If you’ve ever been out bird watching and second-guessed your identification of one, just attend a bird walk at Gilsland Farm Audubon Center and there’s a good chance your questions will be answered.
Additional Photos
Audubon naturalist Eric Hynes leads birders of all ages and abilities around the Falmouth trails every Thursday morning. Cold, colder, coldest, rain, snow, whatever — Hynes said the bird walk is always on, year-round, regardless of the weather.
My teenage daughters and I joined in a recent outing. In the spirit of the early bird catching the worm, the walks begin at 7 a.m.
At the outset of our walk, Hynes said he was happy to answer any birding question we might have because he believes no question is stupid. I asked a bunch of basic questions, because even though I enjoy watching birds, my identification skills are still at the novice level.
He answered every question with anecdotes that offered not only an explanation to answer my question, but interesting tidbits and lesser-known facts as well.
The morning we attended, there was a person who had never been on the Gilsland bird walk as well as several others who attend regularly. A few people were equipped not only with binoculars (which all participants are encouraged to bring), but cameras. My 14-year-old brought along her digital-SLR camera and was thrilled to have a great subject to photograph within the first minute of our walk.
We spotted a red-tailed hawk hanging out on a branch near the Audubon building. The hawk was on an exposed tree limb and all the camera-toting participants were cooing over the clear shot they could take of the regal bird. My daughter took this opportunity to remind me she needs a zoom lens for her camera. This is an ongoing request and she appreciated the in-the-field example to prove her point.
I took the moment to remind her that birds might be found on trees, but money doesn’t grow there.
A hike through the woods led us to the shoreline to see ducks. We saw mallards, and further in the distance, some red-breasted mergansers. Hynes carried a field scope and set it up while explaining that the red-breasted mergansers have a funky, punk-like crest atop their heads. Through the scope we could see a magnified view of what he meant by that accurate description.
Along another part of the trail we found some bluebirds, and those with cameras crept quietly along the trail to try to get close-up photos of them. My 14-year-old led the pack of photography enthusiasts and they all managed to get pretty close before the birds flitted away. And I was reminded, yet again, that there is a very real need for a zoom lens.
Yup, got that the first time.
As we continued along the trail system, Hynes spotted some cedar waxwings in a distant tree and set up his telescope again. Then a Bohemian waxwing was spotted in the mix and several of our fellow walkers were all atwitter. I guessed it was a less typical sighting. The girls and I lined up to view the bird through the fieldscope.
As the walk was winding down and people were starting to head back to their cars, a juvenile bald eagle was spotted. Of course the group reconvened to admire the flight of the young eagle through their binoculars. By the time we decided to head home, we had spent a little over two hours with the group.
Our walk not only included bird sightings but also the current outdoor wildlife sculpture exhibition. Created by sculptor Wendy Klemperer and arranged by curator June LaCombe, it’s an exhibit everyone in the family will love.
The sculptures are metal works of caribou, mountain lion, deer, lynx, porcupine and wolves — all creatures common to Maine, either now or in the past. The work is striking in the winter environment due to the lack of foliage and well worth a hike through the woods here to see them all.
The exhibition continues through May and my kids really enjoyed the detail and metal-work artistry of each piece as well as the placement on the trails.
Birding is a wonderful activity to get the family hiking outside in all seasons. The bird walk at Gilsland Farm is a great introduction for those new to birding as well as those with some knowledge but interested in learning more.
But don’t expect a fast-paced adventure. Birding is by nature a quiet activity for human observers.
But the friendly nature of fellow birders makes flocking together for the Thursday morning walks a great learning adventure. And with spring fast approaching, there are plenty of feathered friends in the Maine skies — with more on their way.
Staff Writer Wendy Almeida can be contacted at 791-6334 or at:
wea@mainetoday.com
Follow her on Twitter at:
Twitter.com/RaisingMaine
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.