With the worst of the cooling season over, temperatures in the Gulf of Maine are just slightly below the period of disruption four years ago. By Colin Woodard, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story With the United States coming off the warmest winter on record, scientists are monitoring the Gulf of Maine for a Read More
Atlantic Puffins
As Gulf of Maine Warms, Puffins Recast as Canaries in a Coal Mine
by Colin Woodard, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story The puffins are having a better year. On a late June day, the adults are landing on the rocky shore of this 7-acre bird sanctuary in flights of three or four, their bright red and yellow beaks stuffed with sand lance, tiny haddock and white Read More
The Perfect Night for Puffins
For years, I have wanted to see the Atlantic Puffins that breed off the coast of Maine. Every summer for the past four of five years, I’ve said, “THIS is the year I am going to see the puffins.” At the end of the summer, I had to say, “Next year is THE year I Read More
Report Shows Climate Change Hurting Next Generation of Maine Wildlife
Gray, ME – Future generations of America’s wildlife and our outdoor heritage are already being hurt by climate change, with urgent action needed at all levels to avoid catastrophic changes, according to a new National Wildlife Federation report. Wildlife Legacy: Climate Change and the Next Generation of Wildlife gives 15 examples of how climate change poses threats Read More
Starving Puffins Indicate Trouble at Sea
by Abigail Curtis, BDN staff Bangor Daily News news story BELFAST, Maine — Maine seabirds – including the iconic Atlantic puffin – may be in trouble. Researchers are concerned about starving chicks and dead birds that washed up this winter off Cape Cod and Scotland. Lately, the razorbill, a species related to puffins, has been Read More
Starvation Stressing Maine Puffin Colonies
Scientists blame shifting fish populations as ocean temperatures rise. by Clarke Canfield, Associated Press Portland Press Herald news story PORTLAND — The Atlantic puffin population is at risk in the United States, and there are signs the seabirds are in distress in other parts of the world. In the Gulf of Maine, the comical-looking seabirds Read More