The end of April, to me, marks the unofficial start of the season for us at the Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center. The spring cleanup, held around Earth Day, is an annual event that brings community together, rain or shine, to help pick up trash and prepare the center for the upcoming season. This year, the […]
News & Notes
Pollinator Spotlight: Flower Flies
Each year, Maine Audubon and Birth Roots partner to host the Pollinator Parade & Picnic for families with young children. Leading up to this special event, we like to highlight some of our favorite pollinators! If you have tickets to the parade, consider this some extra costume inspiration. And even if you can’t attend, we […]
Optimism in the Face of Development: Birds & Cities
When you’re thinking about birding, the first places that come to mind are probably remote nature preserves, large expanses of marsh, or maybe even national parks like Acadia. You might not spend your time watching the pigeons that nest in the eaves of your neighbor’s house or the Chipping Sparrows that sing from that lone […]
Apply for our Vernal Pool Stewardship Award!
With spring comes melting snow, rainy days and nights, and amphibians making the journey to vernal pools that come alive with this spring weather. Vernal pools are ephemeral, meaning that they’re only temporarily filled with water in the spring and fall. The seasonal nature of these pools make them perfect breeding habitat and nurseries for […]
Become a Phenology Observer with Signs of the Season
Do you hear the Spring Peepers in your backyard? Are you watching for the first time you see a Monarch Butterfly or Ruby-throated Hummingbird this season? Do you notice when the leaves first start to turn in the fall? Your observations of seasonal changes (also known as phenology) could help scientists to better understand how […]
Small Wonders: Charismatic minifauna
Aquatic macroinvertebrates are not widely considered a “charismatic” group of animals. These are larva, nymphs, worms, and mollusks that happily blend in with the detritus of their watery habitats. The general morphology of most of them is “bug.” They’re large enough to see without a microscope, but they’re still pretty tiny—smaller than the scale of […]
Maine Audubon Names Judy Camuso as New President
After an extensive year-long search, Maine Audubon is pleased to announce the selection of Judy Camuso as its new president. Camuso will assume the role held by long-time leader Andy Beahm, who will retire next month. She will become the first woman to lead Maine Audubon since its founding more than 100 years ago. Camuso […]
Meet the Grassy Shrub Marsh Plant Community: Willows, Meadowsweet, and rushes!
The Grassy Shrub Marsh is a plant community that exists in wetlands all across Maine. It is often a transitional area that merges with other plant communities near lakes, ponds, or streams. After spring flooding, water levels go down but the soil stays saturated throughout the rest of the season. The soil is slightly acidic […]
“Being with the Seasons” Phenology Summit: Professional Development for Educators
Gilsland Farm Audubon Center in Falmouth, Saturday, May 30 For teachers and other educators in Cumberland County and beyond Maine Audubon and Portland Arts & Technology High School (PATHS) will host a daylong, climate education professional development workshop funded by the Maine Department of Education for K-12 educators on Saturday, May 30, at Gilsland Farm […]