Birding "with" the Champlain Society

Champlain Society group photo in 1881

NPS Photo

There is a long history of people watching and listening to birds on Mount Desert Island. Stories passed down through generations, specimens preserved in natural history collections, and carefully archived records present a baseline against which we can document the changes occuring in bird populations and their habitat in Acadia National Park and the surrounding region.

In the early 1880s, members of the Champlain Society, a group of student naturalists, compiled a list of 97 species found on Mount Desert Island during the summer months. In the case of warblers and other migratory songbirds, they were documenting breeding or nesting birds. Are these same species breeding in the same locations 140 years later? This is an outstanding question that YOU can help us answer.

Details

Activity

Birdwatching

Hike along the same trails that the Champlain Society took in the 1880's. Pull out your binoculars and discover what birds call these trails home. Compare these sightings with the birds the Champlain Society found 140 years ago.

Pets Allowed

Yes with Restrictions

Dogs must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet.

Activity Fee

No

Although this activity is free, a park entrance pass is required for all areas of the park from May 1 through October 31.

Reservations

No

Season

Spring, Summer, Fall

Time of Day

Day, Dawn, Dusk

Accessibility Information

Birding with the Champlain Society covers a large variety of trails with varying difficulties. Doing research on Acadia's Hiking trails and using a hiking trail map of Acadia National Park will help you decide if any of these trails are right for you.

Excerpt on Olive-back (Swainson’s) Thrush from “A List of the Birds Observed by the Ornithological Department of the Champlain Society during the Summers of 1880-1-2-3 by H.M. Spelman.”

C. Schmitt, Schoodic Institute

The Champlain Society Ornithology Department often collected while hiking through the woods of Mount Desert Island.

Note that parking at trailheads in Acadia National Park can be extremely challenging. Arrive early or late in the day, and have a back-up plan in case parking lots are full.

Norumbega Mountain

The Champlain Society camped in Northeast Harbor, and often hiked Norumbega Mountain (then called Brown’s or Brown Mountain), where they found Common Nighthawk, White-throated Sparrow, and Nashville Warbler. Hike up via Lower Hadlock Pond or the Golf Course Trail.

Hadlock Ponds

Beginning at Lower Hadlock Pond, look for Canada Warbler and Yellow-bellied Flycatcher in wet, shrubby areas. At Upper Hadlock Pond, check the shoreline for Solitary Sandpiper, and listen for Northern Parula and Blue-headed Vireo.

Asticou

In 1882 the Champlain Society moved their camp from Somes Sound to the head of Northeast Harbor, near the current site of the Asticou Inn. From the shore they documented Black-crowned Night Heron, Osprey, Red-tailed Hawk, Broad-Winged Hawk, Purple Martin, and Blue Jay. They recorded Black-throated Blue Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, and Winter Wren in the surrounding woods, which today can be accessed via the Asticou-Jordan Pond Path and trails tended by the Land & Garden Preserve.

Jordan Pond

Extend a walk from Asticou along the historic Jordan Pond Path, take the carriage roads, or follow trails from Jordan Pond House into the surrounding woods at dusk, listening for calls of Eastern Whip-poor-will and Wood Thrush.

Sargent Mountain

Hike up the Maple Spring and Grandgent trails, and listen for the call of Swainson’s Thrush. Julius R. Wakefield found a nest ten feet up in a birch high up in the gorge in July 1883.

Echo Lake

Charles Townsend saw a Boreal Chickadee near Echo Lake on August 23, 1882. Check the woods near Echo Lake beach and parking area, or travel up the Beech Cliffs Trail. Paddlers can check the shoreline toward the northern end of the lake.

Southwest Harbor

Look for Bay-breasted Warbler and Golden-crowned Kinglets around Southwest Harbor, perhaps while visiting the Wendell Gilley Museum or Charlotte Rhoades Butterfly Garden. Henry Spelman found these birds while exploring the Norwood Cove area. Charles Townsend also saw an Eastern Bluebird in downtown Southwest Harbor.

Northeast Harbor

The Champlain Society’s initial campsite is now occupied by private properties and the Northeast Harbor Golf Club. However, the Northeast Harbor Village Improvement Society maintains a network of trails between downtown and Lower Hadlock Pond, and the area may still host: Brown Creeper, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, Hermit Thrush, Chipping Sparrow, Magnolia Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Alder Flycatcher, and Barred Owls.

Revisiting old studies is a critical way for us to see how the natural world is responding to a changing climate. By participating in birding and documenting what you see on these historic trails, you are helping the park better plan for the future of these species in and around Acadia National Park.