August 2008                                                                                           Return to Top

Sandhill Cranes of Central Maine

Though primarily a bird of the Midwest and West, sandhill cranes began breeding in central Maine in 2000. It was the first nesting record of the species in New England , and young have apparently been raised each year since. Why the cranes suddenly started nesting in Maine is unclear, but theories abound. This field trip will travel from Augusta to Messalonskee Lake and on to Smithfield and the cornfields of Belgrade to look for these unusual birds. We're also likely to see many other species in this area, including black terns, pied-billed grebes, and a good variety of waterfowl and wetland birds.

From Augusta

Saturday, August 16

9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Led by Ron Joseph

$15/member, $20/nonmember

Limited to 12 participants

Johnny's Selected Seeds

Take a tour of the seed gardens at Johnny's Selected Seeds in Albion . Johnny's is a mail-order seed producer and merchant, with products in-cluding vegetable seeds, medicinal and culinary herb seeds, and flower seeds. After a formal tour we will be able to wander the premises.

Albion

Tuesday, August 19

9:30 a.m.-noon

Led by Margi Huber

$15/member; $20/nonmember ($30 additional with ride from Falmouth in Maine Audubon van)

Shorebird Identification Clinic and Trip

Shorebirds are among the most challenging to identify—and therein lies much of their fascina-tion to birders. This clinic and field trip will pro-vide you with a good foundation on how to identify the species most likely to appear along the Maine coast in late summer. At Gilsland Farm Audubon Center in Falmouth , instructor Scott Cronenweth will share his “Maine Peep Cheat Sheet” and discuss the details of plumage patterns as well as the subtle differences that distinguish one shorebird from another. The following Saturday, the group will head to Scarborough Marsh, one of the finest spots in Maine for close-up observation and study of these birds. You'll have ample time to see and study a wide variety of species, including plovers, godwits, dowitchers, yellowlegs, ruddy turnstones, whimbrels, sanderlings, and the bewildering “peeps.”

Falmouth and Scarborough

Clinic: Friday, August 22, 7-9 p.m.

Trip: Saturday, August 23, 7-11 a.m.

Led by Scott Cronenweth

$30/member, $40/nonmember

Limited to 12 participants

Kayak Muscongus Bay with MITA III

Muscongus Bay at the heart of Maine 's Midcoast region is quieter and less traveled than bays to its east and west, making it ideal for exploring and wildlife watching by kayak. We will spend the day paddling the sheltered water among the bay's many islands and choose a nice quiet cove for lunch. Led and outfitted by a Maine Guide and naturalist, this trip will provide a great introduction to sea kayaking, Leave No Trace techniques, and the natural history of one of the state's prettiest places. Jointly sponsored with the Maine Island Trail Association. Fee includes kayaking equipment.

Bremen

Saturday, August 23

9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Led by Mark DiGirolamo and Breakwater Kayak

$95/ MITA and Maine Audubon member, $110/nonmember

Limited to 8 participants

The Birds of Vinalhaven

Hop aboard the ferry from Rockland to Vinalhaven Island where you will then board a smaller boat, The Fluke with Captain John Drury and cruise around the islands for a few hours, learning about island life, checking out late summer birds and other wildlife and flora.  We'll look for Great Cormorants, Northern Gannets, migrating Shorebirds, Bald Eagles and other migrating raptors, seabirds, Harbor and Grey seals, Porpoise and anything else that comes our way.  Price includes ferry, boat trip and leadership.

From Rockland

Saturday, August 30

8:30 a.m. to 2:30

Led by Kirk Gentalen

$50/member; $60/nonmember

Limited to 10 people

Edible and Medicinal Plants of Deerfoot Farm II

Nature's bounty can be even more plentiful when you're aware of how many wild plants are either edible or medicinal. Let Maine Guide and naturalist Gary Roberts show you how to take advantage of this crop while foraging in the woods and fields of Deerfoot Farm.

Appleton

Wednesday, September 3

7 a.m.-noon

Led by Gary Roberts

$35/member; $40/nonmember

Limited to 12 participants

Kayak Muscongus Bay with MITA IV

Muscongus Bay at the heart of Maine 's Midcoast region is quieter and less traveled than bays to its east and west, making it ideal for exploring and wildlife watching by kayak. We will spend the day paddling the sheltered water among the bay's many islands and choose a nice quiet cove for lunch. Led and outfitted by a Maine Guide and naturalist, this trip will provide a great introduction to sea kayaking, Leave No Trace techniques, and the natural history of one of the state's prettiest places. Jointly sponsored with the Maine Island Trail Association. Fee includes kayaking equipment.

From Bremen

Sunday, September 7

9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Led by Mark DiGirolamo of Breakwater Kayak

$95/ MITA or Maine Audubon member, $110/ nonmember

Bald Eagles of Merrymeeting Bay

At the confluence of the Androscoggin and Kennebec rivers, Merrymeeting Bay is a gathering spot for one of the largest concentrations of bald eagles in Maine . Attracted by rafts of migrating water-fowl, the eagles are readily seen by boat. When Maine Audubon first began running this trip in the mid 1970s, 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 recent trips have seen as many as 36 eagles! We'll board the boat in Boothbay Harbor for a trip across Sheepscot Bay to the Sasanoa River then up the Kennebec to Merrymeeting Bay . Weather and tides permitting, we'll return to Boothbay via the mouth of the Kennebec . These sheltered tidal waters of Midcoast Maine offer some of the most pleasant and scenic cruising to be found anywhere—plus excellent wildlife watching.

From Boothbay Harbor

Saturday, September 13 (weather date

September 20)

9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

Led by Bob Bittenbender and Eric Hynes

$45/member, $55/nonmember

Pelagic Pre-trip Lecture

Get to Bar Harbor the evening before the annual Pelagic Trip and hear Linda Welch from the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge talk about ongoing wildlife conservation work on Petit Manan, one of Maine 's most important seabird islands.

College of the Atlantic Lecture Hall

Bar Harbor

Saturday, September 13

6 to 7:30 p.m.

Free

Annual Pelagic Birding Trip

ut of Bar Harbor has long been a must-do outing for the region's birders. Cruising aboard a 111-foot power catamaran designed for speed, stability, and optimum wildlife viewing, we'll have a full eight hours to bird our way east almost to Grand Manan, covering some of the most productive seabirding waters in the Gulf of Maine. With the expectation of seeing gannets, multiple shearwater species, storm-petrels, alcids, jaegers, a variety of gulls, phalaropes— plus the distinct possibility of skua or other sought-after species—the atmosphere on this cruise is al-ways festive. Whales, dolphins, tuna, ocean sunfish, and other marine life add to the excitement as well. This is a wonderful opportunity to fill in some of those blanks on your life list, meet and learn from a corps of experienced birders, and enjoy the cama-raderie of a boatload of people with a shared passion.

From Bar Harbor

Sunday, September 14

6 a.m.-2 p.m.

Led by Jan Pierson, Lysle Brinker, Eric Hynes

$110/member, $135/nonmember

Wings of Autumn on Monhegan

For great weather and great birding, September might well be the best time for a visit to the Maine coast—and Monhegan Island is the place to be. Located 12 miles offshore, the island offers refuge for migrating birds moving along the coastal fly-way. The term “mixed flock” takes on new dimensions here as scores of migrating warblers, sparrows, flycatchers, woodpeckers, and pursuing hawks and falcons converge around the beautiful island's charming village. Out-of-range vagrants such as clay-colored sparrow, dickcissel, and blue grosbeak are distinct possibilities. This extended-weekend trip has long been one of Maine Audubon's most popular. Price includes breakfasts, ferry trips, and lodging with mostly shared baths.

From New Harbor

Friday, September 19 to

Monday, September 22

Led by Judy Camuso and Steve Walker

$550/member, $575/nonmember, $185 single supplement

Limited to 12

From Bangor

Tuesday, September 23 to

Sunday, September 28

Led by Mahoosuc Guide Service
$975

Exploring the Ice Age Geology Trail

Along Maine 's Downeast coast you can find some of the finest and most accessible areas of glacial moraines, deltas, and eskers created by vast sheets of glacial ice that once covered the area. With a geologist and wetlands ecologist leading you to stops with names like the Horseback, the Whaleback, Pineo Ridge and Rockdam Heath you will learn about bedrock striations, marine limits, meltwater channels, and other aspects of surficial geology. Price includes accommodations and transportation.

From Bangor

Saturday, September 27-Sunday, September 28 (weather date October 4-5)7:30 a.m.

$275/member, $295/nonmember

Limited to 10 participants

Plum Island Van Trip

Located in an area of dense and expanding development, Plum Island and Parker River National

Wildlife Refuge have special significance for migrant birds. The island's geographic position, coastal location, and varied habitats contribute to its attractions for migrants. While any month can produce a memorable experience, September offers shorebird diversity at its height. Peregrine falcons occur most regularly at this time, and waterfowl numbers are increasing. Rarities are always a possibility here—expect the unexpected. Bring lunch and a thermos of something to drink, and be prepared for a great day of birding in the barrier dunes and on the beach. Price includes refuge entrance fee and transportation in the Maine Audubon van.

Falmouth

Saturday, September 27

7 a.m.-5 p.m.

Led by Eric Hynes

$45/member; $55/nonmember

Limited to 10 participants

Moose Rut Weekend

Join fellow moose lovers for a unique weekend of moose stalking in the Northern Forest . In rut 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. Price includes lodging at charming Claybrook Mountain Lodge, two breakfasts, lunches and dinners, and activities.

Highland Plantation

Friday, October 10, to Sunday, October 12

Led by Greg Drummond, Ron Joseph

$255/member, $275/nonmember (no single accommodations)

Limited to 12 participants

West Kennebago Mountain Hike

West Kennebago Mountain, northwest of Rangeley and only 10 miles from the Canadian border lies deep in the Northern Forest and feels far from civilization. This relatively short 4.5-mile roundtrip hike through boreal forest provides opportunities to see gray jays, spruce grouse, boreal chickadees, plus enjoy foliage and some spectacular views.

Stetsontown Township

(Delorme Map 28)

Saturday, October 11

8 a.m.-4 p.m.

Led by Gary Roberts

$50/member, $75/nonmember

Limited to 12 participants

Sparrows of Green Point

Green Point Wildlife Management Area in Dresden sits at the northeast corner of Merrymeeting Bay .  Its combination of meadows, forest and marsh is a real draw for fall migrants, particularly sparrows.  A fallout here can produce truly impressive numbers and diversity. Expect sparrows by the hundreds, raptors, waterfowl and more.

Dresden

Wednesday, October 15

7-9 a.m.

Led by Eric Hynes

$15/member; $25/nonmember

Limited to 15 participan