Maine Nature News

Weekly Notes – May 19, 2013

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Maureen

A male Baltimore Oriole is shown in this photo courtesy of Paul Cyr Photography

The male Baltimore Oriole is easily recognized by its solid black head and orange flame body accented with black. The female is olive-brown above with burnt yellow below. Orioles are members of the Blackbird Family Icteridae Their call is a distinctive hew-li with a whistling single or double note song.

Gray Catbird

The Gray Catbird is in the Mimidae family that includes the Brown Thrasher and Northern Mockingbird. These birds are slate gray in color and have a curved bill. They are found in undergrowth and shrubs in suburban backyards. They are named for the cat-like mew call but also can have a repertoire of mimicked phrases.

The Seaside Sparrow is one of two sparrows that inhabit Salt-Marshes along the southern coast of Maine. A dark olive-gray bird with a white throat has a yellow area from the bill to just above the eye. It shares a similar voice with the Saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrow described as cutcut zhe’ -eeeeeeeee or tuptup-sheeeeeeeee This Seaside Sparrow was captured for banding on Appledore Island at the Isles of Shoals Dma&g map 1. Click here to learn more about the Appledore Island Migration Banding Station....

Also observed this week were a Northern Parula zeeeeeeee-up and a Magnolia Warbler weeta weeta weetsee

Moose have moved down off of the hardwood ridges where they spend the winter months. The pictures show a cow with her yearling calf standing in the shadows of mixed evergreens. Their winter coats are shedding making them appear scraggly. Often seen along dirt roadways, these animals will lick salt and other minerals their bodies crave after the winter depletion.

This time of year the black flies will drive the moose to seek open areas where a slight breeze will bring relief from their relentless bites. Maine is fortunate to have a healthy Moose population estimated to be about 76,000 animals.

In Woodland Dma&g map 64 this Moose was observed with her newborn calf.

It is a rare week that the weather is not news in Maine and this past week was no exception. There were reports of frost across the north and west while temps in the southernmost part of the state reached the low 80′s. On Thursday there were reports of golf-ball sized hail near Calais in Washington County.

This week watch for the evening Waxing Gibbous moon that will be full on the 25th.

Doing the Black Fly Dance? Send in your observations to be listed on the weekly Black Fly Report! blackfly@mainenaturenews.com

Click here for the weekly Black Fly Report...

Fiddleheads are a spring delicacy of the Maine woods. If you are collecting, please be certain to take only 1/2 of each clump of fiddleheads so the plant will remain alive and continue to produce in following years. Be certain to have landowner permission before picking on private lands. Click here to learn more facts about the edible fiddlehead from the University of Maine Extension…..

Posted in Deer Moose Caribou, Fern, Song & Perching Birds, Weekly Notes, Wildflowers with 4 petals | Tagged baltimore oriole, fiddleheads, gray catbird, moose, Seaside Sparrow | Comments Off

Weekly Notes May 12, 2013

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Maureen

Making a trip across the pasture to visit the cows at Blaisdell’s Farm in York

This report in from Dave K. in Kittery Point, Dma&g map 1 “from Fernald Cove, Kittery Point Me., I would like to report that local inhabitants of the cove today for the first time have taken 7 goslings for their first swim. Water temp 53 degrees F, their little feet must be cold.

News from the woods that the Trillium are in bloom & Ruffed Grouse are drumming.

Like the name suggests, all Trillium parts are in 3′s. This member of the lily family is one of the earliest flowers to bloom in the woods. The Painted Trillium prefers acidic soil and is found in damp woods or bogs while the Red or Purple Trillium prefers rich soil underneath the deciduous canopy.

The Red Trillium is known by several different nicknames such as Wakerobin or Birthroot but it’s most distinctive name, the Stinking Benjamin describes it’s carrion scent reminding us not to pick it.

This picture of the Ruffed Grouse is a female bird that is demonstrating cautious behavior before taking flight. To attract females, the males make a drumming sound with their wings that some say sounds similar to an old-time tractor motor. It starts off a bit muffled like a thump that slowly gains tempo until it slows again just as it ends.

Warblers are pushing north, I observed a Black-Throated Blue Warber - zur zur zur zureee and a Chestnut-Sided Warbler – please please please to meet’cha They were busy feeding up on insects in the fading forsythia bush with no time for a picture.

This Black-Throated Green Warbler was in the mood to pose for some pictures for Dan Terrence in Kittery Dma&g map 1 zee zee zee zee zoo zee

Blooming Trillium and arriving warblers can only mean it’s time for Black Flies! Click here for this week’s Black Fly Report…. For questions & to submit reports, the Black Fly Report has it’s own email: Blackfly@mainenaturenews.com Looking for repellent? Click on the Bye Bye Black Fly in the upper left sidebar and place your order today!

After a spell of dry weather that put the fire danger across the state on High, there has been some relief with rain over the past few days. As the clouds clear out the Waxing Crescent moon can be seen in the west just after sunset.

The National Weather Service has begun to issue the Frost and Freeze Reports. Below is a map from NWS in Gray showing planting dates for Southwest Maine. NWS in Caribou is predicting Frost this week!

This week as we celebrate Mother’s Day we highlight Rachel Carson. Although she did not have any children of her own, she tells of taking her nephew Roger outside to explore along the Maine coast. Rachel’s book A Sense of Wonder is an inspiration for each of us in taking children outside to delight in nature. This quote is from Rachel,

“I can remember no time even in earliest childhood, when I didn’t assume I was going to be a writer. Also, I can remember no time when I wasn’t interested in the out-of-doors and the whole world of nature. Those interests, I know, I inherited from my mother and have always shared with her.” —Rachel Carson on her mother.

Below is a picture of Northern Downy Violet observed in Auburn Dma&g map 5.

Posted in Astronomy Tides Weather Almanac, Ducks, Loons, Geese & Water Birds, Grouse, Pigeons & Turkeys, Weekly Notes, Wildflowers with 2 or 3 petals, Wildflowers with 5 petals, Wildlife Friends | Tagged Geese, ruffed grouse, Trillium, Violets | Leave a comment

Quoddy Nature Notes – Around the House

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Fred Gralenski

QUODDY NATURE NOTES

Around the House

A male White throated sparrow

I finally moved Sophie the spider and her mass of eggs out of the house. I hadn’t seen Sam around, so I don’t know what happened to him. After communication with the Maine Entomological Society I found out Sophie isn’t a House Spider after all, but more likely a Rabbit Hutch spider, Steatoda bipunctata. She is, like most of us, an invasive species from Europe. I was concerned about how Sophie would like her new digs, which is a garden storage shed I built over my septic tank. I have a pump septic system, and these seem to be characterized by midwinter failures. After my last catastrophe, which occurred two days after Christmas 2011, I built a ‘Sewer Shack’ over my septic tank for ease of midwinter access and maintenance. In between pump failures, etc., I use this building to store flower pots and miscellaneous gardening implements, besides housing visiting spiders. With a hoity-toity European lady living there now, however, I felt I had to change the name to something more continental, like, ‘ Le Chateau de Poop’.

As of this writing I haven’t tilled my garden or gotten as many things started indoors as I had hoped. Although it has been very pleasant the last few days, a pile of dirty snow in the shade near the woodshed is a reminder not to push the season, as do some of the weather reports for the Midwest. I’m limited in digging in my pile of mulch because it is still frozen six inches below the surface.

There are quite a few flowers blooming, with Coltsfoot and wild strawberries obvious in sunny locations. Some butterflies have been spotted like Mourning Cloaks and I did take a picture of a Spring Azure. Black flies are about in some places as are solitary wasps, grasshoppers and Tiger beetles.

A handsome Oblique lined Tiger Beetle Cicindela tranquebarica

Many egg masses of Wood frogs and the mole salamanders are in the local vernal pools, and the Spring Peepers are still calling although the Wood frogs have largely finished spawning and have retired back to the woods. The birds are still busy at the feeders, and since I don’t have a bear problem I leave them up just about all year. I have solved the problem of squirrels and raccoons with an electric fence zapper guarding my feeders. The Juncos are with us all year and should be starting to nest now; the Robins can’t seem to decide whether they want to nest on the logs or the shelves I put up on the barn; the Chickadees are checking out some of the nest boxes and the White-throated sparrows are a relatively new seasonal addition as are the handsome Purple finches.

I haven’t seen any snakes around yet. Speaking of snakes, one of the enjoyable aspects of writing this column is the comments or replies (or corrections) that I receive from others who study nature. The best one recently was from a lady that found snakes interesting. She wrote, “…We have had many snakes here over the years-Red-bellied, Brown, Green, Garter and Milk. However, it has been a while since we have had some of them. A Milk snake used to live in our attic, at least that is where we used to find shed skins. Our living room ceiling had some missing plaster near the top of the wall and on one occasion a large Milk snake slowly passed over the space and caused some alarm in one of my nephews who happened to be camped out on the couch beneath. All four of my daughters caught snakes. My youngest had one attach itself to her nose and she was quite a sight running up the driveway with it…”. Sounds like a very interesting household. Probably a good thing they live in Maine and not in the tropics.

Posted in Beetles & Bugs, Quoddy Nature Notes, Song & Perching Birds | Tagged Tiger Beetle, White-Throated Sparrow | Comments Off

Weekly Notes, May 5, 2013

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Maureen

Bluets on the lawn, it surely must be spring! Also known as Quaker Ladies or Innocence they do remind of me of childhood days when I’d find them in the lower part of the field where the cows always kept the grass short.

Wood Duck with female mallard in background courtesy of Paul Cyr

The male Wood Duck pictured above is in the Dabbling Duck Family. These ducks, like the female mallard that is also in the picture, feed by dabbling and upending to reach small aquatic animals, plants and insects. They are usually found on ponds and in marshes and like the name suggests, fly up and perch in trees! They are very shy and will quickly fly when approached.

Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder

Very exciting news this week is the Alewife run. Once thought a thing of the past, the term brings up images of spring festivals where women compete in a running event for a fermented beverage. Not so. As Alewives are making a comeback we are learning more about this anadromous fish. Like Salmon, smelt, shad and sturgeon, alewives are born in fresh water, spend most of their lives in salt water and return to fresh water to spawn. The picture above shows the new Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder at the headwaters of the Damariscotta River Dma&g map 7.

As 18th century civilization pushed forward into the countryside, waterways were used as a power resource. The building of dams blocked the path for once abundant species to reach their spawning grounds. The picture above shows the beautiful new ladder where the fish can travel from the river up through the pools into Damariscotta Lake. This years fish run began on April 21st and is ‘full on’ as shown by the picture below. Click here to learn more about the success of the Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder Restoration Project.

Alewives fill the fish ladder.

To learn more about the Alewife in Maine read Tom Walsh’s article in the Bangor Daily Restoration efforts put spotlight on once plentiful alewives

Speaking of Anadromous fish, this Shortnose Sturgeon was found washed up on the beach in Wells. Dma&g map 3 Click here to learn more about this Endangered Species.

Endangered Shortnose Sturgeon

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has reported an illegal introduction of Smallmouth Bass in Kimball Pond in Vienna Dma&g map 20. The significance of this is the threat to the native Brook Trout population. The Press Release and other information can be found under Public Policy or click here....

The fire danger is high across the state as a period of dry weather continues into next week. The North Maine Woods has a ban on all campfires at this time. I am glad not to be out on a canoe trip, makes it hard to cook the biscuits without a campfire.

The moon will be New on the 9th. Watch as the Waning Crescent gradually disappears each morning into the eastern sky and the tides become high midday.

Ice is reported out across the state and the amphibians are calling in the northwest elevations. This Spotted Salamander was observed crawling over the moss in T3R11 Dma&g map 50.

Spotted Salamander on Moss

This Pickerel Frog was seen in Kittery Dma&g map 1 An easy rhyme to identify ~ the voice of the Pickerel Frog creaks like a rusty door hinge with square spots and the underside of its hind legs painted orange.

Pickerel Frog

Last but not least the Coltsfoot is in bloom across Maine. Found along the edges of dirt roads and other damp waste places, this is one of the earliest wildflowers to blossom. Flowers are similar to dandelions but have a scaly stalk and flower before the leaves appear.

Posted in Ducks, Loons, Geese & Water Birds, Fish, Frogs and Toads, Mushroom, Moss & Lichen, Weekly Notes, Wildflowers with 4 petals, Wildflowers with many petals | Tagged Alewives, Bluets, coltsfoot, Innocence, Pickeral Frog, Quaker Ladies, Wood Duck | Comments Off

Weekly Notes – April 28, 2013

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Maureen

Cowslip or Marsh Marigold

Each spring I love to see the bright yellow blossoms of the Cowslips (Caltha palustris). Also known as the Marsh Marigold, flowers have 5 regular parts, with alternating heartshaped leaves that are toothed. One of the earliest and most showy of the spring flowers, this member of the Buttercup Family are found in swamps and wet meadows.

The Journey North maps show Hummingbirds arriving in Maine. I haven’t observed one yet but the feeders are filled in anticipation of their return. In years when I have been late in putting the feeders out the little creatures will look in through the window at me as if to say ‘Hey, we’re here, did you forget about us’? Click here to look at the maps…..

Spotted salamanders are laying their eggs.

: Spotted Salamander

: Spotted Salamander egg mass

Joan in Skowhegan Dma&g map 21 writes, Today I have been cleaning up my flower gardens and interrupted the snakes pictured below. I observed the snakes for about an hour. The party broke up and the snakes spread all through the garden and swam around the little pond and appeared to be having a great time!

Garter Snakes basking in the April Sun

Jed in Kittery, Dma&g map 1 found this Brown Snake under the leaves near the compost pile.

Brown Snake

We turn the calendars once again this week. Higher elevations report that the snow is disappearing quickly and the last of Maine’s lakes and ponds will soon report ice-out. The last quarter moon is on the 2nd. Click here for Bernie Reim’s May Astronomy Report in the Portland Press Herald....

Public Policy is a new category found on our menu. Throughout the history of human culture our relationship with the natural world has been deeply entwined with our moral and ethical values. Society is continually faced with the question of how to balance the needs of humans with the sustainability of natural resources. Our new Public Policy category focuses on human actions that impact the health of organisms and ecosystems in the State of Maine from the point of view of Nature in hopes that we can make informed decisions regarding issues of concern. The first topic is a link from Maine Audubon covering information and a hearing on Open Pit Mining.

We have a link on the menu for Volunteer & Events. Hover over the link to access the drop down list of organizations. If you have a favorite organization that you would like to see listed here, please connect us via email listed on the LEFT side of our news page.

?Question: What animal does this tail belong to?

The picture on the left is the top of the mystery tail. Fred says, “I found this on 25 April, after the rain. I assume it was there less than a day, and probably harvested by a Barred owl. I’ve seen these owls around. I’ve never seen mink tracks around, but I have seen weasel, but this looks too big and doesn’t fit with color, as I assume it was a youngster of something”. The picture on the right is of the bottom of the tail.

: Top of Mystery Tail

: Bottom of Mystery Tail

Posted in Astronomy Tides Weather Almanac, Questions, Salamanders, Snakes, Song & Perching Birds, Weekly Notes, Wildflowers with 5 petals | Tagged Brown Snake, cowslips, garter snake, hummingbird, marsh marigold, spotted salamander | Comments Off

Quoddy Nature Notes April Amphibians

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Fred Gralenski

Amphibians

Wood frogs like to lay their eggs together

April is National Frog month. What better way to celebrate than to get some kids and tromp around some vernal pools and see what can be found? I like to go at night. Flashlights, frogs, mud, water and the excitement of a late evening outside have a magical effect on kids, and a wonderful opportunity for me to sneakily try and instill my love of nature in them. If the child is riding in a car, the frog or salamander in the road is just a lump in the road. However, if the scene is at night and you are walking, the senses are alerted and then a frog is a discovery to be picked up and carefully examined, and remembered as a friend. I’m sure that was the primary reason to declare a National Frog Month.

I try to schedule a couple of amphibian walks in the Quoddy region around the end of the third week in April. The ideal event would be the first damp, foggy evening with the temperature above 50 degrees, as the objective is to discover the most amphibians migrating to their spawning ponds. It is better to be a little late in the season than a little early, but it is pretty difficult to predict the optimum time in order to get out any form of publicity. This year I was pretty lucky, and on April 19^th in Pembroke about a dozen enthusiastic froggers with flashlights arrived at 8:00PM, lit up Leighton Point Road and searched for amphibians. We had a jolly time. The Spring Peepers and Wood frogs serenaded us as we found many of their compatriots coming to join in the singing, along with a good supply of Spotted salamanders. The night and the cool weather made the amphibians very tolerant of being handled, and we carefully helped them across the road after a good examination. One of the female youngsters was closely examining a Spring Peeper, when the frog abruptly jumped and went down the front of her shirt. There was a brief period of pandemonium, but Mom came to the rescue and happily both youngster and peeper survived unscathed. It is interesting that when I was a youngster many years ago, amphibian watching and handling was only for guys, and girls wouldn’t even consider participating. I think the change is for the better. Usually the sharp eyes of the youngsters can pick out at least one calling male Spring Peeper, but this year they were too well hidden. We didn’t note any Blue Spotted salamanders, but I had seen some earlier in the week.

Kids at my road sign in Pembroke

At Moosehorn in Baring on the evening of April 20^th we had a group of over 30 participants, with over half being youngsters. We noted very few amphibians migrating, but there were many already in the waters of Dudley swamp, with the near deafening serenade of Wood Frogs and Spring Peepers. Wood frog spawning activity was apparent, but again there was a failure of anyone to find a calling Peeper. There were some leeches seen, probably the American Medicinal leech, but not as many as I have seen in the past, and quite a few Spotted salamanders in the water. A couple of interesting tidbits have come up about Spotted salamanders. The first of these is that they can supposedly vocalize as a defensive maneuver. Now I have handled hundreds of Spotted salamanders over the years, and never have I heard a peep out of any of them. I don’t know if they are supposed to growl, bark, chirp, hiss or sing ‘Mammy’ like Al Jolson. Or maybe I’m just not threatening enough. Another feature of Spotted salamanders is that apparently their embryos have the capability of photosynthesizing sunlight into nutrients. Maybe some of the kids I lead on amphibian walks will eventually figure out how they do this.

A nice big spotted salamander. Probably a female loaded with eggs

Posted in Frogs and Toads, Quoddy Nature Notes, Salamanders, Weekly Notes | Tagged spotted salamander, wood frog | Comments Off

Weekly Notes – April 21, 2013

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Maureen

D’Arcy Ames captured this honeybee collecting pollen from the crocus’ in her yard in Auburn. Dma&g map 5.

The ice is out in West Grand Lake, Dma&g map 35. The smelt are running on the Lower West Branch of the Penobscot Dma&g map 43. There is still snow cover and ice on ponds and lakes in the higher elevations along the western boundaries of the state.

The Maine Wildlife Park in Gray opened last weekend. I visited this past week with a young friend and was rewarded with the opportunity to see the animals in the park up close and personal. If you haven’t been to the park, or its been a while, do make the time to visit. The chance to see these wild creatures up close is truly amazing. My favorites are always the wildcats, of which they have cougar, lynx and bobcat, but all of the animals have something to teach in their habits. The foxes were lounging in the sun, the moose were in the cool shade of the trees, the coyote was trotting along in his well-worn paths and the bears, well one was flopped under a log like a lazy teen still wanting for the comfort of deep sleep while the other nibbled at the handouts being tossed over the fence. Click here for the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray…..

Black Bear at Maine Wildlife Park

Maine Nature News is introducing Volunteer and Events found in the top menu. This week there are two items listed, one from Maine Audubon looking for volunteers to “Lend an Ear” to listen for frogs while the Stanton Bird Club has posted their April/May Schedule and Newsletter. Click here to learn more....

Sharp-Shinned Hawks are the smallest member of the Accipiter Family found in Maine. Commonly known as Bird Hawks, members of this family prey primarily on birds and some small mammals. They are adapted for navigating around trees in the woods. Overhead a Sharp-Shinned can be identified by its small head with no neck, rounded wings and a long tail with a narrow white tip. They fly with quick wing beats and a glide. Only slightly larger than a Blue-jay, these birds can be confused in flight with Kestrels which are in the Falcon family, Kestrels have pointed wings and a dark band on a rufous tail and fly with continuous wing beats. The picture below is courtesy of Paul Cyr Photography...

Sharp-Shinned Hawk in Presque Isle Courtesy of Paul Cyr Dma&g map 65

This week we celebrate Earth Day. It is a great opportunity to make an ‘Earth Day Resolution’ to get outside and observe nature first hand.

You can start with the Lyrid Meteor Shower as it peaks in the dark morning hours of the 22nd. Make a journal entry of your observation and you will have a start on the nature journal you always intended to keep. Although I keep several writing journals detailing family events and travel experiences, my nature journals are the most fun to reflect on year after year. An entry may only describe the brief moments of an observation but the words hold a complete memoir of my time spent in nature year after year that are always a joy to revisit.

This week’s Waxing Gibbous Moon will be Full on the 25th.

This past week I observed this fern in its beginning stages of growth. Looking back at my nature journal and pictures from one year ago, these ferns were at a similar observation point, but many of the small shrubs in the area had also begun to leaf out which, as can be seen in the picture has not happened this past week. I will continue to make regular observations to identify this species as it unfurls using A Field Guide to the Ferns of New England and Adjacent New York by Michael Burgess found here...

Posted in Ants, Bees & Hornets, Astronomy Tides Weather Almanac, Black Bear, Fern, Hawks Eagles Osprey Falcons, Weekly Notes | Tagged black bear, honey bee, sharp-shinned hawk | 1 Comment

Weekly Notes – April 14, 2013

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Maureen

April is one of the best months to compare the differences in Climate across the state. While the geese have nested in Kittery, Dma&g map 1, the pond is still frozen over with snow on the ground in the woods west of Mount Katahdin in T3R11 Dma&g map 50. There is a difference in elevation above sea-level of over 1100 feet and over 2 degrees farther north in latitude. On April 13, the southern portion of the state received rain while the northern portion received snow. Variations in weather and temperatures will quickly equal out across the state in the next few weeks as the northern hemisphere receives the benefits of the earth’s tilt toward the sun.

The changes brought about in spring are fun to watch or perhaps it is only the anticipation of warm days ahead that draw attention to all of the activity. Song Sparrows are establishing their territories and White-Throated Sparrows are beginning to call. Their voices still rusty from winter’s rest will soon fill the air with their soulful song. These birds scatter away at the least little movement leaving no chance my gaze be confused with that of a hawk. A house wren came to the feeder this week but it too moved along quickly.

The Gray-Squirrel pictured is nursing her littler high in the trees above, she is feisty and will defend her spot on the feeder until the door handle is rattled and then only cast a glance to see if she should run away. Her need for food is great and she can rely on the birds to let her know if a predator should appear nearby.Watch for the Waxing Crescent Moon in the west this week. As the snow melts and the ground warms there will be plants growing and flowers blossoming before long. Maine Nature News is always looking for observations from across the state of Maine, please send any along via email and include a picture if you can.

An observer in Kittery Dma&g map 1 found these Ribbon Snakes basking in the sun, there were several indicating that they may have just come out of hibernation. Ribbon Snakes are often confused with Garter Snakes, notice that the Ribbons have creamy white around the sides of their mouths. The yellow stripe on the sides of the body are on the 3-4 scales, counting up the sides from the large ventral scales that cross the belly of the snake. The tails on Ribbon Snakes are long and thin extending 1/3 of the overall length of the animal. These snakes are often found near water, they swim and frequently capture frogs and other aquatic species that make up their diet.

Creamy white around mouth with bright yellow ribbon on scales 3-4

Posted in Ducks, Loons, Geese & Water Birds, Snakes, Squirrels, Porcupine, Chipmunk Rodents, Weekly Notes | Tagged Canada goose, Gray Squirrel, ribbon snake | Comments Off

Quoddy Nature Notes – Spring 2013

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Fred Gralenski

QUODDY NATURE NOTES

Spring 2013

Ah, Spring! Did it finally get here? I’ve already started smoothing out my dirt driveway, so I expect that Old Man Winter is grudgingly on his way out. As I write this, the Red-winged blackbirds have been back to the Quoddy region for several weeks, and they were followed by some Grackles. Now that the fields are getting rid of that wretched snow the Robins are being seen in increasing numbers, and they and the Song sparrows are even claiming their territories with some early morning songfests. If you listen you may also hear a woodpecker drumming, but I have not heard any grouse drumming this spring yet. Many of the Mourning doves never migrated, and they started cooing early in March, even though there was little to coo about, except for well stocked bird feeders. A relative newcomer to the area is the Turkey vulture, and this big black bird with its upheld wings is getting to be a common sight. Our ravens have not returned to the nest by the house that they have used for the last several years. I guess last year was too traumatic.

Sophie and eggs

There is a little activity picking up in the arthropods. Sophie has produced an egg mass, and in a week or so I will move the whole kit and caboodle to a sheltered place outdoors. I don’t need a few hundred baby spiders running around the house, although in a short while the numbers would decrease somewhat because baby spiders are cannibalistic. In that regard I think most of them will have more fun outdoors. I still have lady bugs in the house waiting for our world to warm up, so that they can do some outside dining on aphids. I think that they are mostly Hippodamia convergens, but I’m not positive, as H.convergens have a bewildering set of patterns in their clothes closet to confuse us amateur entomologists. The internet fails pretty miserably in this case to be a guide.

Lady bug Hippodamia convergens (?)

On my driveway on a recent cold morning I found a fuzzy caterpillar. It’s definitely not a Woolly Bear, which is one of the few lepidoptera that overwinter as a caterpillar, but I think it is a Parthenice Tiger moth Grammia parthenice. According to one reference these critters like to munch on dandelions, so I planted a dandelion in a flower pot and built a little cage around it for my caterpillar. I’ll see what kind of moth he turns into if indeed he likes dandelions.

Besides dandelions in the plant world, lots of things are showing life. In Linda’s garden, tulips, daffodils, coral bells, day lilies and Siberian irises are starting to show growth, but the forsythia bush doesn’t look like it woke up yet. Along the roadside, look for the silver gray of the pussy willows blossoming. We have lots of different willows here in Maine, and the ‘Forest Trees of Maine’ states that there are upwards of 58 species of Salix here. Not super useful now and largely considered a nuisance weed, a tea or chew made with the inner bark and leaves of willows once served the early woodsman as a pain reliever. The other common bush that is modestly blossoming with drooping catkins is the alder. We have several species of alder here in the Quoddy region but the commonest is the speckled alder Alnus incana ssp. Rugosa. This is a small tree or shrub that presently has little commercial use. Alder was once used for tanning leather, a dye for cloth and leather and also had been used as a treatment for various medical ailments. Alder now seems to be relegated to the task of clogging up old pastures, but it also fixes nitrogen in the soil and provides habitat for woodcock, and hopefully I will soon hear and see a timberdoodle. That will mean spring is really here.

Posted in Beetles & Bugs, Crows, Ravens & Vultures, Grouse, Pigeons & Turkeys, Quoddy Nature Notes, Song & Perching Birds, Spiders, Ticks & Mites | Tagged alder, House Spider, lady beetle, Pussy willow, Robin, woodcock | Comments Off

Weekly Notes April 7, 2013

Posted on April 7, 2013 by Maureen

It seems that winter refuses to release it’s frigid grip on Maine. Not many observations of migrants this past week, but the year-round resident birds aren’t letting the cool temperatures interrupt their plans. Ice is disappearing, Big Lake located near Princeton Dma&g map 35-36 reported Ice-out on the 6th and inland and northern rivers are experiencing the annual ice flow. Canoe races are on every weekend, be certain to stay safe while enjoying the fun.

Bald Eagles are incubating 1-3 eggs on their nests high in the forks of trees or cliffs. Bald Eagles reach sexual maturity at 4-6 years and mate for life. Photographer Paul Cyr has been following a pair for the past few months and captured some amazing photographs. This pair has nested north of Presque Isle on Dma&g map 65. More of Paul’s photographs can be found at www.crownofmaine.com/paulcyr

Every day before sunrise this eagle’s mate comes in to take its turn on the nest… Photo courtesy of Paul Cyr Photography

Maple Tree Flowering

Red Maple trees are flowering, this picture taken in Kittery, Dma&g map 1 fails to show the beauty of these delicate first flowers of spring high in the branches overhead.

The flowers are scarlet or yellow-red and appear before the leaves. The second picture is of a Red Maple flower that has dropped from the tree and landed on Wintergreen/Checkerberry leaf.

Look closely and you can see a Red Maple Leaf amid the White Pine Needles.

Often little things

are overlooked

only when we take the time

can we really see

there is beauty under foot.

The New Moon is on the 10th making this week a good time to star gaze. The mighty hunter Orion and his faithful dog Sirius can still be seen after sunset in the West. This constellation will not be visable again until fall because during the summer months, it is overhead in the daylight hours.

While you are out, take note of the position of the Big Dipper and other familiar stars and we’ll do a check in at some point this summer to compare. Tracking the stars is a great way to understand that it is the earth that is moving under the backdrop of the Universe.

Click here for this month’s Astronomy report by Bernie Reim published in the Portland Press Herald…

Talking about Stars, I’ve added a new category this week, People in Nature and the first to be highlighted is Astronaut Chris Cassidy, who is currently working on the International Space Station.

If you have never had the opportunity to sit under the stars and see the Space Station go over, it is an observation that should be on everyone’s list of things to do. Especially so with one of Maine’s own heros on board for the next six months. Click here to read NASA’s pre-flight interview with Chris...

Sighting Opportunities for the International Space Station over Maine Click here …....

It has been 53 years since the first weather satellite picture from space was televised. Click here to read a very interesting article on the improvements of satellite imagery that is used to predict weather....

Pictured are a male and female Downy Woodpecker. The male has a square red patch on the back of his head. In each picture the outer tail feathers show the black specks that are not on the larger Hairy Woodpecker. Characteristic to all Woodpeckers is the use of the tail as a prop and the zygodactyl feet, meaning 2 toes forward and 2 toes rear.

Downy Woodpecker Male

Downy Woodpecker Female

Posted in Astronomy Tides Weather Almanac, Hawks Eagles Osprey Falcons, Maple Trees, People in Nature, Weekly Notes, Woodpeckers & Flickers | Tagged bald eagle, Downy Woodpecker, International Space Station, Red Maple | 2 Comments

Weekly Notes March 31, 2013

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Maureen

Turkey in display, note the bronze iridescent feathers and the beard on the chest. Kittery Dma&g map 1

Notice how quickly things change once the vernal full moon has passed. The lengthening days and warm rays from the sun beckon life to renew itself once again. Although there is snow in most places across the state, the birds are as anxious as us humans for the new season. Along with the Turkey pictured above, there are reports of Spring Peepers, Wood Frogs and a Painted Turtle pictured below all in Kittery, Dma&g map 1. Woodcock have made their way to northern Washington County, Dma&g map 45.

Painted Turtle basking in Kittery, Dma&g map 1

It is not unusual for turtles to be active below the ice as they wait for the edges of the pond to melt. After a winter spent sleeping in the muddy bottom of a swamp, a sunbath warms their bodies allowing these cold-blooded reptiles to become more active. It is a time when the delicate balance of energy conservation is challenged by its need to find food. Turtles feed on invertebrates and vegetation below the surface where the water temps can hover below 40F degrees throughout the cold months.

: Pussy willow

: Bird nest in Pussy willow

The pussy willows pictured above were out last week in Morrill, Dma&g map 14. The bud of the male catkin is a sure sign of spring in Maine. These were found along a damp edge of an open field. Looking closer I realized there was a bird nest built into the crook of the shrub. The last picture shows the inside of the nest, perfectly round, but notice how the nest is attached to the branches. The bird used a very strong white material that binds the woven cup securely tight.

It is illegal to disturb or collect bird nests but they are very interesting to look at. Below are three more nest that I observed this past week. It is interesting to note where the nests are located, what materials they are made of and how they are attached.

: Bird nest in shed

: Bird nest in Beech Tree

: Bird Nest in Barberry Bush full of acorns

We gained one hour and twenty-seven minutes of daylight during March. The last quarter moon is on the 3rd then watch for the waning crescent toward the east before daylight. A 1.7M Earthquake was reported on March 30th in No Windham, for more information from the USGS website on earthquakes click here...

Send along your observations as the signs of spring move across the state.

This last picture is of a Red-Shouldered hawk observed in Skowhegan, Dma&g map 21. The RSH is a member of the Buteo family, when flying overhead, the body and wing lining show rusty and the tail has white bands that are narrower than the dark bands.

Red-Shouldered Hawk Skowhegan Dma&g map 21

Posted in Astronomy Tides Weather Almanac, Frogs and Toads, Grouse, Pigeons & Turkeys, Hawks Eagles Osprey Falcons, Maine Birds, Turtles, Weekly Notes, Willow, Poplar & Aspen | Tagged bird nest, Painted Turtle, Pussy willow, red-shouldered hawk, turkey | Comments Off

Weekly Notes, March 24, 2013

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Maureen

Northern Lights

The Northern Lights last Sunday Morning were absolutely beautiful. This image is courtesy of Paul Cyr Photography.

Winter ended with snow across the state on Tuesday, Click here for the current snow depth map….. Temperatures remained cold throughout the week with no new reports of the signs of spring.

Turkey Vulture Overhead

This week be on the lookout for the movement of large birds such as hawks, eagles and Turkey Vultures. Eagles and Turkey Vultures are of similar size with a wingspan up to 6 feet, however while soaring there is a distinct difference that can be easily recognized. Turkey Vultures hold their wings in what is called a dihedral – a shallow V shape – and rock or tilt as if unsteady. They most often are in pairs or small groups and soar much closer to the ground than do Eagles. This picture of a Turkey Vulture overhead shows the two-tone coloration of the wings and the featherless head is almost indistinct with a longish tail.

The warm rays of the sun will melt the snow away from protected areas opening up ground space for the American Woodcock. The top picture shows the coloration pattern of this common but not often seen bird. The second picture is of a chick on the ground and shows this member of the Sandpiper Family camouflaged in the dry leaves.

Look for it’s 1 1/2 – 2 inch tracks in moist mud along with holes where the bill has been inserted as it probed for worms. Often seen along the edges of dirt roads as migration takes it northward, the tracks leave a walking pattern 2-4 inches in length. No description would be complete without mentioning the trill as the bird rises upward in vertical flight seen most often at dusk in spring. It prefers moist areas with protective thickets near old pastures and open fields where the sound of it’s nasal ‘pneet’ gives away its presence.

Folklore says that March roars in like a lion and out like a lamb, as the last week of the month approaches we still feel the fierce bite of winter, perhaps the lengthening days and Full moon on the 27th will wane winter’s feisty grip enough to beckon the frogs from the mud.

A photo of Earth from Space taken on March 20th, the Spring Equinox courtesy of NOAA Environmental Visualization Library.

Posted in Astronomy Tides Weather Almanac, Crows, Ravens & Vultures, Night Birds, Cuckoo, Nighthawks, Whip-poor-will, woodcock, Weekly Notes | Tagged dihedral, northern lights, turkey vultures, Vernal Equinox, woodcock | Comments Off

Quoddy Nature Notes – Sophie the House Spider

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Fred Gralenski

Sophie the House Spider with a fly ready for eating

Sophie lives at the foot of the stairs by the doorway into the office. She doesn’t seem to mind the normal traffic, but she will hide in a beveled crack behind the door trim if I noisily drop something going upstairs. She has pretty poor eyesight for a spider, and doesn’t mind me shining a light on her as I watch her daily routine. Sophie’s daily routine is pretty boring: she hangs upside down inside her web.

Now Sophie’s web is not a beautiful two dimensional work of art like Charlotte’s web, but a three dimensional creation with silk strands that go in all directions, with no recognizable pattern. It looks like a pretty tangled up shoddy job, but Sophie seems proud of her handiwork and is capable of running through her messy nest with remarkable speed.

From what I can gather, Sophie seems to be a Common House spider, Parasteatoda tepidariorum. There is a little disagreement among the spider scientists if the genus name is as noted or Achaearanea. Maybe by the time you read this they will have come up with a worse tongue twister. There is also a question if Sophie is a native here or from away, like South America, where most of her similar relatives reside. Because of the ease that these spiders can hitch a ride on almost anything, P. tepidariorum is found worldwide, and internationally is known as the American House spider.

Although Sophie belongs to the spider family Theridiidae, as does the notorious Black Widow, Sophie does not possess the same degree of neurotoxin as her cousin. Nevertheless, all spiders are poisonous, and Sophie’s bite can raise a welt like a bee sting, and can be dangerous if the unfortunate victim is allergic to Sophie’s venom. Sometimes it’s better to behave like Little Miss Muffet.

After a week or so of noticing Sophie do nothing and no sign that she had eaten anything, I caught a cluster fly, calmed it down in the freezer for a few minutes, then dropped it into her web. That didn’t work. House spiders are timid, and by the time Sophie came out to see what she had caught, the fly had warmed up, got his engines going, scared Sophie away to her hiding spot, freed himself from the web and buzzed off somewhere.

The next day I tried a little different tactic and snipped the wings off the cluster fly. That worked, and Sophie proceeded to wrap up the fly in silk, move it to a spot more to her liking, then, Dracula-like, suck the juices out of poor Mr Fly. I could tell when Sophie was finished, as she would snip off the holding silk strands and drop the carcass on the floor. It took her less than a day to finish one fly.

Sophie and Sam the House Spiders

Periodically I brought Sophie a fly, as we still have plenty in the garage, and then one day I noticed she had a visitor. I don’t know if Sam was attracted to the well rounded Sophie or to the fly I had fed to Sophie a little while before. I didn’t see any aggressiveness and even at one point they seemed to tenderly hold hands (legs). I wondered if I had bungled into a web based dating service.

Sam was around for one day. The literature says that males may come into a female’s web for a while, but doesn’t mention if they end up on the menu. I’m not sure when the females lay their eggs, but there may be up to 400 offspring. Indoors, House spiders may live up to 2 years if they are first noticed by a nosy naturalist and protected from a dedicated housewife. In the outside world House spiders are harvested by other spiders, birds, wasps, and many other different predators. An interesting predator /prey relationship is with the assassin bug Stenolemus lanipes. Supposedly this bug eats young House spiders exclusively, but if it isn’t careful can also be caught and eaten by an adult House spider. I hope I can find a careful assassin bug pretty soon.

Posted in Quoddy Nature Notes, Spiders, Ticks & Mites | Tagged House Spider | 3 Comments

Weekly Notes March 17, 2013

Posted on March 17, 2013 by Maureen

Mature loons have completed their winter molt and are ready to migrate to northern waters as soon as ice-out begins. The loon pictured was seen on the tidal waters near Kittery, Dma&g map 1 eating a crab.

Woodcocks have begun to arrive, you can hear their nasal ‘peent’ and mating flight just after dark. Song Sparrows and Piping Plovers have been reported among the early migrants. Notice too the change in song and behavior of year-round resident birds as they begin to mate and find nesting territory.

Spring Reflection

The melting ice is pulling away from the shallow ponds where frogs and salamanders will soon emerge on warm rainy nights. While we wait, it is a time to notice the reflection of the stark winter trees against the brown leaf litter covering the delicate creatures buried in the mud and know there is renewal amid the decay.

Spring will officially arrive this week with the Vernal Equinox on March 20th at 11:02 a.m. This is the day that the sun is on the celestial equator giving us equal hours of daylight and darkness. It is also the day that the sun rises due east and sets due west.

If you are handy with a compass you know that there is a variation between True North and Magnetic North which is called Declination. On the Equinox, the sun rises Due East at 90 degrees True and sets Due West at 270 degrees True. If you sight your compass to the point of the sunrise or sunset on this day, you should see the difference in the Degrees of the Declination from Due East or Due West to your location. Below are 4 locations in the state with the Declination obtained from the USGS topo maps that when added to the True reading, determine the magnetic reading that shows on your compass. For example in Kittery 90 (true) + 15.29 (declination) = 105.29 magnetic compass reading. Have some fun and give this a try.

Kittery, Dma&g map 1 has a declination of +15.29

Quoddy Head, Dma&g map 27 has a declination of +17.29

Frost Pond T3R11, Dma&g map 50 has a declination of +17.08

Allagash Dma&g map 66 has a declination of +17.39

If you would like to find the declination for your town Click Here for the USGS store… for free downloads of their quadrangle maps, the declination is on the lower left corner.

Next Sunday, March 24th is Maine Maple Sunday. Click here for a list of Sugar Houses open to the public...

: Boiling Sap down to Syrup

Dawn Brown at Second Chance Bear Rehabilitation took in 4 cubs on March 1st. Below is a short write-up from Dawn. Her website is BeartoDream.org

: Getting a weight

: Learning to climb

: 8 week old bear cubs

These 4 particular cubs that I received this year, the sow took off during the den study; though it is not common, it does happen on occasion and this particular sow did not come back. She is actually a difficult bear in the study, being prone to abandon her den and also get startled very easily; though the biologist did get her with the dart, she still took off. Oddly enough it is the same mother of the bottle babies I got last year. She went into estrus last summer and was bred because she did not have cubs with her, sows typically get bred every 2 years because they stay with the cubs for 16/17 months… her collar is going to be removed.

Typically it is more prone for first time mothers to abandon dens but sow bears can too be disturbed with logging operations on occasion and/or any other disturbance for that matter. It is sad when they are not found but I certainly believe anyone who is aware that a den has been disturbed would either call a Game Warden or Biologist so that they could contact me and I then would be able to give the cub and/or cubs a second chance. Sometimes the sow will come back, but obviously not always and too at times a surrogate sow may be found for an orphan if she has the carrying capacity to handle an extra cub. Surrogate sows were found for all 4 of these cubs.

Bob Duchesne has an excellent interview with Dawn Brown from Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation & Randy Cross, the Bear Biologist from IF&W. Click here and listen to Bob Duchesne’s Wild Maine parts 3,4 & 5 on 92.9 The Ticket Sports Radio...

A weather phenomenon occured in Maine this past week known as Virga. It happens when precipitation falls from clouds but evaporates before it reaches the ground. Rain was reported throughout the state but as the saying goes, we aren’t out of the woods yet.

Posted in Astronomy Tides Weather Almanac, Black Bear, Maine Amphibians, Reptiles & Fish, Maple Trees, Snails, Mussels, Crabs & Lobsters, Weekly Notes | Tagged black bear, black bear cubs, crab, Leaf Litter, Loons, Magnetic declination, Maple Syrup, Vernal Equinox, virga, woodcock | Comments Off

Weekly Notes, March 10, 2013

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Maureen

Bohemian Waxwing courtesy of Paul Cyr

The stunning picture above taken by Paul Cyr is of a Bohemian Waxwing. They look very similar to the Cedar Waxwing commonly seen in Maine but have deep rusty color under the tail with bright white and yellow markings on the wings. Noticeably larger and lacking the yellow belly of their cousins, these birds prefer Boreal Forests and Muskeag Bogs far to the north.

Another beautiful winter bird that travels all the way to the arctic tundra during the summer months is the Snow Bunting. These ground feeders, most always seen in flocks are easily identified by their white feathers. This flock was seen in Skowhegan Dma&g map 21

Snow Buntings

Ever wonder about the dead curled up leaves that linger on some of the oak and beech trees? Called marcescence, oftentimes these leaves will not fall off of the tree until after the buds of the new leaves have started to swell. Quick research will take the reader to several theories about why this occurs, including minimizing the deer browse of buds, protecting buds from winter cold to providing the tree with increased nutrients around the trunk in the spring, but the reason for this unique adaptation remains up for debate. Perhaps it is just for us to hear them rustle when they blow in the cold winter winds reminding us that spring will come again.

: Marcescent Beech Leaves

: Curled marcescent Oak leaves

: Marcescent Beech in Snow

We have a guest writer this week, an essay by Aime Declos reflecting on Morning Coffee: Twenty Minutes in My Backyard, can be read in Guest Field Notes...

The Maine Master Naturalist Program is accepting applications for its Falmouth and Holden courses for 2013-14. The organization’s goal is to develop a statewide network of volunteers to teach natural history at parks, conservation organizations, land trusts and schools throughout Maine. Upon enrollment, participants agree to volunteer 40 hours in the year following certification and must continue to volunteer to remain active Maine Master Naturalists. The Holden course, to be held at Fields Pond Audubon Center, will run from June 1 2013 through June 4 2014, with 10 evening and seven Saturday classes; applications must be received by March 20. The Falmouth course, at the Gilsland Farm Audubon Center, will run from June 8, 2013 through May 21, 2014, with 10 evening and six Saturday classes; applications must be received by March 15. Click here for more information and an application form…

As we think towards spring, the migration has begun. Our winter migrants will head north and the summer migrants will be arriving daily. Although it is about 8 weeks before the hummingbirds arrive here in Maine, it is fun to watch the map change each week on Journey North. Click here for the hummingbird maps...

In this week’s almanac, Daylight Savings Time begins today, March 10th, the moon will be New on March 11th. We can’t see the moon from earth because it is in conjunction with the sun, in other words, the moon is between the earth and the sun so the sun is shining on the other side of the moon and from earth only the dark side of the moon is visable.

When I was a child my father always had a challenge question for me, but he always explained things out, so that I would remember and here is what he did to explain the New Moon. He placed a grapefruit on the table and held a flashlight shining down from above it. Then he would take a small round object like a golf ball with the other hand and pass it between the flashlight and the grapefruit saying “see here, this is where the moon is in the sky when it is New.” It was helpful to imagine that if I were a tiny person standing on the earth grapefruit, the golf ball moon would be obscured by the bright rays of the flashlight sun. Give it a try.

I found some bright colored lichen the other day. If anyone knows the name of these, please comment below and I will add the information.

: How many different species of lichen are on this log?

Posted in Astronomy Tides Weather Almanac, Mushroom, Moss & Lichen, Oak, Beech & American Chestnut, Song & Perching Birds, Weekly Notes | Tagged Bohemian Waxwing, lichen, marcescent leaves, New Moon, Snow Bunting | Comments Off

QUODDY NATURE NOTES Porcupines II

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Fred Gralenski

Porcupines II

Porcupine on a lawn three houses down from the Pembroke Library

If anyone is keeping track and counting, I wrote about porcupines 165 issues ago. I am still fascinated by those critters after all these years, and once in a while surf the net for any porcupine stories and, if the bloggers leave their address, maybe comment on their efforts. One lady down in Connecticut still thinks they are protected in Maine. Somewhere in a very obscure part of my brain there seems to be a faint recollection of that once being the case, but the only thing I can find was a bounty of 25 cents. The bounty on porcupines was instituted around 1904 and finally repealed in 1967.

Porcupines are reported to be protected in Virginia and Maryland, but recently lost their protection in Pennsylvania. A wildlife photographer from southern Maine posted some superb pictures of porcupines but erred a bit when she showed some girdled trees which she blamed on porcupines. Those unfortunate trees, still standing at Reversing Falls in Pembroke, were attacked by two legged vandals. The cutest site I found about porcupines was ‘The Porcupine that Thinks it’s a Puppy’.

Our porcupine, Erethizon dorsatum, is unique to North America. It has relatives that live in South America, and more distant relatives that live in the old world. As the second largest rodent on this continent (the beaver is the biggest), our ‘pine can grow up to 30 pounds and, if it’s lucky, can live upwards of 20 years. Being a rodent its incisor teeth keep growing and being worn down continuously so they are always sharp and ready for gnawing, no matter the age of the beast, but the ‘cheek teeth’ or molars present a different situation. After the ‘pine reaches the age of two it has its full complement of 20 teeth, but, like us, its molars wear down and reduce the capability of the animal to process food. Starvation and the loss of agility because of broken bones incurred from falling out of trees are usually the main reasons for the demise of adult porcupines.

Abandoned building with ‘pine chewings. How did an animal that probably weighed about 10 pounds crawl up those little spruces and chew off the bark?

By this time of year our porcupines here in the Quoddy region have lost upwards of 20 percent of their normal body weight. The foods that they eat in the winter are generally very low in nutrition, and the ‘pine has more problems obtaining it. It is surprising how finicky they are. An individual in its home range may settle on the bark of only a few types of trees, and in my area usually these are hackmatack and cedar, but sometimes spruce if it is close to the winter den. Like most herbivores, porcupines depend on a very busy digestive system to get the benefit of the stuff that they eat.

The bark must be chewed and then it is processed in a pouch off of the beginning of the large intestine called a ‘caecum’. In the caecum the slurry of what the ‘pine ate is worked on by millions of aerobic microbes unwittingly cultivated by the ‘pine to process the tannins and other toxins of his selected diet into a suitable form for digestion. There are some trees, like basswood, that are apparently very easy on the porcupine’s digestive system, and these are prized. It seems that all of my trees must fall into this category, even though I have never planted any basswood.

With the coming of spring, life will take on a little easier aspect for the ‘pine, as their food supply will change to almost any type of fresh greenery. Here in the Quoddy region their salt requirement is often satisfied by coastal vegetables like sea pickle and sea side orach. Porcupines can be a decided nuisance in gardens and orchards, and sometimes I resort to drastic solutions to solve this problem. Out in the woods, however, I do like to observe them and try to carefully pat them between the eyes. I have hand fed some wild porcupines, after judging their personalities, and they really like apples, and apparently Red Delicious are at the top of their list. I have tried the meat of porcupine but found my preparation not very interesting. Nicholas Denys, writing about North America in the 1600’s, reported that porcupines, when roasted, are “…very good to eat…” I haven’t tried roasting one yet.

Posted in Quoddy Nature Notes, Squirrels, Porcupine, Chipmunk Rodents | Tagged porcupine | Comments Off

Weekly Notes March 3, 2013

Posted on March 3, 2013 by Maureen

Frosty Morning in T3 R12 Chesuncook Dam Dma&g map 50

Have you ever heard of Hoarfrost? It happens when the temperature drops to the dew point causing moisture to form as ice crystals sticking to the trees and dried grasses. It is similar to dew on a summer morning. If you ever get the chance, bundle up and go out for a walk just as the sun is rising on a frosty morning. It is magical to see the frost twinkling in the morning light as it falls from the trees.

It’s a sure sign of spring when the tapping begins and Wednesday, March 6th marks the official start of the season with the annual Governor’s Tree Tapping on the lawn of the Blaine House. In a report to the Maine Legislature in December of 2011, it states that there are 38.5 million Sugar and Red Maple trees growing in the state of Maine. While we think of Maple syrup as a special treat with Blueberry pancakes, it also contains valuable nutrients, so pour a little more on and read what Arthur Haines has to say about the nutritional value of this natural resource. Click here to read Arthur’s column posted in Wild Harvest...

Only a few more weeks of snow on the ground for tracking some of our wild neighbors. These pictures show where a fisher had spent a snowy night in a fallen tree. Once the storm ended, it walked down the trunk, jumped into the fresh snow and was off on an early morning hunt. I was fortunate enough to come upon these tracks only a short time later and had a great time following them through the woods.

: The fisher waited the storm out in the top of this fallen tree.

: The fisher jumped from the tree and landed on all four feet in the snow.

: 2-2 bounding pattern typical of the weasel family

I was out exploring the Salt Marshes and Barrier Beaches in Kittery, Dma&g map 1, and saw Horned Larks feeding on the marsh and moments later, Horned Grebes feeding just behind the waves on the ocean side.

In the winter months Horned Grebes fly to the open ocean where they molt and do not fly again until spring beckons them to fresh water nesting sites on inland lakes in Maine.

Horned Larks are heard more often than they are seen. It took me quite a while to locate this flock feeding in the salt marsh. They blend in with the colors of the dry grass, but their happy twinkling song was telling of their location and I was able to get a few pictures. Even though we don’t see them often, Horned Larks are a common bird, they usually fly in flocks and fold their wings after each wing beat. Their song is musical tsee-titi and when on the ground they walk like starlings, not hop like Robins.

: Horned Grebe in winter molt phase on the ocean.

: Horned Lark puffed up against the wind.

: Horned Lark in Salt Marsh

In this week’s Almanac, last quarter moon is on March 4th. Watch the eastern sky in the hours before daybreak for the waning crescent toward the end of the week. Last month a Meteor over Russia out shined the news about Asteroid 2012DA14 which passed by the earth, Bernie Reim puts the impact of the meteor in perspective in his report. Click here for Bernie Reim’s March Astronomy Report published in the Portland Press Herald…

The pattern of weekly storms passing across the state continued this past week. Although rain and warm temperatures melted much of the snow cover along the immediate coastline, inland and north significant new snowfall was reported. Click here for the current snow depth map…. NWS of Gray reported February as the 3rd snowiest month on record for the city of Portland with 49.5 inches of snow. Looking back at my notes for February 10, 2013 the NWS reported Portland having the driest January on record, goes to show if you wait a day (or a month) the weather in Maine will change.

Posted in Astronomy Tides Weather Almanac, Ducks, Loons, Geese & Water Birds, Song & Perching Birds, Weasels, Skunk, Mink & Otter, Weekly Notes | Tagged fisher, hoarfrost, Horned Grebe, Horned Lark, Maple Syrup | Comments Off

Mahqan, a prized natural sweetner

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Arthur Haines

Collecting Maple Sap

Mahqan (pronounced MAH-kwahn) is an indigenous word for maple syrup. It is made by collecting the sap of maple trees as it flows out of a small wound in the late winter and reducing it down to a thick, syrupy liquid. Traditionally, it was collected in paper birch bark containers and boiled down to make maple syrup (for immediate consumption) and maple sugar (stored for later consumption) by using heat to evaporate off the water. Now that we have airtight containers, syrup is the usual form that can be found in supermarkets. Maple syrup is a wild food, collected from forest-grown trees.

Though many people are familiar with maple syrup, many have not had the opportunity to enjoy the sap. Maple sap is a gift from the landscape, a gift given for surviving the northern winters. It is a long-awaited treat and something we often drink straight from the tree in its raw state. It is cold, clear, and has a slightly sweet taste. Consider it a “living water” that can cherished in the late winter. Our method of gathering involves metal buckets hung on steel spiles (a spile is the tap that is placed in the tree). I occasionally use a few bark buckets as well to practice and learn first-hand about indigenous methods. We travel through the groves of sugar maple and red maple, the two species we tap, collecting the sap in pails that we carry back to the home for drinking and boiling (to make syrup). Gathering in this fashion (rather than using extensive arrays of plastic tubes) provides movement and exercise.

Maple syrup, unlike many processed sweeteners, contains nutritive elements. These include vitamin B2 (also called riboflavin), the minerals manganese, zinc, magnesium, calcium, and potassium, and at least eight antioxidants. Many people are “sweetener-phobic”. They read of the damage caused by refined cane sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and similar products, assuming that all sweeteners have similar health effects. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Indigenous people around the world seek out sweet treats because they are calorie- and nutrient-dense (after all, the sweet taste receptors on our tongues are not there as a warning). There exist reports in anthropological works describing native people of the Great Lakes region consuming maple syrup as a primary source of nourishment during the sap season–without suffering from dental caries, diabetes, etc. Of course, this comes from protective elements in other parts of their diet and the fact maple syrup retains its nutrition (i.e., it has not been processed out). For example, maple syrup is rich in manganese, which contributes to a healthy immune system, assists with blood sugar regulation, and is an essential cofactor in the production of superoxide dismutase, an endogenous antioxidant. Zinc, also found in maple syrup, is necessary for healthy reproductive organs, also assists with blood sugar regulation, promotes mental development, and potentiates vitamin B9 (folate) absorption, critically important for a healthy baby. Note that this sweetener has two important minerals that assist with carbohydrate metabolism and increase the body’s tolerance of sugar. I would argue that maple syrup (much like honey) can be a small part of diverse diet that promotes health.

As stewards of the forest, we should be striving to take sustainably from them (whatever the product may be). The sap provides nourishment and energy that powers the new growth of leaves and flowers for the maple. If we take too much sap (by placing too many taps in a tree), we stress the individual tree and leave it in a place it may not be able to cope with pathogens, pollution, and climate. Therefore, guidelines have been established for tapping trees in a manner that does not take too much. (1) No tree should be tapped until it is at least 10 inches (25 cm) in diameter. (2) No tree should receive a second tap until it is 20 inches (50 cm) in diameter. (3) No tree should receive a third tap until it is 25 inches (64 cm) in diameter. (4) No tree should receive more than three taps, regardless of its size. Following these guidelines will help ensure your maples will remain healthy and provide you with sap for many years.

For those of you who do not have access to maple trees (of which any that are large enough can be tapped), you might try tapping other species. Many do not realize that members of the walnut family, including walnuts and hickories can be tapped. They contain the same sugar as maples do (primarily sucrose), so their syrup is almost identical in flavor. Birches can also be tapped, but their sugars are primarily glucose and fructose, so the syrup tastes differently, a bit like molasses. However, you will need to gather and boil much more sap, as these species have lower sugar contents. But that should not stop you from tapping them for their sap. Like maple sap, the sap of these other trees contains trace vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, making it an ideal spring tonic. If you have any of these species available to you, I encourage learning to tap them in a conscientious manner.

Posted in Maple Trees, Wild Harvest | Tagged Maple Syrup | Comments Off

Weekly Notes February 24, 2013

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Maureen

Ever wonder about the underwater lives of Beavers during the winter months? This huge lodge is near Boyd Lake in Ornville, DeLorme ma&g Map 32-33. A typical family unit consists of the parents and the past year’s kits along with older offspring that may remain with the family for 2-3 years. As the picture shows, the Beavers have been actively using the access hole which leads up underneath the lodge. Inside the mud and stick structure, there is a central area where the animals can groom their fur and dry off before joining the others on a ‘sleeping shelf’ built of grass and mud. Beavers stay active throughout the winter feeding on smaller branches that they have stored beneath the ice. Looks like this family enjoys an occasional winter outing to find some fresh twigs to nibble on.

: Huge Beaver Lodge

: Active access hole to Beaver lodge

: Dam in front of Beaver lodge

Another member of the Rodent family that remains active throughout the winter months nibbling on bark and twigs is the Porcupine. On a winter walk it is easy to find a porcupine. If you come across some ‘nip twigs’ under a favorite Porcupine tree such as the hemlock below, look up and you might find as I did, a curiously quilled creature looking back down at you. Another easy way to find a porcupine is to follow its trail. They don’t have large territories and their gait leaves a distinctive ‘S’ design in the snow that will lead you straight to a den or favorite tree. This critter was found in Kittery Dma&g map 1.

: ‘Nip Twigs’ from a Porcupine beneath a Hemlock Tree

: Porcupine

: Porcupine Trail in Snow

After a few weeks of changing weather patterns from warm to cold or wind, not necessarily in any order, there is now continuous snow coverage across the entire state of Maine with more in the forecast. Click here for the current snow depth coverage map...

The picture below is of an Ice Jam taken on 2/7/13 on the East Branch of the Penobscot River in Grindstone, Dma&g map 43. Click here for the latest Winter/Spring Flood outlook issued by the National Weather Service...

Ice Jam on the East Branch of the Penobscot River in Grindstone.

By Thursday, February 28th, we will have gained 2 hours and 6 minutes of daylight since December 21, 2012. With the lengthening days and warm sunshine the next few weeks are a beautiful time to be outside enjoying Maine Nature. A month from now we’ll be reporting the first frogs peeping and woodcock migrations. Meanwhile, enjoy the full moon Monday, February 25th.

www.crownofmaine.com/paulcyr

Posted in Astronomy Tides Weather Almanac, Muskrat & Beaver, Squirrels, Porcupine, Chipmunk Rodents, Weekly Notes | Tagged beaver, ice jam, moon, porcupine | Comments Off

Quoddy Nature Notes

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Fred Gralenski

QUODDY NATURE NOTES

ice from the salt spray on Gleason point. Interesting that the salt is largely separated, and the melted ice would be essentially salt free water.

Winter Blahs

For some reason I seem to be out of sync this year. When I plan to go cross-country skiing, it rains, and when I plan to go walking with the Pathfinders, there is a blizzard. The birds at the feeders tease me and don’t cooperate and pose for a picture, even though they did just a few moments before I went out with the camera. Does winter seem to be dragging on too long? Although the days are getting longer, do I have a bad case of SAD? Or is all of this just in my head and another feature of middle (?) age?

As I look out the window at the latest blizzard, I wonder if the critters feel the same way. The prickly Japanese Barberry bush below my window still has a couple of berries on it, but the robin that was eating them the other day is gone. Unless he migrated several hundred miles south, I bet he feels the same way I do. Most birds don’t mind the cold as long as they have some food, but I don’t associate robins with snow. Right after the last storm I was charging down our unplowed driveway with my pickup in 4X4 and I had to stop for a couple of Pine Grosbeaks in my way. I don’t know what they were doing. Maybe they were discussing the closest birdfeeder, or maybe they were just miffed that I hadn’t plowed the driveway so they could get some grit.

For many critters, even though they probably can’t read our calendar or realize the tradition of Valentine’s day, mid February is a romantic period. Red foxes are certainly very interested in future family life and are marking their territory and announcing their availability. Coyotes will be following their lead in a few weeks. Momma bear is hidden somewhere with her new offspring. I don’t think last summer and fall were very productive food wise, so I predict fewer twins and triplets this year. Porcupines mated last October and the females may rarely have twins but a single offspring born in May is normal. Winter is the starvation period for porcupines, and they all probably have a bad case of SAD, just like me, although I’m certainly not starved. Some birds are nesting now, like Great Horned owls, and Barred owls may do so shortly. Gray jays may nest by the end of February, but Crossbills, if food conditions are favorable, may nest in January. I doubt if any Crossbills nested early in the Quoddy region this year, as the cone crop this season was poor. Our Bald eagles are currently thinking about nesting, but usually they are not serious about family life until March. Let’s hope that the pair at Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge will get their act together this year and raise a family like our national bird is supposed to do.

I have seen fewer signs of mice and voles around our house and barn this winter, and also few signs of any weasels. There are lots of red and gray squirrels hanging around the bird feeders, testing the validity of squirrel proof feeders. More often than not the squirrels win. I don’t mind them eating the seeds I scatter for the juncos and sparrows, or even stealing the chicken bones that I put out for the crows. It’s sort of funny to see a red squirrel run off into the woods carrying the bones of a chicken, with a blue jay discretely following him to see where his hiding place is. Squirrels are allowed to trespass in my woodshed and barn, but if caught in my garage will be exiled to some faraway place. If my SAD is bad enough, I might give them a ride to Bell Mountain in Edmunds.

Posted in Quoddy Nature Notes | Comments Off

Weekly Notes, February 17, 2013

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Maureen

Northern Hawk Owl in Houlton Dma&g map 53 courtesy of Paul Cyr

In this week’s Rare Bird Alert, a Northern Hawk Owl was reported in Houlton. The above picture gives us a chance to see this rare visitor in classic form. It’s tail and habit of perching at the tip of a branch can easily fool an observer into believing this bird is a member of the Falcon Family but a closer look reveals an owl’s face looking down at the camera. Usually when identifying a bird, details are compared with other birds in the same family but not with the NHOwl, even its vocal call is more like a Falcon than an Owl. A daytime hunter, these owls prefer the Boreal Forest found in more northern latitudes but will occasionally fly south when weather conditions prove challenging in their home territory.

Mother Nature isn’t always kind and winter survival requires adaptations to meet the challenge of finding shelter and food. An excellent article was published in the Portland Press Herald this week on animal survival during severe weather conditions. To read the article click here….. In the picture below, this Blue Jay has fluffed up its feathers to trap the warm air, creating an insulting layer against the cold.

Blue Jay keeping warm by fluffing its feathers for insulation.

On Monday morning I snapped a few quick pictures just as the rain started blowing in from the ocean. A day had passed since the big storm of 2013 left 24 inches of fresh powder and I was out surveying for New England Cottontails at Fort Foster on the very edges of Gerrish Island Dma&g Map 1. I did find one track that left behind a bit of soft fur as a NEC jumped over a ragged branch that hung low. The brush was thick, making perfect hiding spots for these vulnerable animals to escape predators such as fisher, fox and weasels.

However as the storm picked up and my fingers turned to icicles, I noticed the Robins feeding in the thickets. They were not pleased to have me plowing through the underbrush disturbing them and persisted to fly into the most unattainable areas to feed on Japanese Barberry. The pictures show the sharp thorns on this non-native shrub that inhabits unused pasture and open land causing one Robin to get hung-up as it moved about. The red berries linger through the cold season providing almost exclusive sustenance for the birds as shown in the bright red bird droppings in the snow.

: Tangled Robin in Japanese Barberry.

: Sharp thorns protect the lingering red berries of the Japanese Barberry.

: Red droppings from Robins feeding on Japanese Barberry.

In the next picture, a fox has found a warm place to den under the winter snow cover.

Fox Den

While humans celebrated Valentines Day, the birds began their spring calls. Most notably I heard the Male Cardinal as he sat atop a shrub showing off his red coat. Has anyone else heard the birds announcing the arrival of warmer days ahead?

In this week’s Almanac there is a Waxing Gibbous Moon. It’s fun to watch each evening as it grows into a Full Moon next week on the 25th.

In the snow storms last weekend and this weekend are many reports of thunder and lightening. There was even a rainbow as the clouds cleared Monday afternoon.

Rainbow in Winter Seapoint Beach Dma&g map 1

Asteroid 2012 DA14 passed Earth on Friday, February 15th. Only 17,150 miles away from its closest approach over Antarctica, this Asteroid was closer than many satellites that can be seen orbiting the expanse of the celestial heavens over Maine each night. The Asteroid passed during the daylight hours not giving us an opportunity to view this event.

February 19th is the Birthday of Nicholas Copernicus, born in 1473. He was the first to introduce the Heliocentric Model of the Sun as the center of the Universe. Referred to as the Copernican Theory, this created a major shift not only in scientific thinking but also in philosophical and theological beliefs. Until that time, Aristotle and Ptolemy teachings were the accepted thought with the Earth as the center of the Universe. This change brought about the beginning of the Scientific Revolution impacting the cultural relationship humans held with the natural world. This period of time is a interesting study for anyone curious about the history of human dominance over nature.

Posted in Astronomy Tides Weather Almanac, Fox Coyotes & Wolves, Owls, Song & Perching Birds, Weekly Notes | Tagged bluejay, fox, Japanese Barberry, Northern Hawk Owl, Robin | Comments Off

Weekly Notes February 10, 2013

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Maureen

Barred-Owls have dark eyes. Notice the feathers covering the feet to minimize heat loss.

Barred Owls may be one of the best known of the Owls that inhabit Maine. Their call is a distinctive ‘Who Cooks for Whooooo’ and they are often seen during the daytime. Owls are thought of as being Nocturnal or Night hunters but the Barred Owl is also a Diurnal or Daytime hunter. This picture shows the best distinguishing features of the Barred Owl, it has a Barred pattern across the chest with streaks length-wise down the front of the body. The easiest way to I.D. a Barred Owl is by the Dark eyes. The only other owl in Maine to share the dark eyes is a Barn Owl, which has a distinctive white heart-shaped face. This picture was taken in Kittery, Dma&g map 1.

Spalted Wood

It looks like someone took a Sharpie permanent marker and drew a design on this piece of maple. At first glance we can almost imagine a map outlined on the wood, but the design is actually made by Fungi. Fungi that have inhabited dead or dying wood create Zone Lines, a territory of sorts that keeps competing Fungi on their own side of the fence. This stage of decomposition is called Spalted and the quality of the wood is still good enough that it can be turned into a beautiful bowl or made into a handsome keepsake box. This piece was taken from the top of a Maple stump that had been growing on Route One in Kennebunk long enough to be considered an antique. Dma&g map 3.

: Weathered Bald-faced Hornet’s Nest

: Cells inside of a Bald-faced Hornet Nest

: Bald-faced Hornet Nest built around Red Oak leaves.

When out in the woods, there is hardly a time when two people pass a large hornet’s nest without remarking about it. This week, while exploring the woods, C. Eaton and J. Thompson found this nest of the Bald-faced Hornet hanging about 20 feet from the ground. These delicate paper shelters protect their occupants from wind, rain and heat and are a reminder of some of the great architects in nature.

This abandoned nest was started last spring by a single Queen. The nest was made by chewing wood mixed with saliva to make a paper pulp. She then laid a few eggs in the first cells and waited for them to hatch before laying more eggs. These first emerging hornets became workers and helped the Queen to expand the nest and feed up to 700 hornets by the end of the season. Once cold weather set in all of the hornets died except for the females that had mated.

In the pictures above, the top of the nest looks worn and almost ready to give away from the many drops of rain that have fallen upon it during the season. We can see that it was woven around the twigs and leaves of a Red Oak to give it stability. There are still a few brown leaves that with the curling layers of paper, beckon the eye of the artist. Inside we can see the layers of cells that are built for each new generation. The most recent of those are females who mated and are now tucked into the crevices of the bark of trees and like us all, are waiting for spring to arrive.

In this week’s Almanac, the New Moon is today bringing the coastal tides back to high during the mid-day/mid-night and low at sunrise/sunset, same as the Full Moon. This week watch for the Waxing Crescent Moon low in the West just after sunset along with Mercury and Mars.

In the weather this week a Nor’easter named Nemo generously piled two – three feet of snow along the southern coast with less north and west. The current snow depth map is here… Portland reported a record 31.9 inches of snow. Interestingly enough the National Weather Service announced that January 2013 was drier than the average with Portland recording only 1.36″ of rain and 7.3″ of snow. Perhaps a season average is the more accurate measurement than any given 30 day window of time.

This storm also brought with it more high winds and cold temperatures across the state. Below is a picture taken at high tide outside Lunt’s Harbor, Frenchboro on the north side of Long Island. NOAA weather buoy 44034 located east of this area was reporting NNE winds with 23.6ft waves at 11 seconds. Mt Desert Rock reported the highest wind gust of 89 mph, Matinicus Rock at 77 mph and the Isles of Shoals at 70 mph.

Lunt’s Harbor during high tide winter storm Nemo. 2013 Dma&g map 16

Posted in Ants, Bees & Hornets, Astronomy Tides Weather Almanac, Maple Trees, Mushroom, Moss & Lichen, Owls, Weekly Notes | Tagged Bald-faced Hornet, barred owl, Spalted Wood | 2 Comments

Quoddy Nature Notes

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Fred Gralenski

Red-breasted Nuthatch. Usually they are very busy while feeding on suet, but sometimes they will stop and allow you a close approach. I don’t know who is hypnotizing whom.

Red-breasted Nuthatches

We have two members of the nuthatch family here in the Quoddy region: the White-breasted Nuthatch, Sitta carolinsis, and the Red-breasted Nuthatch, Sitta canadensis. The Red-breasted is the smaller of the two birds and the most common as it prefers to forage on coniferous trees, while the larger White-breasted generally prefers a more open forest with deciduous trees for its restaurant. The red breast of the smaller nuthatch may fade in late summer, but it always has a dark line through its eye, which is a positive way of differentiating it from its larger cousin.

Nuthatches may act like woodpeckers but they are not closely related. All of our woodpeckers have feet with two toes in the front and two in the rear, and the tail of a woodpecker is relatively longer and used as a brace while feeding. Woodpeckers always face up the tree, and I have even seen them sleeping attached to the side of a tree. Nuthatches have feet like the rest of the perching birds with three toes in the front and one in the rear. They have a short tail, and the tail serves no purpose in their scampering around a tree, and nuthatches can easily maneuver sideways or up or down a tree, although they do prefer going down a tree headfirst.

In that manner, ornithologists note, nuthatches get a different perspective of a tree than a woodpecker, and while they may feed on the same type of stuff, this adaptation lessens the competition between the two types of birds. A typical flock of winter birds in the forest around here generally consists of the following with the most common first: Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creepers, Golden-crowned Kinglets and a Downy woodpecker or two. When that inquisitive crowd comes through, a poor, unsuspecting, hibernating geometer has a very slim chance of survival.

Only some of the many Red-breasted nuthatches at our feeders now are native. There are reports of a large irruptive migration of nuthatches across the continental US this season, as the cone production in the northern forest was only fair, and the number of birds that survived the previous year was quite high. Apparently Mother Nature does play dice with her offspring, and decided a little stress was due, and in response to the lack of cones the birds headed south, and I have heard that some of our Red-breasted Nuthatches have been seen as far south as Alabama.

Even the Red-breasted Nuthatches from away are very trusting, and the local birds can be very tame, and easily be trained to eat sunflower seeds from your hand. Red-breasted Nuthatches sound so appreciative when they are feeding, but this half ounce bird can throw its weight around if another bird imposes on its territory, and is capable of quickly relating his feelings to the intruder. However, a piece of suet and some black oil sunflower seeds will calm down even the crankiest nuthatch.

Nuthatches are cavity nesting birds, but don’t have good equipment to build a hole in a sound tree. They will work in soft rotted wood, borrow an abandoned woodpecker hole or occasionally use a birdhouse. Around here they nest in May or June, and even though the cycle from laying their eggs to fledging the new birds is only about a month, there is only one brood per year. They are the only bird I know that employs a defense system on their nest, and around the entrance to their cavity they will smear some spruce or balsam sap. How or why they do this escapes me. Maybe they don’t want any visiting caterpillars.

Posted in Quoddy Nature Notes, Song & Perching Birds | Tagged Red-breasted Nuthatch | 3 Comments

Weekly Notes February 3, 2013

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Maureen

Someone asked me recently, why is it that people in Maine call the Deer and Moose antlers, Horns? Good Question. To clarify, first you need to understand that although the word is spelled horn, Mainah’s pronounce the word as hohn which makes a difference, they aren’t really calling them horns. Technically speaking Deer and Moose are members of the family of Cervidae that grow and drop antlers in a yearly cycle, while the family of Bovidae which includes Bison and Mountain Sheep found out west, have horns that continue to grow throughout their entire lives.

Antlers are a crown of vitality displaying the health of the individual that bears them. They begin to grow in the late spring and are fully developed by the time of the fall rut (mating season). Their growth is dependent on nutrition, genetics and age of the animal. A small set of antlers on an otherwise large animal indicates the lack of calcium, phosphorus and protein in the diet which reveals a less desirable mate due to poor nutrition.

Beginning sometime in January these animals will drop their antlers. Another Maine term meaning the antlers loosen from the head of the animal and fall off. So if you hear of someone who talks about being in the woods to look for ‘drops’, you’ll know they were hoping to come upon a deer or moose antler on the ground.

With that understood we can take a closer look at a Moose horn in the winter landscape. Everything in nature is recycled and antler drops are no exception. They become a source of nutrients for other mammals including small rodents, porcupines, coyotes and even the deer and moose themselves. These animals gnaw on the antler to obtain the nutritional value important for their own survival. In the pictures you will see a Moose that has recently lost his antlers leaving the exposed pedicle, the place the antler grows from. The next two pictures are of a Moose antler that was found with significant evidence of gnawing by several species of animals. The inner part of the antler is soft and close inspection reveals larger tooth marks than the tines which were gnawed by animals with smaller teeth. By the way, Maine has a National Wildlife Refuge named The Moosehorn, visit the link here...

: Moose with exposed Pedicle after antler drop.

: Large teeth marks in the soft center of the Moose Antler indicate a canine such as a coyote.

: Small teeth marks gnawed the tines of this Moose Antler

The last week of January brought more unseasonable weather across the state. After the bitter cold from the previous week, mild temperatures and high winds brought rain from Kittery to Allagash reducing the snow depth to only a few inches across most of the state and no more than 10-12 in the highest elevations to the west. Click here for the current snow depth map…

We often think of snow as melting but much of the snowpack has evaporated with the lengthening days and warm sun and the wind. According to the National Weather Service in Caribou, temperature variations within a 24 hour period had a greater degree change than the average temperature differences from January to July. Temperature drops were 25 to 40 degrees. Fortunately the temperatures were mild on Thursday with the wind gusts that brought power outages to many areas.

Wind Gusts on January 31, 2013

Speaking of lengthening days, in this month’s Astronomy report, Bernie Reim tells us the winter is now half over. This week the moon will be a waning crescent as it approaches the new moon next weekend. Keep an eye low in the west after sunset to see Mercury and Mars. Read Bernie’s report in the Portland Press Herald here...

In wildlife news, The Allagash buck pictured on January 12, 2013 has dropped his antlers. Snow depth is down and the deer are able to move about easily to find food.

There has been a report of a bobcat stalking and killing chickens and ducks. Animals that are typically very shy are less intimidated when food supplies run short often taking the easy route to prey on barnyard animals. In another report, the Center for Wildlife in Cape Neddick had an Ermine in their outdoor hawk and owl enclosure. We typically think of a hawk preying on the smallest of the weasels, but within an enclosed area roles are reversed and the Ermine quickly becomes the predator especially towards the smaller of the birds such as the Saw-whet Owl and Kestrel. Volunteers were able to scour the enclosure and repair the tiny openings that allowed the Ermine to squeeze through.

Also from The Center for Wildlife in Cape Neddick. They admitted a Big Brown Bat this past week. If able to find shelter, Big Browns and Little Browns will stay within the state to hibernate. This one was found in a house and will stay at CFW until spring when it can be released. The bat population in Maine and the northeast has suffered from White-nose Syndrome. Bats are an important part of the ecosystem and if you do find one hiding where it doesn’t belong, give the Center for Wildlife a call. Their link is here….

Big Brown Bat with wing extended.

Big Brown Bat

Posted in Astronomy Tides Weather Almanac, Bats Chiroptera, Deer Moose Caribou, Weekly Notes | Tagged Antler, Big Brown Bat, Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge | Comments Off

Weekly Notes January 27, 2013

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Maureen

Snowy Owl in Kennebunk Dma&g map 3

Maine plays host to many winter species of birds that are residents of the far north such as this Snowy Owl. These owls are active during the day and are often found in open fields and beaches along the coast. This owl was seen in Kennebunk Dma&g Map 3

Whaleback light with seasmoke rising at sunrise. Kittery Dma&g map 1

This week’s frigid arctic blast brought temperature readings across the entire state below zero with dangerous wind chill values deep into the negative thirties in the north. While hardy Maine folk were dealing with the coldest days of the year, residents in Barrow, Alaska celebrated the sunrise for the first time since November 18, 2012. They had 43 minutes of daylight, that’s approximately 9 hours less than we had in Maine.

The snow cover has dropped in the past two weeks. See the NOAA map here…..

During the coldest weather, deer in the north stay tucked into their wintering yards. Their objective is to conserve energy rather than to venture far from the Spruce/Fir cover where they would risk calorie loss and predation. The north woods are cold and quiet as Forest Ranger J. Blackstone can attest from a winter’s night in a woods camp. This picture is from Chesuncook Dam looking west toward Spencer Mt. over one lonely ice shack.

Chesuncook Dam west to Spencer Mt Dma&g map 50

A report from Munsungan Lake Dma&g map 56 that 2/3rds of the ice cut last weekend was poor quality for long-term storage. Some of the Camps in the remote areas still cut winter ice for the summer ice house. Good quality ice is thick with strong layers of frozen lake water that has a clear black color, however this year’s freeze had slush mixed in creating a porous quality that won’t hold it’s frozen form into the summer even when packed in sawdust.

: Surf Scooters male & female in Kittery Dma&g map 1

: Surf Scooter Males, note the unusual markings on their heads and bills.

: At the blink of an eye the Surf Scooters dive for fish.

The Surf Scooters pictured above don’t mind the winter saltwater temperatures in the 40′s. A day trip along the coast with a pair of binoculars might reward you with an observation of these and other sea ducks diving for fish in close to the rocks. These were observed in Kittery, Dma&g Map 1. Below is a winter picture of Matinicus with 15 degree afternoon temps at the beach. Actually quite balmy when compared to the rest of the state due in part to the island being surrounded by water approx. 25 degrees warmer than the air.

This week is a Waning Gibbous moon that moves the high tides from approximately 12 a.m./p.m. at the Full Moon to 6 a.m/p.m. at the Quarter Moon. When the moon rises at the horizon, the tide is low. As the moon rises to it’s highest point in the sky, the tide follows and then wanes again as the moon sets in the west. The same is true on the opposite 12 hour cycle. Gives you something to ponder on a winter day.

Matinicus at 15F Dma&g map 9

Posted in Astronomy Tides Weather Almanac, Ducks, Loons, Geese & Water Birds, Owls, Weekly Notes | Tagged Sea Smoke, Snowy Owl, Surf Scooter | Comments Off

Quoddy Nature Notes

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Fred Gralenski

Creepy crawly critters in the house.

Pseudoscorpion

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s mid-winter here in Maine, but one thing you probably don’t brag about is some of the uninvited guests that are rooming with you. The most common of these pests is the Cluster fly, Polinia rudis. These guys like to over winter in houses, and each cycle of the weather brings more into the living quarters for you to enjoy. But sometimes before you vacuum up the little buggers, notice that they are not all the same type.

There are several other types of flies that joined their cousins to come in and help you watch the playoffs. Another pretty common bug is the Ladybug. Not quite as obnoxious as the Cluster fly crowd, but Hippodamia convergens can be a nuisance in the house and is very difficult to positively indentify, as it has a confusing array of spots and color patterns. Don’t be too destructive in your collecting of the ladybugs since they are a big help in keeping the garden free of aphids in the summer.

Do you feed the birds? Your bag of black oil sunflower seeds will somehow sprout winged bugs that are attracted to light. These Indian Meal Moths Plodia interpunctella will survive happily on only one type of grain or seed in any place above 50 degrees like a garage, basement or pantry. After gorging on your largesse, the well fed worms will spread their webbing around everywhere until they find a suitable place to pupate. After the adults mate the female will unerringly sniff out a place near some food to lay her eggs and start the whole process again, which, under optimum conditions, may take only one month.

Most spiders here in the Quoddy region live only one year, and only overwinter as eggs or newly hatched spiders, except for some of the critters that live indoors. These are usually pretty small, and generally build their little webs in corners and underneath furniture. These spiders live off the other critters that I have noted, and also their own cousins, the pseudoscorpions.

Pseudoscorpions are a neat group of animals. They are a subminiature version of a regular scorpion, but have a rounded rear end and lack the stinger. Pseudoscorpions have been around for over 300 million years and while the majority of their 3300 or so species live in the tropics, they are found almost everywhere, and here in North America they range as far as Northern Ontario. Pseudoscorpions live on tiny things like dust mites, and seem to be attracted to places with old books, and were first described by that old bookworm, Aristotle.

The common pseudoscorpion we have here indoors in the Quoddy region seems to be Chelifer cancroides. Now our pseudoscorpion is, thankfully, only about one quarter of an inch long, and even though he is pretty sneaky, you might see him sometimes on a white countertop or caught in the bathroom sink. He got here originally by hitching a ride on anything like a cat or dog, a piece of firewood, a person or a book. C. cancroides is not dangerous or destructive and will not keep you awake at night by making loud, mysterious noises or bumping into furniture. C. cancroides apparently does have an interesting mating ritual that I have never witnessed, and they live for up to 4 years. As they age, our pseudoscorpions lose their agility somewhat and become less able to scurry around. Now I can relate to that, but with C. cancroides it is more likely to get caught and eaten by an indoor spider. C. cancroides can increase their chances of survival with a subscription to AARP (American Association of Retired Pseudoscorpions). I already get a lot of their literature.

Posted in Beetles & Bugs, Flies, Gnats & Mosquitoes, Quoddy Nature Notes, Spiders, Ticks & Mites | Tagged cluster Fly, Lady Beetles, Pseudoscorpion | Comments Off

January 20, 2013 Weekly Nature News

Posted on January 20, 2013 by Maureen

Lynx observed in Woodland Dma&g 64

Highlight of the week was in Woodland Dma&g Map 64 – when Harry McCarthy observed 4 lynx in his yard. Lynx sightings are increasing due to a healthy population in Northern Maine and these handsome wild cats are not as shy as their smaller cousins, the Bobcat found elsewhere throughout the state. Read more here…. http://outthere.bangordailynews.com/2013/01/17/outdoor-recreation/lynx-on-parade-woodland-man-photographs-elusive-cats/

Sunday started the week with a beautiful winter day in January. When out cross-country skiing in Shirley, Dma&g 41, the Blackstone family have been seeing Ruffed Grouse in the woods. The picture is of a track where the grouse left wing marks in the snow when taking flight.

: Winter Stream

: Ruffed Grouse track & wing mark where it took flight. Shirley Dma&g 41

Monday brought a change of weather with temps in the 50′s across much of the state. The Dandelion and fresh growth of Queen Anne’s Lace was found on a sunny south facing bank in Kittery, Dma&g 1.

: January Dandelion Kittery, Dma&g 1

: January Queen Anne’s Lace growth Kittery, Dma&g1

Highest Temperature recorded for the week was 59 degrees F in Portland on Jan 14 map 5 Lowest Temperature recorded for the week was -30 F in Escourt Station on Jan 18 map 67

This week watch the Waxing Gibbous moon pass below Jupiter on Tuesday night, January 21st before it is full next Saturday, January 26th.

Adding to this week’s excitement, a very large lobster was caught by the F/V Snowballed out of Spruce Head. After a quick photo-op elevating this crustacean to celebrity status, it was released back into the ocean.

Giant Lobster caught off Spruce Head Island Dma&g map 8

Last week I posted about Robins vocalize in a predawn wake-up. On Tuesday I heard a flock of Robins in Kennebunk, Dma&g map 3. There was a flock in the highest branches of an Oak Tree vocalizing at noon. Some quick research noted the term ‘laughing’ which labels the call well. Now to wonder why do they do that? My favorite website to follow Robin migration along with many other latitudinal changes by season is Journey North. You can participate as a citizen scientist and report your observations as I did. http://www.learner.org/jnorth/robin/spring2013/update011513.html

Maine Wildlife Videos posted on YouTube by Sunkhaze give us a look at a fisher and coyote from December. These videos are an excellent opportunity to view animal behavior first hand. Note the difference between the eating habits of the two animals. Both the fisher and coyote are common throughout the state and after this week’s snowfall it is a great time to get out and do some tracking. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfytPdVx0pc&feature=youtu.be

Posted in Astronomy Tides Weather Almanac, Fox Coyotes & Wolves, Grouse, Pigeons & Turkeys, Snails, Mussels, Crabs & Lobsters, Weasels, Skunk, Mink & Otter, Weekly Notes, Wildflowers with many petals | Tagged coyote, dandelion, fisher, lobster, lynx, Queen Anne's Lace, ruffed grouse | Comments Off

January 12, 2013 Weekly Nature News

Posted on January 12, 2013 by Maureen

January 12, 2013 Weekly News

White-tailed Buck with Antlers in January, Allagash, Dma&g Map 66

Storm systems have been quiet since the New Year, however in typical New England style the temperatures have gone from frigid cold to moderately above freezing and light rain across a large portion of the state predicted through the next couple of days. Snow pack is settling making for good conditions to be out on snowshoes. This will give the deer a chance to break trails from their wintering yards out to areas where they can browse. The skating ponds in York County are full every afternoon with kids enjoying the outdoors. The New Moon has brought higher than usual tides along the Maine coast.

The Center for Wildlife in Cape Neddick reported taking in a Long-Eared Owl found in Kittery, Map1.

: Curious Crow

: Hide-n-Seek Gray Squirrel

: Downy Woodpecker

On Friday January 11^th the dawn sky was absolutely gorgeous. I was outside well before sunrise and was surprised at the number of birds I heard calling. A few Robins were making that cluck-cluck-cluck call they tend to use just after sunset on summer evenings. It isn’t uncommon during the winter to see Robins in small flocks, sometimes mixed with Bluebirds around the Piscataqua watershed, but I had never heard them call like that on a winter morning. I’m curious if anyone else has had that experience, please comment below.

The air was still and as the sun came up there was a lot of activity at the feeder. A big smile crossed my face when I noticed a White-throated Sparrow scratching in the leaves where I throw seed. A squirrel was playing hide-n-seek with me while a Crow watched overhead, curious if I would have something he might be interested in. By noon there was cloud cover and the wind had swung to the south. I was reminded of the old proverb “Red Sky at Morning, Sailors Take Warning”. Although no significant storms were forecasted, the wind had changed and the outlook was for light rain over the next few days. Perhaps there is something to that saying. Didn’t find anything in my weather books so I went online, here is a link to the Library of Congress where I found some information. http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/weather-sailor.html

Red Sky at Morning, Sailors Take Warning

When the cloud cover clears where you are, watch for the Waxing Crescent moon to the West in the evenings. Mars in the evening West sky and Venus in the morning East sky are barely visible for just a few more days.

Joan in Skowhegan, Map 21, reported a Red-tailed Hawk on a feeding platform in her backyard.

Posted in Astronomy Tides Weather Almanac, Crows, Ravens & Vultures, Hawks Eagles Osprey Falcons, Squirrels, Porcupine, Chipmunk Rodents, Weekly Notes, Woodpeckers & Flickers | Tagged American Crow, Downy Woodpecker, Gray Squirrel, Red Sky, Red-tailed Hawk, Robin | 3 Comments

Quoddy Nature Notes – Redpolls

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Fred Gralenski

Common Redpoll. This is probably a female, because there is no blush of red on the breast. I only had two that came to my feeder, which is unusual because they normally come in sizable flocks. After a couple of days only one came. I did see a sharp shinned hawk at times. I sort of hope that he didn’t eat my other Redpoll

Quoddy Nature Notes – Common Redpoll

To limit any further confusion, I want to point out that Redpolls are birds and not Polish communists or surveys of the Russian news agency TASS. Redpolls are erratic winter visitors here in the Quoddy region, and I didn’t see any last year, so I’m celebrating their arrival by writing about them. So far I haven’t seen very many, as some years they descend by the dozens on any thistle (nyger) seed feeder, but I do appreciate the ones that I have seen.

Redpolls are circumpolar and summer in the upper part of the northern hemisphere, and here in North America their breeding range is from Alaska to Newfoundland. Classifying the little dickens has been an ongoing problem for ornithologists as long as there have been ornithologists. Nuttall, (1786-1859), recognized two forms of the Redpoll Acanthis flammea, but by the time Chamberlain updated his handbook in 1903 there were six subspecies of Redpolls listed, not counting the Hoary redpoll.

Redpolls remained under the genus Acanthis, with arguments of which claimed subspecies were actual, until quite recently when they were lumped together with many other finches, like Pine Siskins and Goldfinches, under the genus Carduelis. This is the way you will find them in your ‘Sibley’ guide or at Patuxent USGS. However, the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology presently lists the Common Redpoll like Nuttall did, as Acanthis flammea. Apparently not everyone agrees. Even Cornell states, ‘…The Common Redpolls from Greenland are larger and darker than those breeding in Alaska and Canada.’

My Redpoll was hatched out with about 4 siblings in a comfy little nest lined with ptarmigan feathers that momma Redpoll built in a scrub birch or conifer of the Taiga. Both parents fed the youngsters with the many mosquitoes and other insects common in the area. After about 2 weeks my Redpoll left the nest, but being a gregarious bird by nature, hung around with his siblings and relatives that nested nearby. He changed his diet to the seeds of birch, alder, willow, and all sorts of weeds and grasses and conifers. With an ample food supply, the redpoll can tolerate colder temperature than any other songbird.

He has an ‘esophageal diverticulum’, which is sort of a pocket off of his esophagus in his lower neck, where he can store food. With available food he faithfully stuffs this pocket with seeds and during the night or stretches of bad weather, he regurgitates the seeds, spits out the shells or undesirable coatings, then swallows the seeds to fuel his inner furnace and keep him going. How he does this, and how the ornithologists determined that he does this, is still a mystery to me, but mysteries add to the enjoyment of studying nature.

Sometimes in the winter the seed or cone crop will be insufficient to accommodate the supply of birds in the area, and the Redpolls may migrate in large flocks, often with other finches like Pine Siskins, to seek food elsewhere. Depending on the severity of the shortage of food, they may migrate as far south as Virginia, but generally these irruptive migrations limit themselves to southern New England. Forbush, writing in Massachusetts in the early 1900’s, delighted in these birds and recorded how many weed seeds the little Redpolls ate, and marveled at the benefit the Redpolls were to the area farmers.

Redpolls are usually very trusting, and one can often approach and watch them closely. Since they generally feed on the ground, they are subject to predation by housecats. The American Bird Conservatory recommends that you keep your cat indoors, not only for the safety of the birds but also for the safety of the cat. Also, if you feed the birds, keep your feeder clean, as Redpolls are subject to getting salmonella from overcrowding at feeders.

Posted in Quoddy Nature Notes, Song & Perching Birds | Tagged Common Redpoll | Comments Off

January 2, 2013

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Maureen

: Bluebirds at a feeder.

: Winter Mockingbird

: Tree Sparrow

The final week of 2012 ended with two snowstorms then cold temps that today will likely remain at or below zero in the northern areas and well below freezing along the moderate coastline. Click here for today’s snow depth report for Maine and the North East. There is only a few inches on the ground in Kittery given the moderate temperatures of the tidal Piscataqua River. Ten miles inland snowbanks quickly appear with reports coming in of 10 inches in South Berwick, 5 inches in Lisbon Falls, 15 inches on Frenchboro and 22 inches in Greenville.

A flock of Bluebirds and a Mockingbird were seen at two different feeders in Kittery, Map 1 Of DeLorme MA&G. It is not unusual for either of these birds to winter around the Piscataqua River, but they are not usually seen at feeders. Other areas of Maine are reporting more frequent visits from more common birds such as the Tree Sparrow.

According to Bernie Reim, today the earth passes through perihilion, when it is closest to the sun each year. We sure aren’t feeling the heat here in the Northern Hemisphere! Read Bernie’s January Astronomy forecast printed in the Portland Press Herald here.

The 4th quarter moon allows for early evening star gazing this week, be sure to bundle up warm. Owls may begin to hoot as they enter the mating season in January. If you hear any, send in your observation and tell us the species and the town.

Ice Fishing Season opened yesterday, January 1st. however ice conditions in some areas are still marginal. Ice-related fatalities have recently been reported so do stay safe when you are enjoying Maine’s Nature.

Posted in Astronomy Tides Weather Almanac, Song & Perching Birds, Weekly Notes | Tagged Bluebird, Mockingbird, Tree Sparrow | Comments Off

Quoddy Nature Notes – Cedar

Posted on December 27, 2012 by Fred Gralenski

Quoddy Nature Notes – Cedar

This used to be a pretty dense cedar grove. As the trees died or blew over I carefully took them out, and tried not to disturb the remaining trees, but all it did was turn into a damp, grassy meadow. On this acre + area there is only one cedar seedling started. Next year I will put in some live cedar twigs and see if they germinate.

Maine has three kinds of cedar trees that are native: the Northern White cedar Thuja occidentalis, the Atlantic White cedar Chamaecyparis thyoides, and the Red cedar Juniperus virginiana. One of the many interesting things about our cedars is that they are not cedars at all, and are not closely related to the old world cedars like the famed biblical cedars of Lebanon, but belong to the cypress family. I like the name ‘cedar’ better than ‘cypress’ and since they’re ours I guess we can call them anything that we want. Here in the Quoddy region the only native cedar we have is the Northern White cedar (Kakskus in my Passamaquoddy/ Maliseet reference book), although a lot of different types and subspecies and variations have been brought in as ornamentals. The original range of our cedar was from New Brunswick through New England and New York along the Canadian border out to around Minnesota, as far north as the Hudson Bay and scattered populations as far south as Tennessee. Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, according to the maps, have little Northern White cedar.

Our cedar is a light, rot resistant wood that, although it is not strong, is good for fence posts, log cabins, canoes and even fragrant wreaths. Some sawmills specialize in processing cedar, but the trees usually don’t grow very big or very fast, although they may live a long time. Apparently the oldest living tree east of the Rockies is a puny Northern White cedar over 1500 years old growing slowly out of a cliff face in Ontario. It is strange that our cedar chooses either alkaline swamps or rocky outcroppings as places to grow. I have examples of both environments here in Pembroke and I am still puzzled. Some real, honest-to-goodness botanists have also been perplexed by this mystery and have even proposed two ‘genetic races’ as a solution. When cedar grows in swamps it forms pretty dense groves. Now forestry books say that when a tree in a dense grove falls or dies this action lets in sunlight and new trees quickly sprout up. Not so with cedar. I have several instances confirming this puzzle. Apparently one can easily propagate cedar by sticking live twigs in the ground. I have not tried this but will in my grassy former cedar groves. If this does work the wretched deer and rabbits may chew them off first, and the porcupines will gnaw on them if they get big. Moose apparently won’t eat cedar unless there is nothing else around. Red squirrels use the bark almost exclusively to make nests.

It is in the medicinal field that our cedar really shines. Jacques Cartier brought back cedar to France, and, since this was associated with his curing his men of scurvy, it was called Arbor vitae, or ‘tree of life’. This may or may not be the plant that saved Cartier’s men, and it could have been something else, because Cartier records the medicinal miracle as ‘annedda’. When Champlain was here in 1604 apparently he failed to communicate with the Native Americans about his desire for ‘Annedda’ , and his men suffered greatly. The shame was that, although cedar was probably the best choice as a solution for scurvy, other trees like spruce, hemlock or white pine and berries like cranberries and lingonberries would have sufficed. The local natives ate all of these regularly, and probably were not familiar with the curse of scurvy. In fact scurvy was a continuing problem with woodsmen until relatively recent times. A little ditty that arose among the 19^th century lumbermen who normally ate beans, bread, salt pork and anything that they could shoot, was: ‘A pint a day of Arbor Vitae, keeps a man strong and mighty’.

The name ‘Arbor Vitae’ is also interesting. In anatomy this is the cerebellar white matter part of the brain that is branched something like a tree or fern; in geography Arbor Vitae is a town in Wisconsin, pop.3153; and in social work Arbor Vitae is a center in Michigan that supports women who are facing unexpected pregnancies. This last association is very ironic. Even if a tea made out of Arbor Vitae does cure scurvy, it can be dangerous for pregnancies, and caution is advised.

I’ve made tea out of the bark and leaves of Arbor Vitae, and straight it tasted like a 2X4 from EBS. It’s palatable if you add a goodly amount of honey. I noticed at Walgreens that I can buy some medication for warts made from Arbor Vitae. That will probably work as well as the stump water I used for warts when I was a kid.

Posted in Cedar Trees, Quoddy Nature Notes | Tagged Northern White Cedar | Comments Off

Quoddy Nature Notes – A Tale of a Tree

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Fred Gralenski

Quoddy Nature Notes – A Tale of a Tree

I cut down a spruce tree next to our house the other day. I’m a tree hugger, and it was with a little sadness that I did it, but it was interesting to record the history of the tree in its growth rings, and correlate this information with information about the human history of the place. This is not easily done, as deeds are confusing documents, and information passed down by word of mouth is conflicting and biased by personal feelings, but its fun to try. The stump of my cut tree was less than a foot high, and these were my reference rings.

My tree first reached the referenced height in 1920. The property was then owned by Laura Leighton and was apparently just a woodlot with access by a logging road over the property of others. The wood was piled on a ‘Two-sled’ (I found a cog from one) and gotten out by the access road and also barges that came in to the nearby shore of Cobscook Bay. The area must have been cut quite heavily, resulting in a lot of new competitive growth as my tree grew slowly and by 1924 was only .32 inches in diameter. However at that time something favorable happened and the tree experienced good growth and was ½ inch in diameter by the end of 1925. Also by that time the property was owned by Laura Leighton’s daughter, Jessie Marshall, who was married to Fred Marshall. Fred raised sheep on the property, and it was called locally, ‘Fred Marshall’s Point’. My tree did well under the conditions, as the sheep must have limited the deciduous competition, until 1937, when slow growth again prevailed. (I’m sure my birthday had nothing to do with it.)

Black Spruce chisleded by a Pileated Woodpecker

Tree with some of the outer bark peeled by the Pileated woodpecker. Note the little hole drilled by the woodpecker on the lower left part of the tree.

Slow growth continued until the late 1940’s, when I think there was some clearing for fishing activity as Earle Ashby obtained the property in the 1950’s and installed a weir in Schooner cove. Relatively good growth continued as the tree grew above its competition, and various owners of the property did little or no cutting, and we purchased the land in 1986 and built our log cabin in the woods. The tree was about 45 feet from the East side of the house, and the heavy equipment used in building must have damaged some of the roots of the tree, but the tree still looked pretty healthy in spite of the poor soil and shallow depth to bedrock, and gave me no cause for concern until recently. My tree was a black spruce, with the characteristic broad but thin scales.

I watched a Pileated woodpecker work on the tree and flick off the pieces of outer bark and I wondered what he was doing. He came back for several days, and the tree started to look blotchy brown instead of a continuous dark gray, and then I remembered some of my research into these birds when he drilled a little hole. What the woodpecker was doing was checking the soundness of the tree. Somehow he suspected that the tree was compromised with a rotted center, so probably full of ants, (his primary winter food supply) and he was analyzing and charting the best place to determine this for sure. The woodpecker then drilled a test hole and found rot, but no ants. He probably would have remembered the spot and would have returned next year to check, but I was left with a problem. Here I had a nearby tree that probably would provide a neat opportunity for some future photographs of a Pileated woodpecker, but would that be before a strong easterly gale knocked the tree into our kitchen? I took the road of caution, and cut down my tree. There was some rot, but if the roots held I felt that the tree had at least 4-5 years of stability. I marveled at the skill that the bird had in determining the closest place that the rot had come to the surface of the tree.

I dragged the tree off, processed some of the branches and the top into firewood and the bole into sawlogs, and put the small branches on the brushpile to burn this winter. I’ll put leftover table scraps and bones on the stump and watch the crows and bluejays feast. Goodbye tree. Sorry things didn’t work out. Or maybe they did.

Stump after I cut down the tree. Note the hole that the woodpecker had made, and how he picked out the spot that the rot is the closest to the surface.

Posted in Quoddy Nature Notes, Spruce, Balsam Fir & Hemlock, Woodpeckers & Flickers | Tagged Black Spruce, Pileated Woodpecker | Comments Off

Quoddy Nature Notes

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Fred Gralenski

Wrap up 2012 and Compare

With the growing season over and most of the needles have fallen off of the Hackmatacks, it’s interesting to look back and contemplate what happened. My garden was poor this year. I fell far behind right at the start and the poor garden sort of had to fend for itself. Veggie gardens usually don’t prosper under such circumstances, and the production showed. This wasn’t helped by and influx of rabbits and porcupines, who even ate the sunflower stalks, and the late blight (or wilt) on the tomatoes. I had similar problems with wilt last year, as did most gardeners that I talked to. Gardeners like to compare results. My cucumber production was terrible, as was the corn, squash, beets, potatoes and peas; bean, onion, pepper and radish production was so-so, and anything else was pretty non-descript. In regards to fruit, from what I noticed here in the Quoddy region the apple crop this year was poor although a friend remarked that he thought that the apple trees in Fundy National Park in New Brunswick were pretty productive. I have seen very few Mountain ash trees with red berries this year. The cranberries and crowberries at Western Head in Cutler were essentially non-existent, although a wild cranberry bog near Pembroke yielded several quarts of the tart fruit in less than an hour of slopping in the water. There are only a few small Lingonberries in our woods, and the bunchberries were worse than usual. The acorn crop is poor this year, and our Beech trees are descending into oblivion. I’m not sure what has happened to the beaked hazelnuts. There are a lot of healthy looking bushes around, but I have not found a productive one for many years.

A Pine Grosbeak, either female or immature

The cones seem to have the biggest impact on the critters here in the Quoddy region. Last year people were calling me because they were concerned that there were few birds at their backyard birdfeeders, and had any sinister malevolence befallen their feathered friends. I really didn’t know positively, but I had guessed that since the cone crop was outstanding, the birds had ample sustenance in the forest without travelling to feeders. I suspect that the cone crop may have been only part of the reason, because not all common feeder birds like chickadees, nuthatches and blue jays, actively feed on cones. All birds are opportunists, however, and in the midst of plenty they might change their normal habits a bit. Certainly the red squirrels enjoyed the bounty and my barn had many piles of shucked cones on stairs, work benches, grinders, saws and chairs. I’m still uncovering caches of unshucked cones in corners and cans and drawers of bolts, nails and tools. But this year is very different. The cone crop is poor, and it is lean times for those critters that depend on cones for the major part of their calories. The birds and squirrels have returned to the backyard feeders with a vengeance and Walmart apparently is selling oodles of black oil sunflower seeds. Our Blue jays, Chickadees, Redbreasted Nuthatches and a few less common species are very busy at our feeders. There are increasing signs that the situation is not just local, as some of the scarcer irruptive species are appearing here. I’ve noticed a few Evening and Pine Grosbeaks checking out not only the feeders but also the rose hips and barberry bushes. It has been a good while since I last saw an Evening Grosbeak. Also 2012 was a good year for the bristly caterpillars like Woolly Bears and Hickory Tussock moths here in the Quoddy region, and the fuzzy cocoons of the latter seem to be under every pail or piece of wood outside. I don’t know what this portends for the future, but it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

It’s hunting season. Do you suppose a partridge was sitting on this sign?

Posted in Quoddy Nature Notes | Tagged birds, Pine Grosbeak | 1 Comment

Hello Everyone!

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Admin

Hello Everyone!

Maureen here, just want to make a quick introduction and give you a bit of my story. My childhood days were spent wandering the woods and fields of a salt-water farm, I explored the saltmarshes and rocks of the inter-tidal zone and at chore-time I could be found in the barn pretending not to hear my mother’s call to come indoors for the night. In time the mystery and romance of the woods led me to the unorganized territories of Maine where I discovered nature makes my heart sing! I am so pleased to share with you the wonder of the natural history in this beautiful place on earth known as Maine, USA. I am a Kamana Naturalist, a Master Maine Guide and hold a degree in Environmental Studies with a focus in Learning in Connection with Nature. Along with Gene Thompson, we own and operate Frost Pond Camps in T3R11 just a wink west of Mount Katahdin.

I have followed Maine Nature News since it’s inception and appreciate the opportunity to carry on the work and ideas of Frank and Robin. I am excited to share stories and talk with all of you. Please be in touch to let me know how Maine Nature News can be most useful to you! I will get back to you as soon as I can, as we say in the woods – technology is great, but not perfect but it sure beats the days of snowshoes and sled-dogs, now we can beam emails off the stars! Take good care and enjoy your time outdoors – we’ll talk soon. ~Maureen

Posted in Maine Nature Muse | 1 Comment

A New Owner for Maine Nature News

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Robin Follette

Hello Everyone,

On August 1, 2006 I took over the publishing of Maine Nature News. Frank Whibey was preparing to retire. It was an honor to be trusted by Frank after a couple of phone conversations. A lot has changed in MNN’s format since then thanks to blogging software than makes the job much easier. Tomorrow, November 12, 2012 is the day Maureen Raynes steps in as the new publisher. I’m confident in Maureen’s ability to inspire veteran and new reporters, and to take MNN in an interesting, beautiful new direction. I’ve read some of Maureen’s work. I know you’ll enjoy her insight. She’s intimately familiar with Maine’s natural history as a writer and as co-owner of Frost Pond Camps.

Thank you to John Bay and Kirk Betts for always coming up with something on Monday night when there were no reports waiting to be published Tuesday morning. Frank told me I could count on them. Fred Gralenski has been a blessing with is always dependable submissions for Quoddy Nature Notes. Being practically neighbors here in Washington County, I’m sure I’ll be running into Fred in other ways. Thanks to all who sent reports and photo and keep reading.

Thanks Maureen for agreeing to take this on. I can go knowing that it’s in good hands with someone Frank would approve of and support.I’d say good luck but luck has nothing to do with this. Thank you! And enjoy!

I will continue to blog and write for a couple of newspapers. Please stop in to see me from time to time! I’m sure I’ll be stopping here with reports.

Robin Follette

Posted in Robin's Journal | 2 Comments

Maine Black Fly Report for May 19, 2013

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Thhermit

The black flies are coming, the black flies are coming!

As the black fly season moves along, we notice that a few more reports are coming in. As the season progresses, people will send in more reports. (It helps make the season a bit shorter you know!)

Due to the cooler weather they are being kept under control pretty well this season. If you get out and stir things up it may bring a few more around to keep you occupied while you are outside. Nothing like mowing the grass while it is damp on a warmer day to get them excited and hungry!

I did manage to entice a couple of bites today, it makes one know that spring really is here. The ice that I had in my water bucket the other morning tells me that it is one of the things (cooler temps) that is keeping those pesky varmints at a lower level of activity.

A few more good bites and I will officially declare it SPRING!

So get ready for the “Black Fly Wave”, and if I see you in the yard waving, I will know that you are not just waving to me, cause you will have both arms going!

These reports are provided as a general condition of the black flies around the state. The data is provided by individuals who email the current condition to me at blackfly@mainenaturenews.com. In your email tell me if they are light, moderate or severe and what town, city or township you are reporting for. I will include your report in the next weeks report!

This weeks tip to help endure them a little better is to wash your hair with an unscented shampoo, it does help. Stay tuned for next weeks tip!

T. H. Hermit

Posted in Black Fly Report | Leave a comment

Seeking Anglers for Brook Trout Survey Project

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Admin

Maine Audubon, Trout Unlimited and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IFW) are seeking volunteer anglers to survey remote ponds in western and northern Maine for brook trout this coming fishing season. Survey information collected by anglers will be used by the nonprofit organizations and IFW to help identify populations of brook trout to be eligible for conservation management practices.

There are still hundreds of ponds in the state have never been surveyed by fisheries biologists nor have any record of being stocked with fish. We plan to continue volunteer survey efforts in 2013. The project’s focus on remote lakes and ponds offers anglers a chance to explore new areas of the state.

“Volunteers should be enthusiastic about fishing for brook trout, be comfortable in remote settings and have a sense of adventure!” noted Jeff Reardon of Trout Unlimited.

For more information or to sign up to volunteer, please contact Emily Bastian at Maine Audubon at 207-781-6180 x207, or ebastian@maineaudubon.org.

Posted in Maine Audubon | Comments Off

Black Fly Report for Week Ending May 12, 2013

Posted on May 11, 2013 by The Honorable Hermit

Once more the season is upon us, the black fly season that is! Warm weather and a few rainy days and the wonderful black fly hatches out, treating all who wander outside to the joy of the “Black Fly Wave”, both arms extended and swishing back and forth over our heads and around our faces.

Long sleeved shirts, long legged pants and even head nets can help prevent the minor discomfort of being bitten by these critters. Coupled with a good quality fly dope, you can still get outside to work or play.

As each persons tolerance of the black fly is different, results will vary, but it gives you an idea of how they are progressing across the state.

You can email questions and I will try to help out where I can.

As a general rule, the worst of the season is from the end of May till the end of June. Severity is very dependent upon the weather. Cool weather keeps them under control and very hot weather tends to knock them down as well. After a cool rainy stretch when the sun comes out and warms things up again, they tend to come out in force again for a bit.

Light colored clothing and not wearing any fragrant essences will help to slow down the attack. When they are real bad, if you find an open area with a little breeze to spend time in, they will be less intensive. This is what many of the deer and moose do in the spring when the flies are bad, which is one of the reasons you find the animals along the road sides in the late spring and early summer. (Felt seasons, not the official seasons)

The good news is, the season is fairly short for the severe stage. Usually by the end of June, first part of July they are much less a problem. At times you will go for days without even seeing a single black fly.

So get out and enjoy the spring, just prepare yourself properly and you will find it not all that bad.

T.H. Hermit

Posted in Black Fly Report | Tagged Black Fly Report | Leave a comment

Brook Trout Threatened by Illegal Bass Stocking

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Admin

May 2, 2013

Brook Trout Threatened by Illegal Bass Stocking

Augusta, Maine – Central Maine may now lose one of its few remaining high-quality brook trout waters to yet another illegal fish introduction.

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife biologists confirmed the presence of smallmouth bass in Kimball Pond, Vienna, on April 26, 2013. Acting on complaints from anglers regarding reduced brook trout catches, biologists confirmed the illegal introduction of bass while conducting a survey of the pond’s trout population.

“We are deeply disappointed that another first-class brook trout fishery is threatened by small-mouthed bass,” said Mike Brown, fisheries director. “Someone obviously doesn’t realize Kimball Pond is a brook trout treasure.”

Kimball Pond is one of central Maine’s premiere brook trout waters. Kimball is renowned for good catch rates and quality sized brook trout (fish commonly reaching 18 inches in length). The main factor that contributes to the successful fishery at Kimball Pond is the lack of competing predatory fish species: the pond contained only brook trout, sunfish, and a few species of baitfish. The presence of bass in this small pond (55 acres) will result in competition with brook trout for food, and larger bass feeding on small brook trout.

Department biologists believe that this introduction is in its early stages because bass numbers appear to be low in Kimball Pond. While it may be impossible to eradicate bass from Kimball Pond, anglers can do their part by removing any bass they catch.

Introducing fish into a Maine water is illegal. It is a Class E crime punishable by a fine of up to $10,000.00 dollars. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is offering a minimum reward of $2,000.00 for information leading to the apprehension of persons responsible for the illegal introduction of fish. Call Operation Game Thief at: 1-800-253-7887.

Posted in IF&W | Tagged brook trout, small mouth bass | Comments Off

Action Needed: Open Pit Mining in Maine, LD 1032 via Maine Audubon

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Admin

Action Needed: Open Pit Mining in Maine, LD 1032

by jgray via MaineAudubon

We need your help to protect Maine’s waters, wildlife and communities from mining pollution! Support LD 1302, An Act to Amend the Maine Metallic Mineral Mining Act to Protect Water Quality (sponsor Rep. Jeff McCabe)

You Can Help in Two Ways

Please attend a hearing at the Environment and Natural Resources Committee on Monday, April 29th at 9:00 a.m. in Room 216 of the Cross Office Building (directly behind the State House) to support a bill that would strengthen standards for mining in Maine.
Contact Jenn Gray at jgray@maineaudubon.org or (207) 798-2900 if you can attend the hearing on Monday, April 29th beginning at 9:00 a.m., or if you have questions.

Contact members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee to ask them to support LD 1302! (Please see contact information below)

The Facts – The mining industry has an extremely poor track record of polluting the environment and leaving taxpayers with the costs of clean up. In 2012, the Maine Legislature passed a bill that rolled back Maine’s mineral mining laws. Proponents of last year’s legislation are considering mining Bald Mountain in central Aroostook County. Should open pit mining occur in that location, the impacts could be dramatic – open-pit mining leaves large toxic acid ponds which could potentially drain through ground and surface waters into the Fish River and the Fish River Chain of Lakes, which provide some of the best brook trout fishing in the country.

Learn more on our Open Pit Mining page »

Why we need your help – LD 1302 amends last year’s law to protect water quality and Maine taxpayers from the risks of mining. A huge turnout of concerned citizens at the State House last year helped improve the bill – we need your help!

Specifically, LD 1302 – An Act to Amend the Maine Metallic Mineral Mining Act to Protect Water Quality (sponsor Rep. Jeff McCabe) would:

Protect Maine’s groundwater by requiring DEP to measure compliance with groundwater standards as close as possible to mining-related activities;
Require an independent, third-party estimate of clean-up costs and ensure that mining companies place a sum equal to that cost in a secure trust;
Make any mining permit contingent on a company proving that at least one mine has operated elsewhere in the U.S., in a similar climate to Maine’s, without polluting groundwater or surface water;
Not allow any mines that would require wastewater treatment or other waste management activities in perpetuity (such as a tailing dams or liner maintenance). Specifically, LD 1302 would mandate that mining companies complete all clean-up, waste management and water treatment activities within 10 years of ceasing mining operations.

Maine Environment and Natural Resources Committee

Contact Information

House Phone Number: (800) 423-2900
Senate Phone Number: (800) 423-6900

Cooper, Janice (D) – Representative, District 107
RepJanice.Cooper@legislature.maine.gov
Harlow, Denise (D) – Representative, District 116
RepDenise.Harlow@legislature.maine.gov
Chipman, Benjamin (Ind) – Representative, District 119
Ben.Chipman@legislature.maine.gov
McGowan, Paul (D) – Representative, District 149
RepPaul.McGowan@legislature.maine.gov
Saviello, Thomas (R) – Senator, District 18
SenThomas.Saviello@legislature.maine.gov
Reed, Roger (R) – Representative, District 023
RepRoger.Reed@legislature.maine.gov
Ayotte, Bernard (R) – Representative, District 003
RepBernard.Ayotte@legislature.maine.gov
Gratwick, Geoffrey (D) – Senator, District 32
SenGeoff.Gratwick@legislature.maine.gov
Campbell, Richard (R) – Representative, District 040
RepDick.Campbell@legislature.maine.gov
Welsh, Joan (D) – Representative, District 046
RepJoan.Welsh@legislature.maine.gov
Grant, Gay (D) – Representative, District 059
RepGay.Grant@legislature.maine.gov
Boyle, James (D) – Senator, District 06
SenJames.Boyle@legislature.maine.gov
Long, Ricky (R) – Representative, District 009
RepRick.Long@legislature.maine.gov

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