Biodiversity Research Institute – Innovative Wildlife Science Worldwide | Portland, ME USA

Two eagles observed flying along the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec in August 2025 © Hugues Deglaire In July 2025, BRI biologists Bill Hanson and Chris Persico banded a Bald Eagle nestling in Freeport as part of a long-term Bald Eagle contaminants monitoring project throughout the state of Maine. The leg bands put [...] The post Bird Corner: Bald Eagle 57 C appeared first on Biodiversity Research In…

By Nate Fuller, Director of Science Operations, Senior Bat Scientist Hoary bat in flight. Photo by Josh Hydeman / Bat Conservation International The hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus) is one of the largest insectivorous bats in North America and, some may argue, the coolest looking. With their impressive yellow, white, and black [...] The post Species Spotlight – The Hoary Bat appeared first on Bi…

BRI's Raptor Program Director, Chris DeSorbo climbs a tree to safely monitor a young eaglet in the nest. The story of banded Bald Eagle Red X/R begins almost two decades ago, in early June 2006, near Shapleigh, Maine. There, BRI’s Raptor Program Director, Chris DeSorbo, found himself 60 feet up a white [...] The post Bird Corner: The Story of Bald Eagle Red X/R appeared first on Biodiversity Re…

Vol 3. Issue 2. April 2025 Polar (opposite) Research: Lessons learned from two scientists working from the farthest reaches of the globe By Sarah Dodgin, Ecological Analyst The cryosphere describes the frozen parts of the earth, which includes glaciers, ice sheets, snow, and permafrost. While these areas sound desolate and void of life, two [...] The post Volume 3. Issue 2. appeared first on Bio…

Bats are some of nature's ultimate bioindicators! Beyond just eating insects, they reflect changes in habitat quality and rangeland health—soils included. Researchers from Biodiversity Research Institute, Bat Conservation International and experts from Kenya joined together for a workshop earlier this year to learn more about the bats that call Amboseli home. Read the full article [...] The post…

Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) announces the launch of their new publishing house Big Dipper Books to take place at the opening of a special wildlife art exhibit called A Critical Balance: Artists Take Action, August 16 at Highland Center for the Arts in Greensboro, Vermont. “Big Dipper Books is a creative publishing house at the [...] The post BRI Launches New Publishing House appeared f…

Vol 3. Issue 1. January 2025 The True Cost of Gold By Deborah McKew, Communications and Publications Director Ancient Beginnings A tragic hero, a mythical ram, an impossible task. Could this be the origin story of small-scale gold mining? A water-powered ball-mill in West Java © Lauren diBiccari The Greek myth of [...] The post Volume 3. Issue 1. appeared first on Biodiversity Research Institu…

Trends in Richness and Occupancy of Ugandan Birds and Relation to Local Tree Cover Changes in vegetation cover are occurring across sub-Saharan Africa and can have substantial effects on ecological communities, but limited data make understanding status and trends difficult for many taxa. This paper explores bird survey data from time to detection surveys across [...] The post BRI research featu…

Vol 2. Issue 2. August 2024 Protecting Maine’s Coastal Treasures: Vital Conservation Efforts for Common Eiders By Allison Foster, Science Communications Coordinator Spending a sunny day on a boat in Casco Bay isn’t a bad summer job, at least not for BRI biologists Helen Yurek and Logan Route. On a Thursday morning, we loaded up [...] The post Volume 2 Issue 2 appeared first on Biodiversity Resea…

BRI partners with the University of Southern Maine Career & Employment Hub to provide students with hands-on experiences to further support their personal and academic growth! Whether it's bird banding at River Point Bird Observatory or working in our toxicology lab, interns gain valuable research experience. This partnership has also developed a skilled hiring [...] The post Career Exploration …

Protecting Maine's Coastal Treasures: Vital Conservation Efforts for Common Eiders By Allison Foster, Science Communications Coordinator Spending a sunny day on a boat in Casco Bay isn’t a bad summer job, at least not for BRI biologists Helen Yurek and Logan Route. On a Thursday morning, we loaded up into a boat to set [...] The post Vol 2. Issue 2 August 2024 appeared first on Biodiversity Rese…

BRI’s Jeff Morris of the NRDA Consulting Group co-chaired a NRDA session at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) North America 45th Annual Meeting. Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) is a science-based legal process for determining the type and magnitude of injury to public natural resources caused by the release of hazardous substances [...] The post BRI Staff co…

BRI was recently highlighted in Mainebiz. The article discussed the current expansion of BRI, featuring the recent groundbreaking ceremony and growth of the collaborative research programs. “This groundbreaking ceremony is more than a gesture to mark the addition to our office building,” said David Evers, the institute’s founder, executive director and chief scientist. “This event [...] The post…

Vol 2. Issue 1. March 2024 A Whale of an Idea: BRI Launches its Marine Mammal Program By Eleanor Eckel, MELP, Online Communications Manager; Science Policy Coordinator The ocean covers approximately 70 percent of Earth’s surface and is the largest livable space on our planet. Deep below there exists a realm inhabited by a wide [...] The post Vol 2. Issue 1. March 2024 appeared first on Biodivers…

BRI is celebrating a milestone in its more than 25-year history—the groundbreaking ceremony that begins the expansion of the Institute’s headquarters. The ceremony will be held on September 5th from 10:45 to 11:30 AM at BRI’s headquarters at 276 Canco Road, Portland. “This groundbreaking ceremony is more than a gesture to mark the addition to [...] The post BRI Celebrates Groundbreaking Ceremony…

An expert committee of the New York State Offshore Wind Environmental Technical Working Group (E-TWG) has released guidance for conducting pre- and post-construction monitoring to detect changes in marine bird distributions and habitat use related to offshore wind development. The committee also developed guidance for the use of existing avian survey data for site characterization [...] The post…

At the International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant 2024 (ICMGP 2024) in Cape Town, Monika Stankiewicz, Executive Secretary of the Minamata Convention, underscored the importance of international cooperation in combating global mercury pollution. At this event, David Evers, BRI's Executive Director and Chief Scientist, moderated a panel with representatives from the United [...] The…

Mercury in the Tropics – a Hidden Risk By Sarah Dodgin, Ecological Analyist, BRI Neon green hoods, turquoise bellies, ornate crowns—Neotropical birds come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Combined with unique patterns, textures, and song, they either blend in or stand out in thick jungles filled with hundreds of other species competing for the [...] The post Vol 1. Issue 4 Setepmber 2023 appear…

Offshore wind construction impacts marine bird habitats in various ways. Researchers from The Nature Conservancy in New York, Biodiversity Research Institute, and the Biodiversity Consultancy Ltd conducted a meta-analysis to assess the likelihood of detecting attraction or displacement of marine birds by wind energy infrastructure as well as the proportional change in use of the [...] The post D…

Portland, ME – Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) announces the publication of a series of multiyear research studies that assessed the global impact of mercury on air, water, fish, and wildlife in a two-part special issue of Ecotoxicology, an international scientific journal devoted to presenting critical research on the effects of toxic chemicals on populations, [...] The post Biodiversity …