If you’d like to add your report please either email it to Robin or ask to have an account created for you so that you can report directly to our readers.
Herring Gull
20
Aug
Bar Harbor (Map 16)
A herring gull found an easy meal at the town pier in Bar Harbor. We spotted the bird when it was trying to tear apart a starfish. We watched it shake the starfish repeatedly for about a minute. When it finally broke into two pieces the gull swallowed the part with three legs after a few tries, then downed the second piece with two legs easily.
Going out for seconds!
Looking in the rock weed. Nothing here.
Success! The gull had to go all the way to the end of the pier before it found another starfish.
The gull repeated the process of shaking the starfish until it tore into two parts. It took the gull a full minute to tear the starfish in two but just a few seconds to swallow its meal. When it was done it walked to the top of the pier and napped in the sun.
Quoddy Nature Notes – Burying Beetles
18
Aug
A couple of weeks ago I left a 5 gallon bucket outside the cellar door and an unfortunate Deer mouse investigated it and fell in. By the time I needed the bucket the mouse had met his demise, and the carcass had attracted some blow flies and a red and black beetle. I went to get my camera, but the beetle had left. I suspected it was a burying beetle and did some cursory study on them, and found them interesting, and decided to try a little experiment. I put 4-5 inches of dirt in the bucket and put the dead mouse on top. In one day the mouse was buried. I knew it was a burying beetle, and I carefully dug up the little rascal and took his picture, then put him back to his living room, kitchen, boudoir and nursery as best I could. I did identify the genus as Nicrophorus, but none of my references could tell the species. An email to ‘Beetle Bob’ of the Maine Entomological Society and I got the answer, and I was off and running with this column.
According to ‘Beetle Bob’, we have 6 to 8 different species of burying beetles here in Maine. My beetle was N. orbicollis, and these are the most common here. Lots of the genus Nicrophorus are colored orange and black but only orbicollis has a circular ‘pronotum’, which is the chunk of beetle armor between its head and abdomen. My beetle is a marvel of chemical engineering in both production and sensing. Using his hi-gain clubbed antennae each with its three orange apical segments he can detect a dead carcass over a mile away. When he finds his treasure and checks that everything is OK and that there are no competitors, he gets out his chemistry set and mixes up a batch of pheromones and summons the missus. She gets the signal from up to a mile away and comes flying in and they set up housekeeping. The first order of business after mating is to secure the food supply and the two of them will work together and bury the carcass. In the process the male again gets out his chemistry set and produces an antibiotic to delay the decaying of the carcass. Within two days after arriving the female will lay her eggs not on the buried carcass but nearby in the soil. The eggs hatch in about 2 days and the larvae are fed by both adult beetles. The adults eat the carrion and regurgitate the food for the larva, as the larvae apparently have weak and ineffective mouthparts. (I can visualize the family. “Gee Ma. Are we going to have upchucked mouse again tonight? We had that last night.”) The number of offspring is somewhat determined by the size of the carcass. If the carcass is deemed too small to provide enough sustenance for the number of eggs hatched, the parents will limit the number of larvae by a grisly process called filial cannibalism and kill some of their offspring. After about a week Daddy will leave, and shortly thereafter the well fed larvae (If they like upchucked mouse) will go off into the surrounding soil to pupate, at which time Mom will also leave. After about two weeks the youngsters will finish their process and emerge as adult burying beetles. It is probably too late in the season for them to set up housekeeping this year, but they will seek out carrion and dung for food until the cold weather comes, then they will hibernate. In 2011 the generation of beetles hatched in my bucket will emerge in the spring and if they are successful in finding the right carrion they may produce two or more broods. None of my references gave a lifespan for these critters, but I would guess about two years max. N.orbicollis ranges along the east coast from Canada down to Florida, out to Texas and up to North Dakota. I always wondered why in the nursery rhyme, “Who Killed Cock Robin?” the Beetle volunteered to make the shroud? I think he was playing it sneaky and let Mr. Owl do the heavy digging, but Mr. Beetle was planning other things.
Quoddy Nature Notes – Beans
30
Jul
QUODDY NATURE NOTES
by Fred Gralenski
I like to raise beans (green beans) in my garden. It seems that home-grown beans, even if they’re frozen, taste better than the store-boughten ones. I don’t know why. Is it the sweat involved? Usually beans are pretty well behaved, that is, you plant them and they grow with no fuss, and you just weed them enough so that they get a little ahead of the weeds and let them be until they’re big enough to pick. This is especially true with pole beans, and I usually raise pole and bush beans because the bush beans are generally earlier. This year my reliable beans rebelled. I prepared the garden by careful rototilling and planted them after Memorial Day, just like always. The weeds did spectacularly, but no beans. June eleventh; repeat previous procedure, and a couple of weeks later I again have my spectacular weeds, but this time some beans. It’s always a question how well to weed the garden. The weeds obviously use up some of the nutrients, but they offer some protection from the rabbits. Rabbits like weeds, but they really love bean sprouts. A nice neat ten foot row of four inch bean sprouts is a gift from rabbit heaven, but mix that up with some lamb’s quarters, amaranth and sorrel (which you don’t have to plant), throw in some rabbits and some of the beans will survive to picking size.
Green beans, or string beans, (Phaseolus vulgaris) are native to the new world. Columbus found the natives growing them when he arrived, and it is estimated that the Native Americans first cultivated beans about 6000 years ago. The agricultural staples of the First Americans were beans, squash and corn (maize), and these were frequently grown together, as the beans provided some of the needed nitrogen, especially for the corn; the corn provided a framework for the beans to grow on and the squash provided some protection for the other two plants. Bush beans were unknown to the Native Americans. Bush beans were developed relatively recently for commercial operations, where the whole crop is ready to be picked at one time, and pole beans are considered better for the home garden in that they take up less ground space, are easier picking and produce over a longer period of time. Beans were also developed in the Near East and in the Mediterranean area, probably about 8000 years ago. These are a different type of bean , known as the ‘Broad bean’ Vicia faba, and an example is the ‘fava’ bean. There are hundreds of varieties of beans, and they are a valuable food worldwide. Beans are so widespread that they have even worked their way into some common descriptions, like some senseless item, idea or a procedure ‘doesn’t amount to a hill of beans’, or ‘to spill the beans’ is to give away secrets, or a ‘beancounter’ is usually a middlemanager or bureaucrat performing a useless job.
All ‘green’ beans can be left to ripen on the vine and dried out and stored, but certain varieties are recommended. Red kidney beans are probably the most common, but dried Red Kidney beans contain a toxin called ‘Phytohaemagglutnin’. The symptom of this poison is gastric distress 1-3 hours after ingesting and may be quite severe, but complete and spontaneous recovery usually occurs within 4 hours. These tasty beans can be rendered safe for consumption by following some simple precautions that are almost inherent: 1. Soak the beans in fresh water for at least 5 hours (I always wondered why this was done); 2. Change water and boil for at least 10 minutes. Boiling appears to be necessary, as problems arose in England with casseroles made in slow cookers that did not reach full boiling temperatures.
So I’ll casually tend my bean crop and thank the Bean god that Japanese beetles haven’t found my part of the Quoddy region yet, and wonder why my pole beans vines always wrap around the bean pole with a clockwise pattern. Do beans grown south of the Equator wrap the other way? I guess I really don’t know beans.
Quoddy Nature Notes – More About Lupine
04
Jul
QUODDY NATURE NOTES
by Fred Gralenski
More lupines? I’m sorry. Even if their blossoms here have largely gone by, the whys and the wherefors of our native lupine Lupinus perennis, still escape me. Apparently our native lupine, at least according to some of the senior folk here in Pembroke, was never as common as our present lupine, L. polyphyllus, but I can track the present lupine, so let’s start there.
In the early 1800’s it was fashionable in the British nobility to learn about the world’s flora and fauna, and a thriving collection of exotics to display to your guests was a surefire way to be included in the social columns. In the 1820’s, not long before Darwin, David Douglas arrived in Britain with some flowering plants he had found in North America, near what is now Oregon, and these were the lupines L.polyphyllus. The blossoms were different from the typical English flowers, but not especially attractive. Their drab blues got to be sort of common in English gardens for about a century, until George Russell, a gardener from York, examined them closely and thought that by selective breeding he could accentuate their subtle shades of rose, yellow and white. George was the classic English curmudgeon, and for over 20 years he secretly pursued his goal of the perfect lupine, reading a lot but talking to few, and mercilessly destroying the plants that he deemed subpar and coddling those with promise. Each year his lupines became more beautiful, but he was not satisfied. Finally the secret got out, and after much badgering (Come on, George, you’re 79 years old. You can’t keep this up forever.) he grudgingly was persuaded to show his lupines at the Royal Horticultural Society’s show in June of 1937. The brilliant colors of the Russell lupines were an immediate sensation, in spite of the ominous clouds of WWII. Russell lupines were spread to all parts of the world, even to Maine. In New Zealand, they were first documented in 1958, and have since severely modified some of the river systems so that the riparian ecosystems are no longer compatible with the rare local fauna. Here in Maine the roadside lupines are a hodgepodge of genetic diversity stretching back to the original Russell lupines. These lupines have a recessive allele and the original blues will dominate after several generations. L. polyphyllus is listed as a perennial, but usually lives only 4-5 years. I’ve noticed fields of lupines have been cleared of lupines by successive mowing prior to the plants setting seeds. Although low alkaloidal lupines have been bred and are carefully utilized as fodder in parts of Russia and Finland, the regular Russell lupine is deemed poisonous. I’ve checked with a couple of sheep and horse farms here to see if they are concerned about the amount of lupine available to their stock, and the general answer is that the animals will usually avoid ingesting lupines if the animals have enough standard food, and so far no problem. In Britain, there is a caution among nurserymen to protect young lupines from slugs. I’ve never seen slugs on our lupines. Are English slugs more voracious than ours? The lupines around our house show no signs of being eaten by anything except aphids, and I have observed nothing eating the aphids. Do the aphids assimilate the toxins, and, like monarch butterflies on milkweed, use it for their own protection? A query to the Maine Entomological Society indicated the question has not been researched.
So what happened to our native lupine Lupinus perennis? There is a lot of contradiction in the literature, but most blame habitat. Some say L. perennis is extirpated in Maine; some say there are marginal colonies in the western and northern counties. One reference states,”…fires, feeding by large ungulates, mowing can improve habitat quality for established lupines…” ; many references state that the seeds need to be soaked in hot water prior to planting; one study by USDA said that this method did not improve germination, but soaking in a mild sulfuric acid solution and or scarifying was very beneficial; fires are detrimental and will kill all new seedlings; etc, etc. The ‘feeding by large ungulates’ is interesting. What could that be, a mastodon? That might supply the scarifying and an acid bath, but what ungulates traditionally eat a poisonous plant, especially after it has gone to seed? I only once saw a rabbit, the only critter other than an aphid, eat a lupine. It ate several leaves and didn’t seem to mind, but abruptly hopped off into the woods. It probably went to the emergency room in the wilderness hospital and got his stomach pumped out.
What Is It? Worm Identification
23
Jun
Talmadge, Map 45
I spotted this worm on tall grass. It is approximately 4″ long and hair thin. The head and tail ends are lighter color than the body. It appears to “wave” in the air and seems like it could tie itself in knots. Does anyone know what it is? Please email the answer if you know anything about this interesting worm.
Quoddy Nature Notes – Puddle Critters
23
Jun
By Fred Gralenski
I like water. Not because I’m especially clean, but where there is water there is usually a good supply of critters for me to marvel at. Now where I live I have a good opportunity to study that big piece of water that stretches over to the old world, but that puddle is overwhelming. For one thing it keeps moving up and down. I know the basics of why it does this, but not the particulars, and I know a little of some of the critters, but WOW! The concept of the whole system and the interactions of the plants and animals are just so mind boggling that one must take leave of the ocean periodically and watch something simpler, like freshwater pools. I think it was with this in mind that soon after we moved to Pembroke we built a few small puddles on our property. I mean what could be simpler than watching a hole fill up with water? HAH! After 15 years I’m still confused. Why did the wood frogs prosper in one pond for a few years then leave? Why do the cattails threaten to take over three of the ponds but have not appeared in the biggest? How did the bladderwort get in one pond and not the others? I also do a little observing elsewhere. Why are there so many leeches in Dudley swamp in the Baring division of Moosehorn? Why are there only two ponds with fairy shrimp in that whole area, and how did they get there? And lastly, how did the fingernail clams get into the roadside ditches of Leighton Point Road?
Fingernail clams, probably of the Pisidium genus. Backdrop is a paper clip.
Few people but lots of ducks realize that fingernail clams exist at all. There are about 21 species of these bivalves that live in the puddles, ponds, lakes, streams and rivers in New England, however here in the Quoddy region we only have a few species. The available literature is scarce because the clams are of seemingly little economic value. The clams that I found are probably of the Pisidium genus. They have a reasonably good tolerance of the roadside pollution, that is, the salt and oil fumes that go with the location. There are often enough survivors after a standard roadside ditching disturbance to maintain a viable population, providing it is not too severe and the puddle returns. These clams are very similar in shape to the hard shell clam Mercenaria mercenaria, only much smaller. Like any other clam they have a foot for limited mobility and dual siphons for water intake and exhaust. They eat algae and any other teeny tiny critters that they can filter out. Fingernail clams propagate sexually and reach maturity in only a year or two depending on conditions, but can survive long periods of hibernation if the puddle dries up. Under the right conditions, typically in early summer, they will spawn, and the females will send out eggs into the water to be fertilized by the males. There is no larval stage for fingernail clams, and when the eggs hatch they look like very tiny adults, and quickly settle in to the happy life of being a clam. This Eden is often messed up by predatory insects, like dragonfly larva or diving beetles, or by ducks. Ducks, like Mallards or Blacks, find fingernail clams especially yummy. It is interesting to watch ducks work the mud and shores harvesting any and all available food. They will stick their beak into the substrate and, with a clever motion of their beak and tongue, the slurry is pumped up and the solids are filtered out and the water goes out the sides of their beak. However ducks do help fingernail clams find new territory. Fingernail clams are sort of sticky and will adhere to the feathers and legs of ducks and get a free ride to some remote pond or roadside ditch and set up a new population for some naturalist to ponder.
Lupine stem loaded with aphids. Where are all those Lady Beetles I boarded all winter?
Northern Flicker
18
Jun
Hartford, Map 11
Today in the front yard I could hear some interesting chatter going on. When I peered out my front door I was amazed to see six pileated woodpeckers playing amongst the large old maples in the door yard. At one point they were all on the same tree!! One hour later, I was going out the backdoor into the garden and spied a pair of northern flickers!
Quoddy Nature Notes – Spring Wrap Up
10
Jun
Here it is, June, so spring in the Quoddy region is essentially over. Now is the time to take a deep breath, stand back a bit from the clutter of ongoing projects, both physical and mental, and wonder, “What happened?”
Our spring arrived early this year, and the leaves and flowers followed suit. The amphibian walks suggested to me that this generation of wood frogs would be less than normal. Although they started early, the calling season was short and the egg mass numbers were low. The successful wood frog tadpoles have already left their ponds. Toad numbers seem to be normal as they typically call for about a week; peepers have only a few romantic stragglers still calling, and the gray tree frogs are gearing up. Spotted salamanders eggs were common, but a high percentage of the eggs seem to be non-viable. Fortunately, these guys live for upwards of thirty years, so most will be able to try again next year. Turtles are out looking for good nesting sites and are currently being spotted on the roads. It is sometimes tricky to determine which direction they are going, but try to carefully get them out of the way of traffic. The Painted turtle will usually get off the road with a little coaxing but if you have to pick it up remember they have a tendency to pee on anyone that handles them. Snapping turtles are more obstinate and often get pretty defensive when you try to help them. I usually put a hat over the snapping end and carry them to the roadside where I thought they were headed, but be careful. Don’t carry turtles by their tail, as this could result in injuries that may be fatal. Snakes can usually be coaxed off the road with no handling, but if you come upon a big watersnake in the Big Lake/Pocomoonshine area, remember these guys, while not poisonous, can give you a memorable chomp. All reptiles, dead or alive and everywhere in between, are potential carriers of Salmonella, so use caution. I’m interested in all of these critters, especially the big ones.
It looks like we will have a good crop of slugs, but the black flies, in the too few times that I have been out checking, have not been particularly hungry. The bigger maneaters: deerflies, mooseflies and horseflies, are just starting to show. We have had a couple of minor ant hatches but have not yet been inundated with them. Carpenter ants consider log homes, especially those off in the woods, as their favorite gingerbread house, so we must be ever alert. This spring has been a much more productive period for the Maine Butterfly Survey, as the Canadian Tiger Swallowtails, Sulphurs and others are showing up in good numbers. If you want to learn about the dragonflies that are making their appearances now, Dr. Ron Butler, Professor of Ecology at UMF, will be giving a course about the local Odonata at the Humboldt Field Research Institute from July 4th to July 10th. On an expected but sad note in regards to insects, Emily passed away a couple of weeks ago. A quiet spinster she never complained and when I put her weekly ration of half an apple core and sometimes an over ripe grape in her Coolwhip mansion her antennae seemed to quiver with anticipation.
Our raven family with their two noisy brats have left. They will probably be back periodically to check out the stump where I leave the table scraps in the morning. I don’t mind the ravens and bluejays and even the skunks but the raccoons are an intelligent nuisance, and can get into lots of mischief. The robin family living on the ledge on the barn is still incubating, and no little heads are looking up yet. There are lots of robins around this year. The bobolinks are also more numerous, but there are fewer kestrels. The hummingbirds arrived a week late, but are making up for lost time, and so far we’ve had to rescue three of them when I’ve inadvertently left a door open in the barn.
So that’s the news from South Pembroke, where all the critters are well behaved. If you believe that I’ve got a bridge to Campobello I can sell you, complete with a Homeland Security facility.
Quoddy Nature Notes – Lupine
09
Jun
QUODDY NATURE NOTES
by Fred Gralenski
Our lupine season is coming up shortly, so get ready. One of the fun things about writing this column is selecting a subject and researching it with the available references, such as, but not limited to, books, encyclopedias, online references, friends, and my own fading memory. An interesting aspect of this is uncovering some of the confusion and contradictions. Science eventually develops a solid footing, but things are always changing, and so it is with the common lupine, and I am forced to use a lot of words like apparently and maybe. But I like to think that the purpose of this column is to stimulate a little interest, throw in a little attempt at humor, and if you disagree, let’s argue this out. I’ve never lost a wrestling match yet. Of course, I’m the referee.
There are upwards of 600 species of lupines worldwide. The state flower of Texas is the lupine, and this was first approved in 1901. There seemed to be a lack of mutual understanding as to which lupine was the one selected or desired and in 1971 five varieties of lupines were recognized as the symbols of the Lone Star State. The confusion doesn’t end there. One of my references states that Texas has only 4 species of lupines, and there seems to be a disagreement of the spelling of the scientific name of one of the species. The Texans appear have the same ongoing problem with school books. The biggest lupine is a tree that grows in Mexico, Lupinus jaimehintoniana. This giant stretches over 25 feet high to welcome the sun and the branches are supported by a trunk 8 inches in diameter. The genus name Lupinus was selected because it was once thought that lupines would ravage the soil like a pack of wolves. However lupines are legumes and fix atmospheric nitrogen to the soil, and thus are a benefit to all plants. In Europe, especially in the Mediterranean area, some types of lupines are grown for animal forage and also for human consumption. In North America it seems that all native lupines contain toxic alkaloids to some degree. Out west many sheep and cattle, after eating lupines, are inflicted with a condition called lupinosis, which is often fatal, especially to sheep. Lupines are also at times infected with a poisonous fungus that can further aggravate the unfortunate livestock.
Here in Maine and especially in the Quoddy region, many people await the sight of a field of lupines, and their mostly blue but also pink and white spires are enjoyed across the state, and there is sort of a contest as to where is the best field of lupines. A few years ago there was almost a rebellion and a march of protest to Acadia National Park when it was learned that park officials intended to eliminate the beloved lupines. The reason for this endeavor was that roadside lupines are not native and might be undesirable, but fortunately the protesters won, and at present roadside lupines are not persecuted by Acadian officials. The native wild lupine of Maine, Lupinus perennis, looks similar to the roadside lupine, except it is only blue, but, alas, it is extirpated from Maine. This lupine is grown in a site in New Hampshire and is relatively common in Newfoundland and places further south. The common roadside lupine we see and admire is apparently an introduced lupine from the Northwest, L. polyphyllus, and although it is considered invasive, it is somewhat benign. We have a lot of these lupines growing around our house, but what I really don’t like about them is that nothing eats them except aphids. Supposedly L. perennis is eaten by woodchucks and rabbits, but my lupines are definitely avoided by my rabbits. Maybe our rabbits are just too uppity, or perhaps those rascally rabbits want to annoy Linda by eating her lilies.
Hummingbird Activity
24
May
Talmadge (Map 45)
I have a hummingbird feeder outside my window. The buzz of a male zigzagging back and forth a few inches behind a female caught my attention. She watched him over her shoulder, her head moving back and forth with him. After 30 seconds of this he knocked her off the feeder. She flew up off the ground quickly and back to the feeder and he knocked her off again. She stayed down a minute or so and is now sitting on a bench, panting. It’s 87*. When the male returns she crouches down, closes her beak and doesn’t move.
American Bittern
20
May
Thursday, May 20, Rangeley, (Map 28)
On my round about way to the post office this morning, I went up woods road and saw a bittern standing in the road. This time, my camera was close by and I was able to get a few shots. KB
Black Fly Reports
13
May
Send reports here.
South Paris (Map 10), level 1. When the breeze stops they swarm.
Great Pond (Map 34), level 2.
Talmadge (Map 45), level 2. The wind has kept them away for most of the last week but they’re a 2 when they’re here.
Blue Bird
13
May
Talmadge (Map 45)
I’ve lived here for 13 years. In that time I’ve seen blue birds only twice. Once was in late autumn a few years ago. The second time was yesterday. I haven’t seen him today but I can hear him singing.
Quoddy Nature Notes – Spring Stuff
13
May
by Fred Gralenski
In case you haven’t noticed, spring has come to the Quoddy region. I like spring. After I get over being in an April 15th funk, I like to rake the gravel off the grass, smooth the dirt on my driveway and get to play with my tractor, pick up the rocks that have popped up, and work in my woods collecting and processing next winter’s firewood and sawlogs. I usually do most of the latter in the winter, but it is a yearly job since the weather dictates what trees get blown over. This past winter was mild, and the ground didn’t freeze very hard with the one big snowstorm that we had. Looking over my journal for 2009, the last pile of snow in the yard melted on May 5th; over a month later than this year.
Most of the flowers are a couple of weeks ahead of last year, as they are largely dependent on temperature. The Mayflowers, or Trailing arbutus, are already past their peak even though it’s only the beginning of May. Other flowers, like Shadbush, Hobblebush, cherry, violets and Rhodora seem to be similarly ahead of a normal schedule, and the ubiquitous dandelion really likes the Quoddy region this year. Insects also like the warmer temperatures, and the bees are common in the flowers. Most of the bees now are the small solitary bees, probably of the genus Andrena. These are our earliest bees and are frequently seen buttered up with pollen from the flowers like dandelion and Forsythia. The Andrena spp. are also called mining bees because they generally live in the ground. Among these many bees on the early flowers can be noticed an odd looking, fuzzy, long legged thing that likes to hover close to the flowers while sipping nectar. This is the Bee fly Bombylius major. They like to eat nectar like a real bee but don’t like to set up housekeeping to raise a family. They lay an egg at the entrance of a solitary bee’s tunnel and the hatched Bee fly larva crawls inside and sets up shop on the skin of the solitary bee larva. The Bee fly proceeds to suck the innards out of the Solitary bee larva without making a visible wound. The insect version of drastic liposuction.
Butterflies are also coming onstage. Some butterflies like the Mourning Cloak and Commas overwinter as adults and may make a real early appearance. Some, like the pesty Cabbage White (see picture), may overwinter as a pupae and emerge by the middle of April to be our commonest butterfly around here, and some, like the Red Admiral, are appearing now on their migrations from further south. This season is much different from last year, when the cold, wet spring delayed or eliminated many butterflies in our area.
Critters that are not so dependent on temperature are the snowshoe hares. The varying ratio of sunlight to darkness triggers their color change from white to brown, and the majority have mostly changed. There doesn’t seem to be a fixed ratio for all individuals, as Mother Nature apparently is always adjusting, and during the color transition period a pretty dark brown rabbit may be seen alongside a white one.
And, of course, the birds. Back in April 29th I saw my first momma Timberdoodle with four ‘doodlets. Our Ravens are back and this year and are using the same nest as they did last year. At 50 yards from the house they couldn’t get much closer, but after three years they still aren’t trusting enough for me to get a good picture. Our ravens must have young by now, but the nest is 50 feet up in a slender spruce and way beyond my ability to peek. Some Black ducks in one of our ponds seemed interested in setting up housekeeping, but they also are not trusting. The most colorful birds, the warblers and their ilk, are just starting to arrive, and some of us will spy on their arrival on May 22nd at Moosehorn. If you can make it for 6:30AM you are all welcome to come and join us.
Bear Mountain Botanicals
13
May
I seldom endorse anything. I don’t want to deal with, “well you said this was great but it wasn’t!” Just because I like something doesn’t mean anyone else will. This time I’m going out on a limb. Bear Mountain Botanicals advertises on the main and black fly pages. It’s a paid ad. The bottle of Bye, Bye Black Fly was given to me.
I spend a lot of time outside because I’m a farmer. The black flies have been a non-issue because of the cold temps, rain and high winds – until yesterday. I lasted 10 minutes before I went back to the house to get the spray. I sprayed my hair, neck, arms, backs of my hands and rubbed a little on my face. The black flies swarmed around my head all day but I didn’t get bitten. One of the collies was outside with me. Poor thing kept shaking his head because the black flies were in his ears. I sprayed him and he didn’t shake his head again. This really is a great black fly repellent.
Black Fly Reports
04
May
Naples (Map), level 2
Danforth (Map 45), level 3
Talmadge (Map 45), level 2
Seboeis (Map 43), level 2
Great Pond (Map 34), level 2
Amity (Map 24), level 3
Black Fly Reports
27
Apr
I’m working out the black fly report in the new format. April’s a bit early, they could have been considerate and given me (and everyone else!) more time. The first report is a full week earlier than last year, and last year’s first report was two full weeks earlier than the year before. Here are the current reports. I’ll get the on the map, post the map and create a new page for the reports. If you have a WordPress account you can post them automatically. I’ll gather them and put them on the map. ~Robin
Email reports here.
Rate the severity of black flies at locations in Maine where you reside or visit. The scale is 1 to 3:
1 = none or few,
2 = some, but tolerable
3 = many, a royal pain.
Don’t forget to report a level of “1″ before the flies start in earnest and keep up the reports after the flies have disappeared, since an observation of “1″ is just as useful and valid scientifically, as reports of “2″ or “3″. Please include the name and the Maine Atlas map number(if you know them) of the locality or localities you are reporting for.
Hartford (Map 11) level 2
Cushing, (Map 8) level 3
Thomaston (Map 8) Level 1
Rockland (Map 14) level 1
Two blackflies this afternoon in Biddeford! Map 3
19
Apr
I was moving a stuck truck from the mud near the brook behind the store and had something flying in my face. Stook still and it landed on my arm. It WAS a blackfly.
Talmadge (Map 45)
18
Apr
I stepped out the kitchen door on my way to turning off the heat in the greenhouse and a hawk caught my eye. It was not at all concerned with me. It scanned the ground looking for breakfast. My turkeys and ducks were upset but it wasn’t at all interested in them. I stepped back in to get the camera before it left the maple outside the kitchen and moved to the old apple tree behind the house. After a few minutes it made two sounds a bit like a whine and flew away. I’ve been comparing so many pictures that I’ve confused myself. Can anyone identify this for me? Red shoulder? Red tail? RF
Daffodill Hill is in full blossom
14
Apr
Laurel Hill Cemetary, Saco, is open for visitors. A sight to remember. Two years ago UMaine estimated 2.5 million plants on this hill.
JB, Saco, Map 4
Talmadge (Map 45)
14
Apr
Territory wars are in full swing this week. There are three yellow bellied sapsuckers banging out their territory this morning. One is in a nearly dead ash tree and the other two are on phone poles. Chickadees are picking up tufts of dog hair for their nests. RF
Rangeley (Map 28)
11
Apr
Turning off the light to go to bed last night, I looked out the window and saw the clouds parting to reveal the northern lights. KB
Talmadge (Map 45)
11
Apr
Domestic meets wild. Eastern wild turkeys having been hanging out with my Bourbon Reds. They are four jakes. There are no signs of mature toms or hens. The wild turkeys aren’t their usual leery, skittish selves when they’re here. I walked 10′ from them before they moved a few feet away. When I want my toms to gobble I say “Tommy!” in a somewhat high pitch. These jakes have started answering me too. They walk through the soon-to-be planted fields several times a day. As much as I enjoy seeing them, they are pests with potential to cause a lot of crop damage. We chase them off (which is why I was so close to them) every time we see them. This photo is two wild turkeys in front of my two toms.
We’re going! We’re going!
“Tommy!” They replied with gobble gobble gobble times three.
They didn’t leave. They took a right around the hen house, cut through part of the garden and came back to my turkeys.
We’re not going! We went in circles trying to push these birds off into the woods.I said, “Go!” They said…
something that I’m sure is unrepeatable in a family publication. Enough of this. We need them to be afraid of us but when that doesn’t work we bring out the old, slow farmcollie. They don’t know she’s too slow to catch them. They were 200′ from the house when the collie appeared. And then they were gone.
Book Review – Natural Landscapes of Maine: A Guide to Natural Communities and Ecosystems
05
Apr
Natural Landscapes of Maine: A Guide to Natural Communities and Ecosystems
Teachers, foresters, land trusts, students, ecologists, consultants, conservationists, and others who enjoy the natural landscape around them have long and eagerly awaited the publication of Natural Landscapes of Maine (348 pp., $18.95).
Maine is a special place. Those who have walked its woods, paddled its waters, or hiked its mountains know there are few places on earth with such vast forests, pristine wetlands, rugged mountains, and majestic coastal headlands all within a day’s drive.
This book divides Maine’s landscape into smaller pieces – ‘natural communities’ and ‘ecosystems’ – and assigns names to those pieces based on where they fit in the landscape and on their attendant trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and wildlife species. Each of Maine’s 104 natural communities has a two page description with color photographs and distribution maps. Introductory material includes a diagnostic key and how this classification fits into a bigger picture for conservation, and appendices include a cross-reference to other classification types and a glossary.
Authors Susan Gawler and Andrew Cutko have had the good fortune of spending many years investigating the woodlands and wetlands of Maine as ecologists for NatureServe and the Maine Natural Areas Program, and for their own pleasure. Natural Landscapes of Maine serves as an indispensable tool to recognize, understand, and conserve Maine’s special places.
Title: Natural Landscapes of Maine: A Guide to Natural Communities and Ecosystems
Publisher: Maine Natural Areas Program
ISBN: 978-0-615-34739-4
Books are available from the Maine Natural Areas Program for $20, which includes 5% Maine sales tax and media rate shipping.
PSH
Quoddy Nature Notes – Water
05
Apr
Water
by Fred Gralenski
I’m a big fan of water. I’ve gone through my share of leaky roofs, flooded basements and I have been caught out in downpours in my Sunday finest (i.e., dungarees and a flannel shirt less than five years old), but I still love the stuff. If I get my druthers, I’ll be reincarnated as a wood frog in some non-descript vernal pool somewhere in the Quoddy region.
Water is very important to life, and here on earth anywhere there is liquid water the odds of finding some sort of life in the vicinity are close to 100 percent. Any signs of water in any form on our moon or on Mars ratchet up the interest of biologists, but so far no alien critters or plants have been discovered. Water is an amazing compound even without considering its necessity for life. It is the universal solvent and is used for everything from making atomic bombs to flushing toilets. Water has tremendous latent heat characteristics in its phase changes from solid to liquid and especially from liquid to vapor. When a pound of water (about a pint) freezes, it releases about 144 BTU’s, but it takes the same amount of heat to thaw the ice to a liquid. It takes about 976 BTU’s to evaporate a pound of water and when it condenses back to a liquid it releases the same amount of energy. In this manner our recent rains involved a tremendous exchange of energy. The condensing energy released by one inch of rain falling over one square mile is equivalent to burning over 8,000 cords of Red maple, and no carbon involved. Of course, it took the same amount of energy to evaporate that water to make the clouds, whether it was the sun beating down on the Gulf of Mexico or sea smoke in Cobscook Bay on some frigid January morning. Water is also an interesting filter of light, depending on whether it is liquid or vapor. As a former diver I know that the red portion of the spectrum decreases quickly with depth. I remember taking pictures of some drab looking stuff at 60 feet and finding out later that the critter was a bright red color. I could never figure out the advantage of why something was colored down there. Water vapor filters light differently. ‘Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning’ indicates rainy weather is imminent. Supposedly the red portion of the spectrum passes through the water vapor, and that’s what we see, and the other colors are suppressed by the high humidity.
Water in its liquid form makes earth, the blue planet, unique in the visible cosmos. Its capacity to dissolve gases and solids and characteristics such as viscosity, wetting ability and surface tension give water a capability of supplying everything from the smallest organism to the giant redwood trees with canopies several hundred feet above the forest floor. In the green leaves the magic of photosynthesis breaks apart water and makes oxygen and hydrocarbons. Of course water doesn’t know about us and can play some sneaky tricks. For example, when it is hot out, high humidity slows down evaporation from our skin and makes us feel uncomfortably hot; when it’s cold out humid air is more efficient at conducting heat away from us and everyone from here knows the ‘raw’ feel. Water vapor is lighter than air, but in a closed environment condensing (and mildew) will occur at the lower levels, because of lower temperatures.
So although I don’t wish for a deluge, I welcome the April (or March) showers even if I have to patch up a few ruts in the driveway. Not only do showers really bring May flowers but my amphibians are awakening and seeking out their home pools. My sort of slipshod records indicate that this is the earliest I’ve seen Walter the Toad and his amphibian friends, so take heed and drive even more carefully at night. It’s bad luck to run over a toad, especially for the toad.
Windsor (Map 13)
05
Apr
Newspaper reports didn’t have to tell us about the heavy tick population this year. We’ve been picking them off the dogs since very early in March. They vary in species from the large dog ticks to the smaller, lime disease carrying, deer ticks. I spent three or so hours in the woods Sunday, April 4, and found three in one small area of my leg. Be aware and carefully examine yourself and your animals. PSH
Dare I say it is arriving?
01
Apr
Saco, Map 4, today, 0545
Walked out of the house to leave for work this morning and heard cardinals singing away… Got to work and went outside at about 0900 to hear and see redwing blackbirds serenading and preening in the swamp next door… Then the SUN came out!
An Eagle Handling Story
01
Apr
SH sent this story about a bald eagle in distress. Helping Hands for the National Bird.
Quoddy Nature Notes – Freshwater Mussels
27
Mar
Since time began I called those things clams; you know, the critters that crawl around on the bottom of the local swimming hole and the kids with masks and snorkels and swim fins would bring the mollusc up for an ID. ‘That’s a clam,’ I’d say, ‘Nice one.’ The bad thing is it was really a mussel. What’s the difference between a clam and a mussel? Everyone in the Quoddy region knows the clam is a steamer, and has two fused siphons in its mantle and you peel the skin off these (the neck) before eating. With mussels you don’t have to do this. Mussels also have byssal threads for attachment, and clams don’t. Freshwater mussels have byssal threads as juveniles, but not as adults.
Watching a mussel is not very exciting but there are lots of mysteries and clever goings on in that little bivalve. For example, how did they get here? Towards the end of the last ice age, about 18,000 years ago, there was a mile or so of ice here, and no freshwater mussels. Sea level was several hundred feet lower than at present, but there were, however, mussels living in the exposed land that is now Grand Bank, Georges Bank, and the Middle Atlantic coastal plain and in the Midwest around southern Illinois and Indiana. Mussels had already developed means for long distance travel when conditions arose as the glaciers retreated. When male and female mussels spawn the eggs are held by the female and develop into larvae called glochidia. The female waits until an opportune time to release the larvae in the presence of migratory fish. The glochidia attach to the gills of the unsuspecting fish for a free ride to wherever, and colonize new territory. Mussels may parasitize several types of fish (or even amphibians) for this endeavor, but usually have a preferred host. Maine, with only 10 species of mussels, was not heavily colonized, but New York, closer to the Midwest hub of mussel diversity, has about 50 species.
Once mussels set up shop in an area, they are preyed upon by almost everything, including birds, fish, otters, raccoons and especially muskrats. It is unusual for a rodent to have such a tendency to be a carnivore, but unfortunately for the mussels. Native Americans ate freshwater mussels, especially in the Midwest. Shell middens on the Tennessee River accumulated over thousands of years and covered acres of land to a depth of over a hundred feet. Freshwater mussels were eaten by Maine Indians but not to a great extent. In my early years, working at a farm in Massachusetts in the Connecticut valley, some of my fellow workers were migrants from Haiti, and would eat the mussels from the contaminated river. I tried, but their immune system was much better than mine, and a case of vomiting and diarrhea kept me home for a couple of days.
In the early 1800’s, freshwater mussel shells were first used commercially to make buttons, and as our population grew more and more buttons were required. This industry peaked in the early 1900’s, when over 5.5 billion buttons were made annually, worth over $12,500,000. Freshwater mussels in New England tend to have thinner shells and are not good for buttons, so this industry was centered in the Midwest. With the advent of plastics about 1920 the mussel shell button industry declined, but about that time it was discovered in Asia that a small piece of grit could be inserted beneath the mantle of a marine oyster and the oyster would secrete nacreous material over this irritation and produce a pearl. It was also discovered that the best material for this piece of grit was a bead of freshwater mussel shell, and the best mussel shell came from our Midwest. This industry peaked about 1988 when about 25,000 tons of mussel shells were exported, and as recently as 10 years ago prime mussel shells from the Midwest were fetching as much as $7 per pound.
So that’s a bit about our freshwater mussels, but much, much more can be found in the “Freshwater Mussels of Maine” from the Maine DIFW. But do we have any freshwater clams in Maine? Sure do, but that’s another story. In the meantime, notice the flocks of robins, grackles, blackbirds and the Mourning cloaks and Commas and listen for the frogs.
Saco (Map 3)
27
Mar
Thought these were eiders, but the gray does not compute with pictures I find on line. What are these things? JB
Gardiner (Map 6)
21
Mar
Well, I would like to say that I saw our first woodchuck today. It was on the I95 in West Gardiner. Actually 2 about a mile apart, but one was casualty of being run over. DH
Lincoln (Map 43)
19
Mar
Although I could not get a picture I wanted to report 2 Mourning Cloak Butterflies early this afternoon on Sweet Rd. DF
Skowhegan (Map 3)
18
Mar
I noticed that one of my bird feeders–a clear plastic tube–was empty and flying around and inside it were what I think of as honeybees! I watched them come and go for about an hour. These bees were about an inch in length and had a brown/orange patch of color on the end of their bodies. Isn’t it early for them to be out and were they looking for a place to
settle? They are not around now. JB
Lincoln (Map 43)
16
Mar
Two butterflies today! One was a orange and black, about the size of a nickle. The second was approximately 1″ wide with its wings spread, also orange and black. TF
Northern Lights
15
Mar
This morning, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory recorded a halo CME emerging from the vicinity of sunspot 1054: (movie at link). The cloud appears to be heading toward Earth and it could spark geomagnetic storms when it arrives on or about March 17th. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras. RE
Click here for more information from Space Science.
Quoddy Nature Notes – Bon Appetit
08
Mar
Bon appétit
Now that we are well into 2010, most of us can, without too many pains of a well-scarred conscience, recall the New Year’s resolutions that we failed to keep. I was reminded of my neglect a while back when looking through ‘A Popular Handbook of the Birds of the United States and Canada’, by Thomas Nuttall. What was my abandoned resolution? Not to eat so much. Now what could possibly be the connection between my discarded resolution and an old birder’s handbook? Well, Thomas Nuttall, writing in the mid 1800’s, described birds not only in the way we do today (i.e. size, color, range, habitat, diet, etc.) but he frequently included their edibility, such as:
Osprey -‘…from the nature of its food, the flesh and even the eggs are rendered exceedingly rank and nauseous.’
Barred Owl – ‘…Their flesh is eaten by the Creoles of Louisiana and considered palatable… At Hudson’s Bay a large owl resembling the cinereous (probably the Great Gray owl) is likewise eaten and esteemed a delicacy.’
Meadowlark – ‘…The flesh of our bird is white and for size and delicacy it is considered a little inferior to the partridge, but that of the European is black and bitter.’
Red-winged Blackbird - ‘The flesh of this bird is but little esteemed except when young, being dark and tough like that of the starling, yet in some markets of the US they are at times exposed for sale.’
Bobolink – ‘…As soon as the cool night of October commence and as the wild rice crops begin to fail, the birds take their departure from Pennsylvania and New Jersey and in their farther progress through the southern states they swarm in the rice fields and before the crop is gathered they have already made their appearance in the islands of Cuba and Jamaica, where they feed on the seeds of the Guinea grass and become so fat as to deserve the name of “Butterbirds” and are in high esteem for the table.’
Cedar Waxwing – ‘…Like its European representative (the Waxen Chatterer), it is capable of braving a considerable degree of cold; for in Pennsylvania and New Jersey some of these birds are seen throughout the winter, where as well as in the early part of the summer and fall, they are killed and brought to market generally fat and much esteemed as food.’
Robin – ‘…Mr. Lock was engaged in fowling and wounded a robin which was claimed by a shrike. He finally shot the shrike and got his robin…Even in the vicinity of Boston, flocks of robins are seen, in certain seasons, assembling around open springs in the depth of winter, having arrived probably from the interior; and in these situations they are consequently often trapped and killed in great numbers. When feeding on cherries, poke, sassafras and sour gum berries they are so intent as to be easily approached and shot down in numbers; and when fat are justly esteemed for food and often brought to market.’
Horned Lark – ‘…During migration they are usually fat , esteemed as food and are frequently seen exposed for sale in our markets.’
Snow bunting – ‘…At times, pressed by hunger, they alight near the door of the cottage and approach the barn, or even venture into the outhouses in quest of dormant insects, seed or crumbs wherewith to allay their hunger; they are still, however, generally plump and fat, and in some countries much esteemed for the table.’
Tree swallows – ‘(After migrating to Louisiana)…the greater number resorted to the lakes and spent the night among the wax myrtle whose berries at this season afford them a support which they fatten and are then considered as excellent food.’
Flicker – ‘…In this part of New England (Boston), it is known by the name of Pigeon Woodpecker, from its general bulk and appearance; and to the disgrace of our paltry fowlers, it is in the autumn but too frequently seen exposed for sale in the markets, though its flesh is neither fat nor delicate.’
Considering that these are not even reckoned as game birds, I find it amazing that we have any birds left. Waterfowl were exploited even worse. Again from Nuttall, ‘…The islands between the small port of Little Macatine and Brador (I could not find either of these) abound with the Razor-bill and other allied marine birds whose eggs are collected by the inhabitants of Nova Scotia. For this purpose they commence by trampling on all that they find laid and the following day begin to collect those which are newly dropped, and such is the abundance of the eggs that Mr. Audubon fell in with a party of three men who, in the course of six weeks, had collected thirty thousand dozen with an estimated value of four hundred pounds sterling.’
We could improve our association with the natural world, but I think we have come a long way since the ‘good old days’, but if you want a super recipe for crow, let me know. You’ll have to hurry, as the spring season in the Quoddy region closes on March 31. FG
Baring (Map 36)
08
Mar
There were three Canada geese near the bald eagle platform on Rt 1 in Baring this morning. RF
Ogunquit (Map 1)
06
Mar
February 12, 2010
I never knew seagulls were banded until Feb. 12, 2010 when my wife was feeding them in the parking lot at Ogunquit Beach. I happened to notice this one with bands on both legs. DH
Woodland/Baileyville (Map 36)
06
Mar
I saw a pair of mallards in an open water ditch this afternoon. They are the first wild ducks I’ve seen this year. RF
Quoddy Nature Notes – Seaweed
02
Mar
By Fred Gralenski
Many of us in the Quoddy region were drawn to the coast like characters from a Melville novel, for some reason to be here at a boundary to the unknown, dictated by salt, versus the other different ecosystems of, say, Michigan or New Mexico. Here we have a definite line of separation between land based critters and plants that generally don’t mix with the marine based critters and plants only a few feet away. But even if one is not a naturalist there seems to be a noticeable difference about the coast. Some say that part of the attraction is the scent of the tangy salt air. But salt doesn’t have any smell. The smell of the tangy salt air is due to decaying marine organisms. Are we attracted to the coast by the aroma of rotten seaweed?
The commonest seaweed that we have here is rockweed, Ascophyllum nodosum. There are many thousands of tons of the stuff growing in the intertidal zone in the Cobscook and Passamaquoddy Bays, and the harvesting of a few thousand tons has triggered a vigorous debate over the practice, monitoring, licensing, method, surcharges and overall long term and short term effects. It seems it should be simple, but a meeting in Orono and many reports and documents indicate otherwise. Rockweed is a key species in the ecology of the bays. Without rockweed just about all of the marine critters would be sorely depleted or eliminated, and clammers, wrinklers, and a host of others that make their living from the coastal waters would see their livelihood disappear. It is of the utmost importance that the rockweed remain healthy. A recent article in the Bangor Daily News by two well respected scientists, Robert L. Vadas and Brian Beal, (See Rockweed harvesting: a recipe for sustainability, BDN Feb 18, 2010) advocated for a rigorous enforcement of a harvesting method that leaves the seaweed undisturbed for at least 16 inches above the holdfast. This, the authors claim, “…would seem to meet the precautionary principle for sustainability and for providing habitat for associated species.” Pretty tricky considering the terrain where rockweed grows, but maybe something can be worked out. I would also like to see a peer reviewed study of the nutrient cycle and budget. I want to know where does all of the nutrient value of the rockweed that is naturally ‘lost’ now go? If a few thousand tons of rockweed are harvested from the bays, which species, if any, get shortchanged? The bays in the Quoddy region have high nutrient and oxygen levels and the high tides cycle twice daily to maintain a very productive ecosystem. Strangely enough, a comprehensive study indicated that the nutrients seem to follow the salinity, that is, the majority of the nutrients of Cobscook bay come from the Gulf of Maine. Does that mean that we in Cobscook bay do not have to be especially concerned about the nutrient value of the seaweed harvest, as the nutrients are just going to be flushed out to the Gulf of Maine? I don’t know. If the nutrients are ‘just flushed out’ do they just drop to the seabed of the Gulf or do they remain suspended for a considerable amount of time? If they remain suspended are they utilized by the inshore phytoplankton, which in turn are utilized by the zooplankton, which in turn are consumed by herring, which in turn are…Oh Oh. Herring stocks are down. Since 2004 the allowable catch of Atlantic herring has been reduced by half. The front page of the same BDN with the article mentioned above indicates the closing of the last remaining sardine cannery in the United States, in Prospect Harbor, Maine.
I inserted a lot of conjecture in between the hard facts. There are many ways to connect the dots. But I collected some washed up seaweed this morning. I wet down my 1’ by 3’ seed starting box, lined it with old newspaper and wet that down, then put down a 1 inch layer of seaweed. On top of that I put 2 inches of ProMix, and then I put it by the water storage tank of my wood boiler. After a day of settling and warming up I will plant my onion seeds. Spring is coming.
Windsor (Map 13)
28
Feb
These are some recent visitors to the bird feeder. Except for the ducks in a tree, they are Muscovy hens that are part of the breeding flock at the farm. RH
Male Downy Woodpecker. Thanks to DH for the identification.
(Muscovies! They’re domestic but the fact that ducks perch in trees was news to me two years ago. Robin, editor)
American Goldfinch
Cardinal
Rangeley (Map 28)
22
Feb
February 22
I stepped outside after dinner and heard a saw-whet owl calling towards town. First one I’ve heard this year. KB
Windsor (Map 13)
18
Feb
Groundhogs and Mourning Doves.
Its Mid-February, the ground in our fields is darn near bare. Its been a snow drought lately, but we certainly haven’t seen any groundhogs here so: regarding the length of time till spring, your guess is as good as mine. But the mourning doves?
They seem plentiful and are presenting themselves earlier than I remember. I’ve lived here for 26 winters and can’t ever remember a time when these birds were so present every morning in February.
What does this mean? Perhaps its the exposed gravel in the driveway. Perhaps the grain in our exposed feeders for geese and ducks make their lives easier, and maybe its something else. For some reason though, I think these birds and an early spring are synonymous with each other. Maybe I’m just hoping…
PSH
