Peregrine Falcon Restoration in Acadia National Park – with Patrick Kark – Tuesday, September 21st

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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.

Peregrine Falcon – photo courtesy of Maine IFW

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 have impacted far outside the park’s borders. 

Peregrine Falcon chicks back in their scrape after being banded

Acadia also hosts the Cadillac Mountain Hawkwatch which is in its 27th counting season this fall.  Find out how Cadillac fits into the larger network of raptor migration monitoring sites across the continent.  Unlike other watch sites, Cadillac Mountain usually gives viewers unusual perspectives of birds that might include face-to-face photos of raptors that cross the highest mountain on the eastern seaboard. 

Patrick Kark came to Maine in 2014 as Acadia’s raptor intern. He has worked eight seasons at the park as an ornithology park ranger and is currently working as a visual information specialist for the park.

The program will begin at 7 p.m.  There’s no charge to participate, but advance registration is required. To do so, please click on this link and enter your name and email address:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_M1dJkSsYSVqLTKweZpvVQA

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. We hope you can join us!

To show our appreciation for raptors, YCA is making a contribution to The Peregrine Fund.  You can find out more and make a donation if you wish by visiting www.peregrinefund.org

Birds of SE Asia: a focus on Cambodian Natural History – with Howie Nielsen – Tuesday, June 15th

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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 of Cambodia, where he was Training Adviser for the Sam Veasna Center for Wildlife Conservation, a local affiliate of Wildlife Conservation Society. During his time in Cambodia he participated in bird surveys, developed a cohort of Cambodian bird guides, guided bird tours, and sampled bird populations for dangerous strains of avian influenza virus.  His program will give an overview of Cambodia ecosystems and their associated bird life. He will share some of his exciting experiences doing field work in the SE Asian bush such as the discovery of a bird previously unknown to science.

York County Audubon will be presenting this program online on Tuesday, June 15th at 7 p.m.  There’s no charge to participate, but you need to register in advance to watch this program. To do so, please click on this link and enter your name and email address:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_mBLhXFYTQG2Z2qUXrzjBnQ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

We hope you can join us!

Ravens, Wolves and People – with John Marzluff – Tuesday, May 18th

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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 understanding of the degree to which ravens rely on people and wolves.  Ravens have extensive knowledge of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem.  You will be surprised at the diverse ways they take advantage of human activities within this 6500 square mile area.

For decades, John has done research on corvids- a family of birds that includes ravens, crows, jays, and magpies. His work has benefited birds all over the world, from pinyon jays in Arizona, ravens in Greenland and golden eagles and prairie falcons in Idaho to Washington State’s goshawks and the endangered Hawaiian hawk, one of the rarest birds in the world.

John Marzloff PhD is a professor in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences at the University of Washington. He is the author of several books including, In the Company of Crows and Ravens; Gifts of the Crow: How Perception, Emotion, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans; and Welcome to Subirdia: Sharing Our Neighborhoods with Wrens, Robins, Woodpeckers, and Other Wildlife.

York County Audubon will be presenting this program online on Tuesday, May 18th at 7 p.m.  There’s no charge to participate, but you need to register in advance to watch this program. To do so, please click on this link and enter your name and email address:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vSf9GtzyRKeP6iijpd_qvg

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

We hope you can join us!

Decades of Change in Maine’s Birds – with Doug Hitchcox – Tuesday, April 20th

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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 collection from 1890, but no records since.

Bird Atlases are an essential tool for cataloging birds, and have been created for every U.S. state. From 1978-1983, birders created Maine’s first Breeding Bird Atlas, but it is now significantly out of date. Intensive work to create an updated second one is underway. 2021 marks the fourth year (of five) for this second Maine Bird Atlas, a project by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to document the breeding and winter ranges of Maine’s birds.

Northern Parula building a nest – Doug Hitchcox photo

On Tuesday, April 20th at 7 p.m., York County Audubon is pleased to present a zoom program entitled “Decades of Change in Maine’s Birds.”  Presenter Doug Hitchcox is the Outreach Coordinator for the Maine Bird Atlas and Staff Naturalist for Maine Audubon.  He will share an update on the project, focusing on what the goals are for the last two years and especially how you can help! Data collected as part of this project will be invaluable in guiding future species status assessments, priority species’ needs, and identifying and conserving high value wildlife habitats. In order for it to be successful, we need the help of community scientists, like yourselves, to help fill in the gaps before this survey is over.

York County Audubon will be presenting this program online. There’s no charge to participate, but you need to register in advance to watch this program. To do so, please click on this link and enter your name and email address:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_XGQxm2LyQkOX9PfYsGvkmw

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

We hope you can join us!

The Birds-of-Paradise Project: Natural history media for science and conservation – with Edwin Scholes – Tuesday, March 16th

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Red Bird of Paradise – photo by Tim Laman

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 Scholes is the founder and leader of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Birds-of-Paradise Project, and has been studying and documenting them since his first trip to New Guinea in 1999. It was in 1997 as an undergraduate biology student that Ed first saw the BBC documentary film “Attenborough in Paradise.” That film, which was the result of Sir David Attenborough’s lifelong passion for the birds-of-paradise, was the first to capture these birds’ wonder and beauty in any depth.  The film inspired Edwin to devote his career to their study and protection.

On Tuesday, March 16th, at 7 p.m., York County Audubon will be delighted to host Ed Scholes to tell us about these amazing creatures, and the efforts to preserve their threatened habitat.   FMI:  www.birdsofparadiseproject.org

York County Audubon will be presenting this program online. There’s no charge to participate, but you need to register in advance to watch this program. To do so, please click on this link and enter your name and email address:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Jtyi8u8uRRy5aESZyx_4ZA

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

We hope you can join us!

The Amazing Winter Crow Roost – with Bob Fox and Dana Duxbury-Fox – Tuesday, Feb 16th

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Photo by Craig Gibson

“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 social birds.

Photo by Craig Gibson

What brings these thousands of crows – a mix of residents and seasonal migrants from as far as the St. John’s River in Canada — to places like Lawrence for the winter from November to March?  Why do they stage so massively in the evenings, then fly off together in the dark to roost elsewhere, then scatter in the morning to forage for food as far as 50 miles away, then return to stage and roost for another night?  [Preceding description by Keith Eddings, The Eagle-Tribune]

On Tuesday, February 16th at 7 p.m., York County Audubon will be delighted to host Dana Duxbury-Fox and Bob Fox, who will share a wealth of information about crows. The Foxes are hardly amateurs. The couple from North Andover have birded worldwide through more than half a century, logging over 6,500 of the world’s 10,000 or so species.  In 2013, Bob co-authored “The Birds of New Hampshire,” a 473-page illustrated book that chronicles all 427 species living in that state.  He helped found Manomet Bird Observatory. Dana has spent 70+ summers in New Hampshire, where she became fascinated by loons. She has long been active in chronicling and protecting bird life.  FMI:  www.wintercrowroost.com

York County Audubon will be presenting this program online. There’s no charge to participate, but you need to register in advance to watch this program. To do so, please click on this link and enter your name and email address:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QQf_HF6ZTW2rjfvry-v9rw

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

We hope you can join us!

A Year in the Life of North American Owls – with Paul Bannick – Tuesday, January 19th

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“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: A Year in the Lives of North American Owls.  His dramatic images follow the owls through the course of one year in their distinct habitats, showing their courtship, mating and nesting in spring, fledging and feeding their young in summer, dispersal and gaining independence in fall, and, finally, winter’s migrations and competitions for food.

Paul’s work can be found prominently in many bird guides, including those from Audubon, Peterson, and The Smithsonian, and has been featured in The New York Times, Audubon, Sunset, Nature’s Best Photography Magazine, and National Geographic online.  After a successful career in the software industry, he chose to pursue his passion for wildlife conservation, and now works with Conservation Northwest, a Seattle based non-profit dedicated to protecting, connecting and restoring wildlands and wildlife from the coast of Washington to the Rockies of British Columbia.   FMI:  http://paulbannick.com/ and on Facebook under Paul Bannick Photography.

There’s no charge to participate, but you need to register in advance to watch this program. To do so, please click on this link and enter your name and email address:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_N-kbcTtzQIOSWua4YG3RdA

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

We hope you can join us!

The Birds of Maine – by Peter Vickery

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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:

The 2021 Maine Birds Desk Calendar is now available!

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For many years, our former Board member, Marie Jordan, an avid birder and photographer, has produced a calendar and offered it for sale, with her graciously donating the calendars to YCA to support our educational programs. We’ve always presented them at our fall program meetings, but this year that’s not possible, of course, 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 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.

The costs including postage and handling are:

1 calendar – $10 plus $4 postage and handling

2 calendars (mailed to one address) – $20 plus $6 postage and handling

3 calendars (mailed to one address) – $30 plus $8.50 postage and handling

4 calendars (mailed to one address) – $35 plus 8.50 postage and handling

Thank you!

The Narwhal’s Tusk: the ten most remarkable marine mammal adaptations – with Zack Klyver – November 17th

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Have you ever wondered why a narwhal has a tusk? How sperm whales catch squid in the deep dark ocean? Which whale has the biggest tail, lives the longest, and holds the world migration record? Did you know that whale “waste” results in great plant plankton blooms in the ocean that produce the oxygen we breath, slow climate change and help create more productive fisheries?

On Tuesday, November 17th, York County Audubon is delighted to host an online Zoom program featuring Maine marine mammal naturalist and conservationist Zack Klyver.  He will give a presentation based on a book he is writing titled The Narwhal’s Tusk: the ten most remarkable marine mammal adaptations. Over millions of years of evolution, marine mammal physiology has evolved to take full advantage of the world’s oceans. Marine mammals occupy all oceans and major rivers of the world.

Narwhals (c) Paul Nicklin and Getty Images

Sound and hearing are incredibly important to marine mammals as sound travels through ocean water four to five times more quickly than air. We will explore the magnificent sound production system called  echolocation in Sperm Whales – the largest of the toothed whales and the icon of Moby Dick.

Zack will draw on his personal travels from around the world, including the Arctic and Antarctica, and his encounter with the oldest known living blue whale in the world. Learn all about the narwhal’s tusk, how deep marine mammals dive, how long they live, and other examples of astounding adaptations. Recent scientific discoveries have also expanded our knowledge around the important role marine mammals play in oxygen production, carbon sequestration, and the regulation of global climate.

Zack was born in Nairobi, Kenya in 1968 and grew up in a commercial fishing family in Eastport, Maine, the eastern most city in the United States. He is a graduate of College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine, and has worked for thirty years as a whale watch naturalist guiding whale and seabird watching tours on the Gulf of Maine and around the world. During that time, he led over 3,000 trips with 600,000 people.

On Tuesday, November 17th at 7 p.m., we’re delighted to have Zack present this program. There’s no charge to participate, but you need to register in advance to watch this program. To do so, please click on this link and enter your name and email address:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_R-C17_1FSYKfW_Wi2PkLaQ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

We hope you can join us!

Our 2020 Bird Seed Sale is Coming!

York County Audubon Posted on by

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 access via the link in red below.

Order pick up (and additional opportunity for purchases) will be at the Wells Reserve on Friday, November 13th from 1 – 4 p.m., and Saturday, Nov 14th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with easy access and volunteers on hand to help load your car. 

For more information, please access the order form via this link:SeedSale2020Download

Conserving Reptiles and Amphibians – A Maine Focus with Greg LeClair – Oct 20th

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Gregory LeClair is a wildlife biologist with a contagious passion for amphibians and reptiles that he has honed from early in his life. In our October Zoom program, he will share his enthusiasm, concerns, and insight into diverse topics including amphibian extinction, the exotic pet trade, habitat destruction, the impact of human attitudes on wildlife conservation, and more. He’ll offer backyard landscaping recommendations, and offer other ways we can become involved in protecting these threatened species. Adults will love this fascinating program. It would also be appropriate for middle school or high school students who are curious about working with wildlife.

Greg LeClair is a master’s student at the University of Maine where he studies environmental DNA (eDNA) applications in turtle conservation. He graduated from Unity College in 2018 with a BS in Wildlife Biology, where he participated in herpetological research projects on snakes, salamanders, frogs, and turtles with Dr. Matthew Chatfield. Greg is the project creator of The Big Night: Maine Amphibian Migration Monitoring and hosts a YouTube show about wildlife conservation, GregmentsBio which features videos that detail the science behind these issues. His research projects focus on applied threatened species conservation with a strong taste for reptiles and amphibians.

On Tuesday, October 20th at 7 p.m., we’re delighted to have Greg present this program. There’s no charge to participate, but you need to register in advance to watch this program. To do so, please click on this link and enter your name and email address:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_K_JjaindRiue2KNQoFQxXA

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

We hope you can join us!