Maine Natural History Observatory

06/21/2026

This is a great opportunity to help Maine's swift and swallow population! Bird researchers need your help to document swift and swallow nest sites across the state. Learn more at www.maine.gov/ifw/fish-wildlife/community-science-projects/maine-nest-quest.html

Binoculars ready? Welcome to the first season of Maine Nest Quest, a community science mission to map Maine's nesting swifts and swallows!

Birders, paddlers, anglers, and landowners are a perfect fit for this project, but anyone who enjoys a good outdoor scavenger hunt is welcome to join the flock!

All swift and swallow nests count, but your main mission is to locate nesting colonies of two State Threatened species - bank swallows and cliff swallows. With every reported observation, Maine Nest Questers will power bird conservation.

How to join the quest:
Swoop on over to mefishwildlife.com/mainenestquest to explore project goals, learn what to look for, and start submitting observations.

06/18/2026

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is looking for the federally Endangered Rusty Patched Bumble Bee and we need more eyes!

06/17/2026

This summer, MNHO staff and volunteers are field testing a new Tree Swallow nest box design with increased air flow and a heat shield panel on the roof to help protect the nests from more extreme climate conditions. Many of the boxes installed this spring are currently occupied by nesting Tree Swallows, and the preliminary results are promising!

To learn more, visit: www.mainenaturalhistory.org/tree-swallow-project-update-june-2026/

This project is a collaboration with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife and Swallow Conservation. Our efforts this year are made possible by the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund - MOHF and by the many private landowners who permitted us to conduct monitoring efforts on their properties this year.

06/08/2026

MNHO is excited to announce the launch of our latest research project: the Maine Riparian Swallow Survey.

The primary focus of this effort will be to document Bank Swallow distribution, abundance, and habitat use along Maine’s waterways. Earlier this spring, MNHO Ecologist, Logan Parker, began conducting pilot survey efforts that will inform the development of a statewide, community science survey effort beginning in 2027.

This effort is being conducted as part of our expanding initiative focused on Maine's declining aerial insectivores conducted in partnership with Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife and Swallow Conservation.

To learn more about this project, visit: https://mainenaturalhistory.org/riparian-swallow-surveys/

06/07/2026

Learn how to tell apart two of Maine's aerial insectivores: Barn Swallow and Cliff Swallow.

Check out the link in the comments to learn about MNHO's Cliff Swallow Colony Monitoring program (a collaboration with Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife and Swallow Conservation). More details on how to submit observations to help this project will be available soon. Stay tuned!

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

06/01/2026

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

- A Hike Down the Hemlock Trail, part 4 (aired May 10th)
Glen talks with Rich MacDonald of the Natural History Center during a winter walk in Acadia National Park, exploring the ethical tensions when observing wildlife in distress and finding the balance between natural processes and human intervention.

- A Hike Down the Hemlock Trail, part 5 (aired May 17th)
Glen concludes his conversation with Rich MacDonald, reflecting on forest structure, succession, and the complexity of ecological systems.

- Rare Birds – Are More Visiting Maine? (aired May 24th)
An essay by Rob Speirs exploring whether the apparent increase of rare birds in Maine reflects real change or simply more observers equipped with better tools.

- Seabird Management in a warming Gulf of Maine, part 1 (aired May 31st)
Glen speaks with seabird biologist Linda Welch about her long-term work at Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge, tracing her career from early research on Bald Eagle populations to nearly three decades studying breeding seabirds along the Maine coast.

"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:
- Common Raven by Logan Parker
- Arctic Tern by Andy Oxley
- Great Meadow by Glen Mittelhauser
- Anhinga by Logan Parker

05/28/2026

Exciting news from the Seaweeds of Maine project!

The team has surveyed more than 100 sites so far, identifying and photographing seaweeds across the state, and is hard at work writing identification keys for the upcoming field guide.

The surveying process also involves using DNA to ensure correct identification (called DNA barcoding). So far, using DNA barcoding, we have found nine new molecularly-confirmed records for Maine, two significant range expansions, a new record for the United States, two new molecular records for the Northwest Atlantic, and one unknown species.

See the link in the comments to view the full poster and learn more.

Poster by MNHO Ecologist Jordan Chalfant and Taxonomist & Phycologist at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Amanda Savoie.

05/26/2026

Nightjar monitoring season is underway here in Maine!

MNHO staff and volunteers are conducting surveys for Common Nighthawks and Eastern Whip-poor-wills all across the state. The first survey window of the year began on May 23 and runs until June 8.

Want to get outside to listen for nightjars while helping to collect data essential to understanding the status of these aerial insectivores? Surveys are run just once per year and take just over an hour to complete. See the links in the comments to join the project today!

05/15/2026

Submit your field notes, articles, and photos by June 1st to be considered for the summer issue of The Observer!

Submission guidelines: www.mainenaturalhistory.org/observer-submissions

The Observer is an online natural history journal published by MNHO where naturalists of all experience levels can connect, share nature observations, and expand upon their collective knowledge about Maine biota.

Download a free copy or subscribe: https://mainenaturalhistory.org/field-journal-maine-natural-history-observer/

05/15/2026

The Midcoast Kestrel Project takes flight!
This winter, MNHO staff and Mid-Coast Audubon volunteers built more than two dozen kestrel nest boxes to deploy during the 2026 field season. This effort marks the expansion of the Midcoast Kestrel Project (a collaboration between MNHO, Mid-Coast Audubon, and Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife) to provide much-needed nest sites for these birds and understand the population declines we have been seeing in midcoast Maine in recent decades.
Read more at www.mainenaturalhistory.org/midcoast-kestrel-project-takes-flight/

Sincere thanks to Mid-Coast Audubon for their generous support, and the many landowners and property managers who are allowing us to deploy and monitor nest boxes on their properties.

Stay tuned for updates! We look forward to sharing the results of this exciting collaboration as the season progresses.

Photos by Logan Parker