The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) kicks off tomorrow, Friday, February 16, and runs through Monday, February 19. This annual contributory science project run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is easy to join and your sightings are a valuable piece to this snapshot of bird populations. It is as …
Community Science
Numbers are in for Maine Audubon’s 40th Annual Loon Count
(Above photo: This striking photo was taken by Elizabeth Payne, an annual loon counter; used by permission) And just like that we have 40 years of loon count data for the state of Maine! On July 15, 1503 volunteer loon counters headed out to 374 lakes to gather important data, allowing Maine …
Campers became Stream Explorers this summer in Auburn
(This is the third guest blog post in our occasional series, Stream Explorers and Youth) This summer at the YMCA of Auburn-Lewiston’s Outdoor Learning and Education Center (OLEC) we had the opportunity to run a Stream Explorers activity as part of our regular summer camp programming. The center …
News from the North: August 2023
David Lamon has taken on a new role of Northern Operations and Programs Director, expanding his gaze beyond Fields Pond to include all areas in Maine’s northern regions. Read on to see what’s been happening at Fields Pond and beyond lately! Remembering Judy As you’ve hopefully heard by now, …
Record what you see and contribute to community science
Whether you are already a keen observer of nature, or are just starting to take notice of those plants and animals around you, consider getting involved in a community science project this summer. There are many ways that observations from individuals can help naturalists, planners, city parks …
Exploring Creek Critters in Kindergarten: Caddisflies, Mayflies and Stoneflies, OH MY!
Late in May my class of seven kindergarteners at the Children’s House Montessori School set out to explore the stream at our satellite campus in Rockport. Our small school is located in downtown Camden but since fall 2020, we have spent each autumn and late spring in a 100% outdoor based setting …
Hundreds of students, hundreds of salmon!
May 19 may have been Endangered Species Day but Maine Audubon educators spent the better part of last week celebrating and helping endangered species by releasing hundreds of salmon fry, raised in part by Maine students, into the wild. Maine currently has the last remaining wild population of …
BirdSafe Maine Presents at Regional Conference
This past weekend, three members of the BirdSafe Maine team traveled to Burlington, VT, to present their work at the Northeast Natural History Conference (NENHC). The NENHC is one of the largest regional gatherings where naturalists, research scientists, natural resource managers, students, and …
Spring means it’s time to start surveying Maine streams
It’s officially spring so that means it’s time to check on your local streams, explore water quality, and find bugs! We’re kicking off a new Stream Explorer season and recruiting community scientists who can help survey large aquatic insects (macroinvertebrates) in Maine streams. If that sounds …