SPRING BIRDWATCHING & BIRDING FESTIVALS

Thanks to an abundance of protected bays and rocky peninsulas and capes, the Maine coast offers an incredibly beautiful environment for spring birding. Maine is on the Atlantic flyway and, if you visit in the spring, you can catch first-of-the-season glimpses of warblers, vireos, orioles, flycatchers, Canada geese and other seasonal visitors that have migrated north.

In early spring, you should still have plenty of opportunities to see the state’s wide variety of seabirds and the occasional bald eagle, part of the largest population in the Northeast. For a chance to flock together with fellow bird lovers, Stonington’sWings, Waves & Woods Weekend from May 20 to 22 is an annual festival that celebrates “birding by land, by sea and by art.” It includes birding for kids, guided puffin boat trips and birding on Swan’s Island. The 13th annual Down East Spring Birding Festival runs Memorial Day weekend, May 27-30, in the Cobscook Bay area and was singled out by Yankee magazine as an “Editor’s Choice” event in 2014. TheAcadia Birding Festival, June 2 to 5, is a great way to explore Mount Desert Island through its extraordinary birdlife. Go to Visit Maine for more resources on birding.