Past Events

Tidal mudflats are one of the most dynamic habitats along Maine’s coast, and their complex ecosystems demand additional study. Organisms living in the soft mud sediment sustain many species, including humans. Migrating shorebirds feed voraciously on marine macroinvertebrates in the intertidal mud, giving these small birds enough energy to make long nonstop flights across the ocean to their wintering grounds. MDIFW wildlife biologist Chris West will help us dig deep to explore mudflat biodiversity and how this critical habitat has…

Sunday, April 21, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Leaders:  Bob Milardo, Sharon Wilson Barker, and Shane Barker FREE Join us for a spring migration tour to productive birding hotspots in central Maine, with a focus on species that rest and refuel on Maine’s ponds, rivers, and lakes.  We will make multiple stops including Plymouth Pond, Sebasticook Lake-Durham Bridge, Sprague’s Mill, and Corinna Bog/Corundel Lake.  We expect to spot a wide variety of waterfowl and wading birds, shorebirds heading toward their…

Leaders: Gloria Vollmers and Paul Markson Essex Woods is a delight for birders and nature photographers, offering a diversity of habitats and species along a short, easy walking trail.  Warblers, vireos, Baltimore orioles, and perhaps a black-billed cuckoo may turn up in the shrubs and forest, and a wide variety of ducks and wading birds forage in the marsh.  Several species of swallow, common grackles, and eastern kingbirds perch conveniently near their nests when they aren’t flying overhead, while sora…

Co-sponsored by Bangor Land Trust Leaders:  Bob Milardo and Robert Ostrowski The ethereal sounds of American woodcock, hermit and wood thrushes, common nighthawks, and whip-poor-wills can be heard after sunset within the Walden Parke Preserve, a Bangor Land Trust property.  Join us for an evening walk to look and listen for whip-poor-wills and other crepuscular species.  Mosquitoes enjoy warm evenings too, so please come prepared with insect repellent, a hat, and appropriate clothing to prevent bites.  Directions:  From Essex Street…

Leaders: Gordon Russell and Jane Rosinski This will be a leisurely bird walk within the Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust property in Orland, popularly known as The Wildlands. Your trip leaders plan to scout prior to the trip to select a trail that offers the best birding opportunities; please check the weekly listserv for updates.  Many of our most colorful migratory species breed here, including indigo bunting, scarlet tanager, and various wood warblers.  Meet at FPAC at 7 a.m. to…

Sunday, July 28, 12:30-6:00 p.m., rain or shine Leaders: Sandi and Bob Duchesne Cost: $80 adults/$45 under 12 Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge hosts a large colony of Atlantic puffins.  Razorbills, common and Arctic terns, and common eiders also nest here, and it’s the southernmost breeding colony for the great cormorant.  Other seabirds and raptors are often spotted on or near the island, and we typically get great views of harbor seals and gray seals with their pups.  Meet at…