Flora & Fauna

Mammals

The harbor seal is the only marine mammal noted from the Wells Reserve, but land mammals living here include bats, squirrels, mice, muskrat, porcupine, coyote, fox, raccoon, fisher, otter, and deer. Bear and moose are unusual. Rare species include the New England cottontail.

Birds

Laudholm Farm was known to be an excellent place for bird watching long before the Wells Reserve was created. Since the 1980s, about 260 species have been reported on and adjacent to the lands and waters managed by the Wells Reserve. Our wide variety of habitats support diverse breeding and migratory populations and the beaches and salt marshes are included in the Wells Important Bird Area. The Wells Reserve has supported a bird-banding program since 1988 and collaborates closely with the York County Audubon Society on a number of initiatives. Follow these links to learn more about the birds of the Wells Reserve:

• Download our complete bird list (revised January 2011)
• Download our "99 Common Birds" brochure (2010)
• Read blog entries about birds

Amphibians and Reptiles

Turtles, snakes, salamanders, toads, and frogs all occur at the Wells Reserve, some of them abundantly.

Fishes

Fifty-five fish species have been found in Wells Reserve waters. The most common are the American eel, alewife, common mummichog, Atlantic silverside, and three sticklebacks (fourspine, threespine, and ninespine). Download our fish checklist

We published Coastal Fish of Southern Maine and New Hampshire to help people get to know who swims along our shores. Buy your copy in the Laudholm Gift Shop.

Invertebrates

Estuaries are important for many intertidal and subtidal invertebrates, notably softshell clams, green crabs, and sandworms. Wells Reserve projects have also included several focusing on insects, especially dragonflies, damselflies, butterflies, and species that emerge from the salt-marsh surface.