Bird Ecology

An American Tree Sparrow perches on a branch while snow lightly falls around it.
March 23, 2023

The subtle beauty of a winter sparrow

story by Kyle Lima It’s a sunny day, and after being cooped up all winter you decide to get outside […]

Read More
View of a female common eider afloat deep blue water, with ripples in foreground.
February 21, 2023

Can we continue to call the Common Eider common?

story by Seth Benz In the Spring of 1991, I was working as an Audubon warden on an island near […]

Read More
American tree sparrow sits on branches, with pale blue sky background
December 30, 2022

New research shows dramatic declines in Acadia National Park winter bird populations

WINTER HARBOR, MAINE – Acadia National Park’s winter bird populations have declined by nearly half since 1971, according to a […]

Read More
November 1, 2022

42 million birds and counting

by Seth Benz The migration of birds along the Downeast coast of Maine is spectacular. According to Birdcast, a collaborative […]

Read More
Chickadees perch on the tips of spruce tree branches, silhouetted against a pale blue sky
October 17, 2022

A banditry of chickadees

story + photos by Seth Benz A black-capped chickadee “irruption” is most noteworthy among the usual migrating birds counted at […]

Read More
September 30, 2022

Sharp-shinned Rascals

In the September nor-westers also fly Hawks, sometimes in veritable companies. Evil little sharp-shinned rascals flap and sail through the […]

Read More
a group of about fifteen people sitting on rocky ledge looking through binoculars
September 16, 2022

Cadillac Mountain Hawk Watch has begun!

by Seth Benz Hawk Watch started in late August, and sharp-shinned hawks are on the move! We added 411 to […]

Read More
two long-legged birds at the water's edge
August 31, 2022

Late summer shorebirds

by Catherine Schmitt, Kyle Lima, & Seth Benz Shorebird migration is upon us, as the plovers, sandpipers, and other sand- […]

Read More
July 24, 2022

What’s going on with the cardinals?

story + photos by Seth Benz Recently a summer resident of Winter Harbor wondered if something might be happening with […]

Read More
June 6, 2022

Landscape of change: Year one results

by Catherine Schmitt, Kyle Lima, Seth Benz, and Peter Nelson Launched on April 19, 2021, Landscape of Change is a […]

Read More