Best Birding Spots in the Presumpscot River Watershed
Black Brook Preserve in Windham features two miles of trail that wind through forest, fields, and wetland with several stream crossings. Watch for woodpeckers in the snag-filled forest, hawks circling above the fields, and winter residents like cardinals and bluejays occupying the wetland thickets. Red-winged blackbirds will return to the cattails near the trailhead as the weather warms up.
As the longest of our trail networks, Mill Brook Preserve offers a plethora of great birding spots. The brook and surrounding wetlands are especially attractive to great blue and night herons, kingfishers, and bald eagles. When the alewife migration begins in May, they will be joined by gulls and other large birds seeking an easy meal.
Randall Orchards’ trails pass through one of the largest forested blocks in our region. On entering the deepest parts of the woods, you might encounter owls small and large, creepers and nuthatches feeding along mature tree trunks, and a variety of songbirds flitting through sunlit openings in the forest.
Hawkes Preserve features riverside trail, ponds, streams, wetlands, and forest. Each of these habitats brings different birds to the preserve. The most common sights are mallard ducks, herons, eagles, woodpeckers, and kingfishers.
Pringle Wildlife Preserve features a raised platform with great views of Otter Brook and surrounding wetlands and fields. Located at the interesection of River Road and Windham Center Road with dedicated parking, this is a convenient spot to visit to try to see some of the many birds rerurning on their spring migration.
Steep Falls Village Preserve, conserved in 2021, includes a 10+-acre meadow that is great for birding. The trail loops around the meadow, and there is excellent visibility across it.