After another tremendous season, the 2022 Bringing Nature Home Plant Sale is coming to a close. The last day for ordering your native plants will be Friday, September 30, with final pickups occurring the following Thursday (October 6) and Friday (October 7) curbside at Gilsland Farm in Falmouth. …
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Keep hummingbirds happy with native plants
Late summer is a wonderful time for observing Ruby-throated Hummingbirds foraging in the garden, and an even better time for planning fall plantings to benefit your visiting hummingbirds next summer. There are many native plants that hummingbirds utilize for food, and providing a variety of these …
Commonly Misidentified Species: Vireos
It’s not always easy to identify Maine’s most beloved birds. Maine Audubon biologists and naturalists commonly field identification questions along the lines of “is it this, or is it that?” Many species look similar from a distance, but there are some great telltale signs, both visual markers and …
2022 Bar Harbor Pelagic Trip Report
It was great to be back on the water for our annual pelagic trip out of Bar Harbor, after not running this trip since 2019. The offshore passage of Hurricane Earl sent some swells towards the Gulf of Maine, and some concerning forecasts leading up to the trip, but the day was absolutely incredible! …
Commonly Misidentified Species: Diving Birds
COMMONLY MISIDENTIFIED SPECIES: It’s not always easy to identify Maine’s most beloved birds. Maine Audubon biologists and naturalists commonly field identification questions along the lines of “is it this, or that?”. Many species look similar from a distance, but there are some great telltale signs, …
Behind the scenes with the Portland Youth Corps
Portland Youth Corps is a collaboration between Portland Parks and Recreation, Maine Audubon, and Portland Parks Conservancy. Its mission is to promote personal and professional growth through community service, environmental stewardship, and hands-on conservation opportunities within Portland’s …
Scenes from Summer Camp!
Summer camps returned to Gilsland Farm this summer in a big way, as we ran more weekly sessions, brought back preschool camps, and moved programming almost exclusively outdoors! And after 8 weeks of camp, 78 mystery animals, 128 nature journals, and too many turkey sightings to count, we wanted to …
September: The ideal month for planting native plants in Maine
The nights are cooler, the dew point is higher, and the soil is warmer: we have made it to September, the ideal month for planting in Maine! What makes it ideal? Plants that go in the ground this month have a few weeks to settle, root out a little, and become dormant for winter. Plants planted …
Backyard Bird of the Month for September: Hermit Thrush
As fall migration ramps up, birders should expect to see summer residents packing up and getting ready to move to their wintering ranges. The Hermit Thrush is one such migrant, a visually unassuming bird that has a recognizable and flute-like song often heard throughout northeastern woods. They are …