View Full Version : Maine bird walk Sunday
We had a great little walk a couple of weeks ago on one of my town land trust preserves.
So great in fact that we are trying again on a different preserve. This will be a chance to test your knowledge of coastal Maine birds against that of an expert. Or just a chance to learn a bit about spring migrating birds.
As a bonus we will walk to a beautiful wild hilltop pond, that I've been working for 30 years to protect. So if you are within driving distance of mid-coastal Maine, just show up and enjoy a spring walk in the woods.
We are meeting at 6:45 Sunday morning at the Phippsburg Town Hall Parking lot. Take Route 209 south from Bath. The parking lot is about 7 miles south of the 209/Route 1 intersection. If you are coming from the south pick up Route 1 in Brunswick. The exit is the second Bath exit from Route 1. If you are coming from Route 1 north, take the Bath exit and turn south (left) on Washington Street. Washington merges with Route 209 in about 2 miles or so.
Once you are on Route 209 just keep going. After six miles you will pass the Center Store on your right. Keep going. The parking lot is on the left, at the end of a pond. You'll see a school on the right and the 1881 town hall is just across the street. Give me a call at 443-2925 if you have questions.
Weary
Sorry, too far from The Green Diamond. I'd attend were distance not an issue. I saw 2 kingbirds today or maybe it was only 1 headed for Maine.
Sorry, too far from The Green Diamond. I'd attend were distance not an issue. I saw 2 kingbirds today or maybe it was only 1 headed for Maine.
It's not the kind of walk that will draw people from a distance. Just a gentle walk in the woods across a beaver flowage, up a hill, and to a remarkably pretty pond, surrounded on one end by the remnants of a near old growth forest.
Hopefully, we will see some interesting birds also. A week ago I saw a young bald eagle in the distance. I suspect there is a nest around someplace, though I have yet to find it.
Our land trust owns the approach trail, and both ends of the pond. An old guy a year ago gave the Nature Conservency the western shore -- along with another 2,000 acres, making the whole area one of the largest blocks of protected land south of Acadia National Park -- 150 miles to the the north.
I mentioned the walk just to offer a chance to any White Blazer nearby to see something quite magnificent.
Weary
Here's a fine looking young fellow who stopped by for a little "trail magic" a few weeks ago. I imagine he could be in Maine by now. Let me know if you see him.
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/9/3/6/1/rose_breasted_grosbeak__small_original.jpg (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=24975&c=member&imageuser=9361)
Trillium
05-23-2008, 00:35
I sent the info on the walk several wks ago to my daughter but I don't think she made it. I was going to send the info on this coming Sunday's walk but at 6:30am there is absolutely NO chance that she would come (unless there was a possibility of money for grad school :rolleyes:). However, if you schedule a walk for Sunday, July 6, I will be visiting her and we would come up. :sun
I sent the info on the walk several wks ago to my daughter but I don't think she made it. I was going to send the info on this coming Sunday's walk but at 6:30am there is absolutely NO chance that she would come (unless there was a possibility of money for grad school :rolleyes:). However, if you schedule a walk for Sunday, July 6, I will be visiting her and we would come up. :sun
We do have a walk scheduled for Saturday July 5 to a pretty 70 acre preserve. It passes some interesting high bluffs, a pretty waterfall, through a mature forest, some interesting orchids -- and some rare (for Maine) mountain laurel. There are only four wild stands of mountain laurel in all Maine. Ours is the northern most.
The owner of the land gave our land trust an easement that guarantees public access forever. A strange infection poisoned his lungs a few years ago and he now is on oxygen 24 hours a day. His grandson will lead the walk and tell us about all the interesting things that can be found on the preserve.
Weary
I remember reading about a population of mountain laurel which once existed in Penobscot County. Some were growing at UMO, Nutting Hall (Forestry) when I was a student there.
Rose breasted grosbeak was here for a snack.
Moved on quickly.
Our bird walk Sunday was a great success. We crossed the beaver bog,
climbed the hill, explored around the pond and then headed north through
Nature Conservancy land to where we had spotted a car.
The Nature Conservancy trail north is well blazed, and easy to follow,
through you have to be careful about some unannounced abrupt turns. The
Nature Conservancy hasn't heard about the usefulness of double blazes to
call attention to such route changes.
Our leader, Andrew Gilbert, a geologist with the US Geological Survey
office in August, sent us a message yesterday.
"It was a wonderful morning, great birds and a nice opportunity to walk this
new conservation land. *We had almost every warbler we could possibly hope to encounter. *Thanks for organizing this...."
In addition to the warblers, we spied scarlet tanagers, a pair of broad wing hawks, and either saw or heard the songs of far more species than my mind is capable of remembering.
Weary
Trillium
06-22-2008, 13:55
We do have a walk scheduled for Saturday July 5 to a pretty 70 acre preserve. It passes some interesting high bluffs, a pretty waterfall, through a mature forest, some interesting orchids -- and some rare (for Maine) mountain laurel. There are only four wild stands of mountain laurel in all Maine. Ours is the northern most.
The owner of the land gave our land trust an easement that guarantees public access forever. A strange infection poisoned his lungs a few years ago and he now is on oxygen 24 hours a day. His grandson will lead the walk and tell us about all the interesting things that can be found on the preserve.
Weary
Is this walk still going to take place? If so, would you please post the time and where the meeting point is, along w/ either a mapquestable location or some brief directions. Thanks kindly.
Is this walk still going to take place? If so, would you please post the time and where the meeting point is, along w/ either a map questable location or some brief directions. Thanks kindly.
Phippsburg is a peninsula town located south of Bath. The walk takes place on Saturday morning, July 5. Take the Brunswick Route 1 exit from Interstate 295, and follow Route 1 to Bath. At Bath take State Route 209, the central highway through Bath and through Phippsburg. We meet at the Phippsburg town hall parking lot, about 7 miles from the 209/Route 1 exit at 9 a.m.
Just follow Route 209. After about six miles You'll pass a long rambling country store on the right, and a large pond on the left. At the end of the pond, you'll see a school on the right and the 1881 town hall on the left.
We'll pool cars to the preserve, which has limited parking. The walk takes a couple of hours or so, depending on questions and the interest shown by those attending.
It's truly a remarkable preserve, created by a dedicated conservationist. The easement he gave our land trust prohibits development of the 70 acres and guarantees forever low impact public access to the land.
This was not a wealthy person donating to the peasants. The guy worked as a boat surveyer, built his own house, and raised a family of working folks. His gift currently has a market value of a couple of million dollars, maybe more.
Weary
Trillium
06-22-2008, 16:22
Thank you. :sun