Trips and Events

Upcoming ABC trips and events for 2025

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.

Birding trip at Viles Arboretum, photo by Elise Klysa

2025 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 migration walks

Typically a walk of 1 to 2 miles. Good opportunity to see 25-50 species of breeding and migratory birds. Specific species and numbers vary quite a bit day to day. Walks normally go for 1.5 to 2 hours (people can leave earlier or stay later). We generally expect to do bird walks even in light rain, but trips may be cancelled at the last minute or cut short if birding isn’t productive and weather conditions are uncomfortable. Given our unpredictable Maine weather, the trip leader for each day will look at the weather in the morning and decide whether to show up. There won’t be any cancellation notice posted for the local trips. Take your chances given your own level of comfort and adventure. If anyone shows up without a leader, the trip will be self guided.

Weekend collaborative trips

Waterville Community Land Trust

    • Saturday May 3, 8:00 to 10:30 a.m.
    • Rain Date: May 10th
    • A 2025 WCLT Nature-Fun Event
    • Find out what birds are in our park, the Kennebec River, and our neighborhood skies! Explore our feathered friends with Waterville Area Birders.
    • All are welcome, whether new to birding or old-timers!
    • Lashus Farm Neighborhood Park
      232 Water Street in Waterville’s South End Date
    • Easy Walk of 2.5 Miles
    • Refreshments at the Gazebo
    • Bring binoculars, comfortable hiking clothes, and bug spray

North Acres Wildlife Conservation Area, Manchester, with Kennebec Land Trust

    • Saturday May 10, 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.
    • Kennebec Land Trust upcoming events
    • 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).
    • Please join us on our walk to help support the land conservation and education efforts of the Kennebec Land Trust (KLT). And please consider joining KLT, as land conservation is critically important to bird conservation. KLT has conserved over 7,500 acres in Kennebec County and offers access to 58 miles of trails on over 75 properties. It’s almost completely supported by membership donations.
    • There has been little birding at this property, but the varied habitats indicate that it will be a good birding location. Open-field birds like Bobolinks, Meadowlarks, and American Kestrels are known to breed on or near the property. Other important habitats include wetlands and shrubs along Tanning Brook and deciduous woods with extensive White Pine and Balsam Fir. It will be very interesting to see what species of migratory birds take advantage of these habitats.

Weekday May migration walks

    • All walks at 7 a.m. unless otherwise noted
    • Directions below
    • Monday, May 5 and May 19
      • Hallowell Reservoir, Hallowell
    • Monday, May 12
      • Benton Rotary Centennial Trail
    • Tuesdays, May 6, 13, 20, 27
      • Viles Arboretum, Augusta
    • Wednesdays, May 7, 28
      • Harrison Avenue, Gardiner
    • Wednesday, May 14
      • Old St. Joe trails, Vassalboro
    • Wednesday, May 21
      • Kennebec Land Trust North Acres Wildlife Conservation Area, Manchester
    • Thursday, May 8, 15, 22
      • Viles Arboretum, Augusta
    • Friday, May 9, 16, 23 (walk on the 23rd is at 4:30 p.m.)
      • Bond Brook Recreation Area, Augusta

Directions for May migratory walks

  • Viles Arboretum
  • 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
  • Harrison Avenue
  • 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.
    • Reminder to some folks that the bridge in downtown Waterville crossing the K River is closed so folks coming from the West need to use either the Rte 137 Carter Bridge in Waterville or the Rte 139 bridge in Fairfield to Benton.
  • Old St. Joe Trails
    • Mark Brown’s private property 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.

Surry Hill evening walk

    • Tuesday, June 10, 8 p.m.
    • Meet at the Kennebec Land Trust parking area
    • Directions: Turn south on the Tom Surry Road from Route 17, opposite the Fayette Central School. In about 0.4 miles, the town maintained road ends, and on your right is a town turn-around. The entrance to the Surry Hill parking area is at the north end of this town turn-around. Please do not park in the town turn-around itself.
    • This evening walk (flashlight needed, bug spray recommended) will take us to open fields at the top of Surry Hill, hoping to hear the Eastern Whippoorwills that have been breeding here the last few years. We may also see American Woodcock and possibly hear owls.

Boreal Birding Trip, Kibby Mountain

    • Saturday, June 14
    • Weather date Sunday, June 15
    • Meeting early at intersection of Route 27 and Goldbrook (logging) Road, 12.7 miles north of the Pines Market in Eustis. We will carpool in 4WD vehicles for the remaining 10 (relatively slow) miles to the Kibby Mountain trailhead.
    • Elevation gain of about 1,100 ft, 5 miles round trip. Most of hike is relatively mild with one extended steeper section.
    • Possibility of Bicknell’s Thrush, Swainson’s Thrush, Blackpoll Warbler, Spruce Grouse, Bay-breasted Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Canada Jay, Boreal Chickadee, and other species
    • We may explore the cut-over area near the trailhead before the hike, this area can hold breeding Fox Sparrow, Lincoln’s Sparrow, and even Rusty Blackbird and Bicknell’s Thrush. Footing is uneven on this discontinued logging road.

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

    • Pine Point and Scarborough Marsh
    • Weekday in August with tides that work

Sabattus Pond fall duck migration

    • There will be a birding trip to Sabattus Pond on Saturday November 1. We will bump it to Sunday November 2 if the weather is poor (rainy or windy) on Saturday.
    • We will meet at 8:30 am at Martin’s Point Park which is just off Route 126 on the west side of the Pond and then bird several areas around the southerly end. Spotting scopes are needed so bring them if you can but there will be several to share.
    • Sabattus Pond is the best lake in southern Maine to see migrating ducks, including large numbers of Ruddy Duck, scaup, and often Green-winged Teal. Other migrants can include Hooded Merganser, American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Ring-necked Duck, Gadwall, and American Coot. Sometimes there are even ocean-wintering birds like scoters or Long-tailed Duck.
    • For more information see: https://www.mainebirdingtrail.com/Sites/Sabattus%20Pond.html.

Selected Completed Trips

Scarborough Marsh, Monday August 5, 2024

Ten of us had fun searching the mudflats and marsh at Scarborough Marsh yesterday for shorebirds, wading birds, and saltmarsh sparrows. We saw 42 species, including 10 species of shorebirds, Least Tern, 4 species of wading birds, Cooper’s Hawk (flying over the marsh like a Northern Harrier) and both Saltmarsh and Nelson’s Sparrows. See the below lists for more details and photos.
Glenn

 

Black-bellied Plover, Pine Point, photo by Glenn Hodgkins
Greater Yellowlegs, Pine Point, photo by Glenn Hodgkins
Saltmarsh Sparrow, Scarborough Marsh, Eastern Road pannes, photo by Glenn Hodgkins

Saddleback Mountain hike, Saturday June 15, 2024

Birding club at the top of Saddleback, photo by Brenda Lake
Thirteen of us had a very nice birding hike up Saddleback in Rangeley yesterday. Thanks to Howard Lake for organizing the trip. It was cool and windy with many of us wearing winter coats by the time we got to the top. The clouds lifted as we were hiking and we had beautiful views at the top (see Brenda Lake’s picture attached).
Despite the wind, we heard and saw some of the boreal species we were looking for, with the most exciting for many being the elusive Bicknell’s Thrush. It generally only breeds in Maine in stunted spruce forests above about 3000 ft in elevation. We had unusually good looks at a Blackpoll Warbler which mostly breeds in Maine in mountainous spruce forest (see pictures in the first list below). It was great seeing a group of ravens playing in the wind, swooping and diving just over the tree tops and right over us.
Here are species lists from the way up and the way down:
Blackpoll Warbler on hike up Saddleback, photo by Glenn Hodgkins

 

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.

Augusta Birding Club at the top of Saddleback, photo by Howard Lake
Canada Jay, photo by Cheryl Ring

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.

Birding on the trail, photo by Howard Lake

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

Buffleheads, photo by Glenn Hodgkins
Northern Pintail, photo by Glenn Hodgkins

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

Red-billed Tropicbird
Atlantic Puffin, photo by Glenn Hodgkins

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.

Northern Parula hanging moss nest, photo by Glenn Hodgkins

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.

Augusta birding Club on Monhegan, photo by Brenda Lake

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

Female Blackpoll Warbler, Monhegan Island, photo by Glenn Hodgkins

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.

Red Crossbills, Long Falls Dam Road, photo by Glenn Hodgkins

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

Sanderlings, Seawall Beach, photo by Glenn Hodgkins

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.

Augusta Birding Club at the top of Kibby Mountain

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.

Trips coordinated by Howard Lake and others