By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
Individuals interested in observing their feathered friends now have like-minded people to gather with, thanks to a newly-formed club, Aroostook Birders.
“Just in time for spring bird migration, a newly-formed club will give birders a way to connect with others who share a passion for watching wild birds. Aroostook Birders invites all with an interest to attend its first official meeting on Thursday, April 14, at 6:30 p.m. at the Aroostook State Park front entrance lodge,” said Sue Pinette, publicity chair for the organization.
Pinette said through meetings, field trips and special events, organizers hope to involve area birders — beginners as well as experienced — in this fledgling organization.
According to Club President Bill Sheehan, “We’d like this to be a way for people of all ages and ability levels to get together and share the enjoyment of observing and learning about birds. We plan to hold regular bird walks and field trips to many of the best birding spots in the surrounding area, plus offer educational programs and special birding-focused events like the Christmas Bird Count and the Aroostook State Park-sponsored Aroostook Birding Festival.”
The festival is slated for Saturday, June 18, and welcomes birders of all ages to enjoy a stroll through the park as they watch for a variety of bird species that call the facility home.
Sheehan said it was comments heard at the Aroostook Birding Festival that prompted local birders to form the club.
“People were asking, ‘Is there a birding group here in northern Maine?’ Organizers saw Aroostook Birders as a forum for providing educational opportunities around birding to people of all ages, especially young people,” he said.
Many have long known Aroostook County is a prime region for birding, noted Sheehan.
“In addition to having an abundant mix of habitats, Aroostook is on the southern edge of where a variety of birds stay to breed. It’s a great place to see birds,” said Sheehan, “and the very best place to learn birds and have it stick with you is when you’re out in the field.”
Sheehan, an environmental specialist with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection in Presque Isle, is well qualified to head up a local birding group. He has coordinated birding trips, bird counts and conducted surveys of bird species in Aroostook County since 1990. He also serves on Maine’s Bird Records Committee — official record keepers for all birds reported in the state.
The club’s first field trip will be a Saturday morning excursion on April 23 to visit waterfowl sites along the Aroostook River in Fort Fairfield. Focus of the April 14 meeting will be a program on waterfowl identification to help prepare members for birds seen on the trip.
“Plans are also under way for May for regular ‘Wednesday morning walks’ scheduled at Collins Pond in Caribou and other popular birding locations,” said Pinette.
For further information about the Aroostook Birders Club, contact Pinette at 764-1801.
