Have you seen folks out on the trails with their binoculars fixed high up in the canopy and wondered what they saw? Have you thought about going for a walk and looking for birds but not known where to start? Join the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust (KELT) and Freeport Wild Bird Supply’s Derek Lovitch on Wednesday, Feb. 21 from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Community Room at Patten Free Library in Bath for an evening exploring the many options in the world of birding equipment. Lovitch will speak about what to consider when selecting a pair of binoculars and a field guide in preparation for your birding adventures. He will also give some basic tips on what else might be useful in planning for a birding excursion. This workshop is geared toward beginner and novice birders, but all are welcome and encouraged to learn about the latest advances in binocular design and newest field guide publications.

Lovitch is a lifelong birder with a background in ornithology that spans from avian research across the country to involvement in his town’s conservation commission and other local projects, including founding the Bradbury Mountain Raptor Research Project with his wife Jeanette. An author of two books, “How To Be a Better Birder” (2012) and “Birdwatching in Maine” (2017), and many articles in bird-related publications, he owns and operates Freeport Wild Bird Supply with Jeanette where they share their love for birding and bird conservation.

Let us know you will be joining us by calling KELT at 207-442-8400 or sign-up online at www.kennebecestuary.org/birder-basics.

This event is part of KELT’s new volunteer bird monitoring program that uses eBird, an online birding observation tool, to develop inventories of bird species and monitor bird populations on land trust preserves. For more information about this citizen science project, contact Anna Christie-Carnicella, KELT Land Protection Coordinator, at acarnicella@kennebecestuary.org.

This event is made possible by funding from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Davis Conservation Foundation.