Events & Programs
- Thursday Morning Bird Walk
Please join us for our weekly bird walk at Gilsland Farm. In addition to our feathered friends, we’ll be on the lookout for other plants and animals. All ages and abilities are welcome. You only need your curiosity and a sense of adventure.
Learn more - Family Fun
Join us for one hour of playful activity designed to encourage fun, self-discovery,
confidence and a growing understanding of the natural world.Accompanying adults and siblings under two of registered children are welcome at no charge.
- Curious Cubs
Have fun playing and exploring as we celebrate wildlife throughout the seasons, and investigate the mysteries beyond the orchard at our Gilsland Farm sanctuary. We’ll provide a snack and enjoy picnic lunches together from home.
- Family Fun
Join us for one hour of playful activity designed to encourage fun, self-discovery,
confidence and a growing understanding of the natural world.Accompanying adults and siblings under two of registered children are welcome at no charge.
- Nature Time: Spring Session
Nature in spring is a wonderful, mysterious time as life begins to emerge from the cold. Parents with children ages 2 to 4, come to our springtime nature-based program with stories, movement, art projects and an outdoor adventure. Parents take part too. Prepare to venture outside and be nature detectives for a part of each program.
Learn more - Salt Marsh Nature Explorations
In this 1 1/2 hour interactive exploration, students have the opportunity for hands-on learning about the adaptations of plants and animals unique to the salt marsh. Participants will have a chance to catch and release fish, look through algae to find small organisms feeding there, and test the unique characteristics of the marsh mud in comparison to the upland soil.
Learn more - Salt Marsh by Canoe
This 1 1/2 hour program provides a special opportunity for students to explore the salt marsh. During this unique paddle adventure participants become a part of the dynamic Dunstan River habitat, observing its inhabitants in their natural setting. We will see crabs, fish, feeding birds, edible plants and more!
Learn more - Fields Pond Yoga
Come to the nature center to stretch, energize and relax. This weekly yoga class is open to all levels. You’ll enjoy the gorgeous views from the windows.
Leader: Holly Twining, Maine Audubon naturalist, certified yoga instructor
- July
- Summer Squash
Drop your child off for this half day program full of adventure, exploring the forest, meadow, salt marsh, and pond at our sanctuary. Themes include: Teeny Tiny Critters, Paddlers and Hoppers, and Feathered Friends.
Learn more - Introducing the Salt Marsh Through Pottery
Explorers search the marsh for natural artifacts, shells, grasses and flowers from the salt marsh then incorporate these treasures into their own handmade pottery.
- Night Walk
Summer nights at Fields Pond are magical.
Join us for a guided exploration of the nocturnal world that most of us never experience.
- Summer Squash
Drop your child off for this half day program full of adventure, exploring the forest, meadow, salt marsh, and pond at our sanctuary. Themes include: Teeny Tiny Critters, Paddlers and Hoppers, and Feathered Friends.
Learn more - Wildflower Walks – July
Summer is in full swing, and the wildflowers continue to bloom in the warmth. This is our third in a series of Wildflower Walks offered at Gilsland Farm. Join us for just this one program, or attend them all to watch the flowers transition through the season, and deepen your knowledge of these plants.
We’ll focus on the natural history and identification of the plants we find using Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. This book utilizes a simple and elegant key system, and with a little practice, it’s easy to use. If you have a copy of Newcomb’s please bring this with you (other field guides are welcome too).
Instructor: Mike Windsor is the staff naturalist at Maine Audubon’s Gilsland Farm Center. An avid birder and outdoor enthusiast, Mike has worked as a field biologist, environmental educator and trip leader.
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- Jewelweed
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- Wildflower Walk © Kathleen Kelly
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- Mullein
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- Moonlight Canoeing
Float along the lake shore, as waning day becomes moonlit night. Loons, eagles, and bats may grace your trip.
Bring your own canoe/kayak or rent one of ours.
- Butterflies for Beginners
Join naturalists Doug Hitchcox and Mike Windsor for an introduction to butterfly identification and biology. We will walk through the Scarborough River Wildlife Sanctuary in search of these winged gems. A pair of binoculars (close focus preferable) will be helpful, but not required.Directions to Scarborough River Wildlife Sanctuary [pdf]. The parking area is just across from Ken’s Seafood on Pine Point Road in Scarborough.
- Full Moon Canoe Tour
Experience the sights and sounds of marsh creatures under the full moon. Watch for black-crowned night heron along the bank or snowy egret flying back to a nearby island for the evening. We may even see a harbor seal or a muskrat playing in the water.
Arrive no later than 7:30
Advanced Registration Necessary. Call (207) 883-5100
- Full Moon Canoe Tour
Experience the sights and sounds of marsh creatures under the full moon. Watch for black-crowned night heron along the bank or snowy egret flying back to a nearby island for the evening. We may even see a harbor seal or a muskrat playing in the water.
Arrive no later than 7:30
Advanced Registration Necessary. Call (207) 883-5100
- Water Worlds
Gilsland Farm sanctuary provides an ideal setting for campers to explore life in and around wet and wild areas like salt marshes and ponds. In this five day session, we’ll go searching for bullfrogs, and play aquatic games.
This session includes a field trip to MacWorth Island where campers can get their feet wet exploring marine creatures up close.
- Summer Family Fun
Join your child in these playful sessions as we explore, sing and create together accompanied by the sights and sounds of the sanctuary in summer. Perfect for families with children of mixed ages. Maximum of three children per adult. No charge for children under two with a registered sibling.
- Summer Family Fun
Join your child in these playful sessions as we explore, sing and create together accompanied by the sights and sounds of the sanctuary in summer. Perfect for families with children of mixed ages. Maximum of three children per adult. No charge for children under two with a registered sibling.
