Author Archives: Bill

The Christmas Bird Counts Are Coming (2017)

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     Beginning on Christmas Day in 1900, the   Audubon Society has been sponsoring Christmas Bird Counts (CBC’s) to help monitor the health and status of bird populations throughout North America.  In that first year, there were 25 count circles with a total of 27 birders.  Now, there are over 2300 count circles each year with over 70,000 birders participating, with the locations stretching from Alaska to South America. Each year, York County Audubon sponsors two counts.  The Southern York County circle extends from Kittery to Ogunquit, while the Biddeford/Kennebunkport count circle reaches from Kennebunk to Saco.  Each count territory … Continue reading →

Our 19th Annual Bird Seed Sale is coming!

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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 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 October 27th.  Order pick up will be at the Wells Reserve November 9th – 11th, … Continue reading →

The Art of Science: Building a Field Guide with Jonathan Alderfer – Tuesday, October 17th

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The National Geographic will publish the newest edition of the Field Guide to the Birds of North America this September. Join artist, co-author and co-illustrator Jonathan Alderfer for an inside look at how this latest edition was conceived and brought to press. Jonathan will also display a selection of his original field guide illustrations and discuss the painting process. Jonathan Alderfer has specialized in painting birds and natural history subjects for more than thirty years. For ten years he was National Geographic’s resident birding expert at their headquarters in Washington, D.C. While there, he authored, edited, or illustrated more than … Continue reading →

Turtles with Kris Hoffmann – Tuesday, September 19th

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University of Maine Postdoctoral Associate Kristine Hoffmann brings us a fun and fascinating night of turtle biology. How long can a Box turtle live? Why do Snapping turtles snap? Why are turtle populations declining, and what can the public do to help? Kris will explain the ecology of these water-loving animals and introduce us to all the turtles of Maine. She will discuss their natural history, behavior, unique values, and conservation, in an engaging presentation sure to be both instructive and entertaining.   This event is free and open to the public. Come early for refreshments and social time. The program will be at 7 p.m. … Continue reading →

Shorebird Workshop with Louis Bevier, Monday, August 28th

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THIS WORKSHOP HAS BEEN FULLY BOOKED.  IF YOU’D LIKE TO BE ADDED TO THE WAITING LIST, PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL TO ycas@yorkcountyaudubon.org WITH “WORKSHOP WAITING LIST” AS THE SUBJECT York County Audubon continues our Workshop series by offering a Shorebird Identification Workshop presented by noted Maine Birder, Louis Bevier. Shorebirds herald the changing seasons by staging and feeding in mixed flocks on our beaches and resting on historical roosting area.  Fortunes Rock Beach and Hills Beach are two of these noted areas. Louis will discuss the beautiful plumage variation of these long-distance migrant flocks.  We will begin to identify specific species within … Continue reading →

Lost Among the Birds, the Story of a Record-Breaking Big Year – with Neil Hayward – Tuesday, June 20th (Preceded by a brief Annual Meeting)

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Boston birder Neil Hayward was having a mid-life crisis. So what did he do? He went birding. This temporary insanity resulted in almost 250,000 miles of travel, taking him to the remote corners of North America. Over the course of one year he got so into birding that he ended up setting what birders refer to as the Big Year record. He spotted and identified an extraordinary 749 species of birds in one year. Neil wrote his first book, Lost Among the Birds: Accidentally Finding Myself in One Very Big Year, chronicling his journey from heartbreak to triumph after he entered the … Continue reading →

Annual Election of Officers and Directors

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The Nominating Committee has presented a slate of Officers and Directors to the YCA Board, and that slate has been approved by the Directors.  At the Annual Meeting on June 20th, the following slate of Officers shall be voted upon by the Membership:  Bill Grabin, President, Joyce Toth, Vice President, Kathy Donahue, Treasurer, and Monica Grabin, Secretary, as well as the following slate of Directors: Mary Bateman, David Doubleday, Doug Hitchcox, Ken Janes, Lena Moser, Pat Moynahan, Seth Davis, Eileen Willard, Marian Zimmerman

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Learning Bird Language – a Workshop with Dan Gardoqui – Sunday, June 25th

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Slow down and listen to the birds…and they will tell you nature’s secrets.  Birding can be whole lot more than feeding, watching, photographing, keeping life lists, or chasing rarities.  It can also involve knowing what birds are saying. Deep Bird Language requires slowing down and truly listening to the birds.  Dan says “It’s more about quality than quantity.” For the vast majority of human existence, this was a skill we could not afford to ignore.  Once critical to our survival it is now, nearly gone.  Local tracker, naturalist, and birder Dan Gardoqui will give us a peek into the world of … Continue reading →

From the Arctic to Brazil By Way of the Coast of Maine: The Semipalmated Sandpiper’s Journey – with Shiloh Schulte – Tuesday, May 16th

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Shorebirds are showing the most dramatic declines of any group of birds. Species that undertake hemispheric migrations rely on specific habitats and food sources to survive, but these resources are increasingly under threat from human disturbance, habitat loss and degradation, over-harvesting, increasing predation, and climate change. York County Audubon has notched up its involvement with our shorebirds. We have paid for Piping Plover monitors who help educate the public at our beaches.  Some YCA members are participating in shorebird surveys. We have put on Piping Plover workshops with children in local schools and day camps, have run multiple shorebird focused … Continue reading →

Warbler Workshop with Doug Hitchcox on Saturday, May 13th

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Just in time for their spring arrival, Maine Audubon’s Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox will hold a workshop to teach you various techniques for identifying the gems of our forest: warblers. We will look at the diversity of the family, keys for identifying each species, and even spend time learning the songs and auditory cues to take your birding tothe next level.  The workshop will be held at the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust on Saturday, May 13th.  We’ll meet at KCT at 6:30 am for an early morning bird walk, followed by the workshop itself.  A second walk will follow after lunch … Continue reading →

Using Birds to Predict the Future of Tidal Marshes – with Brian Olsen – Tuesday, April 18th

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At the University of Maine, Dr. Olsen’s research program explores how animals, particularly birds, respond to environmental change. Tidal marshes blur the transition between land and ocean across great swaths of the Atlantic seaboard of North America.  These estuarine systems act as the nurseries for our fisheries and provide protection from storm surges for our towns and cities.  As an ecosystem with a mix of terrestrial and aquatic characteristics, however, they are also inhabited by species with unique adaptations for survival. Sea-level rise is already challenging these adaptations, and the outcome for these species, the ecosystem as a whole, and … Continue reading →

Saving the Purple Martin – with Dennis Skillman – Tuesday, March 21st

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Purple Martins are beloved birds.   They’re known as harbingers of spring, arriving in Maine in mid-April as a most welcome sign of the changing seasons.  They are aerial acrobats known for their great speed and agility in flight, and when approaching their housing, they will dive from the sky at great speeds with their wings tucked.   But their numbers have been dramatically reduced as European Starlings and House Sparrows have successfully competed with them for nesting cavities.  Throughout the Eastern United States, many people have been working to support and strengthen their nesting colonies. In 2013, Purple Martins were discovered … Continue reading →

Calling young birders for the Maine Young Birders Club!

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Do you know of young birders or naturalists (ages 11-18) who live in southern Maine? If so, we want to hear from them! York County Audubon is helping to launch the Maine Young Birders Club (MYBC)–the first of its kind in the state. MYBC will organize bird walks, field trips, presentations, and other fun events and activities for young nature-enthusiasts. We are looking for new members! The first Club meeting will take place on Saturday, March 25, with a bird walk followed by a pizza lunch. If you know of a young birder who wants to get involved, please contact … Continue reading →

Gull ID Workshop with Derek Lovitch – Jan 28-29

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THIS WORKSHOP HAS BEEN FULLY BOOKED.  IF YOU’D LIKE TO BE ADDED TO THE WAITING LIST, PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL TO ycas@yorkcountyaudubon.org WITH “WORKSHOP WAITING LIST” AS THE SUBJECT This two-part workshop, on Saturday afternoon, Jan 28th and Sunday morning, Jan 29th, will get you started on unraveling the mysteries of gull identification. Actually, most gulls are not very difficult to tell apart, though adult and juveniles of most species look very different. We’re going to give ourselves confidence with identifying the easier plumage’s of our common species, and then tackle the more challenging intermediate plumage’s and the less-common species.  (Please note … Continue reading →

Video of our October 2016 program – Lake Baikal—Beautiful Birds, Bad Beer, and Buddhist Babushkas – with Lena Moser

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For anyone who missed Lena Moser’s wonderful YCA October presentation on her trip to Lake Baikal, it’s now available for your viewing! Special thanks to Saco River Community Television for recording it and making it available in such high quality. And special thanks to Lena for such an exceptional presentation. Just click this link: https://vimeo.com/189813500

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