Here is what we have been up to this week in advocacy: 1. Trying to get second generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARS) banned 🦉. 2. Supporting a plug-in solar bill ☀️. 3. Protecting the Endangered Species Act 🪶.

Maine’s rivers and streams carry rainwater and snowmelt downstream to the sea. Yet across the state, thousands of undersized and aging road-stream crossings are quietly choking those arteries. 🧵 1/4

Advocacy in action 📝 Our Advocacy Director, Ches Gundrum, is in the State House today with lots of environmental partners announcing our shared priority bills this legislative session, including a bill to fund the beloved Land for Maine’s Future program. Learn more below. tr.ee/kszva4

Sign our petition to ban dangerous rodenticides in Maine! tr.ee/o9kTYc To learn more about how rodenticides impact wildlife, read more below. maineaudubon.org/news/reducin...

The trails at Maine Audubon's Gilsland Farm Audubon Center in Falmouth are open from sunrise to sunset, but the conditions are wet and slippery on both the access road & the trails. If you are planning a walk, be sure to dress for the elements. The Nature Store is open from 10 am to 4 pm today.

Maine universities are leading the charge in updating to bird-safe windows on their campuses. Here is a great read about bird-safe glass efforts at @BowdoinCollege, where studies like these help bring awareness to bird strikes and what can be done to prevent them. tr.ee/YlMmfx

Birders wanted for a fun birding opportunity 🪶! Birdability Week is coming up, so help us get a better understanding of accessibility at Maine birding hotspots. For more information and to sign up for Birdability Week events, read more below. maineaudubon.org/news/birdabi...

It was a record-breaking summer for the Maine Coastal Bird Project! The Coastal Birds crew spotted 174 breeding pairs of Piping Plovers (beating the previous record of 157 in 2023), resulting in 251 fledged chicks. Thanks to all the partners and volunteers who make this possible! tr.ee/12RgtG

Maine Audubon's Gilsland Farm Visitor Center and Nature Store in Falmouth will be closed to the public from Monday, October 13, until Sunday, November 2, for maintenance. Trails will be open dawn to dusk (no dogs please!), and all programs will run as scheduled. Thanks for your patience.

Maine Audubon staff had a great time at the Sun Day Rally in Portland this weekend, talking to the hundreds of attendees about the Endangered Species Act and renewable energy!

The gray catbird really lives up to its name. It's a robin-sized bird with a black cap and a tail that tends to wag as it talks. And does it talk! In this week's Bird of the Week with WGME, Field Naturalist Stacia Brezinski talks about the catbird, how it sings, and more!

Great news! This week, Maine’s Bureau of General Services released voluntary guidelines incorporate bird-safe principles in publicly-funded buildings, including schools. Maine Audubon and others helped the state develop these guidelines; read the Maine Biz story:

In his Ask Maine Audubon column in the Press Herald, Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox explains the difference between Eastern Cottontails and our native (and rare) New England Cottontails, why Easterns are considered invasive, & more. Seeing rabbits? Tell us! www.pressherald.com/2025/08/02/e...

In this week's Bird of the Week on WGME-TV, our Conservation Director Sally Stockwell shares great information about the Great Crested Flycatcher, a beautiful and common backyard bird. Hear its call, find out where it nests, and how to tell it from a Phoebe.

In this week’s Ask Maine Audubon column in the Portland Press Herald, Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox answers a reader’s question about why a bird might lay eggs in more than one nest. Turns out it is in fact smarter to keep all your eggs in one basket!

Learn to love Maine's infamous Herring Gull! Maine Audubon Field Naturalist Stacia Brezinski joins WGME's Stephanie Grindley for the Bird of the Week to talk about gulls and why they deserve our admiration.

ICYMI: yesterday was all about summer birding! Have a listen as Maine Audubon's Nick Lund and Freeport Wild Bird Supply's Derek Lovitch talk about what birds are up to right now, how we can help protect them, and even perhaps see some rare birds.

“It’s two pounds of fury coming at you.” Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox says it was a good decision to close trails in Augusta after a goshawk attacked a runner; the territorial bird should only have a few more weeks on the nest, & trails will reopen after that. www.centralmaine.com/2025/06/17/a...

REMINDER: ROAD CLOSED! On Monday, June 16, Gilsland Farm Audubon Center in Falmouth is closed due to road work. The Visitor Center and Nature Store will be closed and the trails and peony garden will not be accessible. We will reopen on Tuesday, June 17 at 10 am. Thank you!

I give 30-50 outreach presentations per year for @maineaudubon.bsky.social but my favorite might be my annual talk for the Belfast Free Library / Belfast Bay Watershed Coalition. Great crowd, they laugh at all my jokes, and they send me off with a fresh-baked pie. 💯

Today (May 16) is Endangered Species Day! It's the perfect day to show your support for the Endangered Species Act. Learn more about how important the Act is, and how it's currently under threat. Please sign our petition!

Vernal pools are small in size, but they're huge in value, providing habitat for lots of Maine wildlife. A new bill can help protect Significant Vernal Pools from development threats. Sign our petition to show support & we'll represent at the hearing Monday! secure.everyaction.com/jpXO7N9G0k6r...

Neonicotinoid pesticides harm ecosystems that support our farmers and food system. A bill being considered in the legislature would ban use while still allowing for emergency exemptions. Protect Maine’s native bee species! Sign the petition to urge Maine lawmakers to support LD 1323: buff.ly/hz6mjnr

Many thanks to Ryan Munn at WGME for joining Coastal Birds Project Director Laura Zitske at Higgins Beach to talk about Piping Plovers and how beachgoers can help protect the birds and the beaches this season.

In case you missed it: Staff naturalist Doug Hitchcox was a guest on Maine Calling today talking about spring birding. Listen to the show here:

Saturday, March 29 and Sunday, March 30, join us as we mark the annual trek of billions of birds on their far-flung journeys. The Gear Up for Migration weekend includes our spring birdseed and optics sale, plus member double discount on all other in store items! maineaudubon.org

As we mark the 5th year of the BirdSafe Maine, we hope you will join us for the opening reception of BirdSafe on View, a multifaceted exhibition celebrating the work and successes. Sunday, March 30, 2-4 pm at Gilsland Farm in Falmouth! maineaudubon.org/advocacy/bir...

In this Bangor Daily News article, Maine federal workers discuss being laid off and what the impacts are, including Tessa Corsetti, former regional bat coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. www.bangordailynews.com/2025/03/19/p...

@MainePublic Maine Public's Peter McGuire came on a Thursday bird walk to talk with Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox about what we can learn from birds and their behavior, and how a changing climate is affecting birds. Read - or listen - to the story!

It's feeling a lot like spring today! We saw a groundhog in the meadow at Gilsland Farm in Falmouth, heard of Red-winged Blackbirds everywhere, and got news of the first Piping Plover observation (at Higgins Beach)! Photo thanks to/courtesy of Bill Donovan. What are your spring sightings?

"I can tell it's winter when my inbox gets flooded with inquiries about robins.” In this week's Ask Maine Audubon column in the Portland Press Herald by Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox, he answers all your questions about robins!

All Maine Audubon Centers will be closed on Sunday, February 16 due to the snow. Stay warm!

♥️Does the red patch on the back of a male Downy Woodpecker's head look like a heart to you too? Show your love of birds by taking part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, Feb 14-17. Join us at Gilsland Farm Audubon Center, in Falmouth; we'll be counting at Winter Carnival, Sat., 2/15, 10am-2pm

All Maine Audubon Centers and Nature Stores will be closed on Thursday, February 13 due to the storm. Participants of Thursday's programs will be contacted via email. See you Friday!

The First Session of the 132st Maine Legislature is underway! Join Maine Audubon staff on Zoom to learn about the bills we’re prioritizing this session in Augusta. We’ll discuss old-growth forests, conservation funding, reptiles and amphibians, and more. https://buff.ly/42UoCkO

Groundhog Day has come and gone, and our groundhogs are still hibernating. What other Maine animals hibernate, and which might we actually see in winter? Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox discusses "Why do we see, or not see, certain animals" in the Portland Press Herald.

Maine Audubon supports of a pair of bills aiming to shine a spotlight on some of Maine’s lesser-known wildlife. The bills would make the Wood Turtle the state reptile and the Spring Peeper the state amphibian. Here's why! maineaudubon.org/news/maine-a...

Join friends, neighbors, students, and teachers in collecting valuable scientific data on wildlife in Maine. Your sightings will help us better understand, protect & conserve Maine native wildlife & habitat. Find out about community science projects from Maine Audubon & others: buff.ly/40B4Isu

"I know it is January because everyone keeps talking about murders . . . of crows!" Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox writes about the enormous groups of crows that can been this time of year in his bi-weekly "Ask Maine Audubon" column in the Portland Press Herald

Maine has strong rules to protect valuable coastal sand dunes, but has lacked funding for their restoration and protection. That changes now! Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection is accepting applications to its Coastal Sand Dune Restoration and Protection Fund.

At the State House yesterday as the new session opened. Highlight: The Environmental Priorities Coalition rolled out its shared legislative priorities. Maine Audubon Advocacy Director Francesca Gundrum spoke about one near and dear to us: Funding for the Land for Maine's Future program.

Do you have a passion for wildlife and want to share that passion with others? Join us! Maine Audubon seeks an enthusiastic and passionate Field Naturalist for the Gilsland Farm Audubon Center in Falmouth ME. Details at buff.ly/3vmUvzY