ACADIA BIRDING
FESTIVAL
by Donna Chadderton
by Donna Chadderton
In late May, two of us
attended the 15th annual Acadia Birding Festival on Mount Desert
Island, Maine. Many field trips were offered
over a four day period that included morning and afternoon hikes, canoe trips,
van trips, and boat trips, including one pelagic trip that was dedicated for festival
participants only. A wee hour of the
morning owl prowl was also available. The
field trips were located within Acadia National Park, outside the park but
still on MDI, and mainland boreal areas to the north of MDI. This allowed for a wide variety of habitats
to be explored – pelagic, coastal, meadow, and forest. In addition, afternoon workshops were offered
that covered smart phone apps, birding-by-ear, seabird and general bird ID, and
e-bird. Most of the hikes were flat to moderate. One could sign up for any event that was of
interest, as long as it wasn’t already at capacity. (The van trips had a limited number of seats,
which filled quickly). There were
evening presentations by two guest speakers, as well as a lobster cookout at a
local lobster pound. A silent auction
was also held at the festival center in Somesville. Birders of any skill level are welcome at the
ABF; and the guides are knowledgeable and friendly. Just a
few of the 150 species of birds that were observed during this year’s festival included
Blackburnian Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Roseate Tern, Atlantic
Puffin, Razorbill, Black Guillemot, Sooty Shearwater, Common Loon, and Barred Owl. The data collected were submitted to the
citizen science database, e-Bird.
Mount Desert Island is a great
place to visit because it has something for just about everyone. The town of
Bar Harbor bustles with tourists during high season, but the ABF occurred
before the summer crowds descended. Bar
Harbor is also a casual town and full of family friendly activities. Acadia National Park has breathtaking
scenery, miles of trails, and many opportunities for exploration outside of the
Acadia Birding Festival. This was a
wonderful, educational, and worthwhile trip.
The included photo was digiscoped during the 2012 festival.
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| Common Loon |
Who sponsored the event and how do I find out about it in the future? Is it yearly, or was it one and done.
ReplyDeleteLove acadia and would like to plan a trip.
Doris McG.