FARMINGTON — The Western Maine Audubon will starts its spring series of talks with a presentation about the Maine Bird Atlas at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 14, in the North Dining Hall at the University of Maine at Farmington.

The talk is by Maine Audubon naturalist Doug Hitchcox. The goal of the Maine Bird Atlas is to document the current distribution of breeding birds in the state, with an interest in including wintering birds beginning 2018-19. The bulk of effort for this state-wide five-year project will need to come from birder citizen-scientists reporting breeding activity observed in Maine birds. Maine Audubon’s Staff Naturalist and Maine Bird Atlas Outreach Coordinator, Doug Hitchcox, will conduct a presentation about the purpose, goals and expected outcomes of the atlas and how participants can help.

A Maine native, Hitchcox grew up in Hollis and graduated from the University of Maine in 2011. The year he graduated, he traveled around the state trying to observe as many species as possible in what is known as a ‘Big Year.’ He ended the year having seen 314 species in the state, a new record for Maine. Throughout college, he worked at the Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center running their store and leading walks and tours. Hitchcox was hired as Maine Audubon’s Staff Naturalist in the summer of 2013.

For more information, email Kate Clark at kateryan883@gmail.com.