ORONO – Each year the Orono Bog Boardwalk sponsors a nature walk series for the enjoyment and education of the public. Group size is limited to facilitate communication and observation, and because of the size of the boardwalk. Advance registration is required. To sign up for a walk, e-mail the Fields Pond Audubon Center, fieldspond@maineaudubon.org, or call 989-2591. Walks start at the boardwalk trail head.

The schedule is:

. Nesting Birds of Orono Bog, 6-8:30 a.m. Sunday, June 4, led by Jerry Longcore, retired biologist, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The bird walk will feature activities of birds associated with nesting at Orono Bog. These activities may include food gathering, feeding young and distraction displays. Birds that may be encountered are the palm warbler, Lincoln’s sparrow and white-throated sparrow. Prepare for the trip by assembling information on where these birds place their nests and how the nest is constructed.

. Ecology of Orono Bog, 9 a.m. Saturday, July 8, led by Ron Davis, retired University of Maine biology professor. What is a bog and how does it differ from other kinds of wetlands? Why are the trees so small and old in the patches of virgin spruce forest near the center of the bog? Why are there so many carnivorous plants in the bog? Why does peat accumulate – deeper than 20 feet – in the bog, but not in upland forests of the Bangor area? The answers to these and other questions about bogs will be given, and examples pointed out during the walk.

. Hydrology in Bogs and Fens – Where Does the Water Go?, 9-10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 15, led by professor Andy Reeve of University of Maine Department of Earth Sciences. Water is continuously percolating beneath the boardwalk. This slow and steady movement of water influences the development of peatlands – bogs and fens – and affects the living ecosystem. Discussion will focus on how groundwater movement is evaluated, the reasons for peat accumulation and recent hydrology research at Orono Bog.

. Mosses, Peat Mosses, and Other Tiny Plants of Bogs, 9-11 a.m. Saturday, July 22, led by Dennis Anderson of the University of Maine Biological Sciences Department. Mosses are the most abundant plants of Orono Bog. Participants will earn how to identify the different mosses and appreciate the important role these and other small plants play in peatland ecology. Bring a hand lens to aid in plant identification.

. Peat Bogs for Kids, 9-10:30 a.m. Saturdays, July 29 and Aug. 12, led by a summer educational program intern. This walk is for 5- to 10-year-old children. Participants will see, touch, smell and talk about lots of things in the bog, from skunk cabbage to pitcher plants to cotton grass. They will use a turkey-baster to suck water out of a pitcher plant to see what lives inside it. They will poke a long rod into the peat to find out what is at the bottom. A parent must accompany his or her children.

. How Some Plants Survive Where Most Plants Would Perish, 9-11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, led by professor Christa Schwintzer of University of Maine Department of Biological Sciences. Wetlands like Orono Bog are impossible places for most plant species of the Bangor area to grow in. Only a relatively few specially adapted plant species can thrive in these environments with water-saturated soil lacking in oxygen, or in extremely infertile peat soil. What special features and abilities do these hardy plants possess that allow them to thrive in environments where most other plant species would perish? The plants that grow along the side of the boardwalk will illustrate the story of adaptation and survival.

. Mushroom Ecology of Orono Bog: A Fields Pond Audubon Center Nature Walk. 7-11 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13, led by Alma Homola. Cost is $10. Limit 10 people. Prepayment required when registering. The mushroom quest is oriented toward beginners. It starts in the Bangor City Forest. After finding mushrooms and studying them close-up in upland forest, participants will walk around the bog boardwalk and see what species grow there. Collecting from the boardwalk or stepping off the boardwalk is not allowed. Many other bog plants in addition to mushrooms will be observed.

. Deep Peat, 9 a.m. Saturday Sept. 23, led by Ron Davis, retired University of Maine biology professor. Using a special device, Davis will probe into the peat and bring up small peat samples from a series of depths. The samples will indicate what the wetland was like 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 years ago.

An attempt will be made to obtain a sample of the material under the peat, more than 20 feet below the boardwalk, to determine what conditions were present before 10,000 years ago and before the peatland formed. Participants are encouraged to bring hand lenses or magnifying glasses to examine the contents of these ancient deposits.

. Night Skies Over the Bog, Featuring the Orionid Meteor Shower, 8:30-11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, led by professor David Batuski of University of Maine Department of Physics and Astronomy. Meet at the parking lot at the Tripp Drive entrance to the Bangor City Forest. In case of rain or cloud cover late Saturday afternoon, call Batuski at 866-5548 between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. to confirm that walk has been postponed to Sunday night, Oct. 22, and to indicate whether you plan to participate.

Advance registration for all bog walk programs is required through the Fields Pond Audubon Center, fieldspond@maineaudubon.org, or call 989-2591.