Please click on the link below to view the Autumn 2023 issue of our Harlequin newsletter:
https://www.yorkcountyaudubon.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Harlequin-Autumn-2023.pdf
The Harlequin – Autumn 2023
The 2024 Maine Birds Desk Calendar is on its way!
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 also make great gifts! And York County Audubon tremendously appreciates your support for our programs.
To place an order, please make out a check payable to York County Audubon, write Calendar in the memo line, and mail it to Marie Jordan, 32 Crestview Drive, South Portland, ME 04106. Be sure to include the address or addresses that the calendar(s) should be sent to. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Marie at wooddk5555@gmail.com.
Note that the calendars will be available November 1st.
The costs including postage and handling are:
1 calendar – $10 plus $5.00 postage and handling
2 calendars (mailed to one address) – $20 plus $5.75 postage and handling
3 calendars (mailed to one address) – $30 plus $10.50 postage and handling
4 calendars (mailed to one address) – $35 plus $10.50 postage and handling
(Note: these rates reflect the latest USPS increases.)
Thank you!
2023 Bird Seed Sale – Our 25th Annual – Early Bird Pricing Deadline is October 27th
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. Proceeds from our annual sale support 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.
Additional items this year include feeders, mealworm suet and Feather Friendly window markers to keep your birds safe. 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 on November 3rd and 4th with easy access and volunteers on hand to help load your car.
Please click on this link to view and print the order form:
https://www.yorkcountyaudubon.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Bird-Seed-Sale-2023_order-form.pdf
How the Personalities of Small Mammals Shape the Growth of Forests – with Maisie Merz and Ivy Yen – Tuesday, October 24th – In-person and via Zoom
An entertaining exploration of the role that small mammals play in forest regeneration and the movement of trees in Maine. We all know our cats and dogs have personalities, but have you ever wondered about the squirrels in your backyard? How would you even go about evaluating personality traits in squirrels, mice, or voles and why would you bother?
These small mammals play an important but often unseen role in forest regeneration and the movement of trees, dispersing the seeds of the towering forests here in Maine. While this role is known at the species level, unique individuals display varying personalities, with some consistently acting more boldly than others or consistently showing higher activity levels. Personality in the mice and voles of our forests has consequences for where small mammals are living, how they are foraging, and what they are doing with the seeds they find. Small mammals with contrasting personality traits are contributing to ecosystem services such as seed dispersal in different ways. Their behavior is influencing forest regeneration.
Land-use change, such as forest management or urbanization, and climate change are also at work altering the composition of forests and the distribution of personality traits within populations. We explore the intersection of these factors and investigate how the personalities of small mammals shape the growth of forests and how this may be shifting under changing land-use and climate change conditions. All this in turn affects the habitat and impacts birds and all other life in the forest.
On Tuesday, Octoberber 24th, at 7 p.m., York County Audubon is pleased to host Maisie Merz and Ivy Yen, second year PhD students at the University of Maine. Under the guidance of Dr. Alessio Mortelliti, they study the consequences of small mammal personality on several ecological processes that shape the forest landscape. Their presentation includes slides and night video that is entertaining, educational, and surprising! It will be interesting and fun to learn about mammals we rarely see much less understand.
This program will be presented in-person in the Mather Auditorium of the Wells Reserve at Laudholm, and will also be viewable via Zoom. To view via Zoom, you’ll need to register in advance. To do so, please click on this link and enter your name and email address:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_mof6PHp4T9qOga4vu1jY9g
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
We hope you can join us in-person, or, if not, via Zoom!
A Video of our September program: The Birds of Guatemala
This program was presented on September 19, 2023 in-person at the Wells Reserve at Laudholm and 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.
Intro to Foraging – with Dan Gardoqui – Saturday afternoon, September 23rd
Are you curious about wild foods and foraging during this season of abundance? Does uncertainty and concern stop you from sampling healthy, wild foods? Join us at the Wells Reserve with forager and expert naturalist Dan Gardoqui of Lead with Nature. 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, and bring along a water bottle. Please note that foraging is NOT permitted at the Wells Reserve outside of this program. We encourage you to find legal places to forage near your home.
Dan Gardoqui has been studying naturalist skills, wildlife tracking, bird language, and mentoring for over 30 years. Dan has a M.S. in Natural Resources, is a Certified Wildlife Tracker, Registered Maine Guide, and served as Science Faculty at Granite State College. Dan co-founded and led the nature connection nonprofit, White Pine Programs for 20 years. He currently runs Lead with Nature, where he helps leaders find success and meaning through nature-based consulting services & adventures.
York County Audubon is co-hosting this program with and at The Wells Reserve. It will run from 1 pm to 4 pm. Advance registration is required, and the cost is $25 for members (of either YCA/Maine Audubon or the Wells Reserve), or $30 for non-members. To register, please email suzanne@wellsnerr.org or call Suzanne at (207) 646-1555 x116. Please note: Program fee does not include site admission fee.
The Birds of Guatemala – with Doug Hitchcox – at the Wells Reserve and via Zoom – on Tuesday, September 19th
Guatemala is a wonderful birding destination with many avian specialties, beautiful scenery, a colorful culture (including the proud Mayan, perhaps the richest indigenous culture remaining in the New World), and some of the best coffee in the world.
In March of this year, Doug Hitchcox was a leader of a spectacular trip to view the birds of Guatemala. The areas that they visited were varied, from the cool pine-oak forests near Antigua and Tecpan (think Pink-headed Warbler) to humid tropical lowland forests in the Petén (the Caribbean slope).
The tour started in the Petén with a visit to the Classic Mayan site of Tikal and Las Guacamayas which added a large number of birds (not possible on the Pacific Highlands side), including the opportunity to see Orange-breasted Falcon, as well as several Yucatan endemics that include Ocellated Turkey, Yucatan Poorwill, Yucatan Flycatcher, and the striking Gray-throated Chat. Tikal is easily one of the best birding sites in all of Central America, but it will also amaze you for the immensity of the surrounding forest and the grandeur of the temples and complexes.
On Tuesday, September 19th, at 7 p.m., York County Audubon is pleased to host YCA Board member Doug Hitchcox who will present this program. Doug is the Staff Naturalist for Maine Audubon. In his free time, Doug is one of Maine’s eBird reviewers, owner and moderator of the ‘Maine-birds’ listserv, and member of the Maine Bird Records Committee. He also served as the Outreach Coordinator for the Maine Bird Atlas, and writes a regular nature column for the Portland Press Herald.
This program will be presented in-person in the Mather Auditorium of the Wells Reserve at Laudholm, and will also be viewable via Zoom. To view via Zoom, you’ll need to register in advance. To do so, please click on this link and enter your name and email address:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_A9sbOK_bRg2whvNVQkZk9w
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
We hope you can join us in-person, or, if not, via Zoom!
How Can I? – with Enock Glidden – Tuesday, August 22nd
Join Enock Glidden as he shares stories of his life using the question “How can I?” to accomplish many adventures, including his 2016 ascent of El Capitan. He will also delve into his work with Maine Trail Finder and his mission to get more people of all abilities to enjoy the outdoors of Maine.
An avid and accomplished outdoorsman, Enock Glidden can be found adventuring every season of the year throughout his home state of Maine. As a person born with a disability, Enock is a passionate advocate for making trails more accessible for all. He hikes extensively, assessing and writing about his experiences through the award-winning Maine Trail Finder website. His blogs and experiences have been shared widely in local, state, and national media outlets, and Maine Magazine named him one of their Mainers of the Year in 2022. Out on trails, Enock works directly with trail managers to assess both physical and communication barriers that can be minimized or eliminated to make those experiences more accessible and welcoming for everyone.
This in-person program is being co-hosted by the Wells Reserve and York County Audubon, and will be held in the Wells Reserve’s Mather Auditorium, beginning at 7 p.m. It will be in-person only without Zoom streaming. A suggested donation of $5 would be greatly appreciated to help offset the costs of this special program. We hope to see you there!
Wildlife Track and Sign by the Sea – with Dan Gardoqui – Sunday, July 23rd
The sands of Laudholm Beach reveal the stories of a diverse array of birds, mammals and invertebrates. Join Certified Wildlife Tracker and Maine Guide Dan Gardoqui for an enlightening morning of decoding stories in the sand. Participants will need to walk about 3 miles and spend time on uneven surfaces. Please bring your own water and snacks.
About the Presenter
Dan Gardoqui has been studying naturalist skills, wildlife tracking, bird language, and mentoring for nearly 30 years. Dan has a M.S. in Natural Resources, is a Certified Wildlife Tracker, Registered Maine Guide, and served as Science Faculty at Granite State College. Through wildlife tracking, Dan has contributed to wildlife studies and served as science editor for the bird language book What the Robin Knows. Dan co-founded and led the nature connection nonprofit, White Pine Programs for 20 years. He currently runs Lead with Nature, where he helps leaders find success and meaning through nature-based consulting services & adventures.
YCA is co-hosting this program with partner the Wells Reserve. It will run from 7:30 am to 10:30 am. Advance registration is required, and the cost is $25 for members (of either YCA/Maine Audubon or the Wells Reserve), or $30 for non-members. To register, please email suzanne@wellsnerr.org or call Suzanne at (207) 646-1555 x116.
Please note: Program fee does not include site admission fee.
Birds of Prey: Our Talon-ted Friends – with the Center for Wildlife and their Wildlife Ambassadors – Tuesday, June 20th – at the Wells Reserve, in-person only
What is the difference between a hawk and a falcon? Do we have vultures in Maine? What is our smallest owl? What is our largest hawk? Where do they live? Using our amazing live non-releasable bird ambassadors, posters, and hands-on materials, we will discuss the kinds of birds of prey found in Maine, their habitats, habits, place in the food chain, and why we need to protect them. This program will connect the audience with these beautiful ambassadors of their species as well as provide their natural and personal histories and empower audience members to help to steward the environment we all share.
Nestled at the base of Mount Agamenticus in Cape Neddick for 33 years, CFW has treated over 50,000 injured and orphaned wild animals and presented programming to thousands of community members annually. CFW’s vision is to instill a sense of understanding, responsibility, and compassion for our natural world leading to a society connected to nature and empowered to take action, and we do this through conservation medicine, environmental education, community empowerment, and advocacy. FMI: www.thecenterforwildlife.org
We are proud to host CFW for this program, as we have long supported their work. The program will be presented in-person in the Mather Auditorium of the Wells Reserve at Laudholm, and will be preceded by a short YCA annual meeting starting at 7 pm. It will be in-person only without Zoom streaming. We hope you can join us!