Feathers over Freeport April 27 & 28, 2013 - A birdwatching weekend for all ages!

Thank you to all our sponsors for a great 2013 event! See you next year. In the meantime, keep spreading the news about our annual Feathers over Freeport.

Park entry fees apply, all programs and activities included with park admission: Residents: $1. ages 5-11; free for under 5 and over 64; all other residents $3. Non-residents: Adults $4.50; Seniors $1.50; Children 5-11 $1. ; free for under 5

This is the official Pledge 2 Fledge event for Maine.

Event photo page from 2012 - PDF (366 KB) ---- More photos from 2012 by Freeport Wild Bird Supply

Saturday, April 27
Bradbury Mountain State Park

Bradbury Mountain State Park
528 Hallowell Road, Pownal, ME 04069 / 688-4712

8-10 am - Bird Walk
Join us for a walk in the woods seeking out spring migrants and woodland residents. All levels of expertise welcome. Bring your own binoculars. Walk lead by Derek and Jeannette Lovitch of Freeport Wild Bird Supply, Rich MacDonald of The Natural History Center, and others. Meet at the group picnic shelter.

9 am - 4 pm - Educational Displays
Test out Nikon binoculars and spotting scopes and enter to win a pair of binoculars courtesy of Nikon Sport Optics.Taste bird-friendly Birds & Beans coffee. Get bird posters, while they last, courtesy of the Maine Wildlife Park and Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Start planning your summer visits to Maine Parks by picking up a Maine Park Passport - a handy pocket-size guide to the parks. Sign up to win a FREE camping weekend and learn about our First Time Campers program!
Located at the picnic shelter.

9 am - 5 pm - Hawk Watch at summit
Join a Raptor Biologist on the top of Bradbury Mountain. Learn how experts observe, identify and count all raptor and vulture species that fly past Bradbury Mountain. Note: Hike to summit is 1/4-mile - a steep, short 10-minutes; commands a great view. Sponsored by Freeport Wild Bird Supply and Nikon Sport Optics.

10-11 am - Bird Walk for Children
Birding is cool! Birding is fun! Imagine something you can do anywhere. You hear a bird, tilt your head to listen, and are able to name the species just from the sound or a quick glimpse. Your friends will be impressed! Join naturalist Rich MacDonald, of The Natural History Center, on this beginning birdwalk designed just for kids (parents and adults over 18 must be accompanied by children). Rich will help you learn some of the basics of identifying birds. Meet at the picnic shelter.

10 am - 3 pm - Birding Fun & Games
Learn to sing like a bird and birding basics through games, hands-on activities, and crafts designed for children and families of beginning birders. On-going activities held near picnic shelter and the playground. Program led by Maine Division of Parks and Public Lands staff and volunteers..

11 am - 12:30 pm - Vernal Pool Exploration: Wading into the Woodland Waters Vernal pools are temporary water bodies which fill from spring snowmelt and rains and provide breeding habitat for amphibians including Wood Frogs, Spotted Salamanders and invertebrates such as Fairy Shrimp. They are fishless features which are an important breeding habit for many species and provide a dizzying amount of biomass to the food web. Join wetland scientist Dave Brenneman from Boyle Associates and enjoy wading in the water. We will learn how to identify a vernal pool and the critters that live in them. Be prepared for wet conditions and wear appropriate footwear such as tall boots or “Wellies”.

1-3 pm - Hawk Watch Workshop
Find out what is so intriguing (and so much fun!) about hawk watching. Join us on the summit of Bradbury Mountain for an introduction to this facet of bird watching as we cover the basics, such as why we’re all standing around on this particular hill and how we conduct our research. Then, using visual aids and of course the birds themselves migrating over Bradbury Mountain, we will teach you what to look for in telling the different species of hawks apart from each other. Bring your own binoculars. Program led by Derek Lovitch of Freeport Wild Bird Supply. Note: Hike to summit is 1/4-mile - a steep, short 10-minutes; commands a great view.

3-4 pm - Live birds presentation - Birds of Prey Including an Eagle! by Hope Douglas of Wind Over Wings and featuring a Golden Eagle, American Kestrel, Red-tailed Hawk and a raven who thinks he is a bird of prey. Their stories will be told along with the natural history of each species. Held at the picnic shelter. Sponsored by Sponsored by L.L.Bean.

Sunday, April 28
Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park

Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park
426 Wolf Neck Road, Freeport, ME 04032 / 865-4465

9-10 am - Bird Walk for Children
Birding is cool! Birding is fun! Imagine something you can do anywhere. You hear a bird, tilt your head to listen, and are able to name the species just from the sound or a quick glimpse. Your friends will be impressed! Join naturalist Rich MacDonald, of The Natural History Center, on this beginning birdwalk designed just for kids (parents and adults over 18 must be accompanied by children). Rich will help you learn some of the basics of identifying birds. Meet at the picnic shelter.

9 am - 3 pm - Educational Displays
Test out Nikon binoculars and spotting scopes and enter to win a pair of binoculars courtesy of Nikon Sport Optics. Taste bird-friendly Birds & Beans coffee. Get bird posters, while they last, courtesy of the Maine Wildlife Park and Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Start planning your summer visits to Maine Parks by picking up a Maine Park Passport - a handy pocket-size guide to the parks. Sign up to win a FREE camping weekend and learn about our First Time Campers program!
Located at the picnic shelter.

10 am - 1 pm - Osprey Watch
Get a close look at nesting ospreys through our spotting scope. Stop by for a quick look or stay as long as you like to ask questions and learn about their life story. Presented by Andrew Hutchinson, Park Manager, and Tami Bill, Park Ranger. Meet at the Osprey Sign across from Googins Island via either the White Pines Trail or Casco Bay Trail.

10 am - 3 pm - Birding Fun & Games
Learn to sing like a bird and birding basics through games, hands-on activities, and crafts designed for children and families of beginning birders. On-going activities held in the field near the group picnic shelter. Program led by Maine Division of Parks and Public Lands staff and volunteers.

11 am - 12 noon - Landscaping for Wildlife
Kathleen Fitzgerald of Tide Walk Designs is excited to offer creative design ideas incorporating natural bird enticing plantings and corridors. We will explore the many options available in maintaining the integrity of nature for our avian friends while creating spectacular visuals using a variety of native plants, trees, vines and flowers. Tide Walk Designs specializes in landscape designs with a deep commitment to every detail and a deep respect for the environment, birds and wildlife.

1-2 pm - Live Birds presentation - The Extraordinary Lives of Owls!
by Hope Douglas of Wind Over Wings and featuring a Great Horned Owl, Eastern Screech-Owl, Saw-whet Owl, and a Common Raven. The amazing adaptations of owls, including their remarkable hearing, sight, and ability to fly silently, will be discussed. You'll also learn how to spot an owl in the wild. Held at the picnic shelter. Sponsored by Royal River Conservation Trust..

2-3 pm - Osprey Watch
Get a close look at nesting ospreys through our spotting scope. Stop by for a quick look or stay as long as you like to ask questions and learn about their life story. Presented by Andrew Hutchinson, Park Manager, and Tami Bill, Park Ranger. Meet at the Osprey Sign across from Googins Island via either the White Pines Trail or Casco Bay Trail.

AND don't forget... at Bradbury Mountain from 9 am - 5 pm the Hawk Watch at the summit continues.
Sponsored by Freeport Wild Bird Supply . and Nikon Sport Optics.