Live-bird presentations, bird walks for adults and children, a hawk-watch workshop and children’s activities are all highlights of the annual Feathers over Freeport, at Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park in Freeport on Saturday, April 30, and Bradbury Mountain State Park in Pownal on Sunday, May 1.

Sponsored by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Bureau of Parks and Lands, and Freeport Wild Bird Supply, Feathers over Freeport will feature a weekend’s worth of activities and presentations for families.

“We hear from people who are so glad to have an event like this, where families can come out in the spring,” said Andy Hutchinson, park ranger at Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park. “We promote it as a family-friendly event – not necessarily just for avid birders.”

Both the Wolfe’s Necks Woods State Park and Bradbury Mountain State Park days begin with bird walks from 8-10 a.m. Visitors are encouraged to bring binoculars and go on bird-seeking walks with Derek Lovitch, owner of Freeport Wild Bird Supply.

Brian Beal, a University of Maine at Machias marine ecology professor, is studying the clam flats in Freeport and the effects of green crabs on the resource for a third year. At 2 p.m., Beal will take visitors to the clam flats for a hands-on discussion of the importance of the clam in the Maine economy and some natural and manmade threats that it faces.

From noon-1 p.m., Hutchinson will show visitors the adventures of the two osprey pairs that nest in the park on Casco Bay in “The Secret Life of Ospreys.”

Hutchinson said that a live presentation on birds of prey by Hope Douglas, owner of Winds Over Wings bird rescue operation in Dresden, is a special attraction. The program, scheduled for 3, will feature a golden eagle, a screech owl, a red-shouldered hawk and an American kestrel.

“That’s our highlight,” Hutchinson said. “These are rescue birds. They can’t be released, but they transport them in cages and bring them out on their arms and walk around with them so people can get close. They can’t touch them, but people can take photographs.”

At Bradbury Mountain State Park on Sunday, the Hawk Watch at the summit is an all-day event. Hawk Watch is a two-month research project of migration data collection on birds of prey, and is a focal point of the park and the weekend events. The public is invited to watch for migrating hawks with the official counter, Anna Stunkel of Massachusetts. A workshop will be offered by the organizers to teach visitors about the project and how to identify hawks in flight.

Bradbury Mountain State Park also will host the Center for Wildlife’s team of “bird ambassadors,” including owls, hawks and falcons. The program is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

A Vernal Pool Exploration program runs from 12:30-2. Wetland scientist Duane Choquette will lead visitors to the mysterious temporary pools where frogs, salamanders and fairy shrimp hatch. In addition, a park ranger will take people on a program called  Springtime Wildflower Walk.”

Ben Woodard, park ranger at Bradbury Mountain State Park, said that vernal pools are a world of their own.

“It’s its own little ecosphere,” Woodard said. “It’s very vibrant. It’s a place of new life. Many vernal pools have colorful spring vegetation surrounding them.”

Woodard said that when he was a child exploring vernal pools, he and his friends had fun guessing how many salamanders there are in an acre of forest.

“I’ve heard that they have the largest per-pound biomass of any animal in the forest,” he said.

Food trucks will serve hungry visitors at both sites from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Other sponsors of Feathers over Freeport include Birds & Beans, Bow Street Market, Freeport Conservation Trust, Leica and Royal River Conservation Trust.

Rangers at Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park in Freeport show children where to look with their binoculars for ospreys during a past Feathers over Freeport.

A closer look

The Feathers over Freeport lineup:

Saturday, April 30, 8 a.m. -4 p.m., Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park, Freeport.

Sunday, May 1, 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Bradbury Mountain State Park, Pownal.

Park entry fees apply; all programs and activities are included with park admission.

For more information, see www.maine.gov/feathersoverfreeport; or, call Bradbury Mountain State Park at 688-4712, or Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park at 865-4465.