AUBURN – The Stanton Bird Club is sponsoring three field trips during May.

The first will be to New Gloucester Marsh/Pineland Farms from 7 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 12. The marshes will yield Virginia rails and often soras as well. There will be sparrows, warblers, vireos, swallows, flycatchers and blackbirds on land, while water birds may include ducks, herons or bitterns.

The woods and extensive fields at Pineland will be a place to see bobolink, meadowlark, more sparrows, thrushes and warblers. The walking will not be steep or strenuous, but may be as much as a mile or two; waterproof footwear will be advisable to trek over wet grass.

Meet the leader, Tom Hayward, at J.C. Penney parking lot on Center Street.

The club will sponsor a trip along the Androscoggin River from 7 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 16. The trip will include two habitats along South River Road in Auburn.

The trek will begin at the property of William Sylvester, Riverside Drive; there are open fields and woodlands leading down to the Androscoggin River. Bobolinks are “guaranteed,” and there will be swallows, warblers, orioles, finches and other birds of field and forest.

The next stop will be the property of Col. George Benjamin. Features there include a farm pond, bird feeders, a woodland stream and overgrown fields. The co-leaders of the trip will be Tom Hayward and Loring Danforth, both experienced field observers and veterans of many trips to the habitats.

There will be walking through the open fields and woodland paths; the grass will be wet during the early morning hours, so use appropriate footwear.

The club will sponsor the “Warren Warbler Walk,” named in honor of Mary Warren, from 7 to 10 a.m. Sunday, May 20, in Auburn.

The walk has been held continuously since 1928. The original walk took place in “Franklin” surrounding the area of Edward Little High School.

Participants will meet the leader, Tom Hayward, at J.C. Penney parking lot. The trip will go along Auburn’s North River Road, which provides a wide range of habitats – river edge, woods and open fields – in a comparatively compact area. Warblers will be a highlight, as will vireos, catbirds, bobolinks, sparrows, swallows, ducks, kingbirds, orioles and perhaps a hawk, osprey or eagle.

Most of the itinerary is by car, with some walking side trips through woodlands down to the shore of the Androscoggin River.

The Stanton Bird Club is a conservation organization offering monthly natural history programs and field trips throughout the state free. The club welcomes new members whose dues help to support land stewardship at three sanctuaries owned and managed by the club in Lewiston and Monmouth. For more information, call 782-5238 or visit www.stantonbirdclub.org.