TRESCOTT, Maine — The 11th annual Down East Spring Birding Festival gets under way Friday, and it is drawing people from all over the country.
The four-day event centered in the greater Cobscook Bay region features self-guided birding activities, guided hikes, boat tours and presentations by regional birding experts, according to organizers.
The region supports the greatest variety of habitats on the East Coast, including boreal and northern hardwood forests, bogs, freshwater and saltwater marshes, grassy and shrubby fields, streams and lakes, steep rugged headlands, extensive tidal flats and coastal islands.
The diverse habitats are home to many year-round and migratory birds. More than 400 species of birds have been sighted in Maine, and nearly three-quarters have been sighted in the region of the birding festival.
The festival is sponsored and organized by the Cobscook Community Learning Center in conjunction with Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge in nearby Edmunds.
Ninety people have registered so far, Valerie Lawson, community program manager for the learning center, said Wednesday. Seventy-five were registered at this point a year ago, she said.
“We have them from all over the country, which is really wonderful,” Lawson said. About 50 to 75 percent of the people who have registered are not from Maine, she indicated. People are coming from as far away as California, Texas and Florida, with a good number from Massachusetts and New Hampshire, she added.
A new activity this year is birding by bike, Lawson said, which will allow participants to cover a larger area than if by hiking. Another activity added for 2014 is a birding trip to the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point Reservation.
“Every year, we try to mix it up a little bit,” Lawson said about addding new activities.
Birding enthusiasts pick and choose the activities they want to do. Often they are looking for activities that potentially will allow them to sight a certain species, so they pick an activity accordingly, explained Lawson.
Among the many scheduled activities is a boat trip to Machias Seal Island off Cutler. The island boasts the largest Atlantic Puffin colony on the Maine coast.
Participation in some activities is limited, and spaces are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Most activities are included with the registration fee although some require additional fees. Activities on Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge are free and open to the public.
People interested in registering for the festival may do so online at www.downeastbirdfest.org or by phone at (207) 733-2233. Lawson recommended registering online.
Participants are asked to check in at festival headquarters at the Cobscook Community Learning Center at 10 Commissary Point Rd. in Trescott Township.