Thorncrag

Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary overlooks Lewiston from the highest point in the city. The Stanton Bird Club has managed this 310-acre preserve for over 90 years, and maintains three miles of easy trail. The sanctuary consists mostly of mature pines and hardwoods. Cellar holes, stone walls, and orchard remnants adjacent to the trails give evidence of its agricultural history. Fields atop the hill are typically good places to watch for hawks, both resident and migrating.

Wood and hermit thrushes are woodland residents. Ovenbirds, black-throated green, and pine warblers are also typical of the woods, while American redstarts and chestnut-sided warblers work the field edges. Common yellowthroats nest in brushy thickets and yellow warblers are regular around the open fields. Eastern wood-pewees are heard throughout early summer. Scarlet tanagers prefer the mature deciduous stands while Baltimore orioles are often conspicuous in the open areas near orchards.

Directions: The sanctuary is reached from Sabattus Street (Route 126) in Lewiston. Look for the Hannaford Supermarket and turn onto Highland Spring Road adjacent to it. One trail entrance is at the end of Highland Spring Road, or turn left onto Montello Street, right onto East Avenue, and park at the end of the road near the Montello Heights Reservoir