Category Archives: Program

A Video of our April 2026 program: Shorebirds in Maine: Protecting our beach-nesting Piping Plovers and migratory birds – with Laura Zitske

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This program was presented in-person at the Wells Reserve at Laudholm and via Zoom on April 21, 2026. For a description of the program, please scroll down to our original post for it. To access the recording, please click on the link below to watch it on this page. 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.” https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/ag8qaoux9jMK9tYrVrzOyAuQlqtFwaNyxQw_S5VUBHMUMoW9aOa1QNC39ii5JmiJ8fZVcuxBaIgNYF8.aMF6vw2vlQYiOTKB?eagerLoadZvaPages=sidemenu.billing.plan_management&accessLevel=meeting&canPlayFromShare=true&from=share_recording_detail&continueMode=true&oldStyle=true&componentName=rec-play&originRequestUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fus02web.zoom.us%2Frec%2Fshare%2FwCSR1f6KTvwJbPA9Yw49iauIfUElrOevjtnD6GkaoRJXKVnItbNEWaiZNgd7oBjK.QV6asCPzgiGsA2cc

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Shorebirds in Maine: Protecting our beach-nesting Piping Plovers and migratory birds – with Laura Zitske – Tuesday, April 21st – in person and via Zoom

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Each spring, endangered Piping Plovers and Least Terns return to nest and raise their young on southern Maine beaches.  They are two of Maine’s most iconic and threatened bird species.  For more than 35 years, Maine Audubon and our partners have worked with local residents, landowners, and visitors to ensure that endangered birds, wildlife, and people can safely share the beach. Laura Minich Zitske has been working with birds for 28 years, the last 15 of which have been spent at Maine Audubon as director of the Coastal Birds Project. In this talk, Laura will highlight some of the project’s … Continue reading →

A Video of a March 2026 program: Birding Spectacular New Zealand – with Peggy Page

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This program was presented in-person at the Wells Reserve at Laudholm and via Zoom on March 17, 2026. For a description of the program, please scroll down to our original post for it. To access the recording, please click on the link below to watch it on this page. 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.” https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/tPJ5DqMi1uo9cyFZrS0pVFTVj-KBOyUquRvSJRltwyLJ4wUi5A7o7dxAIQnKpfAunE3mdu9ud0DDDqsh.l_te1gbSIFqzbyUQ

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Birding Spectacular New Zealand – with Peggy Page – Tuesday, March 17th – in person and via Zoom

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Adrift in the vastness of the southern ocean, spectacular New Zealand shelters some of the rarest and most endangered birds on earth. They are also some of the most unique. Like the elusive kiwis and playful kea, eighty of its birds are found nowhere else on the planet. Brunswick birder Peggy Page toured the main islands as well as the remote Chatham Islands in search of New Zealand’s birds. Join her as she shares stories and photos of the breathtaking islands the Maori call Aetearoa, the Land of the Long White Cloud. You’ll meet fascinating birds of both land and … 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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

York County: Birds, Birders and Birding – with Britney Fox Hover – – Tuesday, May 20th at 7 p.m. in person and via Zoom

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Curious to know more about what birds can be found in York County?  Birding close to home or where you often visit is an amazing way to deepen your understanding and curiosity about the world around you.  Plain and simple, York County is a spectacular place to bird! In this program, we’ll talk about some of the incredible birds that visit York County from the far reaches of the globe and go on a visual tour to see some of them.  We will also explore the seasonality of York County and how the birds change with the flow of the … Continue reading →

A Video of our April Program: The Yellowstone River Osprey Project with Marco Restani

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This program was presented on April 15, 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 bottom right corner of that viewing screen to convert the image to “full screen”).

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The Yellowstone River Osprey Project with Marco Restani – Tuesday, April 15th at 7 p.m. – in-person and via Zoom

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In 2009 a few members of the Yellowstone Valley Audubon Society in Billings, Montana initiated a field study of Ospreys. They were interested in monitoring the distribution and abundance of the local population, and in helping management agencies and electric utilities reduce human-Osprey conflicts. That first year 3 members found 22 nests. Today over 40 volunteers monitor nearly 100 nests along the Yellowstone River in collaboration with power companies, landowners, and government agencies. This presentation will describe how nest monitors are trained to become proficient in Osprey observation and data collection. From the efforts of these dedicated volunteers, you will … Continue reading →

A Video of our March program: Behavior, Society, and Sex in Adolescent Birds with Dr. Liam Taylor

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

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Behavior, Society, and Sex in Adolescent Birds with Dr. Liam Taylor – Tuesday, March 18th at 7 p.m. – in-person and via Zoom

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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 →