Past Events

Whistle Stop Trail, 7 AM, May 7th, rain or shine. Meet in the parking lot at the trail head across the street from the West Farmington Post Office. Drive in a short distance to find the parking area. This year lead by Nick Leadley, wild life photographer and accomplished birder

This presentation will begin with a general overview of the evolution, ecology, and behavior of damselflies and dragonflies (Order Odonata). This will be followed by a brief survey of some of Maine’s 161 known odonate species. Finally, conservation concerns for this important group of insects will be discussed, and resources to facilitate contributions by community members interested in furthering our understanding of Maine’s odonate fauna will be explored. Dr. Ron Butler retired in 2021 as Emeritus Professor at the University…

Perham Stream Birding Trail, 8:00am, May14th. This walk will be led by Nick Ledley and is cosponsored by the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust. For further information and directions

Photo Credit – Margaret Gompper/Audubon Photography Awards Dr. Pokres, a graduate of Cornell and Tufts University will be speaking on new research findings concerning loons: their behaviors, their reaction to environmental stress, and threats to their well-being. A retired member of the faculty at Tufts, he regularly consults for a variety of private, state, and federal wildlife and environmental agencies. He has been doing mortality research on loons since 1987and is widely recognized for this work on lead poisoning. Please…

Snow Bunting - Photo credit - Nick Leadley This has been rescheduled from 11/9. Dr. Ron Butler will give his talk on lichens now on 11/9. Are you a snowbird? Do you head south during the winter in search of sunny, warm weather with plentiful fresh local fruits and vegetables? Just like human snowbirds, many of “our” birds head south for the winter as well. Come join Sally Stockwell, Director of Conservation at Maine Audubon, to learn about the travels…

Photo Credit - Dr.Butler This talk was rescheduled from 10/12 This presentation will provide a general overview of the evolution, morphology, and physiology of lichens. The ecological role of lichens in terrestrial ecosystems with be discussed, and the uses of lichens by animals (including humans) will be explored. A brief survey of some common Maine foliose, fruticose, squamulose, and crustose lichens will be presented, and some key references for lichen identification will be highlighted. Dr. Ron Butler retired in 2021…

Phote Credit _SherrieTucker Speaker: Danielle D’Auria Did you ever wonder where Maine’s Great Blue Herons go in winter, and what path they travel to get there? Since 2016, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife has deployed lightweight GPS tracking devices on Great Blue Herons to follow their movements during nesting, migration, and wintering. This technology has revealed impressive migrations sometimes over long stretches of open ocean and for over 60 hours non-stop to Florida, the Bahamas, Cuba, and Haiti!…

Photo Credit shutterstock_1445166614. Maine has over 2,500 Great Ponds. The vast majority of them are in great shape, due in large part to strong shoreland zoning laws that protect fragile lakeside habitat and to motivated homeowners who work to make sure their properties protect lakes. However, many of Maine’s lakes are at risk of losing their clean, clear water and many associated recreational, habitat, and economic values. These lakes are at a tipping point, pushed there by stormwater that carries…

Join us for this AM walk led by Nick Leadley (www.touchthewildphotos.com) on the Whistle Stop Trail

The Distribution and Ecology of the Butterflies of Maine This talk will center around the findings presented in the Butterflies of Maine and Maritime Provinces, to be published this fall by the Cornell University Press. This publication is based on a citizen-science project (the Maine Butterfly Survey or MBS) with field work conducted between 2003 and 2019. Many WMAS members contributed to the project. We'll begin with a description of the distinguishing features of the five families of butterflies found…