To foster understanding, appreciation, and conservation of the natural world through the education of present and future generations. ***** For additional news, please visit us on Facebook.*****
Keep your feathered friends happy this winter by treating them to
tasty and fresh, premium quality bird food and help support two of your
favorite environmental organizations at the same time. Profits from our
annual sale support the educational programs of both York County
Audubon and the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve. A wide
variety of types of seed and suet is available, with great pricing,
especially if you order early.
Early bird pricing is available if you place your order by 4 p.m. on Friday, October 30th. The instructions for ordering are on the order form which you can access via the link in red below.
Order pick up (and additional opportunity for purchases) will
be at the Wells Reserve on Friday, November 13th from 1 – 4 p.m., and
Saturday, Nov 14th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with easy access and
volunteers on hand to help load your car.
For more information, please access the order form via this link:SeedSale2020Download
Gregory LeClair is a wildlife biologist with a contagious passion for amphibians and reptiles that he has honed from early in his life. In our October Zoom program, he will share his enthusiasm, concerns, and insight into diverse topics including amphibian extinction, the exotic pet trade, habitat destruction, the impact of human attitudes on wildlife conservation, and more. He’ll offer backyard landscaping recommendations, and offer other ways we can become involved in protecting these threatened species. Adults will love this fascinating program. It would also be appropriate for middle school or high school students who are curious about working with wildlife.
Greg LeClair is a master’s student at the University of Maine where he studies environmental DNA (eDNA) applications in turtle conservation. He graduated from Unity College in 2018 with a BS in Wildlife Biology, where he participated in herpetological research projects on snakes, salamanders, frogs, and turtles with Dr. Matthew Chatfield. Greg is the project creator of The Big Night: Maine Amphibian Migration Monitoring and hosts a YouTube show about wildlife conservation, GregmentsBio which features videos that detail the science behind these issues. His research projects focus on applied threatened species conservation with a strong taste for reptiles and amphibians.
On Tuesday, October 20th at 7 p.m., we’re delighted to have Greg present this program. There’s no charge to participate, but you need to register in advance to watch this program. To do so, please click on this link and enter your name and email address:
By the middle of the 20th century, the populations of many species of seabirds in the Gulf of Maine had been decimated. Puffins had last nested on Eastern Egg Rock in 1885 and terns in 1936. In 1973, National Audubon started a program to reintroduce and establish the Maine breeding grounds for these species, led by seabird visionary Steve Kress. In 2019, forty-five years later, Steve retired and turned over the program to new leadership.
The program has proved exceptionally successful. The population of Atlantic Puffins has grown to more than 1,000 nesting pairs on five coastal Maine islands, and nesting colonies have been restored for over 40,000 other seabirds. Furthermore, the restoration techniques developed in Maine have now been used to bring back more than 50 species of seabirds around the world, many critically endangered. But the work is far from done, as these populations continue to face dramatic new challenges.
Common Tern – photo by Jean Hall
On Tuesday, September 15th, at 7 p.m., we’re delighted to welcome Dr. Donald Lyons, who now leads Audubon’s seabird programs in Maine. He’ll share the latest information on the health of our seabird populations, and the outlook going forward. We can now study puffins, terns, and other species to better understand the Gulf of Maine, the looming effects of climate change, and how to manage fisheries for ecosystem health and sustainable economies.
Dr. Donald Lyons
Atlantic Puffin – photo by Derrick Jackson
Dr. Lyons is a Director of Conservation Science for the National Audubon Society, and has spent his career in work directly aligned with Audubon’s Seabird Restoration Program, including the last 20 years at Oregon State University.
There’s no charge to participate, but you need to register in advance to watch this program. To do so, please click on this link and enter your name and email address:
Interested in discovering some of the birds, plants and nature that are often hiding in plain sight all around us? Local naturalist Josh Fecteau will share some of the wild treasures he’s found near his home in Kennebunkport, and encourage all of us to go outside to make rewarding discoveries of our own.
Black Trumpet mushrooms
On Tuesday, August 18th, at 7 p.m., York County Audubon will be presenting this program online. The program is available free of charge, but advance registration is required. Please use the link in red below.
Josh Fecteau
Josh grew up along the southern Maine coast. In his early 20’s, he discovered his passion for the natural world. Since then, he has spent countless hours exploring New England, observing and interacting with his surroundings in fresh, exciting ways.
In 2017, he gave free reign to his passion for birds, and ended up setting a Maine Big Year record, observing 317 different bird species in Maine in that calendar year, including quite a few rarities.
Solitary Sandpiper
Another passion is his love of wild native plants, especially edible ones. Over the years, he has presented a variety of workshops and programs on foraging for edible wild plants, providing guidelines and tips for safe, successful and satisfying foraging in your backyard and beyond.
His strong desire to share his love of the natural world with others who are hungry for wild connection inspires his blog, joshfecteau.com, where he is making steady progress toward his goal of providing 237 Reasons to Go Outside.
Red Sand-spurry
There’s no charge to participate, but you need to register in advance to watch this program. To do so, please click on this link and enter your name and email address:
Bird photography has never been more popular, and we’d like to offer some help to improve your results and your enjoyment as well! On Tuesday, July 21st, at 7 p.m., we’ll be presenting our second online Zoom program, this time on Improving Your Bird Photography. To register for this event, please click on the link in the paragraph in bold font at the bottom of this post.
Great Horned Owlet
Laurie Pocher
If you’ve ever tried to photograph birds, you know it’s often not easy. Your subjects are small, fast, and shy… they move around a lot, they’re most active early and late in the day, they hang out in trees and shrubs… and they fly. It can be difficult at times just to get a clear view of one, never mind capture a photo. It can be frustrating, for sure. But it can also be incredibly rewarding when everything comes together and you nail the shot.
Atlantic Puffin
Female Belted Kingfisher
Laurie Pocher, a
member of our YCA Board, is an amateur Nature & Wildlife
Photographer, who has been mildly obsessed with birds for 25+ years. In
our July program, she’ll offer some tips and suggestions to help you
overcome some of the challenges in photographing birds. We’ll discuss
camera equipment and settings that can help in different situations, and
review composition and editing tips to enhance your bird photos and
increase your odds of capturing frame-worthy images. You don’t need an
advanced camera to get some great shots. Your photo skills can be
improved, even for shots taken with your phone!
There’s no charge to participate, but you need to register in advance to watch this program. To do so, please click on this link and enter your name and email address: