Mid-Coast Audubon owns and manages four refuges open to the public for quiet recreation on the trails. These refuges are natural areas and we allow nature to take its course except for the trail system. Birders are encouraged to use the refuges and the trail system in all seasons.
Davis Bog Preserve is a 98-acre white cedar wetland in the Town of Morrill. Access is by a 10-foot wide right of way over lands of Rudy Hamm on the Higgins Hill Road, about one mile from Route 3, east of the state’s Ruffingham Meadow Preserve. The trail is 0.7-mile down the hill and through the part of the preserve above water level. The Belfast Bay Watershed Coalition has created an aerial photo and detailed directions.
The 30-acre Guy Van Duyn Preserve is on Route 220, 1.6 miles south of Waldoboro. Park on the west berm and look for the trailhead near the northern boundary along a rock wall. The main 0.4-mile trail descends from ME-220 to the shores of the Medomak River. The trail bisects diverse habitats and vegetation, from upland oak, spruce forest, field, riparian hardwoods. The trail ends at the edge of a tidal salt marsh on the Medomak River, and there is a tiny place to stand amidst the brush to look out over the water. Waterfowl, shorebirds, and more than 80 species of songbirds may be seen, depending upon the season.
The Nelson Nature Preserve is 95 acres on Route 97, about 1 mile north of Friendship Village. Watch for the sign and parking lot on the west side of the road. There are several trails through diverse habitats, from upland mixed forest to unique red maple swamp fronting the Goose River. Proximity to the coast makes this an excellent spring birding location for warblers and year-round for dense forest-dwellers such as thrushes and woodpeckers. The western half of the property is marshy and best hiked only in winter.
The 3-acre Weskeag River Wildlife Preserve is a narrow strip of land 0.1 mile from Route 73, on Waterman’s Beach Road just past Snowdeal Road. The 0.2-mile trail through spruce, balsam fir and red maple forest leads to 300 feet of frontage on the Weskeag River. Birding the dense forest can reveal migrating songbirds in spring and fall. Shoreline viewing can include seabirds and wading birds.
Please, no wheeled vehicles or fires. Pack it in, pack it out.