THERE ARE PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES to go birdwatching in the Mid-coast region, including an event slated for this Saturday at KELT’s Sewall Woods Preserve in Bath.
A series of bird walks sponsored by local conservation organizations like Merrymeeting Audubon, Kennebec Estuary Land Trust, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust and the Phippsburg Land Trust will help usher in a long-awaited spring.
“After the winter we’ve had, I’m expecting people will be ecstatic to walk outside without the hassle of big jackets, hats and mittens,” said Chris Cabot, a land conservation and farmland protection specialist for both KELT and BTLT.
Allen will lead the group on a trail through Sewall Woods that ends on the shores of Whiskeag Creek, a tidal stream that flows into the Kennebec River.
Cabot, who will be participating in the walk on Saturday, emphasized the value in partnering with the other organizations to put the event together.
“The land trusts provide the access to some of the best birding spots in the region,” Cabot said. “And Merrymeeting Audubon brings such extensive knowledge of the local birds and the many (birds) that are migrating through our area this time of year.”
Allen said he hopes to see a wide variety of birds on Saturday.
“We’re in the middle of duck migration, so we have a lot of migrating ducks coming through now because of the late winter,” he said. “We hope to see early migrant birds, early thrushes — those are the ones we see most often — sometimes a ruffed grouse or a woodcock, and early sparrows.”
With a low tide predicted for Saturday, Allen said they might even be able to spot eagles at the creek.
“At low tide, fish get grounded and attract eagles,” he said.
Please car pool
For Saturday’s walk, Allen strongly encouraged interested community members to take the opportunity to car pool due to limited parking at the creek.
For those unable to make it to the walk this Saturday, there are plenty of opportunities to participate in other bird walks in the coming weeks.
The Phippsburg Land Trust will be hosting Robin Robinson, a local birder who will lead a “Birding The Burg” walk through the McDonald Preserve on Spirit Pond in Phippsburg on Sunday, April 26 at 9 a.m.
Later that same day, the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust’s Curtis Farm Preserve will host a special birding outing for children and families at 1 p.m. Together, families will learn about bird songs, bird shapes and their habitat.
On May 2 at 7:30 a.m., there will be a walk at the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust Skolfield Shores Preserve where John Berry will lead participants through the fields and forests to look for spring birds.
Jan Pierson will also lead a bird walk at the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust’s Crystal Spring Farm on May 14 at 7:30 a.m., guiding participants through a variety of natural habitats.
Another walk led by Pierson will conclude the bird walk series as participants will watch for migrants along the preserve on the upper Middle Bay on May 20 at 7 a.m. The public is encouraged to R.S.V.P. to this particular walk because of limited parking.
Cabot also said these walks will give the lands trusts an opportunity to showcase the properties that are available to the public.
“These walks also provide a great way for us to get to know more people in our area and to tell people how they can be involved in the organizations,” he said. “We work hard to conserve lands for the benefit of the people, land and wildlife of this area, and these bird walks are a great way to celebrate what we have.”
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