I spoke to someone recently who said that the most unpleasant feeling in the world is itchiness. Many of their fellow humans might agree; a 2011 study at the Emory University School of Medicine compared the impacts of chronic pain and chronic pruritus (itchiness) on quality of life, and found that the average itchy patient […]
News
Backyard Bird of the Month for October: American Redstart
Fall migration gives us a second chance to see trees full of normally secretive warblers, though some species have been fairly conspicuous all summer. American Redstarts are striking warblers that breed in Maine. Females and young birds have gray upperparts with a patch of yellow under each wing and yellow on the outer tail feathers. […]
Bird Mural Takes Flight in Bangor
What was just a worn cement retaining wall on Broadway in Bangor last month is now becoming a vibrant celebration of birds, native plants, and community spirit. The Maine Audubon Mural, the newest commission by Bangor Beautiful, can be seen on the highly visible stretch of wall near the Family Dollar on State Street. Passed […]
New “EcoExplorers” Afterschool Program Inspires Young Naturalists at Fields Pond
We’re thrilled to share the launch of our new afterschool program, EcoExplorers, designed especially for curious young naturalists in 2nd through 5th grade! Turning our 229-acre sanctuary into an environmental laboratory, this hands-on program combines outdoor adventure with scientific discovery to help students connect more deeply with the natural world around them. Each week, students […]
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 […]
Maine Audubon Delivers Petitions to Protect the Endangered Species Act
Last week, staff from Maine Audubon were in Washington D.C. to hand-deliver a petition signed by more than 1,800 Mainers asking Maine’s Congressional delegation to protect the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Maine Audubon Advocacy & Outreach Manager Nick Lund met with staff in the offices of Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, and Representatives Jared […]
2025 Bar Harbor Pelagic Trip Report
This year we celebrated the 30th anniversary of our first Bar Harbor Pelagic trip running and the conditions were great! Scheduling a boat trip in mid-September is great for birds, but also hurricanes, and while most years we hope to sneak in this trip between passing storms, this year there wasn’t a cloud on the […]
September Phenology Report: New England’s Red Foliage
New England has the most beautiful fall foliage in the world! This may be my extremely biased opinion, but it is backed up by the millions of leaf peepers who visit every single year to witness the magnificent display put on by our native trees. For a long time, scientists believed that red fall colors […]
Bangor Beautiful and Maine Audubon Collaborate on Bird Mural and Native Plantings on Broadway in Bangor
Bangor Beautiful and Maine Audubon are partnering to transform a cement retaining wall on Broadway in Bangor with a powerful combination of public art and native plantings. The project will feature five large-scale murals by Eastport artist Alison Ross (schematic mockup of one of the five murals above), smaller companion murals created by students from […]