—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 […]
News & Notes
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 […]
Spreading our wings: Let’s explore a new Downeast area together
The work we do on behalf of Maine wildlife is often made more impactful when it’s done in collaboration with others. This summer Maine Audubon is embarking on a new partnership with Frenchman Bay Conservancy (FBC), a nonprofit land conservation organization in Downeast Maine. Since the late 1980s, FBC has conserved more than 25,000 acres […]
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, […]
Join us in July for the 43rd Annual Loon Count!
The loons are back and nesting on lakes statewide and we need your help to monitor their population! Every year since 1983, hundreds of volunteers have gone out to lakes and ponds across Maine on the third Saturday in July. These volunteers submit data about the number of loons they observe from 7 to 7:30 […]
Happy Maine Arbor Week from Maine Audubon!
Since 2019, Maine’s legislation has proclaimed that the third week of May each year be commemorated as Maine Arbor Week, “recommending its observance by the public in the planting of trees, shrubs and vines, in the promotion of forest growth and culture, in the adornment of public and private grounds, places and ways, and in […]
Endangered Species Day 2026: Summarizing a Challenging Time for Wildlife
The Endangered Species Act, or ESA, is our most effective and beloved wildlife-protection law. Passed in 1973, the ESA provides protection for thousands of vulnerable species and the habitats they need to survive. The Act has been an incredible success: it has prevented the extinction of more than 99% of the species under its protection […]
Profile: Early Successional Forest Plant Communities
The Early Successional Forest is a familiar plant community that springs up in disturbed areas around Maine. This community represents an in-between stage from directly after disturbance to an established forest. They form on slopes, hills, and flats after natural occurrences like fire, or unnatural occurrences due to human activity. Although this habitat is often […]
In honor of Maine’s first Dark Sky Week!
Let’s take a moment to appreciate the dark sky, something we might just take for granted here in Maine. Last year, the Maine Legislature passed a bill to establish a state observance called Dark Sky Week. Here’s the language in the bill: “The 2nd full week in May and the 2nd full week in September […]