irds find Maine attractive for many of the same reasons we do—the state offers a unique blend of landscapes spanning from mountains to the sea, with forests, grasslands, rivers, marshes, and long coastlines in between. B Where we find beautiful places to hike and kayak, camp and relax, birds find the habitat they need for their survival. But while Maine’s diverse habitats serve an important role for over IBAs 400 bird species—some threatened, endangered, or of regional conservation in concern—the state’s not immune to a growing list of threats that puts these birds at further risk. Habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation due to development, toxins such as mercury and lead, oil spills on the coast and Maine inland waters, and climate change are top among them. BY ANDREW COLVIN In the face of these threats, a crucial step in conserving Maine’s birds is to identify the areas of the state that are most important for breeding, wintering, and migration. After several years of working toward that goal, Maine Audubon Lists Maine Audubon has recently completed the first phase of its Important 22 of the Most Important Bird Areas (IBA) program, identifying 22 areas across Maine that are vital Places in Maine for Vulnerable Birds to state—and even global—bird populations.

HANS TOOM ERIC HYNES

Eight of the rare birds used to identify IBAs in Maine (clockwise from left): Short-eared owl, black-throated blue warbler, least tern, common moorhen, scarlet tanager, harlequin duck, saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrow, and razorbill.

MIKE FAHEY

Important Bird Areas in Maine (Note: Several sites make up each IBA) Batson River IBA Greater Isle au Haut IBA Milbridge to Addison IBA Scarborough IBA Batson River, Sampson Cove Isle au Haut, Great Spoon Island, Little Narraguagus River and Bay/Back Bay, Scarborough Marsh Wildlife Spoon Islands, John’s Island, Heron Mill River/Flat Bay/Blasket Point, Management Area, Western Beach, Cape Elizabeth IBA Island, Spirit Ledge, The Cowpens/ Harrington River/Pleasant River, Pine Point Beach, Higgins Beach, Great Pond, Spurwink River Whitehorse Island/White and Green West River/Indian River Stratton Island Casco Bay Islands IBA Ledges Mount Desert IBA Thomaston IBA Flag Island, Jenny Island, Mark Island, Intervale Marshes IBA Mount Desert Narrows, Bass Harbor Marblehead Island, Weskeag Marsh Outer Green Island, Upper Green Island Morgan Meadow Wildlife Marsh, Egg Rock, Ship Island/ Upper Penobscot Bay IBA Deer Isle IBA Management Area Trumpet Island/Barge Ledges, Belfast Harbor, Flat Island, Howard Hardhead Island, Scraggy Island, The Thrumcap Isle of Shoals IBA Mendall Wildlife Management Area, Scraggy Ledge, Shabby Island, Appledore/Smuttynose/Duck Islands Muscongus Bay IBA Sandy Point Wildlife Management Shingle Island Hog Island, Wreck Island/Franklin Area, Penobscot River near Kennebunk Plains IBA Duck Islands IBA Island, Eastern Egg Rock Bucksport/Fort Knox The Plains Great Duck Island, Little Duck Island Outer Penobscot Bay IBA Wells IBA Lower Kennebec IBA Freeport/Brunswick IBA Matinicus Rock, Metinic Island, Crescent Surf Beach, Laudholm Beach, Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Brunswick Naval Air Station, Maquoit Seal Island Marginal Way, Mousam River, Area, Popham Beach State Park, Bay, Harraseeket River Rachel Carson/Webhannet/ Reid State Park Petit Manan IBA Wells Bay salt marshes Gerrish Island IBA Green Island, Petit Manan Island, Machias Bay IBA Fort Foster, Portsmouth Harbor Jordan’s Delight, Over Point, Next stage of project to focus on Machias Bay, Sprague Neck, Trafton Island identifying northern forest IBAs. Old Man Island, Libby Islands

6 VISIT WWW.MAINEAUDUBON.ORG HABITAT SPRING 2008 Maine IBA Criteria Three primary criteria were used to evaluate possible IBAs during the first phase of IBA identification. 3. Substantial 1. Threatened and 2. Species of Conservation Concern Concentrations of Birds Endangered Species Areas that regularly support species of conservation concern due or High Species Diversity Areas that regularly support birds listed to vulnerable and/or declining populations, either locally, regionally, or Areas that regularly support high as endangered or threatened at either globally. Areas ideally have at least 25 breeding pairs, 5 percent or more of concentrations of one or more species the state or federal level. Areas ideally the state population, or are one of the two or three areas in the state with at some point during the year. Sites include at least 1 percent of the state the highest regularly occurring numbers. should meet suggested thresholds for population in a season, or are one of the Species include: water birds, seabirds, shorebirds, wading three to five areas in the state with the American coot Cooper’s hawk Red-necked phalarope birds, raptors, or migratory land-birds. highest regularly occurring numbers. American three-toed Dunlin Red-shouldered hawk Areas that do not meet thresholds can Species include: woodpecker Eastern meadowlark Ruddy turnstone be considered if they have exceptional American pipit Peregrine falcon American woodcock Eastern screech-owl Rusty blackbird concentration, diversity, or unique Arctic tern Piping plover Baltimore oriole Eastern towhee Saltmarsh sharp-tailed combination of bird life compared to Atlantic puffin Razorbill Barrow’s goldeneye Field sparrow sparrow other areas. Bald eagle Roseate tern Bay-breasted warbler Great cormorant Scarlet tanager Black tern Sedge wren Bicknell’s thrush Laughing gull Short-billed dowitcher Golden eagle Upland sandpiper Black-billed cuckoo Leach’s storm-petrel Short-eared owl Grasshopper Blackburnian warbler Least bittern Vesper sparrow sparrow Black-crowned night- Loggerhead shrike Whimbrel Harlequin duck heron Long-eared owl Whip-poor-will Least tern Black-throated blue Louisiana waterthrush Willet warbler Nelson’s sharp-tailed Wood thrush Blue-winged warbler sparrow Yellow rail Bobolink Northern goshawk Yellow-throated vireo Canada warbler Northern harrier Cape May warbler Olive-sided flycatcher Chestnut-sided warbler Orchard oriole Common moorhen Prairie warbler Common tern Purple sandpiper

JOHN MOSESSO CHARLES WARREN USFWS About IBAs important areas after the difficult process of comparing and prioritizing sites. n IBA is a location that provides important habitat for “At this stage we focused on identifying the one or more species of breeding, wintering, or migrat- most important spots along the coast and major Aing birds. The program focuses on birds of conserva- wetlands in southern and central Maine,” said tion concern, large concentrations of birds, and birds Maine Audubon biologist Susan Gallo, who associated with unique or exceptional habitats. headed the project. “We have islands and shore- BirdLife International started the IBA program lines, as well as coastal wetlands, which are really as an effort to identify globally important bird areas. critical to a number of species, especially migrating Coordinating with Audubon in the U.S., 48 states shorebirds and seabirds.” have started IBA programs, developing criteria and Gallo said the next stage is to work on identify- identifying sites important to birds in their states. ing IBAs in northern forest habitats. To date, over 2,000 IBAs have been recognized in Pending a review by a national committee, PAUL GARRITY the United States. several Maine IBAs could be classified as globally Work on Maine’s IBA program started in 2001. important. Sites on the Batson and lower Kennebec Maine Audubon, along with the Maine Department rivers and in Cape Elizabeth, Freeport, Wells, and of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, formed a technical Scarborough Marsh met global population thresh- committee of over a dozen birders, biologists, and olds for piping plover and saltmarsh sharp-tailed state agency representatives to develop IBA criteria. sparrow. Gerrish Island and Scarborough Marsh Drawing from extensive birder observations and com- are also being considered for their importance to piling existing state and federal bird survey data, the the declining rusty blackbird, as is the Isle au Haut team then assembled a database of potential IBAs. IBA for harlequin duck. Next, committee members spent more than a “Having an IBA program in Maine benefits year weighing the candidates against criteria to see the state in a few ways,” Gallo said. IBAs help if they met population thresholds for threatened prioritize conservation efforts, complement and endangered species, species of conservation existing conservation programs, like Beginning concern, and large concentrations of birds, particu- with Habitat Focus Areas and designated Signifi- larly raptors, water birds, and migratory land birds. cant Wildlife Habitat, and include regionally They finalized the initial list of the 22 most important species not covered by other programs. STELLA WALSH

HABITAT SPRING 2008 VISIT WWW.MAINEAUDUBON.ORG 7 Piping plover A cornerstone •Expanding the IBA list to include private lands where landowners want to work closely with Maine of the IBA Audubon to manage for bird conservation. •Developing conservation plans for IBAs that program is prioritize management for bird habitat. citizen •Gathering more baseline data to identify additional IBAs. engagement. “Identifying IBAs is an ongoing process and this is simply the first step,” said Gallo. “There’s still a lot of important work to do from here.”

ERIC HYNES Maine and Birds As a lifelong birder, longtime Penobscot Valley be influential in furthering land-protection efforts Engaging Citizens Audubon officer, and Maine House of Representatives and helping to pass important legislative policies in “What really makes the IBA program a good match for member serving on the Natural Resources Committee, New York,” said Liner, including a state bird Maine Audubon is that it’s a great avenue for engaging Bob Duchesne knows well how important Maine is to conservation area program. the public, which is something we are always trying to birds, and birds are to Maine. Liner said that when a large development was do,” Gallo said. “It shows people that the special places When it comes to birds, what makes Maine a proposed near a Hudson River IBA, a local Audubon they care about in Maine are also important for birds.” special place is its unique combination of boreal chapter became involved, studying the development’s Audubon’s National IBA Program Director John Cecil forests and coastal waters, Duchesne said. There aren’t impacts to short-eared owl habitat. IBA information couldn’t agree more. “We see this as a locally driven, many states where both boreal warblers and pelagic was critical in mobilizing the members and convincing grassroots, bottom-up process,” he said. “Local species find the places they need to breed. But as in the state to protect core areas of the IBA, she said. engagement is a cornerstone of the IBA program’s other states, he said, inappropriate development puts “In New York the program has really been successful success in the United States.” pressure on these habitats. and has a lot of support from local residents and con- With a goal of someday having 3,000 IBAs across the The value of protecting birds in Maine is both servation partners,” said Liner, hoping to expand the country, the IBA program is a pillar of Audubon’s bird economic and personal, Duchesne said. As the creator program to work with private landowners proactively conservation work, Cecil said. “Many of these are places of the Maine Birding Trail, he points to the rise of to improve and ensure protection of IBAs. everyone in the country has a chance to see. If we can nature-based tourism and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife engage people in conserving their local places, then we Next Steps Service report that found wildlife watching is can get them to think about the bigger picture.” Similarly, Maine Audubon plans to use IBAs as a outpacing hunting and fishing for outdoor The IBA program offers an important resource to foundation to engage the public, work with landown- recreation in Maine. conservation activists on the ground, said Jillian Liner, di- ers, and encourage responsible land management. “To protect birds you have to identify the places rector of bird conservation for Audubon New York. New Next steps for the program include: that need protecting,” said Duchesne. York’s IBA program has been up and running for over 10 •Using GIS models to identify northern forest IBAs. Maine Audubon’s IBA work is supported in part by years, and includes 136 IBAs with publicly and privately •Coordinating IBA monitoring programs to get grants from the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund, the owned habitat from the Adirondacks to Central Park. birders on the ground to record observations that William P. Wharton Trust, and the Margaret E. “IBAs may not be regulatory, but they’ve proved to can be posted on a Web database. Burnham Charitable Trust. IBA in Focus: Maine’s Scarborough Marsh, Global IBA Candidate

Habitat: As the state’s largest contiguous salt- including whimbrels, short- and long-billed dow- marsh (about 3,000 acres), Scarborough Marsh itchers, dunlin, least and semipalmated sandpipers, Maine Audubon operates Scarborough Marsh supports a wide variety of flora and fauna. Fed by and greater yellowlegs. Several threatened or Audubon Center May through September. three rivers, the rich waters of the marsh are endangered species, including piping plover, important to a number of breeding wading birds. roseate tern, arctic tern, least tern, and peregrine falcon, have been recorded at the marsh. Bird Species: The marsh supports arguably the most significant breeding habitat in the state for Conservation Issues: Human impact has long Nelson’s and salt-marsh sharp-tailed sparrows, been an issue at Scarborough Marsh, which is making it eligible as a globally Important Bird Area. located near some of the most heavily developed Least bitterns breed in the freshwater wetlands and fastest-growing communities in southern surrounding the marsh and many species of wading Maine. State and federal agencies and other birds can be seen feeding in the large salt panne partners are working to restore tidal flow and complexes. Wading birds in the network of tidal control the spread of invasive species. Recent creeks during breeding season include glossy ibis, research on sharp-tailed sparrows at the site American oystercatcher, great blue and little blue revealed high levels of mercury, suggesting that heron, and snowy and great egret. The marsh also human activities around the marsh are having an provides feeding habitat for migrating shorebirds, impact on the site’s ecology. . RUDLAND INC . RAND B . DR Seeing the rare Bicknell’s thrush in its mountain habitat at dawn is unforgettable. Riding a chairlift there amid the dawn chorus could be even more memorable. Join us for this unique adventure to see Bicknell’s thrush and other high-elevation species at Saddleback Mountain on June 21. For more information, see page 6 of the Spring Activities Guide.

8 VISIT WWW.MAINEAUDUBON.ORG HABITAT SPRING 2008