Join us for our 17th year of Island Heritage Trust's Wings, Waves & Woods Festival! A fun and educational weekend for bird and nature lovers of all ages and levels of experience.

Schedule of Events:

May 14, 2025:

5:00 -7:00 PM: Grand Opening of Wings Waves and Woods Festival: Celebrating Stonington! - Deer Isle Granite Museum, 51 Main Street Stonington

Join us at the Deer Isle Granite Museum to connect with the island through history, storytelling, local flavors, and more at our NEW Festival Kick-Off Event! Have your questions about the area answered. Hats and tote bags will be available.

May 15, 2025:

7:00 AM - 9:OO AM: Oliver’s Pond Bird Walk - Address TBA

Enjoy the first bird walk of the Festival with Gordon Russell and Jane Rosinski, exploring new local trails to see and hear a variety of forest and water birds.

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM: Popup - Narrative Food - 43 School Street, Stonington

Come stock up for your stay with small batch and organic yummies from Maine and beyond. Questions? Email [email protected].

12:00 PM - 1:30 PM: Birds and Beans 44 North Coffee - 7 Main Street, Deer Isle

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM: Friends From The Field Webinar: Details TBA

Registration for this Free Online Presentation is required at: www.islandheritagetrust.org/wings-waves-woods-2025

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Wings, Waves & Woods themed Trivia Night at the Stonington Opera House - 1 School Street, Stonington

Join us for a community favorite - a free Trivia Night hosted in the Opera House lobby. All are welcome to attend on this “Wings, Waves, and Woods-themed” Trivia Night: bring a team or join one, think with a drink, and make it a dinner date with a homemade flatbread pizza overlooking the harbor. No registration required. Questions? [email protected] - 207-367-2788.

May 16, 2025:

7:00 AM - 9:00 AM: Scott's Landing Bird Walk - 823 North Deer Isle Rd, Deer Isle

Join President of Western Maine Audubon, Tim Flight, to explore the 22-acre Scott's Landing Preserve, a birding favorite: brushy habitat, hardwood stands, and a tidal shore offer diverse species.

9:00 AM - 10:45 AM: Stitched Cyanotype Print Nature Journals - IHT Barn at 420 Sunset Rd Deer Isle ME

Join Katama Murray, art educator and owner of Teach Peace Prints, for a hands-on workshop to learn the photographic print process of Cyanotype! Dive into the realm of using light and shadow to capture moments of time, place, history, and imagination. Participants will learn the basics of cyanotype printing on paper using found objects and natural materials and will make their own pamphlet stitch journal to enjoy and use for future creating. All are welcome and no prior experience is necessary to join! Limited spots. $45 Registration required: www.teachpeaceprints.com.

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM: Natural History Walk - Settlement Quarry Preserve, 191 Oceanville Rd, Stonington

Join George Fields and Mike Fedosh for an inspiring walk at a protected, abandoned quarry to learn about geologic, human, cultural and natural history. Bring binoculars, a bag lunch, and enjoy the scenic views!

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM: Found Object Sculpture - 598 Sunshine Rd, Deer Isle

Peter Beerits demonstrates how he makes bird sculptures from "junk" at his Nervous Nellie's Jams & Jellies studio. Using scrap wood and metal, Beerits captures the essence of birdness in unexpected ways.

4:00 PM - 5:15 PM: Island Heritage Trust Open House - 420 Sunset Rd, Deer Isle

Join IHT Staff and Volunteers for snacks and refreshments in the Barn. WWW hats and reusable bags will be available. Stick around for the presentations below!

5:15 - 5:30 PM: ‘The Heron Witch’ Reading & Book Signing with Local Author - Marnie Reed Crowell - 420 Sunset Rd, Deer Isle

“When city girl Nancy moves to a small coastal Maine town she meets Mariner, the Great Blue heron with a GPS tracking device on its back. We follow the actual tracking data of this real-life heron through the story as a lobster fisherman’s son and a mysterious naturalist with an uncanny way with animals take Nancy in hand with engaging results.”

5:30 PM - 6:30 PM: Living and Learning with Ambassador Raptors - a glimpse into conversations with highly intelligent creatures with Grayson Richmond - 420 Sunset Rd, Deer Isle

Explore Raptor learning, intelligence, and communication through behavior, while hearing about their personal and species stories - with a few amusing video vignettes of a baby, barred owl ambassador growing up at Birdsacre.

7:30 PM - 8:30 PM: Timberdoodles and Night Flights - Mariners Memorial Park, Fire Road 506A, Deer Isle

Join Gordon Russell and Jane Rosinski for an evening seeking the elusive and secretive American Woodcock as they vocally "peent" and perform their unique spiraling flights to attract a mate. Also enjoy listening for thrushes, sparrows, and other night migrants. This walk will take place at Mariners Memorial Park, owned by the Evergreen Garden Club; Bring flashlights and listening ears.

May 17, 2025:

7:00 AM - 9:00 AM: Pressey Village Bird Walk - 94 Pressey Village Road, Deer Isle - jane & gordon

Bonnie Bochan leads a walk in this mixed habitat neighborhood that has proven to be a hot spot for migrants: Orioles, Scarlet Tanager, and many warblers.

7:00 AM - 9:00 AM: Settlement Quarry Bird Walk - Settlement Quarry Preserve, 191 Oceanville Rd, Stonington - anne

Join Bob and Sandi Duchesne for this walk to help beginning birders improve their birding-by-ear skills, including tips for recognizing and remembering what you hear.

7:00 AM - 9:00 AM: Scott's Landing Bird Walk - 823 North Deer Isle Rd, Deer Isle - martha

Naturalist and educator, Nathaniel Sharp and naturalist photographer, Sandra Mitchell explore the 22-acre Scott's Landing Preserve, a birding favorite: brushy habitat, hardwood stands, and a tidal shore offer diverse species.

9:00 AM - 10:30 AM: Bluebird House Building & Group Hike - Lisa Tolman Wotton Preserve, Blastow Cove Rd, Little Deer Isle

All ages are invited to build your own Bluebird House and enjoy a group hike through a cedar swamp at “LTW” Preserve. Limited spots. Registration required. Email [email protected] to register.

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM: Wild Facts About Maine Birds! - 420 Sunset Rd, Deer Isle

Join President of the Western Maine Audobon, Tim Flight, for a fun presentation that will expand your knowledge about unique attributes of Maine birds and inspire your imagination!

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM: SPL Story Time at the IAH Boat Company Dock - 27 Seabreeze Ave, Stonington

Step aboard the Otter, one of the Isle au Haut Boat Services vessels, for a short spin in Stonington Harbor, a story read by Captain, Garrett Aldrich, and a whale of an adventure. Space is limited to 50. Reservations required. Email [email protected] to reserve your spot. Depart from Isle au Haut Boat Services, 27 Seabreeze Avenue, Stonington

12:00 PM - 2:00 PM: Archipelago Cruise - 27 Seabreeze Ave Stonington

Bob & Sandi Duchesne will be aboard to draw attention to bird sightings, and Captain Garrett Aldrich will share history and anecdotes as we tour the Stonington Archipelago. Depart from Isle au Haut Boat Services. Online Registration Required: islandheritagetrust.org/wings-waves-woods $60 per person.

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM: Insect Safari - Mariners Memorial Park - Fire Road 506A, Deer Isle

Explore the wide world of winged wonders of the non-avian variety, from moths and beetles to bees, butterflies, and flies. Naturalist and self-proclaimed bug-enthusiast Nathaniel Sharp will guide you through the process of searching for, safely handling, and identifying the diverse and fascinating insects all around us.

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM: Faster Bird Identification - 420 Sunset Rd, Deer Isle

Join Bob and Sandi Duchesne for a presentation in the IHT Barn to learn how to use visual clues that anyone can master to quickly identify birds. Learn what to look for in just a few minutes!

5:00 PM - 6:00 PM: Chowder Social

Join us for hot chowder and connection in the Opera House lobby! Catered by local restaurant, 27 Fathoms, three chowders will be served (vegan available) with cornbread. Plus cookies from Tinder Hearth! Alcoholic beverages available for purchase. Ticket Required: $30 - includes Chowder Social AND Film Screening.

6:15 PM - 8:15 PM: Film Screening of “The Messenger” and Group Discussion

Sit back and enjoy a beautiful, educational cinematic experience in the Opera House Theater, followed by a group discussion led by President of the Western Maine Audubon, Tim Flight. Ticket Required: $10 - includes Film Screening. *For those who are only attending the Film: please arrive no earlier than 6pm to avoid overcrowding in the Lobby.

May 18, 2025:

7:00 AM - 9:00 AM: West Side Bird Walk - Gilmore Lane, Deer Isle

Join Bob and Sandi Duchesne to explore a private property that includes a meadow, woods, fresh water, and shore. Such diverse habitats promise some great birding! From Route 15 in N. Deer Isle, turn onto Gilmore Lane (about 0.3 miles north of The Galley and high school). Follow signs to bird walk parking.

9:30 AM - 10:30 AM: Birding by Boardwalk - DISES School Nature Trail, 249 N Deer Isle Rd, Deer Isle

Join educator, Mickie Flores, and birders, Gordon Russell and Jane Rosinski for a unique adventure across a winding boardwalk, through a red maple swamp at the Deer Isle Stonington Elementary School Nature Trail. Bring binoculars! Trail entrance is straight back on your left, past tennis courts. “Birding by Boardwalk offers the opportunity to visit a unique habitat on the island. With a lush understory of skunk cabbage amongst a red maple swamp, this trail offers birds such as Northern Waterthrush, Canada warblers, Vireos and others without the threat of getting wet feet!” - Jane Rosinski

9:30 AM - 10:30 AM: Landscaping for Wildlife - 94 Pressey Village Rd Deer Isle

Professional landscapers Bonnie Bochan and Guillermo Diaz, who specialize in bird and butterfly gardens, invite you to this workshop! Discuss creating gardens, share resources, and look at native species that are important for wildlife on the property. Bring binoculars; carpooling encouraged.

10:00 AM - 2:30 PM: Pelagics and Puffins Cruise - 27 Seabreeze Ave, Stonington

Take a trip with birders Bob and Sandi Duchesne through the archipelago to remote Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge, a nesting site for thousands of pelagics, puffins, arctic and common terns, great cormorants, razorbills, and murres. We may also spot gannets, Wilson's storm petrels, shearwaters, seals, dolphins, and possibly whales en route. While landing is not permitted, there will be many opportunities for viewing and photographing. Dress warmly for an open boat on the ocean. Depart from Isle au Haut Boat Services. Online Registration Required. $75 per person.

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM: Wild Medicinal & Pollinator Plants of Deer Isle - 823 N Deer Isle Rd, Deer Isle

Come for a walk with community herbalist Brighid Doherty at Scott's Landing Preserve in Deer Isle. Brighid is the founder of The Solidago School of Herbalism, located on Deer Isle. On this walk, you will learn how to identify, ethically harvest, and prepare medicinal plants.

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM: Fly Away Home Film Screening at The Opera House

A family friendly film screening at the Stonington Opera House. In theme with the Wings, Waves, and Woods Festival we will be showing the 1996 film Fly Away Home. Ticket purchase required at box office or online at www.operahousearts.org Questions? Contact [email protected] or call 207-367-2788.

Other Local Happenings During Festival Wwwkend:
10 -12 and 1-3 Thursday through Sunday

Wings, Waves, & Woods Paddle with Osprey’s Echo

Osprey's Echo Sea Kayaking is hosting a unique opportunity to appreciate the birds and other wildlife in the Stonington archipelago. Seeing the wildlife from the quiet and relaxing bow of a kayak can be a dreamlike opportunity to see bald eagles, osprey, guillemot, cormorant, and a number of other interesting natives, including local nesting habitats. In a kayak you can always get a unique and beautiful view of Webb Cove! Limited Spots. Registration Required. Book at ospreysecho.com Questions? Contact: [email protected].

Date: May 14 - 18, 2025

Location:

Various Venue in Deer Isle, ME 04627

Click Here to Register

Click Here for More Information