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.
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.
As a high school teacher, she taught biology and environmental science,
and as a journalist, wrote regular features about birds. International
eco-travel 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 a board member for Maine 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 served six terms
in the Maine House of Representatives, and was recently appointed
to serve on the state Board of Environmental Protection.
Laura
Erickson has been blathering about birds since she memorized the
“Bird” entry in her family’s encyclopedia when she was a preschooler.
Now she is a columnist for BirdWatching magazine and author of the
ABA Field Guide to the Birds of Minnesota and several other books
(11 total). She started producing “For the Birds,” a radio spot now
airing on independent public and community radio stations from Oregon
to New York, in 1986 (http://www.lauraerickson.com/radio).
She did a Lower-48 Big Year in 2013; her travels to Maine that year
were a highlight. She lives and birds in Minnesota.
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.
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 Monmouth, 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.
Adrian
Lesak has been a birder since childhood and fondly recalls the
early mornings of spring migration; birding while delivering newspapers
until the school bell rang. He has studied forest songbird communities
for the US Forest Service in Washington and in Master's and PhD research
in Alabama and Wisconsin, respectively. As part of the Eagle Optics
sales team for 5 years, and now as the birding and nature observation
manager at Vortex Optics, he has gained extensive knowledge and field
experience with the latest the sport optics industry has to offer.
Adrian enjoys the challenge and reward of pairing birders with the
right optics to help them enjoy the pursuit and the passion for birds
and birding he shares with them.
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 32 years with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (USFWS), which has allowed extensive opportunities
to live, 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 has a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of
Maine Orono, and works researching the effects of land-use change
on wildlife to impact conservation measures. He has assisted in multiple
research projects ranging from radio tracking Spruce Grouse and Bicknell's
Thrush across Maine, to camera trapping scavengers in Swaziland, Africa.
Kyle started birding when he was 14, and loves sharing his passion
for birds and other wildlife with anyone who will listen.
Kristen Lindquist is a published poet and freelance writer
with a monthly natural history column in the Pen Bay Pilot. She regularly
leads bird walks for various nonprofit organizations around the state.
She is a past member of the Maine Bird Records Committee, past board
member of Friends of Maine's Seabird Islands, and a past member of
the Conservation Commission in her hometown of Camden, ME. Recently,
she was a contributing writer for the new "Birdwatching in Maine:
A Site Guide."
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.
Will Russell is the co-founder of the birding tour company, WINGS,
co-author of Rare Birds of North America (Princeton), and former resident
of and now frequent visitor to Mount Desert Island. He is currently
working on a book on Birds of Mount Desert Island and Acadia National
Park.
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).
Marion Sprague grew up in with the boreal forests of Downeast
Maine as her backyard, but moved to Southern Maine in 2001. She has
always been happy to call Maine home. She has loved birds as long
as she can remember. Her passion for nature was influenced heavily
by her grandparents who taught her to appreciate the birds, trees,
and wildflowers of Maine. Initially a casual birdwatcher, this changed
when Marion bought her home in 2014. Once she began to carefully study
the diversity of birds visiting her feeders, a true bird nerd was
born! Marion is currently finishing an in-depth natural history training
through the Maine Master Naturalist Program. The mentors in her life
have helped deepen her appreciation, knowledge, and love of birds.Marion
is excited to give back as co-coordinator for the Maine Young Birders
Club and a member of the York Country Audubon Board of Directors.
Rob Speirs' fascination with birds ignited through his Grandmother's
kitchen window, riveted by Evening Grosbeaks shelling seeds mere inches
from his curious young nose. The excitement of finding a petite Golden-crowned
Kinglet, snagged by a burdock, and lifer Redpolls high in a birch,
provided the first big sparks. A natural extension of a lifetime of
outdoor pursuits, birding has taken Rob to every corner of the state,
while cross country trips have provided the opportunity to explore
some of North America's premier birding hotspots. An unapologetic
“twitcher”, Rob loves the hunt, chasing rarities, and helping others
find a new, or rare, bird.
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.
Peter Trueblood is a bird enthusiast who lives in Oakland,
California. He has been coming to the Acadia Bird Festival for 8 years
and knows the area very well. He also serves as the President of the
Board of the Acadia Bird Festival, a not-for-profit corporation.
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.
Magill
Weber was born into a family of non-birders, but had the good
fortune to grow up down the road from the Wind Point lighthouse, one
of the best migrant traps on Lake Michigan. She taught herself to
bird in early elementary school via steady supply of field guides
gifted by family members in the hopes of avoiding actually having
to go birding themselves. Magill has worked as a bird bum on field
projects around the country, wrote a masters thesis on the spring
stopover ecology of Blackpoll Warblers, and served as a project director
for The Nature Conservancy's California migratory birds program. Magill
is currently an attorney for a Portland, Maine-based technology company.
She sits on the Arizona Bird Records Committee and the American Birding
Association board of directors, and has had a number of articles and
photos published in national birding publications and field guides.
She has birded on five continents and in every US state and Canadian
province-the Maine coast is, hands down, her favorite place to bird.
Chuck Whitney is a local educator, who has lived in Hancock County since 1978. When not birding he can be found making Uilleann bagpipes and playing them in Irish music sessions.
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.
