Events & Programs
Browsing event topic: Birding
- 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 - 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.
- Bird Walk at Hedgehog Mountain
Hedgehog Mountain is another gem owned by the town of Freeport. Since it’s May, we’ll be focusing on migrating songbirds – warblers, sparrows, grosbeaks, tanagers and more!
Directions: The trailhead is located on Hedgehog Mountain Road off Pownal Road. A gravel parking area is located on the left just before the Recycling Center gate. Trail map available at Freeport Conservation Trust.
- Grassland Birds of Kennebunk Plains
In heavily forested Maine, large grasslands are uncommon, and so are the birds for which they provide habitat. This ecologically significant area hosts several state endangered species, and provides habitat for some of the rarest breeding birds in Maine. On this morning walk we will look for some of these species, including Upland Sandpiper, Grasshopper Sparrow, Brown Thrasher, Prairie Warbler, and Vesper Sparrow.
Learn more - Paddle on the Little and Presumpscot Rivers
Join naturalists George Libby and Gary Roberts for a flat water paddle on the Little and Presumpscot Rivers. George and Gary will discuss the natural and human history of these rivers and the surrounding land as you enjoy the scenic beauty.
Learn more - Thursday Morning Bird Walk
Join us each Thursday for an easy stroll through Maine Audubon’s Gilsland Farm Sanctuary. We’ll walk the property looking for birds, and anything else that peaks our interest.
Bring your binoculars and a field guide if you have one. Please dress to be comfortable outside for 2 hours.
Guide: 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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- Black-throated Green Warbler © Pam Wells
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- Scarlet Tanager © Pam Wells
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- Ruby-throated Hummingbird © Pam Wells
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- Seabirds of Matinicus Rock
A 32-acre island 18 miles offshore at the mouth of Penobscot Bay, Matinicus Rock is one of Maine’s most important seabird nesting colonies. Here, Atlantic puffins, razorbills, common murres, black guillemots, arctic and common terns, and laughing gulls all gather to nest.
- Paddlebirding 1
Paddlebirding is back! If you missed these programs last summer, you have another chance to improve your birding skills and try the growing sport of Stand-Up Paddleboarding. This year, we’re going to explore Great Pond in Cape Elizabeth. The lake’s flat, calm waters are ideal for beginners to paddleboarding, and the surround habitats offer refuge for birds. We’ll also have the opportunity to jump off the boards and bird from firm land.
Learn more - Birdathon Celebration Dinner
Sponsors and birders alike are welcome to this rollicking potluck dinner. Come with a dish and birding stories! Or, come with a dish and listen to birding stories. Some of the teams even put on skits. Winning teams will be announced. All ages welcome.
- Early Morning Birding
The best birding is often early morning when birds are busy feeding. Look and listen for snowy egret, glossy ibis, herons, willet, sparrows and more. We start our tours at the nature center and carpool to birding “hotspots” in the immediate area. Birders of all levels and abilities are welcome to join.
Free for volunteers.
- Family Nature Walk: Mummichogs and Marsh Muck
Explore the marsh for plants and animals through discovery-oriented, fun-filled activities that use all five senses. Participants will touch the marsh fish, the mummichug, look for the many migrating and resident birds, and look through algae to discover the minute creatures living there. This program is for “children” of all ages.
- Naturally Curious by Mary Holland
Mary Holland, naturalist, author, environmental educator and nature photographer, invites you to join her in a visual journey through the 12 months of the year, as she highlights the natural events that take place during the different seasons in New England.
Learn more - Sparrow Tour
Need help improving your sparrow identification skills? Sparrows are small and not very “flashy” so they can be challenging to recognize. Join us for a tour of Orono Bog, Prospect, and Frankfort visiting the bog, Mendall Marsh and nearby blueberry barrens. In addition to the more common sparrows, we’ll look for Lincoln’s, Vesper’s and Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrows.
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- Savannah Sparrow
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- Song Sparrow
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- White-throated Sparrow
Leader: John Wyatt
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- Paddlebirding 2
Paddlebirding is back! If you missed these programs last summer, you have another chance to improve your birding skills and try the growing sport of Stand-Up Paddleboarding. This year, we’re going to explore Great Pond in Cape Elizabeth. The lake’s flat, calm waters are ideal for beginners to paddleboarding, and the surround habitats offer refuge for birds. We’ll also have the opportunity to jump off the boards and bird from firm land. - Birds of Stratton Island I
Not far from the Scarborough shore, Stratton Island is a nesting colony and roosting site for a remarkable diversity of coastal birds.
- Borestone Mountain Naturalist Weekend
Borestone Mountain by Gary Roberts
Join Maine Audubon Naturalist Mike Windsor and Registered Maine Guide Gary Roberts on a trip to Borestone Mountain Sanctuary, located just 20 miles south of Moosehead Lake.
On this weekend retreat we will stay in the sanctuary’s historic Adirondack style lodges, which are accessible only by boat or on foot, lending an extra sense of remoteness and tranquility to this special place.
- Birds of Stratton Island II
Not far from the Scarborough shore, Stratton Island is a nesting colony and roosting site for a remarkable diversity of coastal birds.
- Bird Banding Breakfast (July)
Join biologists from Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) for a bird banding demonstration. We’ll have the opportunity to see birds up close and “in the hand” and learn about the importance of monitoring bird populations. We’ll meet at the River Point Conservation Area in West Falmouth, and have muffins and coffee after the program.
Bird banding is a research tool used by scientists to monitor bird movement, productivity, life span and more. Mist nets are used to capture birds, and a small metal band is placed on the bird’s leg. After a series of measurements are quickly recorded, the birds are released unharmed. For more about BRI’s River Point project, please visit www.briloon.org/riverpoint
Important information about this trip: Bird Banding July 2013 [pdf]
- Sunset Puffin Cruise I
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 the dedication of Audubon biologists who led the way in reestablishing Maine’s seabird colonies, including Eastern Egg Rock at the mouth of Muscongus Bay.
Learn more - Birds of Stratton Island III
Not far from the Scarborough shore, Stratton Island is a nesting colony and roosting site for a remarkable diversity of coastal birds.
- A Day to Peaks Island
Bring a bag lunch and join Registered Maine Guides, Gary Roberts and George Libby, for a day trip to Peaks Island. Learn about the island’s history, from the time it was used as a summer gathering place by Maine’s early native peoples, its settlement in the 1600’s, to present day. - 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]
- Bar Harbor Pelagic Trip
Maine Audubon’s annual fall pelagic trip out of Bar Harbor has long been a must-do outing for the region’s birders. The trip is so eagerly anticipated because of a great boat, great camaraderie, and, of course, great sightings of birds and marine mammals!
Learn more - Bald Eagles of Merrymeeting Bay
When Maine Audubon first began running this trip in 1969, sighting one or two eagles was all that could be expected. Since then, the bald eagle population has rebounded from the devastating effects of pesticide poisoning, and during last year’s trip we observed 38 eagles!
Learn more - Moose Rut Weekend
Join fellow moose lovers for a unique weekend of moose stalking in the northern forest. In rut (breeding season) and looking for a female, adult male moose sporting full antlers for their month-long mating season are on the move. Our leaders will use birch-bark horns to imitate the breeding calls of a cow moose to draw in the bulls. With fall bird migration underway, there should be good birding, too.
Learn more - Speaker Series – What the Robin Knows
Our Speaker Series is generously sponsored by Maine Magazine.
Join Dan Gardoqui, science editor for What the Robin Knows and founder of White Pine Programs in York, Maine as he reads stories & facts from the book and clues us in on how birds reveal nature’s secrets. Dan will speak about his work editing the new book What the Robin Knows and share his enthusiasm and years of studying, interpreting and speaking the language of the birds.
Learn more
