In 1973, President Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act (ESA), establishing landmark legislation to protect the most vulnerable wildlife populations across the country. Two years later, the state of Maine passed its own Endangered Species Act to provide complementary protection and ensure the conservation of species in danger of going extinct within the state. Together, […]
News & Notes
Thinking about the State of the State Bird
In 1927, the legislatures of seven states — Alabama, Florida, Missouri, Oregon, Texas, Wyoming, and, of course, Maine — decided to designate official �state birds.� As it turns out, when Maine’s legislators chose the bird to represent us, they weren’t overly concerned with specificity. They chose simply to designate �the chickadee� as Maine’s State Bird…despite […]
Where Are The Birds? Winter 2018/19
One of my favorite things about being a naturalist is the feeling of being “in tune” with nature. That ability to look at which plants are blooming, or hear which birds are singing, and know exactly what season, month, or maybe even week it is. (You know, like when you see snow on the ground […]
Maine Naturalist Network: Fox at the Feeders
Over the coming months, Maine Audubon will feature posts by guest writers — including participants in the Maine Master Naturalist Program�– on wildlife and naturalist topics. If you’d like to explore contributing a post, send an email to outreach@maineaudubon.org. On January 28, I was sitting in my friend’s sun porch off Route 88 in Falmouth, […]
The Fight Against Plastic Pollution
A Double-crested Cormorant swims through a long strand of discarded fishing line in Casco Bay, and becomes ensnared. The line wraps tightly around the bird’s legs and trails behind it in the water, making it difficult for the bird to chase fish underwater and causing it to go hungry. A pair of Gray Catbirds look […]
The Great Backyard Bird Count — This Weekend!
Got an extra 15 minutes for birds this weekend? If so, you’ve got time to join the Great Backyard Bird Count! This free, fun, and easy event is open to bird watchers of all ages and helps create a real-time snapshot of bird populations. All you need to do is count birds for as little […]
Celebrating Women & Girls in Science with King Middle School
Earlier this week, in honor of the International Day of Women & Girls in Science, we worked together with King Middle School in Portland to organize a special event featuring a panel of women scientists. For nearly an hour, a group of 80 King students heard from four Maine women about their experiences as scientists, […]
Send Your Lovebird a Maine Audubon Valentine!
We here at Maine Audubon wish you and yours a happy Valentine’s Day! To help you spread the love, we’ve prepared this sheet of Valentine’s cards sure to impress the wildlife lover in your life. Just print it off, cut out the cards, and enjoy! (Download the PDF) Or you can download and share one […]
Celebrating Maine Audubon’s Women in Science
This coming Monday, February 11, is the International Day of Women & Girls in Science — a day established by the United Nations to “support and promote the access of women and girls and their participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education, training and research activities at all levels.” At Maine Audubon, science is […]