Animals like painted turtles use different parts of their bodies to send distinct messages. Backs and bellies are designed to mislead predators, while faces, with their fine details, advertise a turtle's identity and quality to nearby competitors and …
News
Nature Moments: Benefits of Obesity in Woodchucks
Woodchucks are called groundhogs and whistle pigs for a good reason: they spend six months gorging themselves before going into hibernation. If they don't double their weight, they might not survive the winter. (Thanks to Chris Maher for sharing her expertise and Ariana van den Akker for her …
Hey Beachgoers, Watch out for Baby Piping Plovers
Headed to the beach to enjoy this wonderful weather? Be sure to be mindful of beach-nesting birds! This is a critical time for birds like the endangered Piping Plover. Coastal Birds Project director Laura Minich Zitske and her team have observed over 90 plover chicks on Maine beaches so far, with …
Honoring our friend and colleague Carroll Tiernan this weekend
Last summer, we lost Carroll Tiernan. Carroll managed the Maine Audubon Nature Store for over 30 years. Her kindness, dedication, and knowledge made her a Maine Audubon fixture, and she continues to be deeply missed. This coming weekend, there are two special events taking place in honor of …
Sally’s Studies: Garden Delights
The soil is powder dry on top, but a few inches below I find damp dark brown dirt. So different from the sandy clay at my own home. Hopefully perfect for growing the vegetable seeds and seedlings I so carefully planted today. A friend has loaned me her garden spot this year as my yard is too …
Video: Bringing Nature Home
Native plants are a crucial part of the ecosystems that support Maine's birds and wildlife. Through our "Bringing Nature Home" initiative, Maine Audubon is empowering communities to plant and grow native plants and transform the landscapes around them. You can learn more about this work in the …
Nature Moments: Lichen Partnerships
Those splotches on rocks, tree trunks and twigs? Lichens! Lichens are actually a symbiosis between two major divisions of life, neither of which is a plant. And you can find them everywhere, as long as the air is not polluted. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpnROtN-JhE Nature Moments are …
Best of the Best: Thank you Falmouth!
Maine Audubon is pleased to be chosen as the #1 Nonprofit Agency in Falmouth by the readers of the Forecaster. We're so grateful to our neighbors who voted for us in this category! The ongoing support we receive from the Falmouth community for our work on behalf of Maine's wildlife and habitat is …
Nature Moments: How to Build a Bird’s Nest
If you ever have the opportunity (and permits) to dissect an abandoned bird nest, you'll discover that female birds are ingenious architects of solid, well-insulated, camouflaged homes for their eggs. They're able to do it without practice or instruction, using found objects like rootlets, feathers, …