We’ve been lucky to be out and about the past few weeks in Lincoln County visiting various natural areas and thought it might be nice to let readers of our column know about just a few of the great places to look for birds in our area.

Starting right on the peninsula, we have the many amazing Boothbay Region Land Trust preserves, of course, that are all fabulous for birds.

This season, we enjoy listening for the rollicking, long song of the winter wren at the Ocean Point preserve, craning our necks for a glimpse of a brilliant orange-throated blackburnian warbler at the Porter Preserve, scanning for shorebirds at the new Cross River Preserve, and watching the feeding terns at the Colby Preserve.

Among the less-visited preserves in our area are the Zak Preserve and the town of Edgecomb’s Schmid Preserve. Together, these two preserves protect one of the largest blocks of intact habitat in the area — an area so big that it’s not uncommon to find the tracks of moose in the inner reaches. The area also supports lots of birds including at least a dozen species of warbler, plus scarlet tanager, hermit thrush, and loads of barred owl.

If you find yourself stuck in Route 1 traffic in Wiscasset and want a respite, there are two preserves owned by Chewonki that together total nearly 350 acres, with miles of trails. The Cushman Preserve includes views of a quiet saltwater cove with a trail that climbs onto a high ridge overlooking the lower reaches of the Sheepscot River. Here, the buzzy “zoo-zoo-zee-zoo-zoo-zee” songs of black-throated green warblers echo through the woods. The even larger Eaton Farm Preserve has trails winding through open meadows, oak and pine woodlands, and spruce groves down to the shore. Listen for eastern wood-pewees, pine warblers, and dozens of other species.

Headed north from Wiscasset along Route 218 toward Alna, you can visit a number of preserves of the Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association. At the Bass Falls Preserve, you can find abundant bobolinks and tree swallows even right at the parking area; a walk along the trails will take you to secluded overlooks of the Sheepscot River. On a recent visit we enjoyed hearing the sounds of winter wrens, scarlet tanagers, ovenbirds, black-and-white warblers, yellow-rumped warblers and more.

Just north from here is another little known gem, the Trout Brook Preserve. The trailhead is located next to the old railroad right-of-way near where the brook flows into the Sheepscot River. The trail takes you up a ridge and back into the placid reaches of this sparkling, hemlock-lined brook. Listen for Nashville and magnolia warblers, black-throated blue warblers, purple finches, winter wrens, scarlet tanagers, and barred owls, and keep your eyes open for bald eagles.

This is just a small sample of the smörgåsbord of great birding locations in our area. Get out and check them out!