!

—By Kevin Mullan, Coastal Birds Seasonal Outreach Coordinator; photo by Rachel Dupre, Coastal Birds Seasonal Shorebird Technician Four sand-colored cotton balls hatched in Biddeford over Memorial Day weekend. The Coastal Birds Crew and volunteers have been preparing for this moment all spring, surveying beaches for breeding pairs, searching for nests, and putting up fencing and […]

May at Maine Audubon: Off to a great start

I don’t think there could have been a more perfect month to start my tenure as President than May. The property is bustling with action, migrating birds are returning, and wild flowers are starting to bloom. Coming back to Maine Audubon has felt like coming home and seeing my family after I’ve been away on […]

Small Wonders: Why nest on the ground?

Last week I found a large, speckled egg in the West Meadow at Gilsland Farm. It was an empty Wild Turkey egg, and its location in the middle of a meadow, rather than in the woods at the base of a tree, where turkeys nest, suggested that it had been someone’s dinner. To any bird, […]