I recently read an article by a female colleague celebrating women in science and how far we have come in how we are treated. Yes, we have made great progress, yet nearly every day I am reminded how far we must go.

As a biologist, I know death is as much a part of the life cycle of all organisms as life itself, but it can still be difficult to contend with especially after you’ve “gotten to know” an individual animal by following its movements for nearly five years. That individual is Nokomis, a great blue heron we tagged with a GPS transmitter in 2016.

As the snow begins to melt and the days get warmer, we are all excited to spend more time outside. For many, the first hike of the year is much anticipated and is an ideal way to get some fresh air, exercise, and soak up picturesque views.

The peregrine falcon breeding season officially started on March 15, another sign that spring is approaching! Wildlife biologists and citizen science volunteers will begin monitoring some of the steepest cliff sides, buildings, bridges, and quarries in search of breeding pairs of peregrine falcons, a species that was once extirpated from the state of Maine.