Events & Programs
Browsing event topic: fauna
- 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 - 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 - 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.
- Saturdays in the Discovery Room
Join FPAC Environmental Educator, Cyndi Kuhn, for a morning of nature explorations. We’ll start in the Discovery Room then head outside for an amazing sensory experience! Suitable for the whole family.
- 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 - Tide Pool Exploration
Families of children ages 6 and up are invited to join Cathy Stivers for a close-up look at the amazing life within a tide pool. Trip will include a scavenger hunt and exploration of the tenacious and adaptive creatures that live among the rock crevices and seaweed found in the ever-changing tidal zone.
Learn more - 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 - 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. - 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.
- Nature Detectives
Junior detectives learn investigative skills to search for evidence of wildlife around the sanctuary during this five day session. Campers will develop critical thinking skills to understand what animals are moving around the refuge and why, all while playing fun nature detective games and activities.
- 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]
- Blooming Discoveries
Gilsland Farm sanctuary provides an excellent training ground for campers to learn nature appreciation skills that deepen their caring and love for nature. Campers will develop skills like nature sketching, plant identification, and bird watching while being inspired by the history of famous naturalists to take action in the future. This week long session includes a field trip and sanctuary-wide games.
- Nature Time for Children: Summer Session
The summertime is made for getting out into nature! Parents with children ages 2 to 4 come to a nature-based program with movement, stories, art projects and an outdoor adventure. Parents participate too. Be prepared to be outside nature detectives for a portion of each program.
- 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.
- 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. - Wonders of Wildlife
In this five day session, campers will explore the pond, forest, meadow and salt marsh using scientific tools to uncover the little known facts about critters living on the sanctuary. We will play stimulating nature games that are both fun and educational.
- Incredible Explorations
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.
- 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. - Awesome Adventures
In this five day session, campers will learn about and explore animal habitat on the sanctuary. We’ll play nature games based on the everyday adventures of animals like red-tailed hawks and groundhogs.
- Weekend at Gulf Hagas: The Grand Canyon of Maine
Gulf Hagas © Gary Roberts
Located in the mountains of central Maine, Gulf Hagas is a gorge carved out by the Pleasant River. Often referred to as the Grand Canyon of the East, this area is part of the Appalachian Mountain Trail. Camping, hiking, and great nature with two Maine Registered Guides.
Learn more - Mushroom Workshop
The natural history of mushrooms and their role in ecosystems will be the focus of this day’s outing. We will search for, find and really discover the world of fungus, with discoveries at every turn through the Gilsland Farm property, discussing every fungus we encounter. An optional mushroom slide show will be presented during lunch (please bring food if you plan on staying).
- 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.
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