March 28, 2024
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Celebrating creatures great, small

HOLDEN – Spring Fest won’t be for the birds, it will be about the birds – and turtles, spiders, bees and other local creatures – when the Fields Pond Audubon Center holds its second annual Spring Fest 7 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 10, on Fields Pond Road. There is no cost to attend Spring Fest.

The free event, said Holly Twining, center program naturalist, is also a celebration of the center’s 10th anniversary and a way to observe International Migratory Bird Day.

“We started Spring Fest for the first time last year,” Twining said. “It attracted people who had never been here [to the center] before. We have activities for all ages. We have scheduled things so that parents can, for example, attend a nature photo workshop while their children go on a nature walk.”

Some 300 to 400 people attended last year’s Spring Fest.

“Weather makes no difference,” said Judy Markowsky, center director who writes a birding column for The Weekly. “When it rains, the frogs sing. The spring peepers are already talking.” And for participants who stay until later in the day, hearing the peepers is definitely on the agenda.

The Spring Fest schedule is:

. Birding by Ear walk with Bruce Barker of Dixmont, 7-8:30 a.m. “Bruce is the best birder around,” Markowsky said. “He has a finely tuned ear for bird song.”

. Bird walk with Medea Steinman of Orono, 7-8:30 a.m.

. Yoga with John Yasenchak of Orono, 9-10 a.m. Bring a mat if you have one.

. Children’s walk, 9-10 a.m.

. Birding by Ear walk with Steve Coleman of Bangor, 9-11 a.m. Open to all, including the visually impaired and those interested in learning to identify birds by their song.

. Plant sale with native plants, field grown at Rebel Hill Farm in Clifton, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

. Children’s activity area, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Coordinated by volunteers from the Stillwater Montessori School and the Penobscot River Coalition.

. Walk and Talk: Native Plants, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

. Children’s nature exploration with Audubon educator Ruth Perry of Clifton, 10:30-11:30.

. Lunch break, 11:30 a.m.-noon. Sandwiches, chips, cookies, juice for purchase.

. Live turtles with the “Turtle Lady,” Jean Adamson of Hampden, noon-1 p.m.

. Pollinators presentation: “Bees, Butterflies and Hummingbirds” with Pat Snyder of Stockton Springs 1:30-2:30 p.m.

. Music Together for children and their parents with Surya Mitchell of Bangor, 3-4 p.m.

. Hands-on workshop with Joni Dunn, owner of Bangor Photo, 4-5 p.m.

. Children’s walk, 4-5 p.m.

. Evening bird walk with Judy Markowsky, 5-6:30 p.m.

Merle Hetley, Fields Pond naturalist and program assistant, also will conduct a native plant walk.

Twining said the goal of Spring Fest was to raise awareness of local natural habitat and the benefits of the outdoors for children and adults.

“Nature is so soothing,” Markowsky said.

Field’s Pond Audubon Center also sponsors neighborhood bird walks, 7-8:30 a.m., at various places in the Bangor area. The walks are free. The schedule is:

. Monday, May 12, Gould’s Landing on Pushaw Lake, Orono, leader Paul Markson. Meet at Gould’s Landing parking lot. Sponsored by the Orono Land Trust.

. Tuesday, May 13, Cascade and Saxl parks, Bangor, leader Tom Hodgman. Meet at Cascade Park on State Street.

. Friday, May 16, West Penjajawoc, Bangor, leaders Jim Hinds and Lucy Quimby. Co-sponsored by the Bangor Land Trust. Meet at dead end of Fox Hollow Lane off Essex Street.

. Saturday, May 17, Walden-Parke Preserve, Bangor, leader Bill Glanz. Co-sponsored by the Bangor Land Trust. From Essex Street, turn onto Walden Parke Way, then right onto Tamarack Trail to meet at its end.

. Monday, May 19, Northeast Penjajawoc, Bangor, leaders Bob Milardo and Elizabeth Payne. Meet at the Bangor Land Trust kiosk on Kitteridge Road.

. Tuesday, May 20, Orono Land Trust riverside trails, Orono, leaders Judy Markowsky and Joni Dunn. From Route 2 in Orono, turn onto North Main Street. Follow to end, turn left on Penobscot Street.

. Wednesday, May 21, Mount Hope Cemetery, Bangor, leaders Jim and Kathy Zeman. Meet in parking area inside the State Street entrance.

. Thursday, May 22, Essex Woods, leader Bob Duchesne. Meet in parking lot, end of Watchmaker Street off Essex.

. Tuesday, May 27, Kenduskeag Stream Trail, Bangor, leaders Hope Brogunier and Joni Dunn. Meet in parking lot upstream of the intersection of Valley Avenue and Bruce Road.

. Wednesday, May 28, Technology Park, Orono, leaders Jerry Longcore, Jim Bird. Meet in parking lot behind Microdyne building, Godfrey Drive.

. Friday, May 30, Ecotat Gardens and Arboretum, Hermon, leaders Laura Levenson and Elizabeth Payne. Ecotat parking lot, Annis Road off Route 2.

For information about Spring Fest and neighborhood bird walks, call Fields Pond Aububon Center at 989-2591.


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