Christmas has many heart-warming traditions, including one that has saved the lives of countless birds in the Western Hemisphere. Let’s look at the Christmas Bird Count (CBC), a fun and equally helpful tradition over a century old and one which has no end in sight. From Hunting to Counting Once upon a time, hunters participated…
Many of us are familiar with the concept of birds heading south for the winter and returning when the weather gets a bit nicer (in fact, we may even know people who escape Maine for the warmer climates for the same reason). However, did you know that there are Arctic snowbirds that routinely travel to…
The Leach’s storm petrel (Hydrobates leucorhous) is not only one of the world’s most special birds but one of the most interesting. This seabird flies over the seawater with erratic, bounding wingbeats. Although it’s rarely seen from land, you might be lucky and spot one during an aquatic expedition in the Gulf of Maine. The…
Bird Flu is back in Maine and the fall and upcoming winter make it essential to follow proper biosecurity measures, not only to protect food sources but to protect other wildlife in Maine. Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is better known as “bird flu.” The latest round of bird flu has devastated domestic poultry. This…