Birds, Groundhogs and Kid's Stuff: Maine Audubon Center has it all

 

Although I’ve visited Portland, Maine and the surrounding areas many times, this weekend I went someplace I’ve never been: The Gilsland Farm Audubon Center in nearby Falmouth, Maine.

Bee hives

The Gilsland Farm Audubon center is just five minutes from Portland, and is Maine Audubon’s headquarters.  It has a large, modern environmental center with a well-curated Children's Discovery Room and a 65-acre wildlife sanctuary that includes more than 2 miles of trails.

The view from Pond Meadow Trail

We chose the Pond Meadow trail, which winded through the forest, past ancient, fallen trees and striking metal sculptures by artist Wendy Klemperer, and led us out to the salt marsh.

Sculpture by artist Wendy Klemperer

Serious birders frequent the Center. We are groundhog enthusiasts, so in the notebook at the front desk where you write down which birds you spotted, we wrote, “groundhog.” (We saw one with badger markings on his face. Maybe we should keep our own log.)

The Children's Discovery Room

The Center offers hundreds of programs to the public year-round, including day camps during the summer and snowshoeing and cross-country skiing during the winter. The Center is high on my list for future visits. 

Visit the Gilsland Farm Audubon Center here:

http://www.maineaudubon.org/explore/centers/gilsland.shtml 

And the art of Wendy Klemperer here:

http://www.wendyklemperer.com