Photo by Dave Mention

A journey along the Maine coast will bring you into contact with a diverse and abundant array of plants, insects, birds, marine mammals, and other wildlife. These sightings can be a highlight of your island adventure, but caution is required to avoid disturbing and potentially endangering the creatures you observe. Here are some articles that will help you appreciate coastal flora and fauna without putting them in harm's way.

• Protecting Colonial Nesting Seabird and Waterbird Islands
• Bald Eagles in Coastal Maine
• Harbor Seals and Small Boats
• Flora of the Maine Islands
• Forgotten Nature
• Beaches along the Maine Coast
• Lighthouses

Seabird Nesting Islands

Many islands along the coast provide protected nesting habitat for a variety of marine birds. In response to the ever-present threat to nesting Seabird nesting, Friends of Maine Seabird Islands and the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge have partnered with federal, state, and private island owners to place these identifying signs on Maine’s most vulnerable seabird nesting islands. The 2’ x 3’ signs are easily visible from the water and indicate that island access is restricted during the seabird nesting season, April 1 – August 31. Most seabird nesting islands owned by the State of Maine are not part of the Trail and are closed to access during the nesting season.