By Jeff and Allison Wells Boothbay Register column Now that the season has crept into May, the trickle of migrant birds returning north is gaining strength and moving closer to the wave that will arrive by mid-May. Already, birders from across Maine are reporting their first-of-year rose-breasted grosbeaks and black-throated green warblers and great-crested flycatchers. Read More
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Signs of Spring: Windham Middle School Students Observe the Birds
Preston: Over the past week my group and I only saw four birds. We saw a female American Goldfinch, a male Purple Finch, a male American Goldfinch, and a female Hairy Woodpecker. To figure out what the birds are we used a poster that listed some birds and then went from there. It was also Read More
Loon Dies From Avian Malaria, Heightening Climate Concerns
By Nora Flaherty MPBN news story PORTLAND, Maine – The death of a loon from avian malaria on a lake straddling Oxford County, Maine, and New Hampshire is raising concerns about climate change and illnesses transmitted through insect bites. The bird, a Common Loon, died last summer on Umbagog Lake. It’s the first confirmed death Read More
Fall: East Branch of the Penobscot River, Day 4, Lake Matagamon
Brian and I were up and on the water at Lake Matagamon just after sunrise. We had rented a motorboat from the Wilderness Campground, giving us the freedom to move longer distances. Like Third Lake the morning before, mist was rising from the water and shrouding the lake’s islands with a mysterious fog. Lake Matagamon Read More
Colorful and Bright: King Middle School Students Begin “It’s for the Birds” Project
Students at King Middle School have been using their NRCM Grant on a project called “It’s for the Birds.” In order to better understand their local ecosystems and the problem of shrinking bird habitats, they have been observing local bird species as well as creating a set of species cards for the Audubon Society. Check Read More
Fall: East Branch of the Penobscot River, Day 3, Baxter State Park
Going to sleep early means waking up early, and we stirred just after the sun had begun its ascent. A layer of frost had developed on the outside of our sleeping bags and tent, but I was actually quite warm in my long underwear pants, jeans, fleece button-down, fleece vest, jacket, winter jacket, knitted hat, Read More
Fall: East Branch of the Penobscot River, Day 2, Part 1
The second day of the four-day excursion dawned bright, if a little cloudy. Still, the forecast didn’t call for any rain, and the temperature remained in the sixties and seventies all day. Perfect. Morning gave Brian and me a few hours to explore the East Branch of the Penobscot at the Matagamon Wilderness Campground, situated Read More
Fall: East Branch of the Penobscot River, Day 1, Part 1
Day 1 – Part 1 After a late night flight in to Portland and a five-hour drive, I was finally in the Maine woods. Less than 24 hours earlier I had been on the west coast of Florida, and the contrast between the white sand beaches and the dark, pine-covered mountains was stark, but beautiful. Read More
Natural Resources Council of Maine Awards “Protecting the Nature of Maine” Grants to Eight Middle Schools
The Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) has awarded grants to eight Maine middle schools to fund projects that engage students in protecting Maine’s environment. These grants will help students establish nature trails, set up school-wide recycling initiatives, propagate and plant native plants on which endangered birds depend, and much more. Some of these grants Read More