Happy October, friends.
Two words for you this month: Get outside!
It is foliage season and nature is dressed in its brightest colors of the year. Not only that, but the woods have a unique aroma in the fall — and the mosquitoes get scarce. For my part, I’ve been taking advantage of the cool mornings (before they get too cool) to get in a paddle out on Casco Bay.
Don’t forget to get ready for the impending winter outdoors season. Sharpen the skates, wax the skis, check on your hiking boots and micro cleats, as well as your snowshoes. Whatever your activity of choice, it’s nearly time to break out the gear, tune it up, and get ready to enjoy your people-powered way of experiencing Maine’s natural beauty in winter as we’ve done all summer.
We’ve been keeping plenty busy here at Maine Audubon, too. We had another successful Pelagic boat trip, complete with an incredible Pilot Whale display. We counted 35 Bald Eagles on our 48th annual Merrymeeting Bay boat trip, led by Dick Anderson — who led our very first trip back in 1969! We recognized the dedicated volunteers who help make our Piping Plover work possible. And our 30th annual Apple Day festival yesterday was another great family event at Gilsland Farm.
You may have seen the news coverage of the Fork-tailed Flycatcher who touched down at Gilsland Farm and amazed onlookers for several days. I swear we did not pay his agent to send him here. In this blog post, Staff naturalist Doug Hitchcox provided an excellent analysis of how this spectacular bird could have ended up so very far from home.
The month ahead promises to be an exciting one as well. Bernd Heinrich and Nat Wheelwright will be talking about “Becoming a Naturalist” at our Speaker Series event on October 26. They’ll also be signing copies of their new book, The Naturalist’s Notebook, which makes it easy to chronicle your own observations of the ever-changing world around us. The book (as well as many excellent, Maine-made products — including our very first Maine Audubon wall calendar!) will be for sale in our Nature Store. And if you’re looking for a chance to roll up your sleeves, join us for our annual Scarborough Marsh clean-up!
We’ll look forward to seeing you soon. Outside, obviously.
