This spring, we are increasing the accessibility of our birding programs with Accessible Beginner Birding at Gilsland Farm. If you’ve been unsure about joining a bird walk in the past, this is the one for you! Once a month, starting on March 9, from 10 am to noon, we will meet for an outing intended to be more accessible to more people, with less emphasis on walking, standing, and using binoculars. We will walk a slow loop around the buildings here, stopping only in locations where there are places to sit, and focusing a bit more on birding by ear.
The entire walk, shown in the image above, will be approximately 900 feet, or less than two-tenths of a mile. We will start at the parking lot, where there are van-accessible parking spots, and proceed around the buildings with frequent stops. There are benches or picnic tables at all of the places we will stop, so we can sit or rest to observe the bird feeder stations and look out across the pond and meadow. The route is mostly hard-packed gravel pathways and compacted lawn with short grass, but we can stick to the hard-gravel and paved pathways closest to the buildings if that is better for anybody. A more wheelchair-accessible loop is possible connecting through the building, but otherwise we will be outside the whole time. There are accessible bathrooms in the building and an accessible outdoor toilet near the parking lot.
These outings are free of charge to all, as usual, and registration is not required. We will have binoculars and monoculars to borrow, but will also focus on birding without optics. Spring is the best time to bird by ear, and we will be listening for the many species that are vocalizing this time of year. Come join us this spring for Accessible Beginner Birding! Please register here for this free program.
If you have any questions or concerns about this event, or require other accommodations, please feel free to contact me directly at akapinos@maineaudubon.org.
