Programs

Downeast Chapter

Serving All of Hancock County

Home to Acadia National Park, forests, wetlands, blueberry barrens, and miles of rocky ocean and island habitat, Hancock County supports diverse species of birds and wildlife, and offers excellent opportunities for enjoying nature, birding, outdoor recreation, and wildlife observation and study.

Monthly natural history programs are typically held the third Thursday of each month in either MDI, Blue Hill, or Ellsworth, and are open to members and the public alike.

Field trips (birding, plant walks, etc.) are offered throughout the year to local and state points of interest. We depend on a dedicated local volunteer board and committee members to plan and implement our activities.

Board meetings are held monthly in Ellsworth and are open to all members. Contact us to get involved!!

 

Programs & Trips / 2008

April | May | June

For more information or to register, email deaudubon@downeast.net or call (207) 664-4400. Please register early, as space is limited on field trips.

The public is invited to participate in all activities. Become a member of Downeast Audubon and get discounts on Maine Audubon field trips and at our nature stores.

Programs are open to the public and are free. Field trips are free to members but non-members are asked to donate $5.

April

Tales from Acadia Wildlife Foundation
Thursday, April 17
7:00 p.m. social/ 7:30 program
Speaker: Ann Rivers
Location: Blue Hill Library

Have you ever wondered what to do with a loon found on the beach; or what to say when your child brings home a baby bird? How about if your dog drags a baby raccoon on to the porch or an animal gets hit by a car and is still very much alive? These and lots of other questions will be answered by Ann Rivers, director of Acadia Wildlife Foundation, a wildlife hospital located on Mt. Desert. The program will include photos and moving stories of some of the thousands of patients treated since 1994 when AWF began. They include everything from bobcats, beavers and bears to eagles, owls, and songbirds. Information on how to help animals and birds in your own back yard will also be provided AND expect a surprise guest!

Special Event

Celebrate Earth Day
Spring Clean up at Birdsacre
Saturday, April 19
9:00 a.m. - noon
Location: Birdsacre, High Street, Ellsworth (just before China Hill)

It has become a tradition that members of Downeast Audubon spend a morning helping the staff at Birdsacre with the big chore of spring clean up. We were thrilled last year when we had 25 sets of helping hands. Won’t you chip in and donate your time this year? There are many things you can do: rake leaves and branches off lawns, paths and drive way, clean out garden plots, haul away debris or even visit with the owls! It is very satisfying to see the transformation when the session is over. Bring a rake, gloves, bucket or tarp. Dunkin’ Donuts, hot chocolate and shade-grown coffee will be provided.

*The actual date of Earth Day is April 22. Please give up some of your time that day to help make this world a healthier place for all to live. How about picking up roadside trash in your neighborhood? Or putting up bird houses or changing your light bulbs to compact fluorescent? There is something we all could do!

Special Event

Amphibian “Big Night”

Date to be announced via email
8:30 p.m.- 10:00 p.m.
Meet at Blue Hill Post Office

One of the most spectacular natural events this time of year is when frogs and salamanders come out of hibernation and head towards their traditional breeding grounds. It always happens on the first warm, rainy spring night which could occur anytime from April 20-30. Last year it was April 27. Around 9:00, about a mile of road on Route 15 heading north out of Blue Hill was covered with various amphibians making their way to wetlands. By helping them across the road, we managed to save many from being run over, but so many others fell victim. With more people to help, this year we will be able to save even more. Be prepared for wet weather, wear a reflective vest, have a flashlight and perhaps gloves if you are squeamish about handling slimy things! Call 664-4400 if you would like to be alerted as to when we will be heading out.

Field Trip

Joys of a Spring Evening
Woodcocks, Salamanders, Marshmallows…and more

Saturday, April 26
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Leader: Lynn Havsall
Location: Meet at the Blue Hill Post Office
Limit: 15

To start off the festivities, we will hike a short distance up to Leslie and Blaise’s pond and use dipping nets to bring up creatures from the depths of the muddy bottom. Once uncovered, such things as Predaceous Diving Beetles, Horsehair Worms and Water Scorpions come to life, especially if viewed under a portable microscope. Also, dragonfly larvae, Wood Frog eggs, and Eastern Newts are a possibility as well as many other aquatic creatures. Lynn will explain interesting characteristics of each one and we guarantee you will not be disappointed! Next, we will drive up to the fields of Blue Hill Mountain and witness the nightly flight displays of the American Woodcock. Listen for the “peent” followed by the spiral flight and whistling noises made by the feathers. Then, return to the pond after dark and watch the Spotted Salamanders do their swirling mating dance before finishing up with a hot drink and s’mores by a roaring bonfire.

May

Field Trip

International Migratory Bird Day
Saturday, May 10
7:00 a.m- 9:00 a.m.
Location: Birdsacre, High Street, Ellsworth
Limit: 15

Get out and celebrate the return our feathered friends by attending International Migratory Bird Day, always the second Saturday in May. We will review birding basics before walking the many trails of our treasured Birdsacre. Birds to watch for will be early warblers, Hermit Thrush and even Wood Duck in the wetlands. This is a great warm up to the flurry of birding events which lay ahead. Binoculars and Dunkin’ Donuts will be provided!

Program

Birding by Ear
Thursday, May 15
7:00 p.m. social/ 7:30 program
Location: Blue Hill Library
Speaker: Bob Duchesne

Birding by ear is easier than you think! This timely program comes just when the birds are returning and starting to sing. It is an introduction to bird songs designed especially for new birders, but will be a nice refresher for experienced birders as well. Just six simple tips make it easier to identify those bird sounds that mystify most people. The presenter, Bob Duchesne, is president of the Penobscot Valley Chapter of Maine Audubon and founder of the Maine Birding Trail.

Birding Field Trips:
Friday, May 23
Beginning Birding at Indian Point, Ellsworth
7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Newly acquired by Frenchman Bay Conservancy, this park is on the Union River across Card’s Brook from the marina.

Saturday, May 24
Advanced Birding at Great Pond Mountain Wildlands, Orland
7:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Meet at the South Gate on Route 1 across from the junction of Rt. 176.
We MUST carpool through this 3,420-acre reserve. We will explore several different habitats ranging from beaver ponds to mountain tops to hemlock-covered streams. The gate is locked behind us, so you must remain with the group the whole time.

Saturday, May 31
Intermediate Birding at Leslie’s yard and surrounding land, Blue Hill
7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Meet at the Blue Hill Baptist Church on Pleasant St. This 10-acre backyard includes gardens, orchard, fields, wooded areas and wetlands with many feeding stations and backyard habitat ideas.

June

Beginning Birding at Cooper Farm, Route 15, Sedgwick

Sunday, June 1

7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Owned and maintained by Blue Hill Heritage Trust, this one-mile loop trail winds around the sloping fields and forests on Caterpillar Hill.  Park at the scenic overlook.

All birding field trips limited to 15 people- sign up early!  Binoculars will be provided but bring your own bug repellant!

Program

Wildlife of Australia

Thursday, June 19

7:00 p.m. social/ 7:30 program

Speaker:  Judy Markowsky

Location:  Ellsworth Unitarian Universalist Church

Judy Markowsky, director of Fields Pond Audubon Center in Holden, along with her brother Zip Kellogg, recently spent a month on the continent of Australia.

They traveled to the rain forest, coastal forest, outback, parks, and more.  This program features the wildlife they found- kangaroos, wallabies, parrots, cassowaries, spoonbills, platypus, echidna, dragons, a venomous snake and many other strange and wonderful creatures.  Hear all about their exciting adventures “down under” and enjoy the show!

Field Trip

Birds and Wildflowers of the Orono Bog

Sunday, June 22

9:00 a.m. – noon

Location:  Orono Bog Boardwalk

(take I-95 to Stillwater exit, go 1.3 miles N. to Tripp Dr. and watch for signs)

Leaders:  Sal Rooney and Chip Moseley

Hidden within rich wetland forests of Winterberry, Red Maple and Black Ash, a natural treasure awaits your discovery.  A wild land of dwarfed spruce and evergreen shrubs, tufted cotton grass, orchids and insect-eating plants is only minutes from the hustle and bustle of suburban life.  Join us for a leisurely walk along the 4,200 ft boardwalk and learn some of the 140 species of plants which occur at this outstanding raised peat bog.  Lincoln Sparrows and Palm Warblers, along with many other birds breed here so keep watch; you might see them feeding their young!