Author Archives: Bill

A New Series of Free, Monthly Bird Walks

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York County Audubon is pleased to announce that starting in February, we’ll be hosting a bird walk each month in a different location.  The first walk will start at Nubble Light in Cape Neddick, on Saturday, February 21st from 9 am to 11 am. Beginning birders are most welcome.  We will be happy to introduce you to the joy of birding, if you’re new to it.  More experienced birders are most welcome as well! These walks are provided at no charge and advance registration is not required.  Please bring a pair of binoculars if you have them, but we will … Continue reading →

A Video of our February 2026 program: Snowy Owls with Scott Weidensaul: The Story of Project SNOWStorm

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This program was presented via Zoom on February 5, 2026. It was hosted jointly by Maine Audubon and MA’s 7 chapters. For a description of the program, please scroll down to our original post for it. 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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Winter Wildlife Tracking workshop with Dan Gardoqui – Saturday, February 14th

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Can you tell the tracks of a fox from a fisher? Ever trailed a porcupine to its den? Join Professional Wildlife Tracker and Registered Maine Guide Dan Gardoqui for an outdoor adventure. Open to all curious adults (& interested teens). We’ll spend the morning seeking out, interpreting and following the tracks, trails and signs of our wild neighbors living on the Wells Reserve. Bring your own food/snacks and dress warmly. This program is co-sponsored by York County Audubon and the Wells Reserve, with members of either organization (and Maine Audubon) receiving the discounted program pricing. Dan Gardoqui has been passionately … Continue reading →

Hog Island Scholarships for Educators Week and Bird Studies for Teens Week – applications are due Feb 18th!

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are As we’ve been done for many years, YCA is again offering two scholarship opportunities for week-long programs at famed Hog Island this year, one for Educators and one for Teens. The Educators Week program runs from August 9th to 14th.  The Coastal Maine Bird Studies for Teens program runs from June 21st to 26th.  Note that applications are due  by Wednesday, February 18th. These are unique opportunities, and we’d greatly appreciate it if you could post or forward this information as appropriate, so that any both educators or teens on your staff or that you work with may be made aware … Continue reading →

The Laysan Albatross with Hob Osterlund – Tuesday, March 31st by Zoom only

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Everything about the Laysan Albatross is superlative: they fly unbelievable distances, live longer than any other wild bird and are iconically devoted to their chicks. They spend about 90 percent of their lives airborne and most of that time is solitary. They are extraordinary wayfinders and are, in the words of one seabird biologist, “Corvid bright.”  Since all species of albatross nest on remote islands, however, it can be difficult to see them in person. The Hawaiian Island of Kauaʻi is an exception to that rule and is the only place in the world where albatross nest within a good-sized … Continue reading →

Snowy Owls with Scott Weidensaul: The Story of Project SNOWStorm – Thursday, February 5th by Zoom only

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A Snowy Owl at Parsons Beach in Kennebunk – Ken Janes photo Join Maine Audubon’s second annual All Chapter Speaker event on Thursday Feb. 5 at 6pm. We’re hosting acclaimed author and naturalist Scott Weidensaul for a discussion about Snowy Owls and his work with Project SNOWStorm. Project SNOWstorm uses innovative science to understand Snowy Owls, and to engage people in their conservation through outreach and education. Join us for a lively, virtual discussion about these incredible birds, and preorder Scott’s new book, The Return of the Oystercatcher. The program will be recorded and sent to all registrants.  To register … Continue reading →

A Video of our November 2025 Program: Extreme Birdwatching Here in Maine– with Scott McNeff

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This program was presented on November 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 bot right corner of that viewing screen to convert the image to “full screen”).

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Falconry: Extreme Birdwatching Here in Maine– with Scott McNeff – Tuesday, November 18th, in-person and via Zoom

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Scott McNeff is a lifelong birder who has been practicing falconry for over 30 years. He is past President of the North American Falconers Association and currently serves on the board of two international falconry organizations. Scott is also a federally licensed bird bander, who got his start under the instruction of the late June Ficker, at the Wells Reserve. Scott has trained, handled and hunted with nearly all of the diurnal raptors of North America, as well as quite a few exotic species, but is particularly passionate about red-tailed hawks, goshawks, and merlins. He will be discussing the crossover … Continue reading →

A Video of our October 2025 Program: A 2024 Lower 48 Big Year – with Ethan and Ingrid Whitaker

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This program was presented on October 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 bot right corner of that viewing screen to convert the image to “full screen”). Please note that due to technical difficulties, only a portion of each Powerpoint … Continue reading →

A Video of our September 2025 Program: Community Farming & Grassland Birds: A Local Conservation Strategy – with Noah Perlut

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This program was presented on September 16, 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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A 2024 Lower 48 Big Year – with Ethan and Ingrid Whitaker – Tuesday, October 21st, in-person and via Zoom

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York County Audubon invites the community to a special program at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, October 21, when Ethan and Ingrid Whitaker will share the story of their 2024 Lower 48 State Big Year. Over the course of a single year, the Whitakers traveled from coast to coast and border to border, observing 708 species of birds. They will share their adventures with photographs, videos, and funny stories from the road. Together, Ethan and Ingrid planned and executed an ambitious year of birding with an unorthodox strategy that resulted in a hundred more birds than expected. From high deserts to … Continue reading →

2025 Bird Seed Sale – Our 27th Annual – Early Bird Pricing Deadline is October 24th

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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.  Proceeds from our annual sale support 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.  Additional items this year include mealworm, suet cakes, and roasted peanut chips. Early bird pricing is available if you place your order by 4 p.m. on October 24th.  Order pick-up will be at the Wells Reserve … Continue reading →

The 2026 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 →

Community Farming & Grassland Birds: A Local Conservation Strategy – with Noah Perlut – Tuesday, September 16, in-person and via Zoom

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Bobolink and Savannah Sparrow populations are declining throughout the Northeast.  While intensifying grassland management and loss of breeding habitat are important factors in these declines, these birds spend ~9 months of the year away from the breeding grounds.  We used miniaturized tracking devices to reveal mysteries of Bobolink and Savannah Sparrow movement ecology, connecting what happens to them on the breeding grounds to the rest of their life-cycle. Noah Perlut leads the Perlut Lab, which explores how human habitat management effects the ecoloty of diverse species and diverse habitats, studying mostly birds but some mammals too. The Lab uses state … Continue reading →

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 →