Michael J. Good: Birds of Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island

Description

Michael J. Good will be presenting on Birds of Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island. One of his most recently publications can be found in “Bird Observer: New England Birding Journal”, Volume 50, #3. The Bird Observer’s mission is to support and promote the observation, understanding, and conversation of the wild birds of New England.
 
 Michael is an Ornithologist/Biologist/Naturalist and the founder of Maine’s first Acadia Birding Festival. As a Registered Maine Guide, Michael has been guiding professionally for many years through his company Down East Nature Tours, LLC which focuses on avian ecology in the Gulf of Maine bioregion
 
Starting in 2002, Michael has been a birding diplomat in Cuba where he conducted the “Cuba Bird Survey” with the Caribbean Conservation Trust. Cuba is vitally linked to Mount Desert Island through our breeding birds in Maine who winter or stopover. Michael is currently one of the top eBird contributors in Cuba and Hancock County, Maine. Michael has traveled extensively in the US, Alaska, Europe, Australia, South America and Cuba and is a regional business leader promoting sound ecologically practices in business, government and land development. 
 
Michael was the founder and one of six participating organizers developing the Penobscot Watershed Eco Center in Bar Harbor, Maine which focused on river and stream restoration and the importance of sea-run fish for a healthy Gulf of Maine.  Michael was founder and director of the Warblers and Wildflowers Festival (1998-2007) and in 2008 organized a committee of concerned and forward-thinking people. From the work of this committee, the event evolved into the Acadia Birding Festival, currently in its 24^th year.  He has over 35 years’ experience studying the birds of North America and brings a wealth of knowledge about Neotropical migrants and the avifauna of the Eastern United States. 
 
Michael spent many years studying numerous aspects of the Gulf of Maine while employed at the Marine Biological Laboratory and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. In his spare time, he maintains Three Pines Bird Sanctuary in Town Hill, Maine, studying micro-habitat of Neotropical migratory birds on Mount Desert Island, Maine and winter ecology in various Neotropical countries like Cuba, when given the opportunity. He and his wife Lori have two children, Graham and Madeleine. He currently holds a BA (Biology) from Earlham College and an MS (Developmental Biology) from Utrecht University, The Netherlands, has taken several courses at College of the Atlantic and works with GIS students mapping eBird data.