For nine students at Harpswell Coastal Academy, Wednesdays in May meant donning knee-high boots, venturing to a nearby wetland, and hoping for signs a hungry great blue heron had been there. As part of a spring class elective, these students were dedicated to helping MDIFW ultimately tag a great blue heron with a GPS transmitter as part of an ongoing project to better understand heron habits in Maine.

On a beautiful May day, I had the pleasure to visit an island off the coast of Portland. After a short boat ride from a local captain and an even shorter dinghy ride, we arrived on the shore of Ram Island. Accompanied by MDIFW biologists Danielle D'Auria and Brad Allen and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists Bob Houston and Kirstin Underwood, I looked on with binoculars to get a feel for the bird diversity on the island. I was blown away immediately by the sight of all the birds. I could see everything from gulls to egrets, sandpipers, and oystercatchers. The coastline was rocky and marked with cliffs and vegetation that were perfect nesting habitat for gulls and eiders. The center of the island was very green with dense vegetation, perfect for wading birds.

By Daniel H. Hill-Natural Resource Manager-MDIFW

By Wildlife Biologist Allen Starr

By Sarah Spencer, Wildlife Biologist

I recently joined several wildlife biologists to conduct stand level habitat assessments on a piece of property being managed primarily for wildlife in western Maine. While our primary goal was evaluating shelter value of softwood stands for deer wintering habitat, there was much more to see in the woods than the trees themselves. As we meandered through each stand, signs of spring and early summer were everywhere.

As you head outdoors this season, remember this motto when encountering wildlife, especially young animals: If you care, leave them there.

Wildlife is very active time of the year and it's not unusual to come across baby fawns, moose calves, fox, raccoons and other young wildlife in fields, woodland areas or even in backyards, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to intervene.

By Regional Fisheries Biologist Frank Frost