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 →

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 →

The Falkland Islands are located off the southern coast of Argentina and almost to the tip of Tierra Del Fuego. With one flight a week entering and departing the Falklands, and a total of three days travel each way you have to really want to go there. We’re delighted to be hosting Shawn Carey on Tuesday, September 17th, to take us there. The Falklands are a very remote South Atlantic archipelago with two main islands, East and West Falkland, plus an additional 776 smaller islands, most of which are not inhabited. However, several that are host some of the islands’ … Continue reading →

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is world famous for its work with birds, but did you know that it also has an Elephant Listening Project? In recent decades, forest elephant populations have dramatically declined largely due to poaching, habitat fragmentation, and habitat loss. To help conserve west and central Africa’s tropical forests and forest elephants, the Elephant Listening Project (ELP) utilizes passive acoustic monitoring (PAM). PAM is a non-invasive method that enables evidence-based conservation strategies through large-scale monitoring of elusive, acoustically active species, as well as human disturbance, such as illegal gun hunting and logging. Research Analyst Bobbi Estabrook explains … Continue reading →