I love October -- the clear air, the bright leaves, and the deep blue sky. While appreciating the rich colors on a recent walk, I wondered, “Is the sky actually a deeper shade of blue in fall?” Thanks to physics, I was able to dig around and find the answer -- which is “yes!” Two light scattering …
News
Proposed Buzzards Bay oil spill settlement good news for Maine loons
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) has announced that they, along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the State of Rhode Island, have reached a proposed settlement of $13 million with the Bouchard Transportation Company, …
2017 Legislative Summary
The November 2016 elections brought new faces to the Maine Legislature and to the committees that analyze environmental issues, all within a political climate in which vetoes from the Governor have come to be expected. The session was extended beyond its June adjournment date because of stalled …
Maine Audubon receives $97,000 grant to improve habitat in Kennebec River watershed
This month, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced $1.2 million in funding to “protect and restore fish and wildlife habitat in New England.” This includes a grant of $96,368 to Maine Audubon to improve mature forest habitat for forest-dwelling birds. Our work through this …
Reminder: Keep your hummingbird feeders up
You can tell it is October when we start using words like Selasphorus or Archilochus - these two mouthfuls are the genera of some of the hummingbirds that occur in North America, which could be in your yard right now. Even though mostly all of our Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have left Maine by the …
Nature Moments: Swimming with Leeches
Bowdoin professor and biologist Nat Wheelwright explains his latest video: I used to be afraid of leeches until I tried a simple experiment which showed that they much prefer frogs. Now I'd much rather swim in a natural pond than a sterile chlorinated pool. If you want to make your own natural …
Photo: Geese and other birds are on the move
October is a busy time for many bird species, as their migration routes bring them through Maine. You've likely seen flocks of geese and other migrating birds in the sky -- a sure sign of autumn. Our Wild Goose Chase van trip next month is a great opportunity to look for migrating geese. Consider …
My DC “Fly in” to protect ANWR for wildlife
Although Maine Audubon's lens is usually (and rightly) focused on wildlife and habitat issues within the state of Maine, there are times when issues "from away" warrant our time and attention. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is one of those. Maine is an unparalleled fall destination …
62 species seen at our 2017 Big Sit!
On Saturday we hosted the Big Sit at Maine Audubon's Gilsland Farm Audubon Center in Falmouth. Over the course of the day, more than 30 people came by to help us count as many birds as we could. Ultimately, we counted 62 species of birds (see the full list), which was 10 more than last year. …