Maine's 1st Winter Bird Atlas

Winter is a critical time of year for birds because it is the time when food and cover can be most limiting. Winter mortality, often associated with severe weather events, can dramatically affect populations. In addition, the condition and health of birds coming out of a winter season can affect their breeding performance many months later. Despite this, we know little about birds that winter in Maine. The Maine Bird Atlas winter survey is the result of the lack of baseline data on the distribution and abundance of the state’s winter avifauna.

Field work for the Maine Winter Bird Atlas was completed from 2018-2023 and documented the distribution and relative abundance of birds in Maine from 14 December to 15 March. This winter survey period was determined by an assessment of migration timing for the majority of Maine's avifauna, by matching survey windows for annual Christmas Bird Counts, and an analysis of historical winter eBird records.

Project Staff :

Project Director:

Adrienne Leppold, Ph.D. (MDIFW)

Project Coordinator:

Glen Mittelhauser (Maine Natural History Observatory)

Outreach Coordinator:

Doug Hitchcox (Maine Audubon)

Spatial Analysis and Mapping:

Amy Meehan McLaughlin (MDIFW)

Ecological Modeler:

Evan Adams, Ph.D. (Biodiversity Research Institute)

Winter Atlas Technician:

Logan Parker (Maine Natural History Observatory)

Regional Coordinators:

Bill Sheehan, Don Lima, Chris West, Judy Roe, Kyle Lima, Sandi + Bob Duchesne, Nick Leadley, Kate Weatherby, Chuck Whitney, Malcolm Hunter, Maurry Mills, Rich MacDonald, Woody Gillies, Steve Mierzykowski, Herb Wilson, Tom Aversa, Don Reimer, Seth Benz, Logan Parker, Seth Davis, Pete McKinley, Chris Lewey, Kevin Rogers, Laura Minich Zitske, Becky Marvil, Scott Richardson, John Wyatt

Atlas Steering Committee:

Adrienne Leppold, Glen Mittelhauser, Doug Hitchcox, Amy Meehan McLaughlin, Evan Adams, Bill Hancock, Bill Sheehan, Bob Duchesne, Louis Bevier, Judy Camuso, Tom Hodgman, Amber Roth, Laura Zitske

Scientific and Technicial Subcommittee:

Adrienne Leppold, Glen Mittelhauser, Doug Hitchcox, Amy Meehan McLaughlin, Evan Adams Amber Roth, Brian Olsen, Malcolm Hunter, Herb Wilson

Volunteers:

Too many to count or name here! You deserve our heartfelt gratitude. This project could not have been completed without all of you. From those who contributed backyard observations to those who completed "block-busting" trips, you made this project a success.

We would also like to acknowledge all the private landowners who granted access to their land. A warm "thank you" to all of you, as well.