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Weekly Birdwalk

Accompany staff naturalist and expert birder Eric Hynes each Thursday morning for a guided birdwalk. We'll meet at Gilsland Farm and if we don't walk there, will carpool to various nearby destinations. Sites will be selected based on seasonal bird movements and recent reports.

Bring your binoculars and field guide. All skill levels are welcome!

Thursdays,

April 3, 10, 17, and 24

7 a.m.

$3/member, $5/nonmember

Borestone Art Exhibit and Sale

Celebrating the connection between art and nature, Maine Audubon is delighted to announce an exhibit and sale of artwork inspired by Borestone Mountain Audubon Sanctuary. Over two-dozen accomplished artists have fully donated their work so all proceeds can benefit Maine Audubon's work for wildlife conservation.

An opening reception will be held from 2-4 p.m., Saturday, April 12.

Online preview is at: www.maineaudubon.org/borestoneart

For more information, please contact Susy Kist at (207) 781, 2330, ext. 231

or skist@maineaudubon.org

Exhibit hours:

9 a.m.-5 p.m.,

Monday-Saturday,   and 12-4 p.m.,

Sunday and holidays

The Spring Sky

Astronomer Edward Gleason from USM's Southworth Planetarium will guide this exploration of the spring sky. He will cover the myriad stars, constellations, planets, and deep-space objects visible to the naked eye, then move up to what one can see with binoculars, and with the help of a large telescope. Dress to be outside for part of the program; appropriate for both adults and families with children ages 10 and over.

Wednesday, April 30 (weather date May 7)

8-9:30 p.m.

Members: $8/adult, $3/child; nonmembers: $10/adult, $4/child

Advance registration necessary

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Greater Portland Traveler's Forum

Biking Bhutan

A program by Cliff Krolick

Witness the magic of riding a bike through Bhutan 's treasure of visual and cultural riches.  On this tour, Cliff Krolick, founder and operator of the Back Country Biking Center in Maine , discovered a gracious, loving people, a unique and amazing culture, and a country of unimaginable beauty.

Thursday, May 1

7 p.m.

Free

Weekly Birdwalk

Accompany staff naturalist and expert birder Eric Hynes each Thursday morning for a guided birdwalk. We'll meet at Gilsland Farm and either walk there or carpool to nearby destinations. Sites will be selected based on seasonal bird movements and recent reports. Bring your binoculars and field guide. All skill levels welcome.

Thursdays, May 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29

7 a.m.

$3/member, $5/nonmember

Spring Yoga:

Restoring and Maintaining Balance

Relax and enjoy the serenity of Gilsland Farm with gentle Kripalu yoga guided by Danika Kuhl. Suitable for all levels of continuing students, this class balances a mix of yoga postures, breathing, and meditation with an emphasis on reducing stress, increasing focus, and connecting with the peaceful surroundings. Beginning students are welcome but should check first with Deb Cook at cook@midcoast.com

Mondays, May 5, 12, 19 and June 2, 9, 16, and 23

5:30-6:45 p.m.

$42/member, $56/nonmember,

or $10/individual   per class

Advance registration necessary

Family Program: Good Night Nature

Bring your children ages 3-6 to Gilsland Farm for the evening to listen to the bedtime story Quiet Night. Snacks and activities will enhance the reading. Don't forget to wear your pajamas! Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Thursday, May 8, and Wednesday, May 14

6:30-7:30 p.m.

$10/member child, $15/nonmember child

Advance registration necessary

International Migratory Bird Day:

Tundra to Tropics

Come to Gilsland Farm Saturday, May 10, to participate in this global event highlighting migrant birds.

Birdwalk: Shorebirds, flycatchers, warblers and more will be returning from Central and South America , many stopping here to refuel on their way to northern breeding grounds. Eric Hynes will help you identify these birds by sight and sound on a tour of the sanctuary.
7-9:30 a.m.

Family Birdwalk: You don't have to be big to be a birder. Children 8 and older are welcome join Maine Audubon naturalists as we walk the trails in search of bird life. We will keep the spotting scope set low, so even the small feel tall.
10-11:30 a.m.

Piping Plover-Least Tern Protection Seminar: Meet the biologist heading up this effort to protect beach-nesting plovers and terns. A demonstration nest exclosure will be set up on the premises.

11 a.m.-12 p.m.

Saturday, May 10

Free

Have a Blast with Birds:

Kids will be blown away by this fun series of bird-related games, challenges, crafts, and activities. Work your way through the many stations as a family. Birding is a great way to get kids hooked on spending time outside.

12-2 p.m.

Workshop: Backyard Birding Basics:

This crash course covers identification of common backyard birds, the habitat concept and how to apply it to your own property. Learn all about feeders, houses, fountains, and seed.

2:30-4 p.m.

Saturday, May 10

Free

Nature Book Discussion:

Books by John Hay

John Hay's writing has been described as having a "strenuous lyricism and breathtaking imagery that pitches and veers like a tern's flight." Guided by scrupulous research, his books depict a human life elevated by an intense devotion to nature.

Since many of his books are out of print, each reader may pick from a plethora of his writing.

Some suggestions would be: The Way to the Salt Marsh, The Run (1959), Nature's Year (1961), In Defense of Nature (1969), The Great Beach (1980), The Undiscovered Country (1982).

Monday, May 12

7 p.m.

Free

Birdathon Swap Meet

Is your Birdathon team still scrambling to find a Louisiana waterthrush? What is the best vantage point to view the peregrine falcons nesting on the Casco Bay Bridge? Come to Gilsland Farm for strategies, stories, the latest scouting reports, and more from fellow birders. This gathering is open to everyone, regardless of whether you are participating in the Birdathon. Refreshments will be provided.

Thursday, May 15

7 p.m.

Free

Birdathon

Join birders throughout Maine—from Arundel to Aroostook and Fort Kent to Fort Foster—for this once-a-year, one-of-a-kind birding event!

For more details, visit our Birdathon home page.

Friday, May 16

6 p.m. to

Saturday, May 17

6 p.m.

Free

Birder's Breakfast

at Evergreen Cemetery

Take a break from your morning birding to swap sightings and enjoy some coffee, juice, and bagels at Evergreen Cemetery in Portland . In recognition of Birdathon day, Maine Audubon will host a hospitality table at Portland 's best spring birding hot spot. Open to all.

Saturday, May 17

7-9 a.m.

Free

Family Program:

Frogs,Tadpoles, and Salamanders

Muck around Gilsland Farm's soggy spots to look for frogs, tadpoles, and other amphibians living and breeding under logs, leaves, and in the pond. Timed at dusk to maximize your chances of seeing and hearing critters. Be sure to wear boots and clothes you don't mind getting dirty. This program is designed for both families and adults.

Saturday, May 17

6:30-8 p.m.

Members: $6/adult, $3/child; nonmembers: $8/adult, $4/child

Advance registration necessary

Naturalists' Forum:

Conserving Vernal Pools

Hear two of Maine 's most recognized experts, Aram Calhoun from the University of Maine and Philip deMaynadier from Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, discuss their new book: Science and Conservation of Vernal Pools in Northeastern North America . Learn about vernal pool ecology, what constitutes a "significant vernal pool" listing, and how and why the state is now regulating them.

Copies of their new book will be available for purchase and signing.

Tuesday, May 27 (note special date)

7 p.m.

Free

Course: Marine Biology

Join Colby College Professor Herb Wilson for this introductory course on Maine 's marine environment. Focusing on intertidal species of the New England coast, topics include surveys of marine animals, flowering plants and algae, tidal cycles, and the ecological interactions of marine life in the Gulf of Maine . A trip to Reid State Park in Georgetown will provide opportunities for hands-on learning.

Classes: Wednesday, May 28, and Tuesdays, June 3, 10, and 17,

6:30-9 p.m.

Field trip:

Sunday, June 1, 2:30-5:30 p.m.

$125/member, $150/nonmember

Advance registration necessary

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Weekly Birdwalk

Accompany staff naturalist and expert birder Eric Hynes each Thursday morning for a guided birdwalk. We'll meet at Gilsland Farm and either walk there or carpool to nearby destinations. Sites will be selected based on seasonal bird movements and recent reports. Bring your binoculars and field guide. All skill levels welcome.

Thursdays, June 5, 12, 19, and 26

7 a.m.

$3/member, $5/nonmember

Travelers' Forum: TBA

Enjoy slides taken by local travelers on both national and international trips. Check back here for June's topic.

Thursday, June 5

7 p.m.

Free

Nature Walk:

Wildflowers of Gilsland Farm

The subtle beauty of Maine 's wildflowers can rival that of any horticultural species. In early June, painted trillium, marsh marigold, mayapple, and jack-in-the-pulpit should be in bloom.Horticulturist Margi Huber leads this exploration of the sanctuary to review the ecology and identification of many common wildflowers.

Saturday, June 7

9-11 a.m.

$6/member, $8/nonmember

Advance registration necessary

Family Program: Fauna Foolery

Plants and animals have many ways to

"outmaneuver" or "trick" for their defense and breeding. Naturalist Ellen Pattee will guide this family program to discover and understand what it means to mimic, "play possum," and other survival strategies of plants and animals.

Saturday, June 7

10-11:30 a.m.

Members: $6/adult, $3/child; nonmembers: $8/adult, $4/child

Advance registration necessary

Nature Book Discussion:

The Prophet of Dry Hill by David Gessner

David Gessner spent a year on Cape Cod with legendary nature writer John Hay. What emerged was an ardent memoir of the joys, wonders, and secrets of a landscape succumbing to developers' bulldozers, and a reflection on Hay's magnificent contributions to nature writing. The author will not be present.

Monday, June 9

7 p.m.

Free

Bird Banding Demonstrations

Bird banding is back at Gilsland Farm this summer! Maine Audubon is studying breeding birds to determine how many young they produce and how long they survive. Watch as we identify, age, weigh, measure, and band many familiar and unfamiliar species. Seeing chickadees, cardinals, catbirds, and song sparrows up close "in the hand" is fascinating for adults and children alike.

Drop in for all or part of the morning.

Weather permitting

Wednesdays, June 11 and 25

8:30-11 a.m.

Free

Family Program: Good Night Nature

Bring your children ages 3-6 to Gilsland Farm for the evening to listen to the bedtime story Goodnight, My Duckling. Snacks and activities will enhance the reading. Don't forget to wear your pajamas.

Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Wednesday, June 11, or Thursday, June 12

6:30-7:30 p.m.

$10/member child, $15/nonmember child

Advance registration necessary

The Peonies of Gilsland Farm

A century ago over 200 varieties of peonies were grown at Gilsland Farm. Many of them still bloom "in the wild" around the sanctuary, but there is also a formal peony garden, where in mid to late June "crowns" and "bombs" bloom in a glorious profusion of color. Staff horticulturist Margi Huber leads a peony tour, discussing the property's history as a working farm and plant nursery.

Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, June 16, 17, and 19

3-4 p.m.

$6/member, $8/nonmember

Advance registration necessary

Full Moon, Full Bloom:

Peony Social and Annual Meeting

Join us for Maine Audubon's annual ice cream social among the spectacular peony blooms that mark the start of summer at Gilsland Farm Audubon Center. The evening begins indoors with our annual meeting and continues in the peony garden with a presentation of Maine Audubon's annual awards and recognition of long- time members, volunteers, and supporters. Afterward, tour the garden and other areas where peonies bloom at the farm and learn the history of these hardy yet exotic plants. All this-plus ice cream under a full moon! Feel free to wear your favorite summer hat.

To register, please contact Linda Shary at (207) 781-2330, ext. 233, or lshary@maineaudubon.org

Wednesday, June 18

Annual meeting: 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Awards,recognition, and ice cream:

6:30-8 p.m.

Free

Advance registration necessary

Summer Solstice Yoga

Let go of your hectic schedule and reconnect to nature's rhythms on the longest day of the year at Gilsland Farm. This relaxing evening will be led by Deb Cook, Kripalu-certified yoga teacher and founder of Yoga in Maine . Enjoy gentle yoga movement, breathing, and meditation followed by tea and light snacks.

Friday, June 20

6-9 p.m.

$25/participant

Advance registration necessary

Family Program: Summer Solstice

Celebrate the longest day of the year with sunny fun for all ages.We'll learn what the sun does for plants and animals, hear sun tales from cultures all over the world, and work on a sun craft or two.

Saturday, June 21

10-11:30 a.m.

Members: $6/adult, $3/child; nonmembers: $8/adult, $4/child

Advance registration necessary

Butterflies of Gilsland Farm

Accompany Maine Butterfly Survey monitors as they find, catch, identify, photograph, and then release these beautiful insects. This is a great way to learn more about butterflies, participate in the compilation of a new statewide monitoring project, and kindle a whole new outdoor passion.

Saturday, June 28

1-3 p.m.

$6/members, $8 nonmember

Advance registration necessary

Naturalists' Forum:

Bird Conservation Secrets

Jeff Wells, senior scientist with the Boreal Songbird Initiative, will be at Gilsland Farm to discuss his new book, Birder's Conservation Handbook: 100 North American Birds at Risk. Come hear what really threatens North America 's birds and what you can do to help.Signed copies will be available for purchase.

Monday, June 30

7 p.m.

Free