It’s a bit of a relief to find that the moose and raccoons don’t really go around hiding the signs to Poland Spring. There’s a big sign on route 26 pointing to Poland Spring Resort and Preservation Park, one big gate saying “Stress Free Zone”, and another saying “Welcome to Preservation Park.”
Right over THE SPRING itself is a nice stone springhouse:
The bigger building next to it is a little museum about the water cycle, climate and geology of that part of Maine (where does the underground water come from, and how much is there going to be in the future — not trivial questions, with the state legislature talking about restricting the amount of water bottlers will be allowed to take) and the history of the Poland Springs bottling company.
The place was not crowded. I think there was one other party in the museum when we were there. It was a beautiful spring day. The parking lot can accomodate lots of cars in the summer, but it looked pretty silly with our one car in it.
We walked the Montague trail down to the edge of Lower Range Pond and saw our first warbler wave of the spring, Pine, Palm, Yellow-Rumped, and Black and White warblers, and I’m going to say a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet also; and a Hermit Thrush. That wouldn’t be much in Mount Auburn, with dozens of other birders pointing out the hot spots; but for just the two of us, in a place we’ve never been before, it was good birding.