Date:               March 31, 2012

Time:               3:00 – 6:00 PM

Location:         Freeport Wild Bird Supply

541 Route One, Suite 10

Freeport, ME 04032

            Details:            Presentation at 3:00 PM, book-signing from 4:00 – 6:00 PM

                                    Refreshments served

Curious about how the best birders find and ID birds, especially during migration seasons? According to Derek Lovitch, a local author and the co-owner of Freeport Wild Bird Supply, expert birders combine time-tested field skills with state of the art technology to improve their chances. Join Lovitch at Freeport Wild Bird Supply on March 31st as he shares tips and takeaways for birders of all levels who want to learn how to bird like the experts. Using the Sandy Point (Cousin’s Island, Yarmouth) morning flight phenomenon as a case study, we will learn how geography, weather, and habitat combine to provide outstanding birding opportunities, maximize our time in the field, and challenge ourselves to improve our identification skills.

Lovitch will also sign first editions of his new book HOW TO BE A BETTER BIRDER (pub date April 11, 2012), so this is an excellent chance to pick up a copy for your bookshelf or as a gift for a fellow naturalist or birder.

According to Jeffrey A. Gordon, the president of the American Birding Association, HOW TO BE A BETTER BIRDER is “useful for those wanting a convenient introduction to birding as it is currently practiced by many of the leaders in the North American field.”

In this short, accessible book, Derek Lovitch provides a crash course in advanced birding that capitalizes on technological innovation as well as good old-fashioned observation. With a light, deft touch, Lovitch provides inspirational chapters on advance field identification; birding at night; birding and habitat, geography, and weather; vagrants; and how to combine passion and purpose to participate in the birding and conservation world at large.

HOW TO BE A BETTER BIRDER is not the first book to raise the curtain and reveal the secrets of the best birders around, but what Lovitch does better than anyone else is combine the best practices of field identification with explanations of how technology is being used to find and track birds. Here, readers will discover how weather patterns affect migrating birds, how weather radar tracks populations of migrating birds even at night, and why simply by considering geography as they plan their outing they can increase their chances of seeing certain species.

No matter how you defined “better birder” this informative and fun book will help you reach your goals.

About Freeport Wild Bird Supply

Freeport Wild Bird Supply is a retail store, located at 541 Route One in Freeport that specializes in products that enhance the appreciation and enjoyment of wild birds, birding, and nature.  It is a fully independent store, locally owned and operated by Jeannette and Derek Lovitch of Pownal.  See www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com for more information.  

About the Author:

Derek Lovitch has worked on avian research and education projects throughout the United States, has written numerous articles for birding publications, and was a columnist for Birding magazine. He now owns and runs Freeport Wild Bird Supply in Maine.

            This year, we welcome Katrina Fenton as our official counter.  A native New Englander, Katrina is an experienced hawkwatcher, having spent many hours over three years with the Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory in New Hampshire.  She is also an enthusiastic birder who leads walks at various natural areas in New England.  She’ll be stationed at the summit from 9:00am to 5:00 pm daily from March 15th to May 15th.   

            Rising 485 feet above the southern coastal plain, Bradbury Mountain provides unimpeded views to the south and east all the way to the islands of Casco Bay. Whether using updrafts off the mountain, gliding overhead, or soaring over the plains, observers watch raptors utilizing a variety of migratory methods as they work their way north.  The goal of the project is to document this migration by identifying and counting all raptors that pass by the mountain.  During our best spring (2010), we counted 4474 hawks, including 52 Bald Eagles, 500 Ospreys and 1746 Broad-winged Hawks.  Over a period of years, these data can be analyzed to determine trends in species numbers as well as changes in distributions, which when studied in conjunction with other monitoring sites across the continent, give us a broadscale idea of what is happening with raptor populations. 

            But, it is not just about the numbers.  Hawkwatching is a very social activity that is accessible to birders of all abilities.  Last spring, we saw more than 1100 visitors!  Seeing your first kettle (group of birds rising up on an updraft or thermal) of 50+ Broad-winged Hawks, or learning how to tell the difference between a Bald Eagle and a Turkey Vulture is an eye-opening experience for many folks.  Organized hawkwatch sites, like Bradbury Mountain, are great places to meet new people and learn about raptors and the conservation issues they face at the same time.  

            So, grab your binoculars and join us atop Bradbury Mountain this spring.  Katrina will gladly answer questions about the raptors you will see and help visitors learn what to look for to identify the 18 species that may pass by.  The hawkwatch is free, though there is an entry fee to the park.

Freeport Wild Bird Supply is a retail store, located at 541 Route One in Freeport that specializes in products that enhance the appreciation and enjoyment of wild birds, birding, and nature.  It is a fully independent store, locally owned and operated by Jeannette and Derek Lovitch of Pownal.  See www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com for more information.  

To get birders interested in winter birding, we have added an extra incentive.  Participants accumulate points based on the temperature at the start of the birdwalk – the colder the morning, the more points are awarded.  The contest runs through March 31st, and at the end of the period, the person with the most points wins the grand prize – a one year subscription to a new interactive web-based method of learning bird songs called Larkwire ( www.larkwire.com ).  The runner-up will receive a binocular harness strap and hat from Kowa Optimed, one of the leading manufacturers of birding optics.  

Winter birding can be a lot of fun.  It is prime season to see sea ducks, such as Common and Barrow’s Goldeneye, Bufflehead, and scoters.  Several Snowy Owl sightings have been reported already this winter in Maine, so we may find see one in an open field.  A Northern Shrike – the wanna-be hawk – at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester kicked off our winter birding this past Saturday. And, in some years, winter irruptives can be abundant, such as Pine Siskin, Pine Grosbeak, and Common Redpoll.  

“On one day last year, cheers went up among the participants when the temperature was announced as -9 degrees!  You don’t hear that every day.” commented co-owner and birdwalk leader Derek Lovitch.   On this year’s opening day, December 3rd, several people were already strategizing and hoping for warm temperatures during days they knew they had to miss. “People were relieved to hear the thermometer had not yet reached freezing this morning,” he added, “giving people two points to get the contest rolling.” 

The southernmost wintering flock of Barrow’s Goldeneyes resides in the lower Harraseeket River in South Freeport, and we frequently visit Winslow Park and the Freeport Town Wharf to enjoy this beautiful duck and recent outings have also visited Wolfe’s Neck Farm in Freeport and Old Town House Park in North Yarmouth. 

For a recap of what we have been seeing on our recent birdwalks, visit: www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com/bird_news.asp. 

So join FWBS on a Saturday this winter to see how fun winter birding can be, and start accumulating points – or, just to see what the buzz is all about! Birdwalks meet at the store at 8:00am for a short carpool to a local site.  We return to the store by 10:30 for free shade-grown, organic, bird-friendly coffee and a look at what’s happening at our feeders.  The birdwalks are free and do not require advance registration.                    

Freeport Wild Bird Supply is a retail store, located at 541 Route One in Freeport, that specializes in products that enhance the appreciation and enjoyment of wild birds, birding, and nature.  It is a fully independent store, locally owned and operated by Jeannette and Derek Lovitch of Pownal.  See www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com for more information.  

Greetings from the Heart Presentation and Tasting

Join Freeport Historical Society on Sunday, February 5th , 2:00pm at 45 Main Street in Freeport for a fascinating look at chocolate and its evolution in American cookery.

Food historian, Sandra Oliver, will present a lively and fascinating romp through America’s cooking past as she shares how chocolate was gradually incorporated into American cookery. From its start primarily as a beverage to the recent era of chocolate decadence and death by chocolate, she will describe early chocolate cakes, made chocolate by use of chocolate filling or frosting in plain cake to the addition of chocolate to the batter later around the late 1800s and early 1800s including the creation of the rich, dark devil’s food cake (and Devil Dogs, etc.) as the opposite of the very popular white, fluffy angel cake.

Freeport chocolatier and Maynard’s Chocolate’s owner, Wanda Theobald, will discuss her perspective on candy-making and will demonstrate tempering chocolate. In addition, she will hand-make her incredible Wild Maine Blueberry clusters.

Andy Wilbur, from Wilbur’s of Maine will demonstrate how the yummy classic Maine confection, the Maine Potato Needham, is made.

The audience will have the opportunity to taste a 19th c. chocolate drink and then sample two cakes made from historic recipes, as well as sampling contemporary chocolates from Maynard’s Chocolates and Wilbur’s of Maine.

Tickets: $10. per person, $8.00 FHS members

FMI: 865-3170 or www.freeporthistoricalsociety.org

Hana Tallan is helping with work on a home she has purchased from Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland, one of 11 Habitat homes under construction or being planned in Freeport. “I feel empowered,” she said. “Every day that I work on my house, I’m learning new things. I know what my house is made of. I brag about it to my co-workers. … It will be a beautiful home.”

Styrofoam insulation panels stand out on one of three homes being built as part of the South Street Freeport Project

HOW TO APPLY
POTENTIAL APPLICANTS must attend a new applicant meeting, which are held once or twice a year as needed. The meetings give potential applicants information about the program, including requirements for how much time applicants must volunteer in “sweat equity,” before they apply. Applications are made available at the end of the meeting and are not available by mail.

THE NEXT MEETING is not scheduled at this time, but if you want an invitation to the next one, call Amy Dowler, director of family services, at (207) 772-2151, or send an email with your name, address and daytime phone number to homeownership@habitatme.org.

Tallan is one of 11 future homeowners who will benefit from the town’s growing partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland. She has purchased one of three Habitat houses under construction on former town-owned land on South Street, and the Town Council recently agreed to provide additional land to build four duplexes off West Street.

A Somali immigrant and divorced mom who works as an education technician in Portland schools, Tallan says she’s excited and grateful for the opportunity to build a home for her five children and buy a piece of the American dream.

“I feel empowered,” said Tallan, 42, who rents in Biddeford. “Every day that I work on my house, I’m learning new things. I know what my house is made of. I brag about it to my co-workers. I’m putting in flooring. I’m building walls. It will be a beautiful home.”

Last month, the Town Council approved the fourth town-sponsored Habitat project in Freeport since 2003. The eight-unit project — the largest ever developed by the Greater Portland group — reflects the town’s commitment to increase affordable housing stock as recommended in its comprehensive plan and promoted by Town Planner Donna Larson.

“The council always has a concern with providing work force housing because there’s not a lot of it,” said Town Manager Dale Olmstead.

The median sale price for homes in Freeport is about $290,000 — about $100,000 higher than the price that’s considered affordable for a family with a median annual income of about $94,000, according to the Maine State Planning Office.

The Habitat houses will sell for $135,000 to $190,000, depending on family income. Buyers will receive financing and training through the Maine State Housing Authority’s first-time homebuyers’ program.

If homeowners decide to sell one of the Habitat houses, which appraise for $220,000 to $230,000, a majority of the profit will go back to Habitat to finance construction of additional homes, said Stephen Bolton, executive director of Habitat of Greater Portland.

Bolton said several cities and towns have helped his agency develop more than 50 single-family homes since 1985. But few have made the commitment as strongly as Freeport, in part because town leaders realize that workers in local retail outlets are traveling from as far away as Portland, Lewiston and Augusta because they can’t afford to live in town.

“Many towns include affordable housing as a goal in their comprehensive plans,” Bolton said. “Freeport is actually acting on it. They’re linking it to economic development and stabilizing their work force.”
In 2003, the town and the Freeport Housing Trust provided land on Grant Road, where Habitat built two of its typical ranch houses, Bolton said. One of the houses was the first woman-built Habitat project in Greater Portland, meaning that 75 percent of the work was done by women.

In 2008, the town provided a parcel at 12 West St., where L.L.Bean put a historic house that was removed from Cross Street to make way for a parking lot. Habitat renovated and sold the house and paid the town $2,500 to cover outstanding taxes on the West Street property.

In 2009, the council agreed to sell Habitat one acre of town-owned land at 38 South St., which was acquired because the former owner failed to pay property taxes. Construction of three, three-bedroom houses started last summer and should be done by June, Bolton said.
One of the three houses has been sold — to Tallan — and another is under contract. When the project is done, Habitat will pay the town $104,000 to cover back taxes on the three lots.

Under the plan that the council approved Dec. 20, Habitat will build four duplexes on three acres of land off West Street that were also acquired because of unpaid property taxes. When the duplexes are sold, Habitat will pay the town $40,000 to cover the taxes.

In addition, Habitat and town officials are seeking a federal Community Development Block Grant to pay for road and utility work for the duplexes. If all goes well, construction should start by spring 2013 and help the Greater Portland agency increase its annual output, Bolton said.
Until now, the agency’s largest projects included four homes. It completes three homes per year in Cumberland County, largely because it’s dependent on fundraising and volunteer labor.

“We recognized some time ago that if we’re going to build one house here and one house there, we’re really not going to fix the problem,” Bolton said.
All of the Habitat homes being built near the village center reflect the architecture of several historically significant houses on Depot Street.

The so-called Mallet houses are classic two-story, wood-frame homes that were built at the turn of the 20th century by Freeport businessman E.B. Mallet for his employees. Habitat’s modern version features bay windows, clapboard siding and shingled gables.

Tallan appreciates the architecture of her house and its connection to Freeport’s history. She also appreciates the work of volunteers who are helping her build it, regardless of foul weather and aching muscles. She looks forward to the day when she can help others build their Habitat houses.
“That is my dream,” Tallan said. “I’m going to be building a lot of houses.”

by David Granirer MA, North America’s Psychotherapist/Stand-up Comic

Your six-year-old chooses this morning to decide he isn’t going to school. The 45 minutes it takes to cajole and threaten him with time-outs and loss of TV privileges means you miss that project meeting you spent months setting up. Finally you get to work prepared to crank out some apologetic e-mails and your computer crashes, taking your last three weeks of work with it. Trembling with righteous indignation, you prepare to reach for the phone and scream at the tech support people. Just then, a coworker wearing Groucho Marx glasses and a clown wig pokes her head into your cubicle, tosses a rubber chicken into your lap, and hands you a bag of Hershey’s Kisses. In spite of yourself, you feel a smile coming on, toss the rubber chicken back, and have a laugh as you munch the chocolates. Five minutes later, the world is once again a beautiful place.

Diversionary Humor

The above intervention is an example of diversionary humor, one of the most effective ways of defusing stress. Diversionary humor involves doing things that create humorous distractions during times of high stress, thus giving people a break from the situation and a chance to cool down.

The logic here is that when we’re under stress, physiological arousal occurs in the body, making it hard for us to think clearly or rationally. We also tend to regress into unproductive behaviors like sulking, blaming, or running up a huge Visa bill.

Having a laugh interrupts this physiological cycle of arousal, restoring our sense of perspective and ability to think clearly. And science has proven that when we’re happy, the body recovers more quickly from the biological arousal of upsetting emotions.

Because of their ability to provide a quick laugh, props play an important role in diversionary humor. When I worked at the Vancouver Crisis Centre, we had baskets containing psychedelic plastic slinkies, koosh balls, play dough, and other toys in our phone room for the volunteers to use after a tough call. Diversionary humor involving props was promoted as part of our organizational culture, because we realized it was one of the quickest, most effective ways we had to reduce stress.

Establishing Humor Precedents

I realize all this sounds great, but you may be wondering, how do you actually get people to use humor in these situations? The answer lies in establishing precedents.

No matter how you look at it, humor is a risk. People don’t take risks unless they feel safe, and safety comes from being able to cite examples of a particular strategy or behavior working or being accepted. Here are four tips for establishing precedents:

1. Start slow. Bring in props like Groucho glasses and give some to your coworkers. Doing so will start some good-natured bantering and clowning.

2. Casually ask your coworkers “What could we do with these?” Typically people will come up with suggestions like putting them on at a staff meeting, or wearing them to the cafeteria at lunch. If possible, give a prize for the best suggestion. The point is to get people thinking about the possibilities of using humor. Thinking and talking about something is a first step to actually doing it.

3. Pick one of your coworker’s suggestions and carry it out. Now you have a precedent!

4. Since props lose their surprise value with repeated use, it’s important to bring in new ones from time to time. Put the old ones in a centrally located prop basket. Encourage people to use them. After a while, the old props will take on new life.

Why Props Make Sense

On describing to a client this strategy of using props, she commented that it seemed corny and infantile. She may be right, but the bottom line is that props work. I’ve taken my rubber chickens across North America, for use in presentations with bankers, loggers, accountants, health care professionals, teachers, senior executives, parole officers, etc., and they’ve never failed to get a laugh.

There’s something absurd about props that overcomes our rational adult programming and brings out the desire to laugh and play. It’s as if their presence gives us permission to slip out of our grown-up personas and experience an irrational moment or two of joy.

That’s another reason it’s important to have props in a workplace. They remind us of our joyful side. As adults, we know we’re supposed to slow down, enjoy life, and take things less seriously. But often we forget, especially at work. Having a clown mask or a rubber chicken in the office serves as a constant reminder of this, and in a stressful work environment we need all the playful reminders we can get.

A comprehensive stress-management program involves a lot of different tools, like effective planning, positive thinking, and self-management. Diversionary humor is another tool to add to your toolbox.
And like any new technique, it needs to be adapted to each individual and her environment. So take this basic principle and see how it fits in your workplace, or what you have to do to customize it.

Also realize that like any new skill, it takes time to master, and that it’s okay to make mistakes along the way.

Blue Angels in wings for 2013

BRUNSWICK — The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds jet team will headline the 2012 Great State of Maine Air Show at Brunswick Landing, Midcoast
Regional Redevelopment Authority executive director Steve Levesque confirmed today from Las Vegas, where he is attending the International Council of Air Shows.

The Thunderbirds are scheduled to perform Aug. 24 to 26, 2012, at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station. Levesque continues to work this week at the trade event to schedule other performers to appear at Maine’s air show.

While officials have not yet determined whether they will hold an air show the following year, Levesque also confirmed today that the U.S. Navy Blue Angels have included Brunswick Landing on their schedule for Sept. 12 to 14, 2013.

“We’re very pleased that the Thunderbirds are coming,” Levesque said today. “We’re hoping for good crowds and good family entertainment. We’re hopeful we’ll have more (attendance) and won’t have a hurricane to deal with.”

The 2011 Great State of Maine Air Show was curtailed by one day after what was then Tropical Storm Irene blew into Brunswick.

Nevertheless, thanks mostly to an insurance policy that covered event cancellations in case of weather, MRRA showed a profit from the 2011 show,
netting just more than $90,000, Levesque said in November. Of that, $70,000 was donated to area nonprofit groups, he said.

The organization announced in November that they would hold another air show in 2012, but officials did not disclose the name of the jet team eyed for the event.

The Thunderbirds will perform a night show on Friday, Aug. 24, and day shows on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 25 and 26, Levesque said.

The business expo, which coincided with the air show this year, will be moved to the first weekend in June 2012 to coincide with the second annual
International Fly-In, he said.