CARIBOU, Maine — May marked the third series of “May is Healthy You Month Caribou” where bird enthusiasts grab their binoculars and join in the hunt for some of northern Maine’s feathered friends.
The birding outings, sponsored by Cary Medical Center, Aroostook Birders and the Caribou Parks and Recreation Department, brought folks willing to wake up early and search deep into the night for a peek various birds that live in Aroostook County.
Birders made the trek to the Caribou Utilities District waste water treatment ponds, Collins Pond, Caribou Bog, Perham Bog and Salmon Brook Lake to check off birds from their “life lists.”
Neal Sleeper, program director for the Caribou Parks and Recreation Department, said the birders get the chance to enjoy nature while not noticing how much exercising their doing, and that more people join every year.
The Rec Department supplied binoculars, bird books and birdcalls to those who joined in. They also schooled newbies on birding etiquette such as no talking while on the prowl, “Sometimes you just have to be still and quiet,” Kim Jones, director of Healthy You at Cary Medical Center, said.
Birders would see anywhere from 40 to 50 different birds in an hour, Sleeper said. All birding events were free and the Rec Department even offered free transportation to some of their outings.
A perk of joining in on the outing fun was the chance to win a free pair of binoculars courtesy of the Healthy You Program. This year’s winner was Connie McClellan of Cross Lake.
Birders who missed the May events can look forward to the Northern Maine Bird Festival scheduled for June 6 from 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge in Limestone. Admission is free rain or shine. For more information call 540-3079 or visit fws.gov/refuge/Aroostook.
