LEWISTON — The Stanton Bird Club of Lewiston and Auburn will host four birding trips this month. The first and last field trips for the month will be on Tuesdays, April 23 and 30. These are the first two of this year’s Lewiston/Bates Bird Walks.

The field trips are free and open to everyone.

The first and last field trips, April 23 and 30, are the first of a set of five early morning bird walks in the Bates College area. The walks will meet at 6 a.m. Tuesdays and will offer a great way to see returning song birds, including many warblers. They will begin at the front of Hathorn Hall on the Bates College campus and go past Mt. David to Riverside Cemetery and down to the river. The April 30 trip will return by circling Lake Andrew, frequently seeing mallard ducklings, red-winged blackbirds and sometimes an osprey diving for fish. The trip is planned to return by 8:30 a.m. The leaders include Judy Marden, Steve Reed, Doug Boyd and Christine Murray. For any questions, call Reed at 207-319-6630.

The American robin is considered a sure sign of spring, although a few often stay all winter, eating fruit left on trees. (Photo by Dan Marquis)

 

During the latter part of April and throughout May, each weekly walk finds a greater variety of birds returning for the season, making the Bates walks potentially full of exciting discoveries. For the first walks, some newly returned birds that might be seen include eastern bluebirds, tree swallows, yellow-rumped warblers, song sparrows and eastern phoebes. Anyone interested is invited to join in, starting on the steps of Hathorn Hall.

The Saturday, April 27, Stanton Bird Club field trip to the Riverwalk will meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Promenade Mall, 855 Lisbon St., at the end of the parking lot by Staples across from Marquis Signs. After carpooling  to the Riverwalk, walkers will search along the river for ducks, gulls, possibly a hawk, peregrine or eagle, as well as local song birds. An assortment of hawks may be returning by this date, such as the red-shouldered hawk and cooper’s hawk. The trip is planned to return to the mall about 11 a.m. The trip will be led by Dan Marquis. For more information, call him at 207-513-8213.

On Sunday, April 28, Bryce Hatch will lead an amphibian walk around the ponds in the Thorncrag sanctuary. It is part of the celebration of Stanton Bird Club’s centenary year. Meet at the Thorncrag parking lot off Montello Street at 1 p.m. For more information, contact Penny Jessop at 207-782-5467 or missrumphius@roadrunner.com.

The Stanton Bird Club manages the Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary as well as the Woodbury Nature Sanctuary in Monmouth and Litchfield.

For more information, go to Facebook or www.StantonBirdClub.org. The results of the various trips are posted there, often with photos, as well as information on upcoming functions.


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