FREEPORT – Just as many people are getting outdoors again, Bradbury Mountain State Park in Pownal and Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park in Freeport have something great to do in concert with Mother Nature.

Feathers Over Freeport – sponsored by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry with a big boost from Freeport Wild Bird Supply – is billed as a birdwatching weekend for all ages. Bradbury Mountain hosts Feathers Over Freeport on Saturday, April 26, while the Wolfe’s Neck Woods event is Sunday, April 27. Both begin at 8 a.m. Fees range from $1 to $4.50, depending on age and residency.

Feathers Over Freeport is the official “Pledge 2 Fledge” event in the state. The goal of Pledge 2 Fledge is to encourage people who love birding to introduce someone they know to it. Fritz Appleby, park manager at Bradbury Mountain, says the timing is ideal.

“The osprey are coming back to Wolfe’s Neck Woods, the raptors are flying overhead, returning to their summer homes,” Appleby said. “The weather is starting to come around, and people want to be outside.”

The day at Bradbury Mountain just happens to coincide with the Spring Hawkwatch, which has been ongoing there since March 15. Katrina Fenton is counting hawks and other raptors, welcoming spectators and collecting data through May 15.

Though the scheduled events are mostly the same at Bradbury Mountain and at Wolfe’s Neck Woods, the programs are not exactly the same. One attraction they have in common is a live presentation of birds of prey, including a golden eagle. Hope Douglas, founder of Wind Over Wings bird rehabilitation center in Damariscotta, will appear at both events, from 1-2 p.m.

“The biggest draw, hands-down, is the live bird displays,” Appleby said. “Hope brings a golden eagle, a raven, a falcon, a kestrel. It’s a great opportunity for people to see nature right up close. If you were over here, you wouldn’t be able to take your eyes off that golden eagle.”

Children’s activities and guided walks also are popular Feathers Over Freeport attractions, Appleby said.

Birds are active this time of year, Appleby said, because they are nesting, and food sources are more available.

“They’re a lot more visible right now as they build their nests and gather their food,” he said. “You can hear their calls all day long in the woods.”

Derek Lovitch of Freeport Wild Bird Supply will get things going on April 26 with a bird walk in the woods, at 8 a.m. Visitors to Bradbury Mountain are encouraged to bring their binoculars for close-up views of nature.

“For a lot of people, birding is an excuse to be outside,” Lovitch said. “Birds themselves are just such fascinating creatures – their colors, their adaptations, their ability to fly. Everything in nature has a purpose.”

Lovitch emphasized that Feathers Over Freeport is not meant as a birding festival, per se.

“A bird-watching weekend consists of a more casual approach,” he said. “More of the events over the weekend are not catering to just birders. This is more of an introduction to birding. We’d like people to get to know the nature in the parks. It’s very introductory, and it’s designed to be.”

Lovitch said that the early-morning bird walk is meant as a means for people to get a “simple awareness of their surroundings. It’s not hard-core,” he said. “It’s about enjoying it.”

Around 2,000 people attended last year’s Feathers Over Freeport festival, which, of course, is somewhat dependent on weather conditions.

“We get a lot of people for these events, and that’s a good problem to have,” he said.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Saturday, April 26

Bradbury Mountain

8-10 a.m., bird walk in the woods, led by Derek Lovitch of Freeport Wild Bird Supply. Bring your binoculars.

9 a.m.-3 p.m., educational displays. Get bird posters, taste “bird-friendly” Birds & Beans coffee and grab a pocket-size guide to Maine parks.

9 a.m.-5 p.m., Hawkwatch, at summit, a quarter-mile, steep walk that takes about 10 minutes.

10-11 a.m., bird walk for children. Naturalist Patty Bailey helps children, who must be accompanied by adults over 18, with the basics of identifying birds.

10 a.m.-noon, Hawkwatch workshop, at the summit. Using visual aids, Lovitch will teach how to identify the different species of hawks.

10 a.m.-3 p.m., birding fun and games, near the picnic shelter and the playground. Bureau of Parks and Lands staff will teach how to build a bird house and backyard bird feeder, as well as crafts for children and beginning birders.

1-2 p.m., live birds presentation, at the picnic shelter, by Hope Douglas, founder of Wind Over Wings. Douglas will present and tell the stories of the natural history of each species.

2:30-4 p.m., vernal pool exploration with wetland scientist Dave Brenneman. Bring footwear for wet conditions, to identify vernal pools and the critters that live in them.

Sunday, April 27

Wolfe’s Neck Woods

State Park

10 a.m.-3 p.m., osprey watch, meet at the osprey sign across from Googins Island via either the White Pines Trail or the Casco Bay Trail. Andrew Hutchinson, park manager, and staff will provide a close look at nesting ospreys though a scope.

11 a.m.-noon, springtime plant walk. Botanist Michael Auger will lead a one-hour stroll to find common early spring plants.

2:30-4 p.m., tracks and signs of Maine wildlife. Biologist Joe Wiley shows how and where to find clues left behind by animals.

Feathers Over Freeport participants gaze skyward at a previous event. This year it will be held April 26 at Bradbury Mountain State Park and April 27 at Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park.