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 - Neighborhood Bird Walks – Bangor Area (May)
Unless otherwise indicated, all walks are from 7:00 – 8:30 AM. Rubber boots or waterproof shoes are recommended due to wet grass and occasional muddy conditions. In consideration of wildlife and fellow birders, no pets please on the bird walks.
- 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
- August
- Sunset Puffin Cruise II
With its colorful, clown-like face and oversized bill, the Atlantic puffin has become one of the Maine coast’s most celebrated icons—a remarkable accomplishment for a species that had nearly disappeared from the state a century ago. Its resurgence is a testament to dedicated Audubon biologists who led the way in reestablishing Maine’s seabird colonies, including Eastern Egg Rock at the mouth of Muscongus Bay.
This popular evening boat ride sails out of New Harbor to Eastern Egg Rock, where we will circle the island several times for great views of puffins, terns, and other seabirds. The boat returns to the harbor at sunset to combine birding and a lovely summer evening on the Maine coast.
Important information about this trip: Puffin Cruise 3 Aug 2013 [pdf]
- Natural Expressions
Time to take it outside…
What could be more valuable than an appreciation of art and nature? An appreciation of art IN nature! Let all of Fields Pond be your muse as we couple explorations and observations in nature with expressions of creative freedom. Campers will take it outside to draw, paint, build, write and act their way through an amazing week looking at our wonderful world through an artist’s lens.
Learn more - Water World
Water will drive our adventures this week, steering us into motion on a global and local level. Activate your body and mind as we take it outside to explore the properties of our watershed and assess its value as an important part of our wonderful world. Experience your journey as a drop of water, a frog in a pond, and a fish in the river. Enjoy visits from guest scientists dedicating their time to improving water quality for all living things.
Learn more - Incredible Explorations
This event is sold out! Thanks for your interest.
In this ten day session, campers get their hands dirty with in-depth exploration of the natural world. We will put their newfound skills to practise by going on a field trip to MacWorth Island. We will go on another incredible off-site adventure as well, and play sanctuary-wide games.
- Summer Squash
This event is sold out! Thanks for your interest.
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 - Nature Art via the Marsh
Through various art forms we will discover some of the secrets of the marsh. Children will explore the marsh and then participate on a craft activity. All sessions are different.
- 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.
- 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.
- The Trees of Gilsland Farm
Maine is one of the most forested states in the lower 48. Trees play vital roles in the ecology of the Northeast, not to mention the economy of our region. Join us for a walk around Maine Audubon’s Gilsland Farm Sanctuary in Falmouth, as we learn about the trees in our forest. This outing will focus on the identification and natural history of our most common tree species. - Wildflower Walks – August
Summer is starting to wind down, but there are still many flowers to find and observe. This is our last 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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- Wildflower Walk © Kathleen Kelly
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- Wildflower Walk © Kathleen Kelly
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- Tiny Tot Tour
Introduce your wee folk to this unique habitat through interactive hands-on activities (an adult needs to accompany each child). They will experience the marsh first hand, looking through algae for small critters, jumping in the mud, looking at insects and more.
- 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 6:30
Advanced Registration Necessary. Call (207) 883-5100
