Check out these 4 great Maine birding festivals this spring. More information can be found on the website Maine Birding Trail—a terrific resource for all birders, plus a convenient way to sign up for a variety of birding tours!
Wings, Waves & Woods (May 16-18) Festival offers a mix of activities surrounding birding, boating, nature, history, and creativity. The popular boat trip to Seal Island offers sightings of Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills, Northern Gannets, and others. Up to two dozen species of warblers can be seen on the various guided walks on Island Heritage Trust’s preserves, as well as shorebirds nesting and breeding along our extensive shoreline. Attend one activity or enjoy an entire weekend experiencing the vibrant lands and working waterfront of Stonington.
Downeast Spring Birding Festival (May 23-26): The Cobscook Bay area is home to numerous year-round and migratory birds. Over 400 bird species have been sighted in Maine. Almost three-quarters of those species have been sighted here. Species sighted that attract many birders to this area include the Black-legged Kittiwake, Great Cormorant, Atlantic Puffin, Canada Jay, Spruce Grouse, 25 species of Warblers, boreal species, and the American Woodcock. While birding, festival participants will enjoy the tranquility and great natural beauty of Down East Maine’s Cobscook Bay area. The region sports the greatest variety of habitats on the East Coast, including boreal and northern hardwood forests, bogs, fresh- and salt-water marshes, grassy and shrubby fields, streams and lakes, steep rugged headlands, extensive tidal flats, and coastal islands.
Acadia Birding Festival (May 29-June 1): Acadia’s birding community invites you and your family to celebrate the ecological wonders of the birds of the Gulf of Maine at the Acadia Birding Festival. Explore Mount Desert Island and its birds through numerous events and venues. Greet our warblers on early morning birding walks, visit with puffins and pelagic birds at sea, and observe Peregrine Falcons at an active breeding site in Acadia National Park. Our combination of lectures, walks, and adventures will connect you to Downeast Maine’s many bird species, diverse habitats and local birding experts.
Rangeley Birding Festival (June 5-8): From Boreal Chickadees in our vast forests to Loons on our magnificent lakes to the rare Bicknell’s Thrush in the high peaks above, the Rangeley Region is rich with birds. Add in both migrating and breeding warblers, and you have a unique opportunity to see and learn about birds that are difficult to find in other parts of Maine, all in one weekend.
