Born in France but raised primarily in the United States, Mael’s experience navigating two distinct cultures instilled in him a natural comfort with new environments. This adaptability has profoundly shaped his life and fueled his passion for birding. He has traveled across 16 countries and five continents, and his work as a conservation biologist keeps him regularly in the field in places such as Zambia and Colombia. He has birded rainforests, savannas, tundra, and the open ocean, and he quickly picks up new birds.
Outside of these travels, Mael calls Mid-Coast Maine home, and that is where he is at his best. He birds year-round and has spent years learning both the reliable hotspots and the places where rarities are most likely to turn up, including the nearby birder’s paradise of Monhegan Island. He also knows where to find the region’s specialty species, including Bicknell’s Thrush in the mountains, Spruce Grouse in the boreal forest to the north, and Saltmarsh and Nelson’s Sparrows along the coast.
Mael is particularly skilled at identifying birds by ear, with deep familiarity with the songs and calls of eastern North American landbirds. He is equally at home on the water, having conducted professional seabird surveys in the open Atlantic and joined local puffin- and whale-watching cruises whenever possible in search of alcids, tubenoses, and other seabirds. An avid bird photographer, his work has appeared in books, scientific publications, technical reports, Merlin species pages, and on the front page of eBird. His prints are also sold locally throughout Mid-Coast Maine.
Mael has spent years leading people in the field and is a natural teacher with a relaxed, friendly style. When a client has a target bird, it becomes his mission as well, and he brings the same focus and enthusiasm to a new birder’s first warbler as he does to helping a seasoned birder chase a rarity. He works comfortably with birders of all experience levels and is fully fluent in both English and French.
