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Family Fun at Gilsland Farm
with Molly Woodring
Weekly on Wednesdays, no class 2/19
9-weeks/session
Child members: $120
Child non-members: $150
Ages 2-5, siblings under 2 free
Location: Gilsland Farm
Young children and their grown-ups are invited to spend an hour exploring nature together through stories, songs, art, and play. Each week will include both indoor activities and outdoor adventures designed to foster a connection to nature, encourage stewardship, and provide an introduction to group learning settings.
Advanced registration is encouraged! Drop-ins are welcome if space is available. ($15/week for members, $20/week nonmembers)
Birding Basics: Making it Count (eBird intro)
with Doug Hitchcox
FREE
Location: Gilsland Farm, Falmouth
To cap off our Birding Basics series, we are offering a free class to teach the basics of using eBird.org, a database for observations by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Through citizen science, many questions are being answered about even our most common birds, and participating in these projects is an easy way that you can 'give back' to the birds. We will also cover basics of contributing to the Maine Bird Atlas (maine.gov/birdatlas), so anyone interested in that project should attend as well!
Thursday Morning Bird & Nature Walk
with Doug Hitchcox
Members: $5, Nonmembers: $8
Location: Gilsland Farm
Registration not required, cash only
Join us each Thursday for an easy stroll through Maine Audubon’s Gilsland Farm Sanctuary. We will walk the property primarily looking for birds but won’t ignore any other wildlife or plants. Bring your binoculars and dress to be comfortable outside for two hours. Our total walk is usually 1.8 miles but people can leave early if needed.
We meet near the main parking lot. If you arrive late we are typically by the pond for the first 15-20 minutes before heading into the West Meadow. Walks last approximately 2 hours.
A list of the most recent bird sightings from Gilsland Farm can be found here: ebird.org/ebird/hotspot/L251783
Contact: Doug Hitchcox - (207) 781-2330 x237
Thursday Morning Bird & Nature Walk
with Doug Hitchcox
Members: $5, Nonmembers: $8
Location: Gilsland Farm
Begins at 8 am through March, 7 am April-November
Registration not required, cash only
Join us each Thursday for an easy stroll through Maine Audubon’s Gilsland Farm Sanctuary. We will walk the property primarily looking for birds but won’t ignore any other wildlife or plants. Bring your binoculars and dress to be comfortable outside for two hours. Our total walk is usually 1.8 miles but people can leave early if needed.
We meet near the main parking lot. If you arrive late we are typically by the pond for the first 15-20 minutes before heading into the West Meadow. Walks last approximately 2 hours.
A list of the most recent bird sightings from Gilsland Farm can be found here: ebird.org/ebird/hotspot/L251783
Contact: Doug Hitchcox - (207) 781-2330 x237
"Big Night" Open House
Location: Gilsland Farm, Falmouth
Spring is Coming!!
Come to our Open House to learn more about one of our favorite springtime events - BIG NIGHT!
Big Nights happen in early spring when it's rainy and the temperature rises to around 40-degrees. That's when all the salamanders and other amphibians begin their journey from their winter habitat to their breeding grounds - vernal pools. Unfortunately, that journey often crosses roads so volunteers gather at known crossing spots to help these amphibians make their journey safely.
At our event we'll have:
Presentations by Maine Audubon Conservation Biologist Sarah Haggerty at 3:30, 4:30, 5:30, 6:30 and 7:30 pm
Ongoing slideshow, games, books, and activities about vernal pools, amphibians, and turtles.
Join us to learn more about this important phenomenon. We'll have learning opportunities for all ages!
Speaker Series: Tree Swallows with Bernd Heinrich
with Bernd Heinrich
The Maine Audubon Speaker Series welcomes the return of Bernd Heinrich for a talk and book signing for his new work, White Feathers: The Nesting Lives of Tree Swallows.
For questions about accessibility or to request accommodations, please contact Beth Pauls at 207.781.2330 x273 or email bpauls@maineaudubon.org. Two weeks advance notice of need for accommodation is requested.
Wild Crafted Basketry
with Rebecca May Verrill
Location: Gilsland Farm, Falmouth
Members $95, Nonmembers $115 (Includes materials)
In this hands-on workshop we will explore an introduction to traditional basket weaving techniques with round, wild harvested, flexible fibers. In the first hour or so of the workshop we will travel to local low-lying areas on the property and cut our own Red Osier Dogwood for immediate wet-weave use upon returning to the Visitor’s Center.
Instructor will provide the majority of pre-harvested materials, however, the nature of this project is for the maker to establish a connection with their own materials, having an understanding of how and what to look for and harvest. Wonderful organic variations in size, color, texture and form will occur!
Students will be guided through an introduction to make a large flat-bottomed basket. Depending on size and ease of use with the materials, each student should be able to complete the bulk of the basket (and the knowledge of how to complete it afterward, if time doesn’t allow) within the workshop.
Examples and stages of development, as well as different styles of baskets will be shared, as well as many different resources to encourage and inspire future weaving projects. It is highly likely that participants will leave this workshop with a new way of seeing the landscape around them and never leave home without a pair of snippers in their glove box or backpack.
What to bring: We will be spending the first hour or so of class outside, harvesting materials, so please dress accordingly! Bring small, hand-held prune or garden shears, gloves and waterproof boots. Feel free to bring other shoes to change into during class. Adequate hand strength, creative openness and a positive attitude are the only other requirements.
Please bring your lunch and snacks. A refridgerator and microwave will be available.
About the Instructor: Rebecca May Verrill is a native of the western foothills of Maine where she first developed her love of crafting objects from the natural world. She learned the folk tradition of basketry while living in Taos, NM where she lived for 10 years primarily working with clay. Influenced by strong craft traditions in the southwest and harvesting wild red willow along the banks of the Rio Grande to craft vessels of a different sort, Rebecca easily added basketry to her creative practice. She received her Master of Fine Arts from SUNY New Paltz in 2013 and currently maintains a studio practice in Portland, ME, where she teaches the occasional workshop, exhibits work regionally and nationwide. For more about Rebecca and her ceramics please visit www.rebeccamayverrill.com.
Loon Winter Ecology Presentation
with James Paruk
Location: Gilsland Farm
Members $5, Nonmembers $7
(Cash only at the door; exact change appreciated)
Have you ever wondered where Common Loons go in the winter, what they eat or how they spend their time?
Dr. James Paruk, Associate Professor of Biology at St. Joseph’s College, has been studying the winter ecology of Common Loons for the past 10 years and has made some interesting findings.
Photo by Darwin Long, IV