York County Audubon is very pleased to announce that it has donated two birding backpacks to the Kennebunk Free Library. They are available for borrowing by KFL cardholders, as well as by cardholders of the Wells, Kennebunkport and Arundel libraries. Please read the KFL press release below for additional information.
Continue reading →Please click on the link below to view the Autumn 2021 issue of our Harlequin newsletter: https://www.yorkcountyaudubon.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Harlequin-Autumn-2021.pdf
Continue reading →This program was presented on November 16, 2021. Please click on the link below to watch the program. You can also scroll down to the original post on this program for a full description.
Continue reading →The consequences of losing beavers were profound: streams eroded, wetlands dried up, and species from salmon to swans and other birds lost vital habitat. Today, a growing coalition of “Beaver Believers”—including scientists, ranchers, and passionate citizens—recognizes that ecosystems with beavers are far healthier, for humans and non-humans than those without them. Ben Goldfarb is an award-winning environmental journalist and an excellent speaker. His recent book Eager: The Surprising Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter reveals that our modern idea of what a healthy landscape looks like and how it functions is wrong, distorted by the fur trade that once trapped … Continue reading →
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. We’ve always presented them at our fall program meetings, but again this year, that’s not possible, so we’re making them 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 … Continue reading →
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 … Continue reading →
This program was presented on September 21, 2021. Please click on the link below to watch the program. You can also scroll down to the original post on this program for a full description.
Continue reading →The Peregrine Falcon is thought to be the fastest animal on earth. Want to learn more? On Tuesday, September 21st, York County Audubon will present a Zoom program entitled: Peregrine Falcon Restoration in Acadia National Park with Park Ranger Patrick Kark. The Peregrine Falcon was one of the first species to be listed under the federal Endangered Species Act, and the species’ recovery is one of the Act’s greatest success stories. Acadia National Park has a storied history in the Peregrine Project. Join Ranger Patrick Kark as he discusses this success story and tells of the interesting places Acadia’s falcons … Continue reading →
This program was presented on June 15, 2021. Please scroll down to the original post on this program for a full description.
Continue reading →Ever wondered what birds might be found in Cambodia? On Tuesday, June 15th, York County Audubon will present a Zoom program entitled: Birds of SE Asia: a focus on Cambodian Natural History with Howie Nielsen. Doctor Howie Nielsen is a world class birder who lives in Lincoln County, Maine. Getting hooked on birds when he was in graduate school, Howie’s birding adventures have allowed him to be involved in studying flora and fauna while traveling in multiple countries. He’s now a retired dentist who has volunteered his services in six different countries. For 10 years Howie was in and out … Continue reading →
On May 18th, Wildlife professor John Marzluff will bring us an exciting program on recent work in Yellowstone National Park which looked at interactions between ravens, wolves, and people. Ravens are known to scavenge food from wolves and people but the relationship has not been well studied. In 2019 Matthias Loretto and presenter John Marzluff began tagging ravens in Yellowstone with radio transmitters that are similar to the transmitter in your mobile device. After tagging and following many ravens they were able to relate raven’s movements to the activities of people and wolves. From this the scientists gained a better … Continue reading →
Please click on the link below to view the Spring 2021 issue of our Harlequin newsletter
Continue reading →This program was presented on April 20, 2021. Scroll down to the original post on this program for a full description. Note that the recording starts after the introduction, but includes the full program.
Continue reading →If you’ve lived in Maine for a while, you’ve probably noticed that bird populations have changed and continue to do so. Just a few decades ago, birds such as the Northern Cardinal, the Tufted Titmouse, the Red-Bellied Woodpecker and the Carolina Wren were uncommon sightings here, if seen at all. Birds such as the Eastern Bluebird were much fewer in number. In 1949, Robert Palmer’s then definitive Maine Birds described the “Eastern” Cardinal as “a very rare visitant,” with most sightings being “escaped captives.” As for the Tufted Titmouse, he noted there was one specimen in the University of Maine … Continue reading →
This program was presented on March 16th, 2021. Scroll down to the original post on this program for a full description. Note that the recording starts with a few minutes of birding small talk to give viewers a chance to join us.
Continue reading →Among the most amazing creatures in the world, more than 40 species of birds-of-paradise live in New Guinea’s swaths of the Indo-Pacific rainforest region, one of the largest intact tropical forested areas on Earth. The stars of the show in National Geographic and PBS Nature TV documentaries, the birds-of-paradise have become icons of New Guinea’s rainforests. Their extraordinary beauty is unlike that of any other birds on Earth, but it’s their wide range of bizarre breeding behaviors that captivates audiences—from elaborate dancing and flaring their elegant plumes to shape-shifting displays that make these exotic species seem like avian transformers. Edwin … Continue reading →
This program was presented on Feb 16th, 2021. Scroll down to the original post on this program for a full description.
Continue reading →“It blows your mind. Thousands of them. They just keep rolling in.” It’s a spectacular display of sight and sound, a massive swarm of as many as 20,000 crows, a sky blotted black by their numbers, a crescendo of cawing that slowly fades to an eerie silence, night closing in. As it has for at least 30 years, this flock of mostly American crows arrives in Lawrence, Mass. in November, and carries out some of the primordial behaviors that still puzzle the amateur birders and professional ornithologists who study what many of them believe are the world’s most clever and … Continue reading →
“If your average picture is worth a thousand words, a Paul Bannick wildlife photograph is worth 20,000. Having worked with wildlife photographers for articles in Audubon, Smithsonian, Sierra, National Wildlife and other magazines for 45 years, I have yet to encounter one who better captures the magic and beauty of the natural world.” Ted Williams, former Editor of Audubon Magazine On Tuesday, January 19th at 7 p.m., York County Audubon is honored to host award winning author and photographer Paul Bannick. His online Zoom program will feature video, sound and stories from the field, and images from his book, Owl: … Continue reading →
There’s a spectacular new comprehensive book: The Birds of Maine by Peter Vickery. And, fittingly, a wonderful program just presented the story of the creation of this book. If you’re interested in the birds (and birders) of Maine, take a look:
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