Nature Notes: A Maine Naturalist Afield 6/7/26: Seabird Management in a warming Gulf of Maine, Part 2

Host/Producer: Glen Mittelhauser

Continuing a conversation with Linda Welch, this episode takes listeners inside the day-to-day work of monitoring seabirds along the Maine coast, from tracking diet and chick growth to documenting survival and productivity across multiple islands. Drawing on observations from sites like Petit Manan Island, Linda describes the seasonal timing of breeding and how food availability shapes the success of species.

More information about Maine Natural History Observatory can be found on our website at mainenaturalhistory.org/.

About the hosts:
Glen Mittelhauser founded Maine Natural History Observatory (MNHO) in 2003 to fill the need for an organization that specializes in collecting, interpreting, and maintaining datasets for understanding changes in Maine’s plant and wildlife populations. Glen received his Bachelor’s in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic in 1989 with a focus in the biological sciences and received his Master of Science degree in Zoology (with a focus on ornithology and statistics) from the University of Maine in 2000. Glen was the Managing Editor for Northeastern Naturalist and Southeastern Naturalist for 18 years and has served as external graduate faculty for 3 graduate student committees at the University of Maine. Glen currently serves on the Baxter State Park Research Committee.

Logan Parker is an Ecologist residing in Waldo County, Maine. Logan started the Maine Nightjar Monitoring Project in 2017 and brought the project (and his passion for bird conservation) to MNHO when he joined the team in 2018. Logan is heavily involved in the ongoing Maine Bird Atlas where he both coordinates and participates in the project’s special species surveys. When “off the clock”, Logan enjoys birding, writing, gardening, and working alongside his wife, Hallee, on their off-grid home in the Maine woods. Logan is also a wildlife photographer and shares photos and field notes through his project, Here In The Wild.