Habitat Magazine, Spring 2017

Volume 33, Issue 3 • Spring 2017

Looking Back to the Future Inside Land for Maine’s Future Turns 30 Gilsland Farm’s Royal Roots Find your Festival

Table of contents 4

The Past, Present, and Future of Land for Maine's Future

9

Moving People to Action

10

A Maine Farm’s Royal Roots

12

Submit Your “Snaps”

13

Spring Programs

15

From Our Naturalist

Habitat — Volume 33, Issue 3 Jeremy Cluchey, Editor Brandi Sladek, Designer & Layout Editor Leslie Taylor, Associate Editor habitat@maineaudubon.org Staff Directors Andy Beahm, Acting Executive Director Peter Baecher, Director of Properties Dori Barnes, Director of Finance Jeremy Cluchey, Director of Communications Bryce Hach, Director of Development Sally Stockwell, Director of Conservation Eric Topper, Director of Education Officers, Board of Trustees Jerry King, President Stacy Stitham, Vice President John Berry, Treasurer Richard McKittrick, Secretary Maine Audubon Headquarters 20 Gilsland Farm Rd., Falmouth, ME 04105 Phone: (207) 781-2330 maineaudubon.org Habitat, the journal of Maine Audubon, ISSN 0739-2052, is published quarterly.

Cover photo and photos pages 4-7 by Jeff Romano Icons on pages 6-8 from Flaticon.com

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A note from the Acting Executive Director Winter has a reputation as a quiet season. A hush does tend to fall over things as the temperatures drop. But Mainers are hardy folk, and there is plenty of Maine wildlife to see and understand even in the winter months. As a result, Maine Audubon is buzzing in the winter!

In February, we hosted our best-attended Winter Carnival ever. Hundreds of families tromped around Gilsland Farm, playing nature games and building epic snow villages (you can read more about Gilsland Farm’s rich history in these pages). Our vacation camp was another highlight, capped off with a live wildlife show. We had guest speakers, educator workshops, and weekly bird walks — just to name a few.

The political landscape was certainly abuzz, too. Among other developments, Scott Pruitt became the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency.

You likely know that Maine Audubon, along with Maine’s other science-based and conservation-minded organizations, actively opposed Mr. Pruitt’s confirmation. Thanks in large part to those efforts — including calls from many of you — Sen. King and Sen. Collins ultimately voted against Mr. Pruitt.

They deserve our sincere gratitude for this. Unfortunately, in the end it wasn’t enough to prevent his confirmation. From the perspective of Maine’s wildlife, the road ahead is increasingly challenging. And when the going gets tough…

Being a good steward of wildlife requires more from us than simply observing nature. Sometimes it means speaking up and taking action. You have always been able to count on Maine Audubon for thoughtful, measured, sciencebased views about what is best for Maine’s wildlife and habitat, and what you can do to support it. I want you to know that, amidst all the uncertainty, our commitment to our mission is unwavering. In fact, our team is more motivated than ever to carry out this critical work.

As spring emerges in Maine, there is plenty to be hopeful about. One place to start: our state’s incredible conservation legacy. This year we’re celebrating the 30th anniversary of Land for Maine’s Future. You can learn more about this important program in our feature article. And in his column, staff naturalist Doug Hitchcox makes a compelling case for seeking out a Maine birding festival. I’ve learned it always pays to heed Doug’s advice.

I couldn’t be more excited about the work ahead for Maine Audubon.

Thank you for all you do to support us.

Maine Audubon Updates Habitat Goes Greener If you’re reading this, you’re holding the Spring 2017 issue of Habitat. Notice anything different? We’ve switched to a new, uncoated paper called “Rolland Enviro 100.” The 100 means it is 100 percent “PCW,” or post-consumer wastepaper. This paper is also certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, ensuring it comes from responsibly managed forests.

Bringing Nature Home — to the Classroom, and to Your Backyard In January, as part of our Bringing Nature Home initiative funded by Jim and Ann Hancock, Maine Audubon hosted a three-hour workshop on native plant propagation for teachers and community leaders. Led by master propagator and educator Heather McCargo of the Wild Seed Project, participants were taught how to sow native seeds, made seed bombs, and explored activities they can use to introduce students to environmental responsibility.

Also, mark your calendars for June 24, which is the date of the Maine Audubon Native Plant Sale at Gilsland Farm. On offer will be plants native to Maine that are supportive of our state’s wildlife, such as the buttonbush, butterfly weed, and cardinal flower. This year, along with native plants from local nurseries, we’ll be selling plants cultivated by Maine Audubon in a hoop house that will soon be erected at Gilsland Farm.

The Maine Loon Count: 2016 Results, 2017 Changes Last summer, 896 volunteer loon counters contributed data from 304 Maine lakes and ponds. This year’s estimate for the number of loons in the state: 2,848 adults and 384 chicks — on par with recent years, and part of a positive longterm trend. You can see the full results at maineaudubon.org/loons.

For future counts, volunteer loon counters will have a new, digital option for reporting their observations from the field.

Maine Audubon is currently creating an online data portal with support from the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund and the Margaret E. Burnham Charitable Trust.

It will be field tested by a small group of loon counters this year, then available to all in the summer of 2018.

Bird-Friendly Coffee Now Available in Our Nature Stores In the last issue of Habitat, you read about the threat traditionally-grown coffee poses to the winter habitat of our Neotropical migrant songbirds. Choosing a bird-friendly coffee for your morning brew is a delicious way to help ensure a future for the birds we enjoy seeing and hearing all summer. Now, you can buy some for yourself in our nature stores at Gilsland Farm and Fields Pond! Birds & Beans is certified “Bird-Friendly” by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, and roasted locally in Topsham, Maine.

MAINEAUDUBON.ORG • SPRING 2017 3

Conser 30 Years of

Heading along the secluded shoreline, a family pauses for a moment at a scenic outcrop.Through binoculars, they spot Buffleheads feeding in the calm tidal river. As the sun slowly breaks through the coastal fog, the trio moves on, soon descending to the first of three sandy beaches. After scanning the water for the bobbing heads of harbor seals, they continue along the river bank, then head inland into the shade of towering evergreens.

With the hammering sound of Pileated Woodpeckers echoing in the distance, the family arrives at a small pond, their final stop along a four-mile circuit.The youngest hiker approaches quietly, not wanting to disturb the painted turtles soaking up the morning light.

This is the scene at Dodge Point, a 500-acre preserve in Newcastle, Maine, and the Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) program’s first completed conservation project.

rvation

The Past, Present, and Future of Land for Maine’s Future

By Jeff Romano

Established by Maine voters in 1987, the Land for Maine's Future (LMF) program celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

Over three decades, the program has conserved more than 150 special places, totaling over 600,000 acres. Thanks to the foresight of the voters and leaders who created LMF, generations of Mainers can enjoy experiences like a family hike at Dodge Point in each of the state’s sixteen counties.

Expanding Public Lands

Want to take a hike?

Follow paths to incredible viewpoints atop Mount Kineo, Tumbledown Mountain, Sunday River Whitecap, and Mount Abraham.

Trying to escape the heat? Venture to cool waters and sandy shores at Scarborough Beach State Park, Sandy Point Beach, Lake George, and Sebago Lake.

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While many in Maine have long relied on the generosity of private landowners to enjoy scenic hiking trails, preferred hunting spots, and other outdoor recreational areas, this access is never a guarantee.

Special places the public enjoys one day can easily be converted to house lots or posted “No Trespassing” the next. The State Legislature recognized this reality in 1987 when it created the LMF program.

They declared: (T)he future social and economic well-being of the citizens of this State depends upon maintaining the quality and availability of natural areas for recreation, hunting and fishing, conservation, wildlife habitat, vital ecological functions and scenic beauty and...the State, as the public’s trustee, has a responsibility and a duty to pursue an aggressive and coordinated policy to assure that this Maine heritage is passed onto future generations.

Securing guaranteed public access to the outdoors has been central to LMF’s mission from the beginning. In fact, through the addition of new public lands, the program has greatly expanded the availability of world-class outdoor recreational opportunities for citizens and visitors alike.

Supporting Community Partnerships In 1999, the legislature broadened LMF’s mission beyond the expansion of public lands to include investments in land trust and municipal properties that furthered local and regional conservation objectives. This change served as a catalyst in communities all across Maine, spurring partnerships among landowners, municipalities, small businesses, and other local organizations.

These partnerships have: • Created local parks, like scenic Hacker’s Hill in Casco, a Loon Echo Land Trust preserve that attracts picnickers, sunset photographers, birdwatchers, kite flyers, and hosts small community events and weddings; • Protected regional history and identity in places like Coastal Mountain Land Trust’s Beech Hill Preserve, where gentle paths lead through managed blueberry fields to a century-old, sod-roofed stone house surrounded by incredible views of the Camden Hills and Penobscot Bay; • Strengthened local economies, such as the forest products and tourism businesses that benefit from the 34,000acre Downeast Lakes Land Trust’s Farm Cove Community Forest; • Conserved outdoor classrooms, like the Western Foothills Land Trust’s Robert’s Farm in Norway, a property that has welcomed more than 1,800 local students to study forestry, agriculture, and natural sciences; and • Protected popular recreational destinations, including Appalachian Mountain Club’s Maine Woods, where guests regularly explore over 120 miles of trails, fish in dozens of ponds, and relax in traditional sporting camps.

Bolstering Local Economies For nearly two decades, LMF has also focused on the protection of land vital to the state’s forestry, agriculture, and commercial fishing industries. Since 2000, LMF has conserved more than 250,000 acres of working forestland. While supplying raw materials to mills across the state, this land has remained on the tax rolls and is available to the public for hunting, hiking, snowmobiling, and other outdoor recreational activities.

Thanks to LMF, 40 farms and 24 commercial working waterfront properties have also been preserved. One great example is Crystal Spring Farm in Brunswick, which LMF funds helped conserve.

Today, this farm is home to one of the state’s largest farmers’ markets, where vendors provide vegetables, dairy, meat, fish, baked goods, and artisanal foods to thousands of patrons each year. From York to Lubec, LMF investments in commercial working waterfronts have benefited 1,280 fishing families and more than 630 fishing vessels.

Although public access is not guaranteed on these farm and working waterfront properties, the public benefits from the availability of fresh, local foods and more vibrant regional economies.

In 2012, the Trust for Public Land completed a study of the direct and indirect economic benefits of LMF, entitled “Return on the Investment in Land for Maine’s Future.” The report concluded that, for every dollar invested in LMF, the program returns $11 in direct economic activity and other benefits including clean water, flood control, air pollution removal, and healthy wildlife habitat.

The Future of Land for Maine’s Future

Looking to land a prized fish? Cast a line in Cold Stream, Nahmakanta Lake, and Grand Lake Stream.

In search of great birding spots? Sight soaring hawks above Mount Agamenticus, watch shorebirds feeding along Cutler Coast, and listen to warblers singing in Androscoggin Riverlands State Park.

A key to LMF’s success from the beginning has been its popularity around the state and across the political spectrum. The program was established under a Republican administration and received renewed funding proposals from the Independent and Democratic governors who followed. In the legislature, LMF bond questions have always enjoyed broad bipartisan support. Maine people have also strongly endorsed the program at the ballot box, comfortably passing bond measures to fund the program in 1987, 1999, 2005, 2007, 2010, and 2012.

After thirty years of protecting the best of Maine for future generations, public backing remains high.

In a 2015 statewide survey conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, 84 percent of Maine registered voters indicated they “support continuing to fund MAINEAUDUBON.ORG • SPRING 2017 7

Want to paddle with wildlife? Launch your vessel into the calm waters of Donnell Pond and Branch Lake, or the more challenging rapids of the Machias River.

the Land for Maine’s Future program.”

Yet, over the past few years, the program has faced unwarranted delays for political reasons.

The need for the Ready to hit the trail? program persists.

Explore miles of four Just like in 1987, season trails along former there are still special railroad beds that wind places in every through Aroostook, Franklin, corner of the state Penobscot, and Piscataquis where LMF incounties. vestments would enhance local economic prosperity and improve the quality of life for Maine people. LMF is well-positioned to begin a new chapter of land conservation in the years ahead, as Maine communities from Kittery to Fort Kent seek ways to prevent loss of public access to treasured outdoor places, look to bolster natural resource-based businesses, and work to protect habitats critical to the long-term health of the state’s changing landscape.

In the meantime, there has never been a better time to get out and enjoy the incredible work that LMF has already accomplished. Take a moment this year to experience these special places for yourself. Bring your friends and family. Sleep under the stars on Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s Whaleboat Island Preserve in Casco Bay. Marvel at breathtaking views of the White Mountains from the summit of Mahoosuc Land Trust’s Rumford Whitecap Preserve. Or grab a pair of binoculars to spot colorful songbirds in the quiet forests of the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust’s Edwin L. Smith Preserve.

It is no wonder public enthusiasm for the program remains high today. LMF has made Maine a more desirable place to live and raise a family, while strengthening some of our state’s most important industries, including tourism, forest products, agriculture, and fishing. Over the past three decades, the program has left an indelible mark on the state, and it remains poised to continue this lasting legacy for many years to come.

To learn about the more than 150 places protected by LMF over the past thirty years, visit landformainesfuture.org.

Jeff Romano is Senior Public Policy Manager with Maine Coast Heritage Trust, a statewide land trust that manages more than 100 preserves along the coast of Maine. He lives in Hallowell with his wife and son. Jeff has also written three guidebooks, including 100 Classic Hikes of New England (2010) and Day Hiking New England (2015).

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Cindy Beck Giving Back to a Place Dear to my Heart What inspired you to volunteer with Maine Audubon?

Moving People to

Action

Highlighting individuals who have taken action on behalf of wildlife and the environment

Cindy Beck is an empty-nester of two grown children. She lives in Falmouth with her husband and two dogs.

The online listing for a volunteer development assistant at Maine Audubon headquarters immediately popped out at me.

I used to do administrative work before my children were born and I’ve lived my whole life in Falmouth. I cross-country skied at Gilsland Farm as a young adult, and I brought my children there countless times to play at the pond and explore the grounds.

My mother-in-law would often join us.

When my children were young, on visits to Gilsland Farm their Grammy would buy them each a rubber animal from the Maine Audubon Nature Store. They ended up with a huge collection!

Now, every time I come into the office, once I hit the dirt road to enter the property I think, “What a nice place to be.

What a joy to work with great people in a beautiful location.”

What kind of work do you do with the Development team?

After back surgery, I can't work full time but I want to keep busy. So I volunteer three to four hours a day, four days a week. It gives me a chance to use my office skills on behalf of nature and Maine’s

wildlife. I do lots of different tasks, from creating gift acknowledgement packages, to sending out new membership cards, to data entry.

It’s very satisfying when I can see the results of my work. For example, one season I was responsible for entering contact information shared by hikers at Borestone Mountain into our database.

We were then able to communicate with them about issues related to the Borestone Mountain Audubon Sanctuary. It was wonderful seeing that so many then contributed money for the sanctuary’s upkeep.

What do you like most about volunteering with Maine Audubon?

I love working in a place where I can take a break from my desk, step outside, and see wildlife. Last summer, a snapping turtle laid her eggs right by our building. For two or three days, the hatchlings were wandering through the grass and we had to be so careful walking from one building to another because we didn't want to step on a baby turtle. I also love to see the mama woodchucks carrying their babies. I even love the turkeys! It is just so peaceful here.

MAINEAUDUBON.ORG • SPRING 2017 9

Rows of peonies led to the Moulton summer cottage at Gilsland Farm (right); an inscribed dedication stone sits outside Maine Audubon’s Environmental Center (below).

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Gilsland Farm Audubon Center A Maine Farm's Royal Roots Sir Thomas de Moulton the Fifth had quite a lineage.

In 1066, his great-greatgrandfather fought in the battle of Hastings alongside William the Conqueror.

For his service, the first Sir Thomas was rewarded with vast tracts of land in the English countryside. Five generations later, Sir Thomas the Fifth added to those holdings, acquiring Castle Egrewent in County Cumberland, England.

The land was unique. Much of it was tucked into a narrow, woody glen — a “gils” in the parlance of the time. On seeing it, King Richard I, a close friend of Sir Thomas, dubbed him “Thom of the Gils.” The name stuck, and his newly acquired land became known as “Gilsland.”

In 1637, descendants of Sir Thomas came to the new world, settling in what was then the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The first Moultons to move into what would become Maine were Cutting Moulton and his wife Abigail Webster, who started a family farm in Parsonsfield in 1786.

Their great grandson, David Odell Moulton, moved his farming operation to the Town of Falmouth.

A deep thinker with broad interests, David Odell Moulton was active politically, championing liberal causes like the labor movement and women’s rights. He worked not only as a farmer but also as a schoolteacher, educating his four children in a one-room schoolhouse at Falmouth Four Corners, and encouraging them to pursue as much education as they could.

They listened. His youngest son, David Edward Moulton, attended Yale Law School at the turn of the 20th century.

He opened a law practice in Portland and embarked on what would become a long career of civic engagement, serving in the state legislature and as South Portland’s first city solicitor. With his older brother Willis, a graduate of Bowdoin Medical School, he purchased the tract of land along the Presumpscot River that became Gilsland Farm.

he’d finished supper that evening, he asked to visit his Jerseys in the barn.

An hour later, he returned with a smile.

“Now I know why I haven’t been feeling well,” he said. “I haven’t had any manure on my shoes all winter!” In his sleep that evening, David Moulton passed away. He was 80.

Gilsland Farm soon became renowned. By 1928, he had collected more than 200 varieties, and reportedly sold individual peony roots for as much as $250. Each June, the farm would light up with the vibrant blossoms, leading one Portland paper to call Gilsland Farm “a show garden of peonies — wonder place of Portland.”

It has been nearly 1,000 years since the Battle of Hastings.

Richard the Lionheart had no way of knowing his “Thom of the Gils” quip would have such far-reaching effects. But it did. Caught on the breeze of a shifting diaspora, it moved through centuries and across oceans, from County Cumberland, England, to a new home in Cumberland County, Maine.

To honor her father, Ruth Moulton FreeThe Farm was many things — a home for man and her family presented Gilsland Moulton’s prize cattle, an exhibition for Farm to Maine Audubon on December his vast and varied flower and vegetable 2, 1974. Since that time it has served gardens, and a refuge for his daughters, as Maine Audubon’s headquarters, and Louise and Ruth, who lost their mother the living, breathing legacy of David at a young age. Increasingly, it stood in Moulton and the entire Moulton family, contrast to the imsome of whom live in “The naturalist coming to maculate Falmouth the area and number Foreside summer among Maine AuduGilsland Farm for the first homes of Portland bon’s most dedicated time may be impressed with residents, a “worksupporters. Visitors the humble beauty of the ing showplace” that to Gilsland Farm still thrived under the enjoy the blooming land and its peacefulness… fastidious care of peonies, both cultiBut for its richest and most David Moulton and vated and wild, and characteristic features, one his family. hundreds gather to celebrate with Maine has to look closely and over a A particular passion Audubon each June period of time.” of David Moulton’s on Peony Day (hapwas his carefully pening this year on -Gary Fogg, Habitat, cultivated peonies, June 14). for which he and October/November 1983

In his later years, David Moulton and his wife Helen Leavitt began spending their winters in Florida, returning to Gilsland Farm each spring. In April 1951, he arrived after a long and tiring trip. When

Much of the history for this article is derived from David Edward Moulton of Gilsland Farm, by Janet McMahon.

MAINEAUDUBON.ORG • SPRING 2017 11

Hello!

My name is Ariana van den Akker, and I am excited to be Maine Audubon’s first Photography and Video Fellow. After years working in photojournalism, I can clearly see how many great stories there are to tell about this wonderful organization.

Send Snaps

I am hoping you can help me! I am sure many of you take photos of your experiences with Maine’s wildlife and habitat, and I’d love if you’d be willing to share your favorites with me. I’ll choose a few to feature online and in an upcoming issue of Habitat.

Thanks!

Submission Guidelines: Send photos taken in the state of Maine in the past year to photo@maineaudubon.org.

(Please, no more than five submissions per person.)

For each photo, tell me about the shot, the story behind it — and a little information about you, too! Include your Instagram handle if you have one.

Image resolution should be at least 2000px (6 inches) on the shortest side, and preferably 300dpi, but under 20MB. By submitting your photos, you are agreeing to let us use them online, in print, and on our social media accounts with credit. You will retain all rights to your photos.

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Spring Programs Pricing reflects member discounts.

Gilsland Farm Greater Portland (207) 781-2330 ADULT PROGRAMS

GUIDED WALKS & TRIPS

Weekly Bird Walks Thursdays, 7:00am; $5

May 8-18: Warbler Walks at Evergreen Cemetery and Capisic Park (Portland) Monday-Friday, 7:00am; Free

Speaker Series 21+ only events

Sponsored by Allagash Brewing, Chickadee Wines, and Maine Magazine

7:00 pm; $10 April 20: Maine Outdoor Film Festival May 25: The Puffin Project with Steve Kress Kick-off event for the 3rd Annual Freeport Birding Festival June 21: Landscaping with Native Plants with Thomas Rainer Gilsland Farm Native Plant Walk In partnership with Wild Seed Project Sunday, June 4, 9:30am; $7 Native Plants Festival & Plant Sale Sponsored by Jim & Ann Hancock Saturday, June 24 EDUCATOR WORKSHOP Growing Up WILD April 8, 9:00am-2:00pm; $23 NATURALIST WORKSHOPS Nature & Birding Lecture Series 7:00 pm; $10 April 27: Birding by Ear May 4: Warbler Identification June 6: Know Your Seabirds

May 23: Little Big Day - How many birds can we find in a day?

Van departs from Gilsland Farm 7:00am; $50 June 7: Birds of Brownfield Bog 7:00am; $20 June 9: Seabirds of Matinicus Rock Departs from New Harbor 8:00am; $80 June 19: Grassland Birds of Kennebunk Plains 7:00am; $20 YOUTH & FAMILY

Scholarships available for preschool and summer camps. ages 2-5 with caregiver

Spring Family Fun Tuesdays, March 28 - May 23 (no class April 18); 9:15am or 10:30am $90/8-week session

grades K-5

April School Vacation Camps April 17-21; 9:00am-3:00pm $60/day; $280/week

ages 3-5

“Look What I Found!”

Preschool Vacation Camp April 17-21; 9:00am-1:00pm $210/week; $45/day

school-aged +

Live Wildlife Show April 21; 10:30-11:30am Children $5; Adults $10

Peony Bloom & Ice Cream Social June 14, 5:00-7:00pm; Free for members Summer Programs grades K-5

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Summer Day Camps June 19-August 25; 9:00am-3:00pm $290/week ages 3-5

Summer Squash Preschool Camps June 26-August 25; 9:00 am-1:00pm $215/week ages 4-5

Explorers Preschool Camps June 19-August 18; 9:00am-3:00pm $250/week

ages 2-5 w/ caregiver

Family Fun June 22-July 20 and August 3-24 Thursdays, 4:00-5:00pm (new time!) $45/4-week session 3rd Annual Pollinator Parade & Festival Saturday, May 20, 10:00am In partnership with Birth Roots

Featuring the release of A Monarch Butterfly Story with Islandport Press

MAINEAUDUBON.ORG • SPRING 2017 13

Spring Programs MAINEAUDUBON.ORG

Pricing reflects member discounts.

Fields Ponds

Scarborough Marsh

Greater Bangor (207) 989-2591

(207) 883-5100

Opening Memorial Day Weekend!

YOUTH & FAMILY PROGRAMS

ADULT WORKSHOPS & TRIPS

Family Discovery: Nature Journaling April 15, 1:00-2:30pm; $15/family

Introduction to Wildlife Photography with Doug Hitchcox April 9, 2:00-4:00pm; $20

Earth Day Clean-Up April 22; 9:00 am-12:00 pm Help us get the marsh ready for the spring!

Full Moon Paddle June 9, 6:30-8:00pm; $10 Canoes available for rent $10

Volunteer Naturalist Training April 26-27, 9:00- 12:00 pm; Free

Family Fun May 3 - June 14, 10:00-11:00am $70/family

Foraging for Wild Edibles with David Spahr June 11, 1:00-4:00pm; $20

Bird Walks Wednesdays, May 17–Sept. 27 7:00 am; $3

Springfest

EDUCATOR WORKSHOPS

May 13 7:00am-1:00pm Celebrate International Migratory Bird Day with birdwalks, nature walks, and activities for kids. Free

“Bringing Nature Home” for Teachers and Community Leaders April 7, 9:00-2:00pm; $25

Grades K-5

April vacation camp April19-21, 9:00am-3:00pm $55/day; $150/session Ages 2-5 with caregiver

Family Discovery: Phenology Walk June 3, 1-2:30 pm; $15/family Summer Programs

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Summer Camp Weeks Monday-Friday; 9:00am-3:00pm Family Fun Wednesdays, 7/12-8/23 Walks and Talks for Adults coming soon...

Visit maineaudubon.org/FPAC

14 SPRING 2017 • MAINEAUDUBON.ORG

Phenology in the Classroom May 5, 9:00am-2:00pm; $25 Flying WILD June 2, 8:45am-2:00pm; $23 VOLUNTEER TRAINING Naturalist Training for Spring Walks April 6, 9:00-11:00am - or April 10, 12:00-2:00pm; Free Stewardship Day April 8, 10:00am-2:00pm Help us get Fields Pond ready for the spring!

Snowy Egret 5K May 29, 9:00am (Kids' 1K at 8:30am) Run or walk the Marsh in support of the Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center and the Eastern Trail Alliance. $16 pre-registration $19 race-day registration $4 Kids' race Full Moon Canoe Tours June 8, 9, 20, 8:00 pm; $12 Guided Canoe Tours Daily, June 17-Sept. 4, 10:00am; $10 Family Nature Walks Wednesdays, June 21-Aug. 30, 10:30am $5 Nature Art June 27, 10:30am; $5

Pull out page

For more information or to register, go to

I get pretty excited in the spring. How could you not? Soon, neotropic migrants will come streaming back into Maine by the millions. Each morning will offer the excitement of birds “dripping” from trees. Nights will be spent watching radar images, or listening to songbirds calling overhead. I’m not sure I actually sleep in May, but it’s worth it.

The spring birding opportunities are endless. If you’re as inspired as I am to seize as many of them as possible, I’d encourage you to explore a resource many Maine Audubon members I talk to don’t take advantage of: birding festivals.

One of the most important things to know about Maine’s birding festivals is just how varied they are. With so much to cram into a few peak weeks of the spring migration, the festivals do an incredible job of spreading out the opportunities. You can find festivals that cater to different skill levels. You can attend festivals that focus on spotting rare and hard-to-see birds through things like pelagic boat trips. Some festivals feature social gatherings, such as art receptions or luncheons, giving birders an opportunity to interact without being distracted by flying gems.

Most festivals allow you to sign up only for the events you want, and some even offer free walks or programs.

Another important aspect of these festivals is that they are hosted right here in Maine. In many cases, they are large drivers of ecotourism, providing an attraction to tourists in this early ‘shoulder season.’ Thousands of people will travel to Maine to attend these festivals — and they will support our state’s small businesses and local economies when they do. From the delis and coffee shops to the lobstermen and boat operators, birders will have a tangible economic impact on the towns they visit while enjoying this non-consumptive hobby.

Your homework this spring: look into the variety of upcoming birding festivals and find one that appeals to you.

Our website and sources like the Maine Birding Trail (mainebirdingtrail.com) can get you started. Find an event — even if it’s just a single gathering — get registered, and count down the days until the festival. While you’re there, make yourself known: talk not just to your fellow birders, but to the local businesspeople about why you are there, and what birding means to you.

Who knows? Maybe because of you, that local coffee shop will start serving bird-friendly coffee in an effort to appeal to the growing and (and increasingly influential) birder market!

Spring Birding Festivals

Doug Hitchcox Staff Naturalist

From Our Naturalist Finding Your Festival

Feathers Over Freeport Freeport; April 29-30 Wings, Waves, and Woods Deer Isle; May 19-21 Freeport Birding Festival Freeport; May 26-28

Sponsored by L.L.Bean and Maine Audubon

Downeast Spring Birding Festival Coobscook Bay, Whiting; May 26-29 Acadia Birding Festival Acadia National Park; June 1-6

MAINEAUDUBON.ORG • SPRING 2017 15

A Monarch Butterfly Story Book Launch

Saturday, May 20 at the Gilsland Farm Pollinator Parade

20 Gilsland Farm Road Falmouth, ME 04105

Inspired by true stories of butterflies and all the people, young and old, who are working to help them!

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage P A I D Portland, ME Permit No. 92

The final installment of our 'Wildlife on the Move' children’s book series.

100% PCW & FSC logos

Coming in May

ALMANAC of Maine’s Natural World 1 2

Ospreys begin returing to Maine for the summer.

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JUNE

MAY

APRIL

5

Look for Trout Lilies blossoming on the forest floor.

Listen for American Woodcocks calling “peent” around wet fields.

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Look for large red Fox Sparrows on the ground under your feeders as they pass through on their jouney north.

The Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower will be visible this morning—remnant particles from Halley’s Comet.

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Listen for American Toads calling in the evening—a high musical trill held at the same pitch.

On this date in 2005, a Plumbeous Vireo was seen on Matinicus Rock —the only time this bird has been seen in Maine.

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Least Terns have returned to Maine’s beaches to nest.

Early June is a great time to look for Pink Lady’s Slippers through shaded woods.

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Gaze at the stars. Saturn and its moons will be at their closest point to Earth of the year.

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The earliest Woodchuck pups begin emerging from their burrows this week.

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As baby birds are born, look for adults’ behavior to change.

Decreased singing and adults carrying food are sure signs there are mouths to feed.

full moon is known 11 Tonight's as the “Full Fish Moon.” Tribes

knew this moon coincided with shad runs upstream.

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Keep an eye out for Garter Snakes searching for mates.

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Earth Day! Hug a tree. Kiss a frog. Feel the breeze. Appreciate our planet—today and every day.

Blackpoll Warbler migration peaks in late May, a sign warbler migration is wrapping up.

Milk Snakes are on the move, finding sheltered spots to lay their eggs.