The Natural History Center

06/05/2025

Yellow Spotted Salamander!

05/05/2025

You know you are an eBird addict when this is your track while preparing the front yard to become a native plants garden (our house is in the middle of the circle). Of course, whenever I'm outside, I always have eBird going. That was a LOT of trips hauling organic detritus. 25 species, including my first Rose-breasted Grosbeak of the season. The complete list:

- Mourning Dove
- American Herring Gull
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- Red-bellied Woodpecker (behaving like it is going to nest, this would be a new nesting species for our area)
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Pileated Woodpecker
- Northern Flicker
- Eastern Phoebe
- American Crow
- Common Raven
- Black-capped Chickadee
- Tufted Titmouse
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- White-breasted Nuthatch
- Purple Finch
- American Goldfinch
- Chipping Sparrow
- White-throated Sparrow
- Black-and-white Warbler
- Northern Parula
- Pine Warbler
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
- Black-throated Green Warbler
- Northern Cardinal
- Rose-breasted Grosbeak

27/04/2025

On a rainy day, our minds are turned toward our poikilothermic friends. How well do you know the frogs of coastal Maine? Friends of Acadia posted a wonderful amphibian quiz. See how well you can do.

Frogs are easy to ID—as frogs, at least. Can you identify these handsome hoppers?

19/04/2025

I have working in my dooryard all day. The high-pitched call of a Broad-winged Hawk had me thinking it was just a Blue Jay mimicking. I looked up and TWO Broad-winged Hawks were wheeling overhead and then landed in an oak next to our house. I wonder if these are the same pair that have been nesting in our woods for years….

25/03/2025

Earlier this month, I spent two days tromping around both Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge and Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge in central New York state, my childhood birding grounds. We rarely see such concentration of waterfowl here in Downeast Maine. These are a selection of photos . . . when I could pull myself away from birding.

24/03/2025

Bird tour season has begun with our first tour of the year. 47 species over the past two days!

1. Canada Goose
2. Wood Duck
3. Mallard
4. American Black Duck
5. Common Eider
6. Surf Scoter
7. Black Scoter
8. Long-tailed Duck
9. Bufflehead
10. Common Goldeneye
11. Common Merganser
12. Red-breasted Merganser
13. Wild Turkey
14. Rock Pigeon
15. Mourning Dove
16. Purple Sandpiper
17. Black Guillemot
18. Ring-billed Gull
19. Herring Gull
20. Great Black-backed Gull
21. Glaucous Gull
22. Horned Grebe
23. Red-necked Grebe
24. Common Loon
25. Northern Gannet
26. Great Cormorant
27. Turkey Vulture
28. Bald Eagle
29. Barred Owl
30. Downy Woodpecker
31. Hairy Woodpecker
32. Pileated Woodpecker
33. Northern Shrike
34. Blue Jay
35. American Crow
36. White-breasted Nuthatch
37. Brown Creeper
38. European Starling
39. American Robin
40. House Sparrow
41. House Finch
42. Fox Sparrow
43. Dark-eyed Junco
44. Song Sparrow
45. Red-winged Blackbird
46. Common Grackle
47. Northern Cardinal

21/05/2024

Live cams for watching birds have become quite popular, but what is better than watching one for a place we love such as Mount Desert Island. The MDI High School has a live feed of their Ospry nest! (Click on the link below to be redirected to the live cam.)

05/05/2024

Photos taken yesterday at Acadia National Park's Sieur de Monts Spring. This time of year, you expect Summer Tanagers In Virginia and south.

03/05/2024

Today marks our 14th year in business!

02/05/2024

Please help or friends at Maine Natural History Observatory with this fundraising request.

Help get MNHO back on the road (and on the water)!
⁠
Here’s what’s going on. In 2013, the Observatory bought its trusty 2001 Toyota Tacoma as a used vehicle with over 133 thousand miles. Now, 10+ years and 160 thousand miles later, we’ve just learned from our mechanic that the frame is rusting away. We’ve been budgeting to make this replacement for several years, but this sudden rust issue means that we have an immediate shortfall of about $8,000 in our truck budget.

You can help by sending a gift by June 1st so we don’t lose any fieldwork days this summer! Learn more at www.mainenaturalhistory.org

The truck is essential equipment for all the work the Observatory does surveying Maine’s flora and fauna.
It is used for:
1. Towing and launching boats into salt water upwards of 40 times a year to conduct fieldwork on Maine islands.
2. Numerous trips to remote areas in Maine to survey birds on logging roads.
3. Travel up and down the coast to conduct seaweed, plant, owl, and nightjar surveys.

How you can help:
1. Become a member of the Observatory (there are lots of benefits to membership!) or renew your existing membership at www.mainenaturalhistory.org.⁠ 100% of your membership dollars received during May will go toward this project.
2. Donate to the truck replacement fund online at www.mainenaturalhistory.org
Thank you!⁠

22/04/2024

Earth Day and the return of Wood Ducks are sure signs of spring. Happy Earth Day!