Maine Natural History Observatory

10/09/2026

The fall issue of the Observer field journal has been published!

This issue features articles about Coordinating the Maine Bird Atlas, Piping Plovers, Gartersnake color variations, Common and Least Terns, Snapping Turtles, Riparian Swallows, and more!

If you are a current member of MNHO, you can read this issue by logging into your account at www.mainenaturalhistory.org/observer-2026-issue-4/ (or check your email for the link to this issue and the archives).

Not a member of the Observatory? Join MNHO for as little as $10 a year at www.mainenaturalhistory.org/subscribe-observer to read this issue, receive access to the entire Observer archives, and other member benefits.

Cover: European Green Crab and Asian Shore Crab by Maesie Halliday

10/07/2026

Learn how to tell apart the Bald-faced Hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) and its look-alike, the Bald-faced Hornet Fly (Spilomyia fusca).

You can download a PDF of this mini-guide and explore many others at: www.mainenaturalhistory.org/guides

10/02/2026

This first print run of The Maine Bird Atlas has sold out!

To everyone who has already ordered a copy of the Atlas, thank you so much! We are so delighted by the enthusiastic response to The Atlas. To anyone who still wants a copy, order soon to ensure you can get a copy of the limited, second print run. Read on for details...

HOW TO BUY THE ATLAS

OPTION 1
We are ordering a limited, second print run of The Atlas! Order ASAP so we can better plan the print run size and ensure you get a copy from this second batch. Barring any delays, your Atlas order will be shipped to you in early 2027.

You can order the Atlas from any of the 5 collaborating organizations and publisher:
- Maine Natural History Observatory (https://mainenaturalhistory.org/product/maine-bird-atlas-book/)
- Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (https://mefishwildlife.myshopify.com/products/maine-bird-atlas)
- Maine Audubon (https://maineaudubon.org/naturalist/)
- Biodiversity Research Institute (https://briwildlife.org/maine-bird-atlas/)
- University of Maine Press (https://umaine.edu/umpress/catalog/)

Choose which organization you want to support by ordering from them directly. By ordering from MNHO, you support local natural history research that prioritizes difficult-to-study and under-researched species and generates data to help future Maine biologists protect Maine flora, fauna, and habitats.

OPTION 2
Trying to get a copy of The Atlas before Christmas? A limited number of copies will be available to buy at the in-person book launch celebration planned for late November/early December. Stay tuned for details!

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The Maine Bird Atlas was a collaborative effort directed and funded by Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, with coordination, editing, and publication led by Maine Natural History Observatory in partnership with Maine Audubon and Biodiversity Research Institute. The Atlas is not only a bird book, it represents the largest natural history collaboration and statewide resource assessment ever undertaken in Maine.

MNHO specializes in collecting, publishing, & archiving biodiversity datasets on Maine’s least understood species, and creating natural history education tools.

10/02/2026

Check out MNHO's Nature Notes episodes from September!
(links in the comments)

- 9/6/26: Observations Along the Maine Coast, part 1
Setting out from Pemaquid Harbor in a 22-foot open sailboat, Glen begins a multi-day journey east along the Maine coast. Along the way, he encounters Wilson’s Storm-petrels and describes the remarkable migration that brings these Southern Hemisphere breeders to Maine waters during our summer.

- 9/13/26: Observations Along the Maine Coast, part 2
Continuing east from Tenants Harbor toward Penobscot Bay, Glen encounters several phalaropes, small shorebirds unusual for spending much of their time swimming on open water.

- 9/20/26: Observations Along the Maine Coast, part 3
Sailing from Penobscot Bay toward Swan’s Island, Glen passes Isle au Haut and reflects on nearly 40 years of winter waterbird surveys that began with his first study of Harlequin Ducks 1988.

- 9/27/26: Observations Along the Maine Coast, part 4
Sailing from Swan’s Island toward the Cranberry Islands, Glen encounters cormorants, gulls, and dozens of harbor seals around the Green Islands. He reflects on increasing seal populations and the decline in Common Eiders.

"Nature Notes: A Maine Naturalist Afield" is a 5-minute radio program produced by MNHO staff that discusses natural history topics relating to Maine’s flora and fauna from the perspective of field biologists and naturalists. It is broadcast on Community Radio WERU 89.9 FM on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. You can listen to past episodes anytime on the MNHO website: www.mainenaturalhistory.org/nature-notes/

Photos:
- Wilson's Storm-petrel by Logan Parker
- Harbor Seals by Logan Parker
- Anchored at Burnt Coat Harbor by Glen Mittelhauser
- Red-necked Phalarope by Panu Ruangjan

09/17/2026

The Maine Bird Atlas is now available to preorder!

You can order the Atlas from any of the 5 collaborating organizations and publisher:
- Maine Natural History Observatory (https://mainenaturalhistory.org/product/maine-bird-atlas-book/)
- Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (https://mefishwildlife.myshopify.com/products/maine-bird-atlas)
- Maine Audubon (https://maineaudubon.org/naturalist/)
- Biodiversity Research Institute (https://briwildlife.org/maine-bird-atlas/)
- University of Maine Press (https://umaine.edu/umpress/catalog/)

Choose which organization you want to support by ordering from them directly. By ordering from MNHO, you support local natural history research that prioritizes difficult to study and under-researched species and generating data to help future Maine biologists protect Maine flora, fauna, and habitats.

This first print run of The Atlas is currently making its way to the U.S. on a container ship. Barring any delays, your Atlas order will be shipped to you around late-October, 2026.
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The Maine Bird Atlas was a collaborative effort directed and funded by MDIFW, with coordination, editing, and publication led by Maine Natural History Observatory in partnership with Maine Audubon and Biodiversity Research Institute. The Atlas is not only a bird book, it represents the largest natural history collaboration and statewide resource assessment ever undertaken in Maine.

MNHO specializes in collecting, publishing, & archiving biodiversity datasets on Maine’s least understood species, and creating natural history education tools.

09/14/2026

Secure your perch for the final Maine Bird Atlas presentation!

We’re celebrating the historic culmination of the Atlas, and the countless volunteers and partners who made it possible, with the final Maine Bird Atlas presentation. Come discover where Maine birds are today, and where conservation is heading tomorrow.

📅 This Wednesday, September 16 at 7pm
🖥️ Free online presentation
🐦 Register: maineaudubon.org/events/maine-bird-atlas-final-presentation-online

The Maine Bird Atlas was a collaborative effort directed and funded by Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, with coordination, editing, and publication led by Maine Natural History Observatory in partnership with Maine Audubon and Biodiversity Research Institute. Online preorders of the Atlas from each of the project collaborators for the book open at 8:30pm following the presentation.

The Atlas is not only a bird book, it represents the largest natural history collaboration and statewide resource assessment ever undertaken in Maine.

09/08/2026

Register now for the Maine Bird Atlas Final Presentation!
Wednesday, September 16th at 7:00 pm (EDT).
Link to register: https://maineaudubon.org/events/maine-bird-atlas-final-presentation-online/
This online presentation will highlight the most significant findings from the Maine Bird Atlas, give context for why the Atlas matters, share volunteer stories, and discuss range shifts, population estimates, research beyond the Atlas, archiving Atlas data, and more!

ATLAS PREORDERS:
Preorders for the Atlas will open at 8:30pm following the final Atlas presentation on September 16th, but you are not required to attend the presentation to place an order.

The Atlas will be available to preorder from the 5 collaborating organizations and publisher:
- Maine Natural History Observatory (https://mainenaturalhistory.org/product/maine-bird-atlas-book/)
- Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (https://www.maine.gov/ifw/fish-wildlife/maine-bird-atlas/index.html)
- Maine Audubon (https://maineaudubon.org/naturalist/)
- Biodiversity Research Institute (https://briwildlife.org/maine-bird-atlas/)
- University of Maine Press (https://umaine.edu/umpress/catalog/)

Choose which organization you want to support by ordering from them directly.

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The process of preparing the Maine Bird Atlas for publication has been a long road, and wouldn't have been possible without the hard work of many! The Atlas authors spent 3 intensive years checking and interpreting all the data, designing the book layout, producing over 800 detailed maps, and writing the species accounts for the over 300 breeding and wintering bird species in Maine. The Maine Bird Atlas was a collaborative effort directed and funded by Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, with coordination, editing, and publication led by Maine Natural History Observatory in partnership with Maine Audubon and Biodiversity Research Institute. The Atlas is not only a bird book, it represents the largest natural history collaboration and statewide resource assessment ever undertaken in Maine.

Front cover art: Jada Fitch (Jada Fitch Illustration)
Back cover art: Michael Boardman (Coyote Graphics)

09/01/2026

Check out MNHO's Nature Notes episodes from August!
(links in the comments)

- 8/9/26: Maine Frogs with Steve Ressel, part 4
Glen joins herpetologist Steve Ressel beside a pond at dusk to listen to the breeding chorus of Maine’s frogs and learn how to distinguish the calls of Spring Peepers, Bullfrogs, Green Frogs, and Pickerel Frogs.

- 8/16/26: Surveying Plants on Maine Islands, part 1
Glen begins a multi-day botanical inventory of Little Spruce Island off the coast of Downeast Maine. He describes the logistics of reaching remote islands, the slow pace of searching for plants, and why botanists rely on scientific names to accurately document the diversity they find.

- 8/23/26: Surveying Plants on Maine Islands, part 2
Glen explains why each island supports a unique plant community shaped by its history and environment. He reflects on the importance of documenting these remote floras today to provide the baseline data needed to understand ecological change in the future.

- 8/30/26: Snowy Egret and Cormorant Commensal Feeding
An essay by Lewis Holmes describing an unusual feeding association between Snowy Egrets and cormorants on the tidal flats of Scarborough.

"Nature Notes: A Maine Naturalist Afield" is a 5-minute radio program produced by MNHO staff that discusses natural history topics relating to Maine’s flora and fauna from the perspective of field biologists and naturalists. It is broadcast on Community Radio WERU 89.9 FM on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. You can listen to past episodes anytime on the MNHO website: www.mainenaturalhistory.org/nature-notes/

Photos:
- Snowy Egret by Lewis Holmes
- Lysimachia maritima by Glen Mittelhauser
- Spring Peeper by Logan Parker

08/25/2026

More than birders. More than birding.

To take flight, the Maine Bird Atlas required a multi-talented team from planning through publication. Directed and funded by Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, with coordination, editing, and publication led by Maine Natural History Observatory in partnership with Maine Audubon and Biodiversity Research Institute, the completed Atlas reflects nine years of collaboration.

Finding birds was just one piece of the puzzle. It took a village for protocol development, administrative and technological support, data management, web development, outreach, editing, publication, and more.

The result:
📊A powerhouse dataset that propels Maine bird conservation forward with the rigor of current science.
🏆A demonstration of scientific leadership as the largest natural history collaboration and statewide resource assessment ever undertaken in Maine.
📖An indispensable resource for biologists, educators, policymakers, and birders alike.

From knowledge needed to safeguard species and protect habitat, to fuel for curiosity and community engagement, the Maine Bird Atlas is a must-read for anyone invested in the future of Maine birds. The window to preorder begins next month!