Finally, spring is in full bloom. Warm weather and southerly breezes are coaxing flowers from the ground and our most colorful songbirds up from the south. A celebration of both of these events will take place with the Ninth Annual Warblers and Wildflowers Festival on Mount Desert Island May 24-29.

This week-long event is heaven for birders and nature/wildflower enthusiasts alike. Many activities are scheduled, from guided tours of MDI gardens and ranger-led walks through Acadia National Park, to wood carving demonstrations, natural history lectures, and art gallery tours.

This diversity, plus the beauty of MDI itself, has drawn visitors to the Festival from as far away as Virginia and Texas in past years, according to Sharon Malm, events coordinator for the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce. But the stars are the birds themselves, and trips such as the “Bird Walk at Otter Cliffs,” and “Birding and Boating,” are filled with birders eager to see what they’ve come for.

Although this may sound like an event for experienced birders or naturalists only, this is not the case.

“We have trip leaders that will help make any birder at any level comfortable,” Malm said. “It’s a great way to get introduced to it.”

Trip leaders include Peter Alden, who is the author of the National Audubon Society’s Regional Field Guide Series, among other books. Alden is known as an entertaining presenter and will discuss a few different topics – including how to lead your own nature walk.

Many birds that will be seen on MDI are residents of the area. Seabirds such as eider ducks, merganser ducks (common and red-breasted), common loons and black guillemots can all be seen here year-round. Others are only passing through from points south, or lingering here on their wintering grounds before heading up to their high Arctic breeding grounds. Examples of such birds seen during past Festivals include surf scoters, white winged scoters, and shorebirds such as semipalmated plovers and purple sandpipers.

Warblers by the dozens can be found. Some, including the American redstart, yellow warbler and black-throated green warbler, will be staking their territories with melodious songs. Others, such as Wilson’s warbler and blackpoll warbler, will only be stopping to rest and refuel before heading farther north.

The number and diversity of habitats on MDI supports many different bird species, as well as providing critical food and cover for those passing through.

A favorite trail of mine – The Ship Harbor Nature Trail – is one of the featured walks of the Festival. I hiked this trail on my very first trip to Maine, and it has special meaning to me.

It’s been a while since I’ve been down there, but from what I can remember, the beginning of the trail leads through a small open field. I recall seeing cedar waxwings perched in a tree on the field’s perimeter, their high, sibilant call notes seeming to float on the warm, moist air.

The trail continues through short brush, where common yellowthroat warblers scolded me and song sparrows darted furtively away from me. It heads toward short, rocky cliffs that encircle a small, quiet cove. Here I’ve seen eider ducks, loons, and in the winter, bufflehead ducks. There is a chance that a few of these small, plump birds may still be hanging around.

Throughout the first half of the trail, the ocean is on your right; the forest is on your left. The path spills you out onto the island’s pink granite rocks and you will probably see many eider ducks here, diving for muscles, as well as a few black guillemots and cormorants.

The trail leads back through a red and white spruce forest, for the most part. This section has a cathedral-like peace and wonder to it, and offers the chance to see birds such as spruce grouse and pileated woodpeckers, among others.

For more information and to register for any of the activities, please visit www.barharborinfo.com/warblers/wandwschedule03.html, or call 888-369-8413. It’s best to register by May 22, but “walk-in” participants can be accommodated as well.

Also of interest: the College of the Atlantic’s Dorr Museum will be sponsoring an early morning bird walk on the campus on Monday in celebration of “Warbler Week.” To register, call 288-2944, ext. 238.

On Tuesday, May 15, I will be co-leading a Maine Audubon bird walk at Gould’s Landing in Orono. There are a number of bird walks scheduled throughout the month in the Bangor area; for more information, please call 989-2591.

BDN bird columnist Chris Corio can be reached at bdnsports@bangordailynews.net