Trips and Events

Upcoming ABC trips and events for 2026

All trips open to anyone, free of charge (gas costs for carpooling on long trips may be shared). See below for our currently planned trips and activities, please check back later for more or changed trips or details. We may also have additional trips with short notice through the birding club Google group email.

2026 Trips and Events

New birders (and birders at all levels of experience) are welcome on all trips and activities!

All local trips start at 7 a.m. unless otherwise noted. Please arrive a couple minutes early if possible. We request that people minimize conversation when we’re actively birding as a group (harder to hear and focus on the birds).

May local migration walks

Directions to local birding trip locations are located below

• • Monday
    • May 4 and May 18
      • Hallowell Reservoir
    • May 11
      • Old St. Joe Trails, Vassalboro
  • Tuesday
    • May 5, May 12, and May 19
      • Viles Arboretum, Augusta
  • Wednesday
    • May 6
      • Colby College, Waterville (directions to follow)
    • May 13
      • North Acres, Manchester
    • May 20
      • Harrison Avenue, Gardiner
    • May 27
      • Thomas College, Waterville (directions to follow)
  • Thursday
    • May 7, May 14, May 21
      • Viles Arboretum, Augusta
    • May 28
      • TBD
  • Friday
    • May 8, May 15, May 22
      • Bond Brook, Augusta
    • May 29
      • Surry Hill, Fayette
        • 8 p.m. Nightjar walk. Hoping to see Nighthawks and hear Whip-poor-wills. Bring a flashlight/head lamp for the walk back down.
  • Saturday
    • May 9
      • Folks will gather at Lashus Park in Waterville at 7:30 AM and start walking down Water Street 8 AM-ish depending upon what birds are in the park. This Waterville Community Land Trust walk starts at 232 Water Street in Waterville’s South End at the Lashus Park Gazebo. Folks then slowly walk down Water Street which runs parallel to the Kennebec River, make a stop behind the ball field to a boat launch then continue on Waterstreet to the Kennebec Sanitary Treatment District and up the hillside behind it where there is a view of the confluence of the Kennebec River and Messalonskee Stream. WCLT will have light refreshments at the Lashus Park Gazebo. Last year 52 species were identified!
    • May 16
      • Togus VA trails, Augusta

Boreal Birding Trip, Kibby Mountain

• • June 13
    • Kibby Mountain boreal hike (directions to follow)
    • All-day adventure hike, almost to the Canadian border on Rte 27, then an hour down a logging road to the trailhead.
    • One of the best day trips to see boreal species within striking distance of Augusta

Shorebird/wading bird/saltmarsh Sparrow late-summer bird trip

• • Date TBD, likely the week of August 24th

September fall migration walks

• • TBD

Sebasticook Lake fall duck and shorebird migration

• • October 17

Sabattus Pond fall duck migration

• • Saturday, November 7 (back-up date November 8)

Directions for local birding hotspots

• • Viles Arboretum
    • Park in Arboretum parking lot at 153 Hospital St, Augusta. Map location
    • Local birding sites – Augusta Birding Club

• • Bond Brook Recreation Area
    • Drive in from the Bond Brook Road, off Rte. 27, south of the University of Augusta. There is a large green sign on Bond Brook Road that says Bond Brook Recreation Area on the left, turn onto Tall Pines Road. Keep going across the bridge, heading right, through the gates, which should be open and go to the end where the large parking area is at the base of the “bowl” and near a small building. (The Airport and cemetery are at the top of the hill.) Map location
    • Local birding sites – Augusta Birding Club
  • Hallowell Reservoir
    • Park in parking area at beginning of Reservoir Road in Hallowell. To get there, take Winthrop Street to Town Farm Road, go about 1/4 mile to Reservoir Road on the right. Map location
    • Local birding sites – Augusta Birding Club
  • Harrison Avenue
    • Park in the large dirt parking lot where Route 9/126 meets Andrews Street and Harrison Avenue, next to the Cobbosseecontee Stream road crossing, near downtown Gardiner. Map location
    • Local birding sites – Augusta Birding Club
  • North Acres Wildlife Conservation Area
    • From Prescott Road in Manchester, drive 0.4 miles down Lyons Road. Park on the right side of Lyons Road, just before the sharp left turn in the road in the area of large fields. Please do not turn around in driveways on Lyons Road. Carpooling is encouraged, as parking is limited. The trailhead is at the corner (right-of-way to property).
  • Benton Rotary Centennial Trail
    • The Rotary Centennial Trail is a Kennebec County eBird Hotspot. This trail runs along side the East Side of the Kennebec River.
    • Access this trail for this walk is the trail parking lot in the middle of the full trail, off of Benton Ave that runs between Winslow and Benton. There is a green trail marker on Benton Ave on a dirt road named “Bob & Ernie’s Way” by a metal fence surrounding utility equipment. This entrance is about 1/4 mile north of the former Big G’s restaurant.
  • Old St. Joe Trails
    • Mark Brown’s private property in Vassalboro that he graciously allows public access, on the Taber Hill Rd section between Hussey Hill Rd & Bog Rd. This property shares a beaver pond with the Kennebec Land Trust Davidson Nature Preserve (this is the pond that for many years had a Great Blue Heron Rookery) and Osprey regularly nest on the pond. Old St. Joes is the 2nd driveway South of the Davidson Nature Preserve with the dirt road entrance marked with pink plastic streamers. Visitors need to sign in at the kiosk about 1/8th of a mile down the entrance road. Dirt roads that may open for cars to drive on are marked, dependent on weather or if Mark is logging in an area or doing something else.
  • Togus VA Trails
    • The trail system maintained for hospital use is open for limited public use. The parking areas for the VA hospital are full or nearly full on weekdays, but plenty of parking on the weekends. From Rte. 17 east of downtown Augusta, at the traffic light, travel down the White-pine lined access road, bear left at the fork, past the pond, then park in first large parking area on the left. Note that the low speed limits on campus are strictly enforced.

Selected Completed Trips

Scarborough Marsh, Friday August 29, 2025

Seventeen of us had a great time looking for shorebirds and wading birds in Scarborough Marsh and at Pine Point. Ellen from Abbott got the award for longest journey and earliest wake-up. Despite a mid-morning shower, the weather and birds were fairly cooperative. Highlights included 10 species of shorebirds and lots of egrets and herons, including the locally-famous-among-birders “Patches” the blue-grey hybrid egret/heron. Full list of the days birds with some pictures: https://ebird.org/tripreport/406892

Saddleback Mountain hike, Saturday June 8th, 2019

Seven of us had a spectacular day on Saddleback. And the birding was good too!

We heard Bicknell’s Thrush but they were elusive to see. The highlights were nice looks at Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, Winter Wren and Canada Jay.

Cheryl’s eBird checklist is here:

https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S57209479

Howard reports that it was well worth getting up at 4:00 am!

Thanks to Howard and Brenda for organizing and scouting the trip.

Sabattus Pond, November 2018

All 15 or so of us on Monday’s Sabattus Pond trip enjoyed the mild sunny weather and calm winds which made it pleasant to stand on a beach in November and scan for ducks. Waterfowl was our main goal and we were able to see 13 species, including good but distant looks at a Redhead and close looks at a pair of Northern Pintails. Other ducks etc. included close to a thousand Ruddy Ducks, lots of Greater and some Lesser Scaup, Black Duck, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, Ring-necked Duck (which should be called Ring-billed Duck), Bufflehead, Canada Goose, and Mallard. For a couple of the trip lists with some pictures:

https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S49897559
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S49897850

Red-billed Tropicbird Seal Island trip, July 2018

Several ABC members braved the high seas (was actually fairly calm that day) in hopes of seeing the Red-billed Tropicbird at Seal Island. It’s a rare bird in the North Atlantic but one bird has been returning to Seal Island (south of Stonington) for a dozen or so summers. It can be disappointing to focus an entire trip on one bird and we did expect to see other good pelagic species. Happily, the Tropicbird did make an appearance and we also saw Great Cormorant (unusual breeders in the U.S.), Razorbill, Atlantic Puffins Common Murre, Manx Shearwater, Wilson’s Phalarope, and Arctic Tern among others.

https://ebird.org/atlasme/view/checklist/S47207032

https://ebird.org/atlasme/view/checklist/S47207029

Long Falls Dam Road boreal trip, June 2018

Ten of us had a good day birding in the north woods, on and near the Long Falls Dam Road near Flagstaff lake. We saw 58 species overall and a good variety, though fewer true boreal birds than we were hoping for. Highlights included Mourning Warbler, Boreal Chickadee, and Black-billed Cuckoo.

One of the goals of our trip was to document evidence of breeding for the Maine Bird Atlas, a 5-year statewide project. We were able to confirm breeding for several species, including finding a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker nesting hole with adults actively feeding young and a hanging lichen nest woven by Northern Parulas, also with active feeding going on. We found at least some breeding evidence for 14 species of warbler. For some pictures plus site lists, see the below links:

Monhegan Island, May 2018: Eleven of us had a great time on Monhegan (except for the rough ride over) and spent most of the day out there. We saw 58 species of birds, including Blackpoll Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Philadelphia Vireo, and Puffin and Northern Gannett on the trip back.

Much gratitude to Howard Lake for initiating the trip and gathering information from several recent visitors there, so we could make the most of our time on the Island. All birders agreed that we should make this Monhegan trip an annual ABC event.

https://ebird.org/atlasme/view/checklist/S46051657

https://ebird.org/me/view/checklist/S46024747

https://ebird.org/me/view/checklist/S46024629

Long Falls Dam Road Trip near Flagstaff Lake, March 2018: 12 birders traveled to Somerset County on a quest for crossbills and other boreal species.

We were thrilled to observe a total of 24 Red Crossbills and 5 White-winged Crossbills – more Crossbills than any of us had ever seen in a single day. Also fun to see were 44 Pine Siskins, 12 Red-breasted Nuthatches, a Ruffed Grouse, and an adult Bald Eagle soaring overhead – and other more usual species. On the way home, we stopped at the Messalonskee boat launch in Belgrade and were pleased to see a Northern Harrier soaring over the marshes, and a flock of 13 springtime Red-winged Blackbirds flying by.

One of the purposes of the trip was not only to see crossbills, but to record their calls, with the intent of forwarding the sonograms to Cornell Researcher Matt Young for his analysis of which of the ten Types these crossbills represented. The usual “type” for Maine is #10, known as the “Sitka spruce” type and, indeed all of the Red Crossbills were observed in high concentrations of Red Spruce. However, Matt confirmed a Big Surprise – that 4 of the RECRs were Type 3 – a species found usually in the Hemlocks of the Pacific Northwest (but which are also highly irruptive). These Type 3s are apparently only the third time that Type 3’s have been documented in Maine, the first two on Monhegan in the fall/winter of 2012/2013.

Here is a link to Matt Young’s article discussing irruption and the ten types of crossbills, as well as links to calls for each type: https://ebird.org/news/crossbills-of-north-america-species-and-red-crossbill-call-types/

Our photos of crossbills may be seen in this eBird list:
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S43351829

We had a great day for our Morse Mountain/Seawall Beach on August 2017. Thanks to Doug Suitor for leading the trip. Highlights included a nice variety of species, including Northern Gannett flying offshore, Baird’s Sandpiper, and large numbers of Sanderlings. For a full list and some pictures:

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S38883903

We had a fun day of birding at Kibby Mountain, June 2017. Quite an adventure as you take a right just before Quebec and go 10 miles down logging roads to the trailhead. Fifteen of us made the trip.

Despite the wind and the heat, which probably kept some of our target birds well hidden, it was a wonderful day for a fairly bug-free hike with some great people. The highlight for many of us was the very cooperative Mourning Warbler along the Gold Brook logging road. This is a difficult bird to find, let alone photograph. Another highlight was hearing Bicknell’s Thrush at the top, amazing for the middle of the day and so warm and sunny. We had 35 species for the trip, including Blackburnian Warbler, many Blackpoll warblers (most heard, not seen), Swainson’s Thrush, Philadelphia Vireo, Yellow-Bellied Flycatcher, and Rusty Blackbird.