Author Archives: Bill

Would You Like to Help Shorebirds?

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Might you be interested in getting out on our beaches and helping to protect our vulnerable shorebirds?  If so, Maine Audubon and York County Audubon could use your help. Maine Audubon’s Shorebird Ambassadors walk Maine’s beaches during migratory shorebird season (July-September) to both monitor the birds and to share the birds’ stories with the general public. By raising the public’s awareness of these tough, far-flying birds, our hope is that people will be better equipped to give the birds the space they need to prepare for their long migratory flight.  To help us with this mission, we are looking for … Continue reading →

A Video of our June 2025 Program: Iceland: Land of the Midnight Sun and Magnificent Birds – with Shawn Carey

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This program was presented on June 17, 2025 at the Wells Reserve and via Zoom. For a description of the program, you can scroll down to the original post for the program. To access the recording, please click on the image below to watch it on this page, or you can click on “Watch on Youtube” at the bottom of that image. (We also recommend clicking on the little white square in the bot right corner of that viewing screen to convert the image to “full screen”).

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Iceland: Land of the Midnight Sun and Magnificent Birds – with Shawn Carey – preceded by (brief!) Annual Meeting – Tuesday, June 17th in-person and via Zoom

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Iceland abounds in natural splendor: Waterfalls and glaciers, panoramic views and otherworldly landscapes. It is a land of Northern Lights and midnight sun. And it is the realm of one of the world’s most charming and iconic birds: the Atlantic Puffin. But Iceland is home to much more. During the summer months, Iceland’s round-the-clock sunlight draws in a panoply of birds: Razorbills and guillemots, phalaropes and godwits, plovers and terns, all accompany the puffins in nesting frenzy. Come along with wildlife photographer and Mass Audubon instructor Shawn Carey as he shares images and stories from his journey spent on two … Continue reading →

2025 Election of Officers and Directors

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The Nominating Committee has presented a slate of Officers and Directors to the YCA Board for a two year term, and that slate has been approved by the Directors: Bill Grabin, President, Laurie Pocher, Vice President, Kathy Donahue, Treasurer, and Tova Mellen, Secretary, as well as the following slate of Directors: Britney Fox, Dan Gardoqui, David Doubleday, David Nelson, Doug Hitchcox, Marian Zimmerman, Marion Sprague, Mary Bateman, Rebekah Lowell. This slate will be presented and proposed to our members for their approval at our June 17th annual meeting, which will precede our June 17th program.

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A Video of our May Program: York County: Birds, Birders and Birding – with Britney Fox Hover

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This program was presented on May 20, 2025 at the Wells Reserve and via Zoom. For a description of the program, you can scroll down to the original post for the program. Please note that there were some technical difficulties that lasted from the 5 minute to the 9 minute mark of the video, but that the program then successfully resumed. To access the recording, please click on the image below to watch it on this page, or you can click on “Watch on Youtube” at the bottom of that image. (We also recommend clicking on the little white square … Continue reading →

York County: Birds, Birders and Birding – with Britney Fox Hover – – Tuesday, May 20th at 7 p.m. in person and via Zoom

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Curious to know more about what birds can be found in York County?  Birding close to home or where you often visit is an amazing way to deepen your understanding and curiosity about the world around you.  Plain and simple, York County is a spectacular place to bird! In this program, we’ll talk about some of the incredible birds that visit York County from the far reaches of the globe and go on a visual tour to see some of them.  We will also explore the seasonality of York County and how the birds change with the flow of the … Continue reading →

“How to Love a Forest” with Ethan Tapper” – Tuesday, May 6th at 7 p.m. in person and via Zoom (and a walk at 2 p.m.)

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What does it mean to love a forest? In this talk, Ethan Tapper, a forester, author and content creator from Vermont, will draw from his work as a forester and his bestselling book — How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World — to discuss what it means to care for forests and other ecosystems at this moment in time. How do we respond to the harmful legacies of the past? How do we use our species’ incredible power to heal rather than to harm? How do we reach towards a better future? In a … Continue reading →

A Video of our April Program: The Yellowstone River Osprey Project with Marco Restani

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This program was presented on April 15, 2025 at the Wells Reserve and via Zoom. For a description of the program, you can scroll down to the original post for the program. To access the recording, please click on the image below to watch it on this page, or you can click on “Watch on Youtube” at the bottom of that image. (We also recommend clicking on the little white square in the bottom right corner of that viewing screen to convert the image to “full screen”).

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The Yellowstone River Osprey Project with Marco Restani – Tuesday, April 15th at 7 p.m. – in-person and via Zoom

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In 2009 a few members of the Yellowstone Valley Audubon Society in Billings, Montana initiated a field study of Ospreys. They were interested in monitoring the distribution and abundance of the local population, and in helping management agencies and electric utilities reduce human-Osprey conflicts. That first year 3 members found 22 nests. Today over 40 volunteers monitor nearly 100 nests along the Yellowstone River in collaboration with power companies, landowners, and government agencies. This presentation will describe how nest monitors are trained to become proficient in Osprey observation and data collection. From the efforts of these dedicated volunteers, you will … Continue reading →

A Video of our March program: Behavior, Society, and Sex in Adolescent Birds with Dr. Liam Taylor

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This program was presented on March 18, 2025 at the Wells Reserve and via Zoom. For a description of the program, you can scroll down to the original post for the program. To access the recording, please click on the image below to watch it on this page, or you can click on “Watch on Youtube” at the bottom of that image. (We also recommend clicking on the little white square in the bottom right corner of that viewing screen to convert the image to “full screen”).

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Behavior, Society, and Sex in Adolescent Birds with Dr. Liam Taylor – Tuesday, March 18th at 7 p.m. – in-person and via Zoom

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Most birds have some growing up to do before they start to breed. Despite reaching full size within weeks or months of hatching, some species will not raise offspring for years, or even decades. Dr. Liam Taylor explores the strange things that some birds need to do before they reproduce—from developing a territory on a rocky island to finding a dance partner on the rainforest floor. Looking back through millions of years of evolution, we will uncover how behavioral, social, and sexual development continues to create new challenges and opportunities for adolescent birds. Liam Taylor is an ornithologist and evolutionary … Continue reading →

A Video of our January program: Old Forests: Jewels in the crown of the Maine landscape? with Malcolm Hunter

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This program was presented on January 21, 2025 at the Wells Reserve and via Zoom. For a description of the program, you can scroll down to the original post for the program. To access the recording, please click on the image below to watch it on this page, or you can click on “Watch on Youtube” at the bottom of that image. (We also recommend clicking on the little white square in the bottom right corner of that viewing screen to convert the image to “full screen”). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ungxRFjS2QA?t=120s

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The Hidden History of American Shorebirds – An online talk with Kenn Kaufman – Monday, February 10th at 6 p.m.

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The shorebirds – sandpipers, plovers, and their kin – are beautiful, but telling the many species apart can be a confusing challenge for birders. However, the level of confusion was much greater in the early 1800s, when naturalists were struggling to classify all these birds for the first time. Some species were described to science over and over, under different names, while some other species were overlooked completely for decades. And for many years, everyone underestimated the amazing migrations of these long-distance travelers. In this program, based on a chapter from his most recent book, Kenn Kaufman will describe the … Continue reading →

Old Forests: Jewels in the crown of the Maine landscape? – a Zoom program with Malcolm Hunter – Tuesday, January 21st at 7 p.m.

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The Maine landscape remains widely covered by forests but our current forests are very young compared to the pre-European landscape, when large, old trees were dominant.  These old forests may be treasure troves of hidden biodiversity.  Why this matters and what we should do about it will be discussed by Malcolm Hunter, Professor Emeritus of Wildlife Ecology from the University of Maine. Dr. Hunter’s research experience covers a variety of ecosystems and organisms – birds, amphibians, mammals, reptiles, insects, vascular plants, rivers, lakes, wetlands, grasslands, and more – but his major focus is on forest ecosystems and the maintenance of … Continue reading →

A Video of our November 2024 program – Wandering Rivers, Nameless Mountains-Drawing the Arctic – with Michael Boardman

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This program was presented on November 19, 2024 at the Wells Reserve, but we had difficulty with the video feed for our Zoom link. Michael was gracious enough to present it again for us via Zoom on December 3rd, and a recording of that encore presentation is available below. For a description of the program, you can scroll down to the original post for the November program. To access the recording, please click on the image below to watch it on this page, or you can click on “Watch on Youtube” at the bottom of that image. (We also recommend … Continue reading →

Wandering Rivers, Nameless Mountains-Drawing the Arctic – with Michael Boardman – Tuesday, December 3rd at 7 pm via Zoom

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Note: Michael Boardman presented this program for us on November 19th at the Wells Reserve.  However there were technical problems and the zoom video feed didn’t work.  It was a great program, and he has graciously volunteered to re-present it by Zoom only on December 3rd.  Thanks Michael! In 2019, North Yarmouth wildlife artist Michael Boardman was selected to be the artist-in-residence for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Northern Alaska. The landscape has become embedded in Michael’s focus and artwork, and he has returned several times to explore the natural history of the Refuge, recording his experiences through sketching. … Continue reading →

Wandering Rivers, Nameless Mountains-Drawing the Arctic – with Michael Boardman – Tuesday, November 19th at 7 pm – in-person and via Zoom

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In 2019, North Yarmouth wildlife artist Michael Boardman was selected to be the artist-in-residence for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Northern Alaska. The landscape has become embedded in Michael’s focus and artwork, and he has returned several times to explore the natural history of the Refuge, recording his experiences through sketching. In May, 2019, Michael had planned to make a presentation for us on his residency, but we had to cancel it due to Covid.  The following month, he did our first Zoom program.  Since then, he has returned to the Arctic several times, and we’re delighted to host … Continue reading →

A Video of our October 2024 Program – The Science of Watching, The Art of Seeing, and the Power of Nature Absorption

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This program was presented on October 15, 2024 at the Wells Reserve and via Zoom. For a description of the program, you can scroll down to the original post for the program. To access the recording, please click on the image below to watch it on this page, or you can click on “Watch on Youtube” at the bottom of that image. (We also recommend clicking on the little white square in the bottom right corner of that viewing screen to convert the image to “full screen”). Please note that Chris stepped out of the camera view at the beginning … Continue reading →

The 2025 Maine Birds Desk Calendar is available now!

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For many years, our former Board member, Marie Jordan, an avid birder and photographer, has produced a calendar and offered it for sale, graciously donating the calendars to YCA to support our educational programs. As many of our programs are now presented via Zoom, we’re making the calendars available by mail. It’s a desk calendar in a 4” by 6” plastic case that opens into a stand to display each month. Each page features a great photo she took of a Maine bird. The cost is $10 plus mailing costs. They’re wonderful anywhere in the house, and also make great … Continue reading →