MDIFW Blog

A bat with its mouth open in flight at night about to catch a moth.

Summer Bat Observations

Bat observations peak in the summer months. Learn why, and how to handle different types of bat encounters.

A calf following a cow moose.

Moose Watching in Maine

With a population of 40-60,000 moose, Maine is home to the largest population in the lower 48 states and is an excellent place to see your first moose… if you’re willing to put the work in! Here are some moose watching tips from Maine's moose biologist.

Three Maine Game Wardens in a Helicopter.

Advanced Warden School: Weeks 1-3

Maine Game Wardens undergo rigorous, comprehensive training before earning their badge. Follow along as the Advanced Warden School 2025 class completes training.

Three white-tailed deer among trees in a snowy forest.

Funds from Antlerless Deer Permits Help Purchase and Manage over 10,000 Acres of Critical Habitat

Hunters help fund land acquisition – protecting important wildlife habitat for hundreds of species.

young daughter and mother in blue kayak

Stop the Spread: Protect Maine’s Waters

An aquatic invasive species is an unwelcome guest in our waters. Prevention is key. Maine's Lake and River Protection stickers help fund aquatic invasive species prevention, education, detection , and response.

A diagram of the subnivean zone

Spring Reveals Subnivean Secrets

The approach of spring brings a unique opportunity for any backyard naturalist to explore just how much wildlife activity has gone unnoticed throughout the winter. As the last of the snow melts away, watch as secret tunnels become exposed. It's a library of winter survival stories and a map of a special place called the subnivean zone.

Raccoon sniffing tracks

Tips for Tracks

Tracking wildlife in winter is like reading a compelling new novel. As animals travel across blank pages of fresh white snow their tracks become words, authoring new chapters every day in the memoir of their elusive lives.

Two coyotes walking side by side through the woods at night.

Not to Fear, Predators are Here

What’s in a Name?

Predator. It’s a disconcerting word associated with antagonists of dark true crime documentaries, shady corporate deals, and killer creatures from science fiction that “go bump in the night”. As though branded as the bad guy in nature’s story, wildlife’s top predators often carry the weight of this negative connotation on their shoulders despite their irreplaceable and necessary role in regulating healthy and resilient wildlife populations.

Big brown bat

Summertime Bat Observations

Bat observations peak in the summer months. Learn why, and how to handle different types of bat encounters.

Two birds of prey in a large tangled nest of sticks on top of a telephone pole with a power line stretching out from under the nest.

Finding Solutions for Ospreys and People

Maine’s healthy osprey population able to thrive in almost any location with accessibility to shallow water fishing and an elevated nest site. They are highly adaptable, and often nest on utility poles and transmission towers. These nests can be problematic both for the birds and for people.