GUIDES
Seth
Benz lists Gray Catbird and Rough-legged Hawk as "Spark Birds".
These species, encountered in childhood, continue to inspire a career
steeped in conservation science and ecological literacy. Currently,
he heads up the Schoodic Bird Ecology Lab at Acadia National Park,
where he combines research and education on bird migration with the
study of nature's sequencing of events - phenology - which engages
people of all ages in Citizen Science. Seth has worked at Hawk Mountain
Sanctuary, Hog Island Audubon Camp, Audubon Expedition Institute,
Project Puffin, Acadia National Park, and Schoodic Education and Research
Center. After growing up in Berks County, Pennsylvania, he now lives
in Belfast, Maine where he launched Bird Bus tours for the city, and
leads trips for Road Scholar, University of Maine Hutchinson Center,
Waldo County YMCA, and serves as a volunteer for the Belfast Bay Watershed
Coalition.
Louis
Bevier's passion for natural history and birds began with hikes
in the chaparral of southern California and the granite peaks of the
Sierra Nevada. Since the 1960s, birds have drawn him to explore most
of North and South America, leading to months at sea off Alaska and
California, backcountry surveys in the high Sierra, plant and bird
expeditions to several countries, editorship of the Connecticut breeding
bird atlas, and many other adventures. Bird identification, systematics,
and conservation, especially of wilderness areas, are core interests.
He has worked as a tour guide for Field Guides, as an editor for The
Birds of North America series, and as Associate Editor for the journal
North American Birds. He is Chair of the Maine Bird Records Committee.
Jim Bright has been a commercial lobsterman for forty years.
His time on the ocean and his love of the outdoors, in general, has
made him a keen observer of Mother Nature. It was the visit of a Green-Violet-Ear
Hummingbird to his porch feeder that connected him to the world of
avid birders, and the fun has not stopped since. Trips to Arizona
and Florida have been made but Jim’s favorite birding spots are the
outer islands off the coast of Maine. Jim and his wife, Harriet, live
on Mount Desert Island, but still maintain a family home on Little
Cranberry Island.
Bruce Cole has had a lifelong interest in wildlife and ecology
with a particular curiosity for birds. It all started when his grandmother
pointed out a Golden-crowned Kinglet in a nearby hemlock tree. Encouraged
from childhood with books including the Golden Press guide to "Familiar
Birds of North America" and a curious little book on raptors
which referred to the Merlin as the "Pigeon Hawk," the fascination
grew. Bruce works here in Maine as an RN, enjoys being outside in
his spare time. He states he is interested in every bird he sees and
hears, from the common and widespread to the rare vagrant.
Jonathan Corcoran obsession with birds started at a young age.
He lived in the rural Delaware Valley, surrounded by birds and nature
through much of his growing years. Great Blue Herons fishing on the
rivers near home were the first birds that really caught his attention.
He quickly became more interested in all of the birds that occurred
in the world around him. His particular interest in birding has become
studying and logging local bird movements, particularly at local patches
and on his wooded Pocono, PA property through eBird. Bird Photography
has also become a particular obsession for him, and his photos have
appeared in numerous conservation publications. Photography has been
a great tool for teaching people and opening their eyes to the vast
avian world around them. Most people are shocked to discover that
over 100 species of birds have traveled through their yards at some
point. He views photography as a great way to make people aware of
the local avian-fauna.
Dotty Holcomb Doherty lives in Annapolis, MD but has spent
time in Maine leading canoe trips on the Allagash, teaching high school
in Wells, plus visiting friends all over the state and her daughter
while a student at Colby. An ornithology class during Dotty's freshman
year at Earlham College launched her lifetime love of birding. A regular
eBirder, she participates annually in Project FeederWatch, and on
most days can be found stalking birds with camera and binoculars.
She's taught high school biology and environmental science, coached,
and led wilderness backpacking trips in our southwestern states. As
a journalist for local Annapolis area publications, she wrote regular
features about birds. Eco-travel to Peru, South Africa, Madagascar,
Indonesia, and India has expanded her appreciation of bird diversity
and the need to maintain and restore habitat. She leads bird walks
in nearby Chesapeake area parks.
Jonathan Doherty is one of many whose interest in birds started
with an ornithology course at Earlham College. He has been birding
ever since, still traveling with other Earlhamites to explore the
world of birds. Jonathan is a conservationist working for the National
Park Service and coordinating landscape scale conservation planning
in the six-state Chesapeake Bay watershed. He also makes chocolates!
Bob
Duchesne became interested in birds in the first grade. Interest
grew to passion and today Bob is one of Maine’s top birding experts.
He is Vice President of Audubon’s Penobscot Valley Chapter in the
Bangor area. Bob is a frequent tour leader and has led trips from
Atlantic Canada to the Florida Everglades. In 2009, Bob completed
development of the Maine Birding Trail and has authored a guidebook
for the state, published on Down East Books. He currently writes a
weekly birding column for the Bangor Daily News. Bob recently began
a fifth term as a member of the Maine House of Representatives, where
he serves on the Environment and Natural Resources Committee and helps
direct state environmental policy.
Jim Eager - After buying and hanging a bird feeder in 1984
Jim got hooked after seeing his "spark bird" which was a Northern
Cardinal. In 2011 he was a co-founder and co-coordinator of the re-branded
Florida Keys Hawkwatch and raptor observer in the Florida Keys. Jim
is the Social Media Coordinator and an 11 yr field trip leader for
the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival as well as field trip
leader for the Everglades Birding Festival and the Florida Birding
& Nature Festival. In addition, he is a board member of the Florida
Ornithological Society (FOS), Merritt Island Wildlife Association
(MIWA) and Associate Editor (for bird distribution) for the FOS "Florida
Field Naturalist" publication. Jim lives in Cape Canaveral, FL and
owns Obsessive Compulsive Birding specializing in guided trips in
and around Central Florida.
Toni
Evans divides her time between Brookeville, Maryland and Goose
Cove, Maine. She is happiest out of doors and loves every aspect of
the natural world. She got hooked on birding at Earlham college where
she graduated with a BA in Biology. As a teacher she helped lead student
trips to the Peruvian Amazon multiple times. She has traveled throughout
the US, Galapagos, Kenya, South Africa, Europe, Panama, and Ireland,
bins at the ready. She likes to say that birding is like Christmas
morning, there's a gift waiting every time you go out.
Brendan
McKay gained an early love for birds from his grandmother whose
house he visited on Great Diamond Island during his childhood. He
studied Marine Biology at the University of Maine in Orono and worked
for the Maine Coast Heritage Trust as part of their summer trail crew
for three seasons. While working for the Maine Coast Heritage Trust,
he gained a further appreciation for birds from the knowledgeable
stewards who all shared a passion for the natural world. He discovered
eBird in 2014 and has been thrown deeper down the rabbit hole ever
since. He currently lives in Portland, ME where he enjoys birding
local hotspots and takes pleasure in finding rare birds in unexpected
places.
Michael J. Good, MS. Biologist/naturalist, President of Down
East Nature Tours in Bar Harbor, Maine and Founder of Warblers and
Wildflowers Festival (1998-2007), Acadia Birding Festival (2008-present)
and the Penobscot Watershed Eco Center, Bar Harbor. He has over 30
years experience studying the birds of North America and brings a
wealth of knowledge about Neotropical migrants and the avifauna of
the Eastern United States. Michael has traveled extensively in the
US, Alaska, Europe, Australia, South America and Cuba. He is a regional
business leader promoting sound ecologically practices in business,
government and land development. A Registered Maine Guide, Michael
has been guiding professionally for many years through his company
Down East Nature Tours focusing on avian ecology in the Gulf of Maine.
In his spare time he maintains Three Pines Bird Sanctuary in Town
Hill, Maine, studying micro-habitat of Neotropical migratory birds
on Mount Desert Island, Maine and winter ecology in various Neotropical
countries when given the opportunity.
Margot
Haertel grew up as a National Park Service “brat”. She learned
about birding from an early age, because her mother was an avid birder.
Living in National Parks like Sequoia-Kings Canyon, Glacier Bay, Big
Bend, Isle Royale, Mt. Rainier, and the Lava Beds in Northern California,
she had many opportunities to see and identify lots of birds. Moving
to Acadia from Lake Clark N.P in Alaska with her husband Paul, gave
her an opportunity to see all those “other warblers.” Alaska doesn’t
have many. She and Paul teach birding classes for Acadia Senior College
introducing local “Seniors” to the joys of bird watching and much
more. She says she wished she had paid more attention to birds when
she was a teenager, but because of her mother’s insistence on hiking
to Boot Springs in Big Bend, she can say, “Colima warbler? Got that!”
Ed Hawkes, of Bar Harbor is a master bird carver and avid birder
watcher. A Male Redstart perched nearby sparked his lifetime passion
at the age of twelve in Southern Maine. Since moving to Mount Desert
Island in 1977, Ed has become well-acquainted with Acadia National
Park and continues to serve as a volunteer ranger with the park's
Peregrine Watch in the spring/summer and Hawk Watch in the fall. After
retiring from teaching, Ed has found more time to pursue his lifetime
fascination with birds. When not connected to his binoculars, he is
carving -- creating his lifelike wooden sculptures with such fine
detail you expect them to take flight. Whether birding or carving,
one passion feeds the other. Ed and his wife, Debbie, regularly lead
birding hikes for their Downeast Audubon Chapter or the Downeast Birding
Festival. And leisure time means 'gone birding' -- whether on Mount
Desert Island or further afield on their trips to Florida, Arizona,
Colorado, Southern California, Alaska, Texas, Newfoundland, and Costa
Rica.
Debbie
Hawkes, of Bar Harbor, is a retired paralegal and past-president
of the Downeast Chapter of Maine Audubon, and serves on the board
of the ABF. Deb had enjoyed birds at her feeders for years, but after
she and husband, Ed, observed a Belted Kingfisher fishing in Babson
Creek, she was hooked. While biking or hiking in Acadia National Park
or tending her flower gardens, she's enjoying the local bird activity
- sights and sounds. Deb and Ed also lead bird hikes for Downeast
Audubon and the Downeast Birding Festival and they have enjoyed birding
jaunts to Florida, Arizona, Texas, Southern California, Alaska, Newfoundland,
Colorado, and Costa Rica.
Susan
Hayward is a founder and volunteer faculty member for Maine Master
Naturalist Program, an amateur botanist in Maine who has done field
research on rare orchids, and taught courses on the flora of Maine
for many years.
Tom
Hayward has been birding on MDI off and on since he was about
10 years old. He retired in 2013 from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine,
where he was the Humanities Reference Librarian and Lecturer in Classical
and Medieval Studies. Tom has been active in the Stanton Bird Club
of Lewiston since 1977, and has led many field trips for them over
the years.
Billy
Helprin Billy is the Director of the Somes-Meynell Wildlife Sanctuary
(right behind Festival Center in Somesville). Before working for the
Sanctuary, Billy was the Mt. Desert Island Steward for Maine Coast
Heritage Trust, managing Preserve properties and monitoring many conservation
easements. He has a Master of Science degree from Utah State University
and a Master of Arts in Teaching. Billy has enjoyed leading wildlife
explorations and studies in the Rocky Mountain region for Great Plains
Wildlife Institute, the Teton Science School, and Abercrombie and
Kent; and in Kenya for the School for Field Studies. He has been involved
with avian research and inventory projects in Ohio, Maine, Wyoming
and Guatemala. Whenever possible, Billy enjoys getting out with friends
or on his own to see and hear which bird species are nearby and what
they are up to.
Casey Hynes, of Gardiner, is an experienced field guide that loves
to share his fascination with Maine's flora and fauna. Casey got his
first job at a Wild Bird Center when he was 14, and has never looked
back. He has led birding trips extensively throughout the state for
both the Acadia Birding Festival and for LL Bean's Outdoor Discovery
School. Casey sits as the Vice President of the Board of Directors
at Viles Arboretum, allowing him the opportunity to share his love
of birds with his community. He has also worked as a consultant for
wind and solar power projects in northern New England, and shares
the record for a Big Day in Maine.
Craig
Kesselheim lives in Southwest Harbor on MDI, and has been birding
ever since he was hooked by a college ornithology course in 1973.
He has lived and birded elsewhere in North America, but Craig has
been a Maine-based birder for about 25 years. He currently logs most
of his birding time and eBird lists in Acadia NP, although his work
requires extensive travel throughout the State (what a perk!). Craig
is a big fan of citizen science and eBird. Professionally, Craig is
a career educator employed by the Great Schools Partnership in Portland,
Maine.
Fyn
Kynd found a love for nature through growing up on a small family
farm in mid-coast Maine, where chickens piqued his interest in birds.
When Fyn first started reading he preferred field guides over children's
books and learned much about the natural world through paper and online
resources. With that knowledge he recognized a Ruby-crowned Kinglet
at a very young age, a bird that enchanted him with its energy and
flair, sparking a love for birding. Wildlife photography quickly became
a passion after Fyn was gifted a point and shoot camera at age 10.
Four cameras later, capturing nature has become a way of life for
him. He is very passionate about conservation and wildlife education,
using photography as a conveyance, and plans to pursue a career as
a nature guide. Fyn considers himself a naturalist and is always trying
to expand and share his knowledge of the world's flora and fauna through
various citizen science resources, such as eBird, iNaturalist, and
BugGuide, projects he has been an enthusiastic contributor to for
years.
David Ladd became interested in Birds in the mid 1980s while
working on agricultural pesticide studies in the mid-west. This experience
prompted almost every vacation since then to have an element of birding
associated in it. David has traveled extensively through Mexico and
Central America birding and backpacking. He currently lives in Oakland
and as an “empty nester” is once again able to ramp up his wildlife
photography and birding activities.
Don
Lima has been an avid birdwatcher ever since his grandfather first
gave him a pair of binoculars at age 8. He pursued his passion of
wildlife and the outdoors at the University of Maine, Orono, where
he received his B.S. in Wildlife Management in 1986. He soon began
a career that has, so far, spanned 28 years with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (USFWS), which has allowed extensive opportunities
tolive, travel and bird all over the U.S. Don has conducted restoration
projects in grassland and saltmarsh habitats, waterfowl banding for
the USFWS and Black Duck Joint Venture, point count surveys, and was
an active member of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s, Partners
for Wildlife Program. His greatest passion is continuing to share
his love of birds, wildlife and being outdoors with his sons.
Kyle
Lima first discovered his love of birds on a family trip to Florida
in 2012; he's been hooked ever since! Kyle has always loved animals
and the outdoors since he was old enough to remember. He is currently
studying Wildlife Ecology at the University of Maine in Orono, planning
to form a life-long career focusing on conserving and studying birds
and other wildlife. Kyle spends his free time studying birds, birding
as much as possible, learning about other animals and plants, taking
photos, and simply enjoying nature. He also enjoys participating in
numerous citizen science projects, volunteering with various bird
research projects, and working for the University of Maine in Orono
on a Spruce Grouse study in northwestern Maine.
Ben Lizdas is excited to be returning to the Acadia Birding
Festival this spring. With a background in restoration ecology, Ben
turned from plant communities to birds when he joined the team at
Eagle Optics in 2000. Since then, he has traveled to birding events
both domestically and abroad helping birders understand and purchase
binoculars and scopes while adding new birds to his own life list.
He currently works for Bird Watcher's Digest as a jack of all trades,
co-hosts the Out There With The Birds podcast with Bill Thompson III,
and manages Redstart Birding, a new optics retail destination for
bird watchers.
Becky
Marvil lives with her family in Yarmouth, Maine. She has a background
in Biology (Earlham College) and in Ornithology and Computer Science
(University of Colorado), and runs her own computer programming/webpage
design business. She is pleased to be the Executive Director of the
Acadia Birding Festival, combining her knowledge of webpage design,
organizational skills, and love of birding. She is also the Secretary
for the Maine Bird Records Committee, and eBird Hotspot monitor for
Maine. During her free time, she helps with local bird surveys, chases
after rarities, and she loves to travel and enjoy birds in new locations.
Greg Miller has been birding for over 50 years.... really before
he can even remember. It was his father who got him into birding at
an early age and he has birded in all 50 states and much of Canada,
always smitten by the birding bug. Every trip out is an adventure!
In 1998 Greg zigzagged across the continent–traveling 130,000 miles
while trying to hold down a full time job at a nuclear power plant–to
try to see as many species of birds in one calendar year as possible.
It was an incredible experience passing the 700-species mark—an achievement
many birders aspire to in a lifetime. But there was competition. Two
other birders, Sandy Komito and Al Levantin also did Big Years the
same year and also broke the 700-mark. These three competitive quests
are documented in the 2004 non-fiction book, The Big Year, by Mark
Obmascik, and later in 2011 made into a movie. Greg had the fortunate
opportunity to be the Bird Consultant for the movie. Greg now guides
for Wildside Nature Tours.
Melissa
Penta is a late-fledging birder who started photographing birds
and wildlife very casually at local parks in New Jersey. She became
intrigued by her spark bird, the Great Blue Heron, and wanted to learn
more about it and other birds. She moved to upstate New York where
she was suddenly surrounded by nature and her love for wildlife, specifically
birds, took off. She eventually became more of a birder than a photographer.
She now lives in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania and loves to travel to
find new birds and gain new experiences-behind her lens, scope, and
binoculars. Melissa now works with Wildside Nature Tours in hopes
of bringing more interest to the birding world.
Corky
Potter has a graduate degree from the University of Illinois,
spent 32 years as a faculty member at Penn State University where
he created and directed Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center. He is
a registered Maine Sea Kayak Guide and member of the licensing Guide’s
Board for Maine Fish & Wildlife. In the off-season Corky is an
organizational consultant facilitating strategic planning, team building
and leadership development for non-profit and corporate groups. Corky
has paddled the coast of Maine, Cape Cod, Nova Scotia, Alaska and
off the coast of Washington State. He is a kayak instructor as well
as a guide, is passionate about birds and natural history, enjoys
biking, hiking, birding, music, gardening and spending time with Abbey,
his Australian Shepherd.
Michael Retter is the editor of the American Birding Association's
Birder's Guide magazine, a tour leader for BRANT Nature Tours, and
the author of the ABA Field Guide to Birds of Illinois. During college,
Michael began to take regular trips into Mexico and has been tourleading
there ever since. He is currently putting his knowledge of the area's
birds to paper by writing the upcoming Princeton identification guide
to the birds of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. Michael runs QBNA,
the continent's email list and informal club for LGBTQ+ birders. He
currently lives and gardens in Fort Worth, Texas.
Sue Shaw- Originally from the mid-west, Sue and her husband Harold
have lived in Penobscot, Maine for 43 years. Sue retired from a 37-year
teaching career in 2002, and in May, 2008 took her first Audubon bird
walk. "It wasn't a 'spark bird'.it was a meteor flash", Sue says.
Since that morning she has embraced birding with both arms, attending
festivals ("what wonderful opportunities for learning-all of that
expertise in such a concentrated area!"), taking classes and learning
from CDs and videos. She always has her binoculars, whether biking,
kayaking, or just out and about, "because you never know what will
show up!" Sue is both Secretary and Field Trip and Program Chair for
the local Downeast Audubon chapter, and celebrates her love of birding
through both her poetry and her art.
Bill Sheehan lives and birds in northern Maine, where he grew
up. He is a registered Maine Guide and has been leading trips and
guiding birders in the woods and wetlands of Maine for over 25 years.
Bill is the president of the Aroostook Birders birding club and has
been involved with the Maine Bird Records Committee since its inception.
A reviewer for Maine eBird, Bill has a deep interest in the distribution
and status of birds in Maine and is currently working with Peter Vickery
on a book on this subject. An avid duck-a-phile, Bill loves most scanning
his favorite local patches for rare waterfowl and waders. He can be
seen observing a Ross's Goose in Limestone, Maine on Google Earth
at the coordinates (46.913309, -67.824541).
Doug
Suitor, a reverse migrant, moved with his wife and daughters to
Maine from Fort Myers Beach, FL in 2007. To date he still claims this
was a good idea. He became interested in birds while working with
Manatees and Sea Turtles in Southwest Florida. He is currently an
aquatic ecologist with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection's
Lakes Program and enjoys exploring Maine's scenic beauty. A board
member of Merrymeeting Audubon he leads trips for the chapter and
thoroughly enjoys birding and playing around in the midcoast area.
Terry
Towne is a life-long amateur naturalist and USCG Licensed Captain.
He uses his outdoor enthusiasm and skills as the Regional Steward
for Maine Coast Heritage Trust to steward the islands around Mount
Desert Island’s bays and offshore on Marshall Island and Long Island
Frenchboro. After learning how to make a living in Maine more than
30 years ago by commercial fishing and municipal government, he is
a graduate of the University of Maine. He has introduced many to the
beauty and ruggedness of Maine’s islands through his trail building
and public awareness programs.
Margaret
Viens , a native Mainer, who grew up in Connecticut, has been
a backyard birder since she was a young child, but only became a more
"serious" birder once she retired in 2007. She is one of 5 siblings
who bird together and was lucky enough to have some great local birding
mentors, as well as the opportunity to travel extensively both domestically
and internationally where she is rarely seen without her binoculars
and camera. She volunteers with several citizen scientist projects,
is a Maine eBird reviewer, serves on the Maine Birds Records Committee
and is active with the Augusta Birding Club, both giving presentations
and leading walks in central Maine. She has lived in Waterville since
1973.
Chuck Whitney has been living and birding in Hancock County since
1978. He is a local educator and being a xenophile, values seeing
and introducing others to new and diverse populations of migrants.
Fred Yost started watching birds and enjoying nature as a child
while tagging along with his parents, grandparents and the birding
clubs they participated in. His interest in birding became more serious
during his undergraduate studies at Eastern Connecticut State University
where he was exposed to bird banding, birding by ear and tropical
biology. Fred has worked for the Fish & Wildlife Service as a
fisheries biologist for 18 years. He enjoys sharing birds with birders
and non birders, dragonflies, carving, photography and hiking.
