Inaugural Rangeley Birding Festival planned for June

RANGELEY — Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust, along with co-sponsor Maine Audubon, will hold the inaugural Rangeley Birding Festival from June 7 to 9. The festival will honor the late John Bicknell and organizers say they plan to make it an annual event.

The Rangeley Lakes region is the premier birding destination for rare and sought-after species in New England, the trust said in a news release. Deep in the heart of Maine’s lush boreal forest, Rangeley provides a convenient hub to find northern specialties like black-backed woodpecker, spruce grouse and boreal chickadee, as well as breeding warblers including Cape May, bay-breasted and mourning. One of the trips offered — a day hike on Saddleback Mountain — will focus on Bicknell’s thrush, one of North America’s rarest and most localized breeders.
What sets the Rangeley Birding Festival apart from all others is the breeding grounds. While other festivals hope to catch birds as they migrate through, in Rangeley they’ve reached their destination and are on territory. This means that birds are more reliable and displaying different behaviors than in migration. No other festival in New England provides such convenient access to so many boreal birds.
The festival will feature highly skilled guides who are excited about sharing their knowledge of rich bird life that flourishes at the intersection of northern forest, stunning, clear lakes and the High Peaks of western Maine.
Bicknell, who died in 2018, was instrumental in creating the Mingo Springs Trail and Bird Walk, and had a passion for the outdoors and deep and abiding love for nature.
For more information about the festival, the guides and Bicknell, visit www.rlt.org or call Gina Sawin at 207-680-0611.

PHOTO: A blackburnian warbler, one of the birds that may be seen during the Rangeley Birding Festival in June. (Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust photo)