WASHINGTON — The Gibbs Library, in Washington Village, will exhibit Maine bird photographs by Patti Forster, a local birder and photographer, from Thursday, January 9 through Tuesday, March 3.

Forster has been sharing her bird photographs with family and friends across the United States since she moved to Maine from California seven years ago, but this is her first exhibit.

“Forster’s bird photographs capture fleeting moments with our feathered neighbors, an interesting tilt of the head or a sparkle in the eye, and create a lesson in ornithology with photographs of over a dozen different species easily observable in this state like the common house sparrow and the eagle, as well as a few a little harder to find like the great gray owl or the glossy ibis,” said the library, in a news release,

It took Forster four years to spot and capture her photo of the glossy ibis, and it was by accident. 

“I had been trying to spot this bird, the glossy ibis,” said Forster, in the release. “This quest started 4 years ago, but whenever I would go to a marsh, I never saw one. One day I went to the Scarborough Marsh south of Portland, Maine in the morning on the way to a meeting and still didn't see the glossy ibis. On my way home, I drove by the same marsh again and decided to turn back around to try to get a few pictures of the egrets I saw close to the road. I got a few good shots of the snowy egret, a smaller one (2 feet tall with a black bill). Then, I saw a great egret (orange bill and 3 feet tall) at a distance. I zoomed in, focused, took the shot, and wondered what the brown thing was in the corner of the picture. It was a glossy ibis!”

The Gibbs Library is located at 40 Old Union Road, in Washington Village and is open on Monday 4-7 Pm; Tuesday 9- Noon and 4-7 PM;  Wednesday and Thursday 3-6 PM; and Saturday 9 AM-3 PM.