A pair of Piping Plovers called York home this season for the first time ever since Maine Audubon has been monitoring the population starting in the 1980s. Short Sands Beach is a small quarter-mile-long stretch of sandy beach with Ellis Park set behind it. A pair of plovers decided that Ellis Park’s man-made beach volleyball […]
Plovers & Terns
Plover Nesting Season Sets New High
Maine Piping Plovers have done it again by shattering past record numbers, reaching 191 breeding pairs that fledged 352 chicks. The prior record of breeding pairs—174—was in 2025. The most chicks ever fledged—252—was recorded in 2022. Yes, that’s 100 more! This year, plover productivity was 1.84 chicks fledged per pair, which is higher than the […]
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 […]
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 […]
Plovers All Over: 2025 season recap
Yes, it was another record-breaking season! Breeding pairs of Piping Plovers hit a record high in 2025 reaching 174 pairs, smashing 2023’s record of 157 pairs. A total of 251 chicks fledged, only one chick shy of reaching 2022’s record number of fledglings, resulting in a productivity rate of 1.44 chicks fledged per pair. Although […]
The Coastal Birds Crew has Fledged!
The 2025 Coastal Birds Project season has officially reached its end. As of Friday, August 22, all of the Piping Plover chicks have fledged and many are already flying south to their wintering grounds—with some flying as far as the Caribbean! This year, Maine fledged 251 chicks, which is just one bird shy of the […]
Become a Shorebird Ambassador with Maine Audubon
Looking for a way to enjoy Maine’s beautiful coastline, engage with other people, and help our migrating shorebirds at the same time? Become a Shorebird Ambassador with Maine Audubon! Shorebird Ambassadors walk the Maine shoreline during migratory shorebird season (July-October) to both monitor the birds and to share the birds’ stories with the general public. […]
Coastal Birds Update: Storms and successes
Greetings from the Coastal Birds Crew! It’s hard to believe that we are already halfway through the survey season. So far, it’s been full of surprises, both good and challenging. We faced our first big challenge in May when a rare, spring nor’easter washed out 30 Piping Plover nests. Once the storm passed, our team […]
Do fireworks disturb wildlife?
We always get questions about fireworks around the Fourth of July, but since the change to Maine’s law in 2012, now allowing Maine municipalities to adopt consumer fireworks ordinances, we hear about more and more conflicts with wildlife and not just around the July holiday. This simple answer is yes, fireworks definitely disturb birds, but […]