Nature Notes: A Maine Naturalist Afield 5/24/26: Rare birds – Are more visiting Maine

WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Audio Archives · May 24, 2026 · 5m

Host/Producer: Glen Mittelhauser In this episode, Celeste reads an essay by Rob Speirs exploring whether the apparent increase of rare birds in Maine reflects real change or simply more observers equipped with better tools. From early phone trees to modern platforms like Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird and Merlin apps, he traces how advances in communication and technology, combined with a growing and increasingly skilled birding community, have transformed the detection and documentation of avian rarities. More information about Maine Natural History can be found at…