The Harlequin – Spring 2023
Please click on the link below to view the Spring 2023 issue of our Harlequin newsletter: https://www.yorkcountyaudubon.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Harlequin-Spring-2023.pdf
Continue reading →Bill
Native Plants: Good for What Ails Your Garden – with Shawn Jalbert – Tuesday, April 18th – at the Wells Reserve and via Zoom
It’s almost spring and we’ve all got a hankering to get back outside to do some landscaping and gardening. Instead of grabbing the same old plants off the garden center shelves, consider going the native route. Native trees, shrubs, and perennials are the glue that holds our ecosystems together and are directly tied to the health of our environment. All of our backyards could use some extra natives planted in them, but sometimes you don’t have to recreate the wheel; recognizing and preserving the natives we already have growing around us is important too. We will learn how the food … Continue reading →
Enjoy a quick word from Holly Merker, our March 21st Presenter!
If the video doesn’t run on this page, please click on the “Youtube” in the lower right corner of the video box.
Continue reading →Winter Seabirds in Maine – a workshop with Ed Jenkins – Saturday, March 11th
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 Seabirds are, by their very nature, enigmatic and difficult to observe closely. They are superbly adapted for life out at sea, specialized in a myriad of ways to fill every niche in an environment that may seem harsh and desolate to us. Even in Maine where seabirds are present in large numbers, getting close enough to begin to understand their fascinating lives can be tough, especially as they face growing conservation challenges. This … Continue reading →
A Video of our February 2023 program: All About Loons with Dr. James Paruk
This program was presented on February 21, 2023 via Zoom. To watch it, 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”). For a description of the program, you can scroll down to the original post for the program.
Continue reading →“Ornitherapy: Watching birds is not only fun, it’s good for you!” via Zoom with Holly Merker on Tuesday, March 21st
Learn why getting your daily dose of Ornitherapy is just what the doctor ordered! We’re pushed and pulled in many directions, no matter our age. If we allow birds and nature to slow us down, we are practicing “selfcare”. Research shows that exposure to nature actively reduces stress, depression, and anxiety, while helping build a stronger heart and immune system. Birds are gateways into deeper experiences with nature, magnifying these benefits. Through observation, we can learn not only about birds, but gain insight into our own lives while exploring our connection to the world around us. This fosters stewardship and … Continue reading →
“All About Loons” with Dr. James Paruk via on Tuesday, Feb 21st
The eerie call, the distinctive black and white speckled plumage, the red eyes. We are so fortunate in Maine that loons grace our lakes and ponds, but how much do you really know about them? Dr. James D. Paruk, professor of biology at Saint Joseph’s College, is considered one of the world’s experts on this species. Understanding the breeding and non-breeding ecology of the Common Loon has been one of his life-long a passion of his for decades. He has studied breeding loons in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Saskatchewan and Maine and non-breeding loons in California, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Maine. … Continue reading →
Winter Wildlife Tracking with Dan Gardoqui – Sunday, Feb 5th
Can you tell the tracks of a fox from a fisher? Ever trailed a porcupine to its den? Join Certified Wildlife Tracker and Registered Maine Guide Dan Gardoqui for an outdoor adventure. This workshop is open to all curious adults (& interested teens). We’ll spend half a day 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. Dan Gardoqui has been passionately connecting people to the more-than-human-world for over 30 years. He has a M.S. in Natural Resources and has served as faculty … Continue reading →
“A World on the Wing” with Scott Weidensaul via Zoom, Tuesday, November 15th
In the past two decades, our understanding of the navigational and physiological feats that enable birds to cross immense oceans, fly above the highest mountains, or remain in unbroken flight for months at a stretch has exploded. What we’ve learned of these key migrations―how billions of birds circumnavigate the globe, flying tens of thousands of miles between hemispheres on an annual basis―is nothing short of extraordinary. On Tuesday, November 15th, please join York County Audubon for a Zoom presentation: “A World on the Wing” with Scott Weidensaul. Based on his bestselling book of the same name, author and researcher Scott … Continue reading →
2022 Bird Seed Sale – Early Bird Pricing Deadline is October 28th
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 28th. The instructions for ordering are on the order form which you can … Continue reading →
A Video of our October 2022 Program: All the Best Birds in Maine with Nick Lund
This program was presented on October 18, 2022 at the Wells Reserve. To watch the program, please click on the image below to watch it on this page, and you can also click on “Watch on Youtube.” (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”). For a description of the program, you can scroll down to the original post for the program.
Continue reading →The Harlequin – Autumn 2022
Please click on the link below to view the Autumn 2022 issue of our Harlequin newsletter: https://www.yorkcountyaudubon.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Harlequin-Autumn-2022.pdf
Continue reading →“All the Best Birds in Maine” with Nick Lund – Tuesday, Oct 18th, in-person and via Zoom
Maine is a top destination for birders, as it’s known for the wonderful species that are regularly found here, as well as a good number of rarities that frequently drop by. One of those most familiar with this world is Nick Lund, who’s well known to birders throughout Maine and far beyond its borders. On Tuesday, October 18th, at 7 p.m., please join us for Nick’s program, “All the Best Birds of Maine,” as Nick will take us on a whirlwind tour of as many of Maine’s “best” birds as he can squeeze into an hour of entertaining facts and … Continue reading →
The 2023 Maine Birds Desk Calendar is now available!
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, so 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 this year of a Maine bird. The cost is $10 plus mailing costs. They’re wonderful anywhere in the house, and … Continue reading →
Intro to Foraging – with Dan Gardoqui – Sunday, Oct 2nd
Are you curious about wild foods and foraging during this season of abundance? Does uncertainty and concern stop you from sampling healthy, wild foods? Come spend a morning at the Wells Reserve with forager and expert naturalist Dan Gardoqui of Lead with Nature. On Sunday morning, Oct 2nd, from 9 till noon, YCA is pleased to co-host this program with the Wells Reserve. We’ll stroll the fields, forests and shorelines, all the while connecting with the wild plants, trees, fungi and more with all of our senses. Participants should be prepared to walk a few miles, dress for the weather, … Continue reading →
A video of our September 2022 program: 11 Days in the Galapagos – with Laurie Pocher
This program was presented on September 13, 2022 at the Wells Reserve. To watch the program, please click on the image below to watch it on this page, and you can also click on “Watch on Youtube.” (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”). For a full description, you can scroll down to the original post for the program. The audio quality on a few video clips did not reproduce well in the Zoom broadcast, so we’ve post those clips below so … Continue reading →
Video Clips from our Galapagos program: #1 – Frigatebird Courtship
As mentioned above, the audio quality on a few of the video clips did not reproduce well in the Zoom broadcast, so we’ve post those clips so that they can be fully appreciated! https://www.yorkcountyaudubon.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Video1-Frigatebird-Courtship.mp4
Continue reading →Video Clips from our Galapagos program: #2 – Nazca Booby Chick
As mentioned above, the audio quality on a few of the video clips did not reproduce well in the Zoom broadcast, so we’ve post those clips so that they can be fully appreciated! https://www.yorkcountyaudubon.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Video3-Nazca-Booby-Chick.mp4
Continue reading →Video clips from our Galapagos program: #3 – Albatross Courtship
As mentioned above, the audio quality on a few of the video clips did not reproduce well in the Zoom broadcast, so we’ve post those clips so that they can be fully appreciated! https://www.yorkcountyaudubon.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Video2-Albatross-Courtship.mp4
Continue reading →Video clips from our Galapagos program: #4 – San Cristobal Mockingbird
As mentioned above, the audio quality on a few of the video clips did not reproduce well in the Zoom broadcast, so we’ve post those clips so that they can be fully appreciated! https://www.yorkcountyaudubon.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Video4-San-Cristobal-Mockingbird-2.mp4
Continue reading →