Tag Current Projects

Purple Sandpiper Surveys

In the early 2000s, Glen Mittelhauser and collaborators at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife conducted the first systematic survey of coastal Maine to document the distribution and study the winter ecology of Purple Sandpipers. Today, MNHO’s Postdoctoral…

Harlequin Ducks in Jericho Bay

In the 1990s, research indicated that Jericho Bay was the single largest wintering location for Harlequin Ducks in Eastern North America, but the latest research suggests this is no longer the case.

Nest Box Monitoring

Monitor a Nest Box on your property! Each spring, Maine experiences an influx of hundreds of migratory breeding birds, many of whom utilize cavities for nesting sites. Our state, with its rich mosaic of different habitat types, provides suitable breeding…

Nightjar Monitoring

NOVEMBER FUNDRAISER The Motus antenna fundraiserto track Nightjars was a success! We met our November fundraising goal! Thanks to your generous support, we will be deploying a new Motus receiver station this spring to gather additional insights on Maine’s nightjars.…

Boreal Habitat Owl Surveys

Owls are among the most charismatic and recognizable orders of birds in the world, yet their secretive life histories, elusive nature, and nocturnal habits, with breeding initiated during the winter months, mean they are chronically understudied. Maine is no exception…

Petit Manan Owl Monitoring Station

Monitoring the migration of Northern Saw-whet and Long-eared Owls in Downeast Maine since 2015 The Petit Manan owl migration station is a collaborative effort of Project Owlnet with Maine Natural History Observatory.  David Brinker is the principal investigator.  This station…

Maine Bird Atlas

The Maine Bird Atlas is a project of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in partnership with Maine Natural History Observatory, Maine Audubon, and Biodiversity Research Institute.  The data collection phase of the project was from 2018-2022 with the…

Coastal Plant Inventories

The Observatory has conducted plant inventories on over 75 islands along the coast of Maine and counting. This project aims to improve understanding of plant abundance and distribution on Maine’s coastal islands and set down baseline data. The maps and…

Coastal Songbirds

Maine's small islands—particularly those along the Downeast coast—may act as important refuge from climate change for boreal bird species...