The Stanton Bird Club of Lewiston and Auburn has announced events planned for January. All events are free and open to the public.

Monday, Jan. 7, Lewiston, 6:30 p.m. The club’s next meeting will feature guest speaker Michael Perry of Freeport. The meeting will be held in room 285 at USM-LAC, 55 Westminster St. Perry will present his slideshow journey, “Fab Fourteen: Exploring Southern Maine’s Scenic Waterways by Canoe and Kayak.” He will be featuring 14 venues from the Portland area toward Bethel, and from Kezar Lake country to the Belgrade Lakes Region. He will seek to uncover lesser-known paddling locations and highlight hidden ponds, lakes and streams off the beaten path.

Saturday, Jan. 12, Marginal Way and Oguncquit, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The trip’s focus will be winter ducks, especially Harlequins and king eiders. Marginal Way offers many opportunities to observe a variety of sea ducks, including purple sandpipers and northern gannets. Folks going on the trip will meet at the Promenade Mall parking lot near Staples, 855 Lisbon St., Lewiston. Everyone will be carpooling from the meeting place and traveling to various viewing places. Trip leader Steve Reed suggests warm clothes and a portable lunch. He can be reached at 207-319-6630. 

Sunday, Jan. 13, Lewiston, 1 p.m. The Centennial Sunday afternoon walk, “Tracking the Trails of Thorncrag,” will be led by Maine Master Naturalist Paula Curtis Everett. Everett has walked, skied and snowshoed trails in this community for over 30 years. More recently she created several brochures for the Lake Auburn Natural History Series, including ones on the ferns and broad leaf trees of that area. She has also taught at the senior college in Lewiston. Join her on the trails, seeking out tracks of the mammals and birds of the sanctuary. Everyone will meet at the Thorncrag parking lot off Montello Avenue. For more information about the walk, contact Jeri Maurer at 207-524-2060 or jerigary@fairpoint.net.

Many people who enjoy watching birds keep lists of each species they see. The beginning of a new year is a good time to start a “Year List.” Folks might want to keep a small notebook to record in, and including the name of the bird and the date it was first seen in 2019. People might also want to note where they saw it and a few interesting details about the bird. People who keep a number of year lists over time can compare when they saw their first chickadee or cardinal of the year. It can help people be more aware of the birds around their homes.

People of all ages and backgrounds belong to the Stanton Bird Club, and today there are some 200 members, including 20 Junior Naturalists. The club manages the Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary as well as the Woodbury Nature Sanctuary in Monmouth and Litchfield.

For more information, visit the website, www.StantonBirdClub.org, or go to the club’s Facebook page.

Pine grosbeak