Night Peeping
Does anyone know what it is that peeps during the night and day at this time of the year? It is a monotone and sometimes goes on for hours. It seems to move from one place to another quickly. I hear it here in Bowdoin and up at my cabin near Jackman…would love to solve this mystery!
Deer Mouse Family – Pembroke (Map 27)
At a Pathfinder’s walk at Morong Cove on Sept 11, we found Momma Deer mouse and four of her nearly full grown offspring setting up shop in the sign-in box. By the size of her one could guess that there will be more youngsters soon.
Quoddy Nature Notes – Meat
As I write this, the calendar says summer is still with us, but a few cool, brisk days signal the coming of autumn here in the Quoddy region. This also signals the start of hunting season in Maine. Check the rule book for the dates, as they are often staggered for methods, areas and species. Hunting is now largely a sport around here, but it wasn’t too long ago that hunting was deemed a necessity for some rural families. I like to hunt, even though I don’t do much anymore, but I also like to ponder the evolution, preparation and prejudices of food, with no apologies that I’m a carnivore.
The oldest reference that I can find for meat preparation is the bible in the book of Exodus. In the first Passover, the Israelites were commanded to slaughter a one year old male lamb (sheep or goat) at twilight, roast it over a fire with its head, legs and inner organs, and consume it that night with bitter herbs and unleavened bread, and, likely washed down with some local drink. Reading between the lines, the Israelites were admonished not to eat any of the meat raw, so they probably did so at times. A roast that size would take 3-6 hours. Did they leave the skin on? Were there any preparations whatever of the lamb?
Moving ahead to the mid 1600’s, and Nicholas Denys wrote his memoirs of life with the Native Americans in what is now New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. In describing the porcupine, Denys wrote, “…It is very good to eat. It is placed on the fire to be grilled like a Pig… Being singed, well roasted, washed, and placed on the spit it is as good as suckling Pig.” I can’t follow his description very well. Did they leave the skin on (and inner organs) and singe the porcupine and then roast it? What is ‘washed’? Is that another term for ‘basted’? I would think that it was on the spit during the roasting.
My next reference, ‘Indian New England Before the Mayflower’ by Howard Russell, I find very informative. He writes that Native Americans were known to waste little, and their consumption of any animal was almost complete. “…Raccoon, beaver, otter, turtle, skunk, rabbit, woodchuck, rattlesnake, seal, whale, frog -the meat of every kind of mammal except flesh eaters like the wolf- the natives cooked and ate.” I think that Russell snuck in a little bit of European slant when he wrote of the exception, as the Native Americans were known to consider dog meat as fit for any guest. The Indians often roasted their meat but liked it boiled if time permitted. Certainly drying and smoking were standard ways of preserving meats and fish, but interestingly enough the Native Americans, even along the coast, apparently never used salt. Many early writers noted this, and surmised that various herbs and ”… the digestive parts of animals were likely to contain concentrated flavors and food salts.” Even after European contact, Native Americans used little if any salt in their diet but did adopt the use of salt for preserving meats.
The famed mountain men of the American west generally roasted their meat, and apparently ate lots of it, at 5 to 7 pounds at a sitting. With their very active lifestyle they needed many calories to survive, and wild game is very lean. These outdoorsmen almost always depended on large game, as a single rabbit or grouse would definitely not suffice for a single meal.
Good or bad, our present consideration for the type and preparation of meat is heavily influenced by a lot of fads and prejudices. Lots of these are regional, as in the South it is definitely more common to see ‘Chitterlings’ (chitlins) on the menu. I’ve never seen that on a menu in the Quoddy region, but I can readily get steamed clams and eat the WHOLE thing except for the shells and ‘skin’ on the neck. And I can get, and enjoy, calamari. Squid! You ate a SQUID!
Camporee at Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge
Gate to the 49th International Camporee at Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge. The Maine Flag is for the US with the lighthouse symbol for West Quoddy Head; The New Brunswick flag is for Canada with the symbol for East Quoddy Head (Head Harbor). Built primarily by Alba Briggs of Lubec and lashed together by his son Ezra. The lighthouses were built at the Pembroke Library.
Mike Heath, Forester at Moosehorn, explaining some of the secrets of the forest to some Boy Scouts at the Camporee.
Damaged Monarch Butterfly – Skowhegan (Map 3)
I took the first one just as a shower was starting. I was surprised that the butterfly did not move. Looking at the photo I saw that the wing is damaged. I went back after the heavy downpour and the butterfly was still there. Took another 2 pictures and saw that there is actually a hole in the wing.
Molunkus Flooding (Map 44)
Updated for September 10, 2011.
High wind and heavy rain rearranged the scenery in Molunkus recently. I photographed the stream on August 15.
And again on September 7. This is the same place in the stream.
The water level was dropping on September 8. I didn’t have my camera with me. The water is not usually this high until ice breakup in the spring.
September 10. The water depth is dropping slowly.
Changes
During the summer break from school, two teachers emailed to ask for information they need for projects for the upcoming school year. “Do you have tidbits of information set aside? My students are nine and ten years old. Too much information is overwhelming but little tidbits are great.” I want MNN to be useful and enjoyable to everyone so I’m adding “tidbits.” If you have a “tidbit” of information, a photo without a full story, please submit it!
This is an example of a tidbit. A partridge, also called ruffed grouse, took a dust bath in the loose soil. I know it was a partridge because of the feather. This happens in Maine all the time so a Gazetteer map number doesn’t add to the information.
To submit a report or tidbit, please email it to Robin or create a user account. If you’d like me to create an account for you, please let me know.
Robin Follette
Editor/Publisher
What Happened Here?
What happened here?
More detail might help.
A partridge/ruffed grouse had a dirt bath on the edge of a dirt road.
Topsfield/Codyville (Map 45)
A sow black bear with six cubs has been seen twice in the Topsfield/Codyville area. Two cubs are smaller than the others but seem healthy and able to keep up easily. The sow doesn’t appear to be over burdened. (Reporter asked to be anonymous to avoid revealing the exact location)
Old Sow, Eastport (Map 37)
We sailed through Old Sow in Passamaquoddy Bay on a recent whale watching trip out of Eastport. We were a little early for the best timing during high tide but it was still very impressive.
Jewel Weed
Jewel weed disperses its seeds by releasing them from their pods in a spring-like action. When a pod is ready to open, a slight touch will pop the pod, sending the seeds several feet.
Robin’s Journal – From the Observation Stand
Finally, time to sit quietly and go through my notes of the third day at Molunkus Stream Camps.
Monday, August 16, 2011
Molunkus (Map 44)
We didn’t want to leave camp and avoided talking about it. After another leisurely morning sipping coffee on the porch steps, watching ducks in the stream, we headed out to explore again. More mushrooms, flowers, caterpillars and oops, poison ivy. “What’s that saying about poison ivy,” I asked.
“Leaves of three, stay away from me,” she replied.
“Crap.” I was up to my knees in it. I backed out. Back at camp later, I peeled them off, inside out and put them into a plastic bag. One poison ivy rash in my life was enough.
Do you know the name of this flower?
“Let’s have your big lunch later, pack up and go to the stand. We can leave to go home from there.” Tammy made fried chicken, new potatoes and fried okra for lunch. Delicious! It didn’t take long to pack the Jeep, clean camp and leave.
The first hour in the observation stand was quiet, then Tammy spotted a large, dark-colored doe walking into the left side of the field. She grazed way to the apple tree. I couldn’t tell if she was eating apples or leaves. Healthy, large, beautifully colored and moving with grace and ease through tall grasses to get get to a patch of clover; she was perfect. She must have heard one of us move. Her head snapped up and she started into the eight foot long window of the observation deck. We froze. She knew we were there.
We waited, not moving. She watched. We waited. She watched. She wasn’t relaxing and we didn’t want to scare her away. And then the excitement began. A noise drew her attention from us to something we couldn’t see. There was something past the doe, at the edge of the field or maybe still in the trees. We were able to step closer to the window to watch. To our right, a moose grunted. “Did you hear that noise,” I asked Tammy. She did. “That’s a moose.”
Where to watch? The doe, still frozen and staring at something, or to the right where I moose might step into the clearing. A branched cracked under the moose’s feet. It was walking parallel to the clearing, still far enough into the trees that we couldn’t see it. Our attention went back to the doe. The doe was too far away for our cameras; we hoped the moose would step out long enough for photos.
When deer are angry they “blow.” The doe blew once, stomping a front foot at the same time. A light-colored, large doe stepped into sight. Ahhhh. She’s the problem. The first doe blew again. A stare-off lasted a few minutes. Did one or the other blink? Something happened. They charged each other, rearing up on hind legs, still running. I thought they were going to bang heads. As I flinched at We the thought of banging heads, both turned slightly and hooves started flying. We could hear hooves clashing together. Clash clash clash clash clash. It ended quickly and both does were on four feet again. A great horned owl called from our right, followed by the whoosh whoosh whoosh of its wings as it took flight. It was very close but the observation blind blocked the view above our heads.
The lighter doe disappeared from sight, followed by the darker doe. Directly to our left, something large, probably the moose, stepped on another branch. A sharp crashing sound made the doe blow again. Before the excitement was over, she blew a total of nine times. We didn’t see them again but followed them by sound up the slope and into the woods. It was getting dark. Time to go home and wait impatiently for our next adventure in the Maine woods.
Quoddy Nature Notes – Dogbane
Dogbane
by Fred Gralenski
We have two types of Dogbane here in the Quoddy region; Spreading Dogbane (Apocynum androsaemifolium) and Indian Hemp Dogbane (Apocynum cannabium). Both are very widespread, and can be found over most of the US and Canada. It is a little difficult to tell them apart, especially since they are closely enough related that they readily hybridize, but I’ve noticed more of the Spreading Dogbane. They both like dry, well drained soils and are a distinct nuisance to crops like wild blueberries, as they propagate by seed and underground runners. The dogbanes are winding down their growing season, and the flowers are past their prime, but still handsome with the delicate pinks. The genus name, Apocynum, means ‘poisonous to dogs’ which it is, and also to us and all livestock, but fortunately dogbane is very bitter and most animals shy away from eating sufficient quantities that may be toxic. The sap of dogbane is a white, sticky latex similar to the sap of milkweed, which is in the dogbane family. Both types of plants furnish food and habitat for the Monarch butterfly, especially in the larval stage. The Monarchs assimilate the toxins in the plant and are well known throughout the animal world as being unpalatable and are avoided on sight. Some moths, like the Dogbane Tiger Moth and the Milkweed Tussock Moth, also feed on Dogbane and assimilate the toxins and, since they mostly fly at night, reportedly have developed sonar defenses against bats to announce their bad taste. The flowers of dogbane are visited by honeybees and butterflies, as they are a good source of nectar, but unsuspecting flies may become trapped in the flowers, hence another common name is ‘Flybane’.
The latex sap may have some qualities to be processed into a substance like natural rubber, but so far no commercial ventures seem to be forthcoming. The roots, bark and sap, however, do have some interesting medicinal qualities. Most references list dogbanes as being poisonous with many cautions, as diarrhea, vomiting, slowing of the pulse, excessive perspiration, dizziness, mechanical instability, skin irritation and coughing could be induced, however dogbane does have a large (and hopefully careful) following of herbalists. A mild concoction of dogbane juice applied to the scalp is supposed to provide the proper irritation to stimulate hair growth. The fresh juice of dogbane root mixed with alcohol has been used for the treatment of syphilis. (I guess this is better than the mercury compounds that were once prescribed.) A drop of fresh latex sap on a wart applied 3 times daily was guaranteed to get rid of the offending wart. For birth control a decoction of two roots of dogbane and one quart of water brought to a boil and allowed to simmer on the back of a wood stove for an hour and drinking a small dose of the liquid was recommended to prevent conception. Now I’m pretty much of a skeptic when it comes to herbal medications but I can see some wisdom in that. I would think that a good case of diarrhea and some vomiting, often precipitated by ingesting dogbane, would calm down even the most passionate romance. Native Americans had known about dogbane for thousands of years, and utilized not only the chemicals but also the plant itself. In late summer , when the seedpods were forming, the fibers in the bark, especially Indian Hemp Dogbane, could be stripped off and made into a fine, strong thread, and this they used for sewing and making bowstrings and snares. They found that dogbane fibers also retained their strength when wet, and were therefore extensively used in fishnets.
I find it very interesting that dogbane has so many potential uses. Some of those listed are in error; either by percentage, or mixture, or just basically incorrect, but I firmly believe that there are a myriad of uses yet to be discovered, as some preliminary studies indicate tumor lessening qualities. And there are a myriad of plants like dogbane.
Hawk ID Please
This hawk landed on a rototiller while I worked this afternoon. It landed, got its balance and immediately flew away. It’s a medium sized bird. Can you tell me what it is? Thanks.
Mushrooms and Pests – Skowhegan (Map 3)
All the rain and high humidity are producing lots of mushrooms in
new places. This clump appeared yesterday right next to a huge oak
stump. They look a lot like the edible field mushrooms but I can’t be
sure. Any ideas? (Please send them to the reports email address.)
Today I looked at my tomato plants and they looked awful. Closer
examination revealed 3 huge Tomato Hornworms on one plant! They are
an invading army. JF
(The adult Tomato hornworms are five-spotted hawk moths.)
Fawn Hit by Car – Brunswick (Map 6)
This fawn was struck by a car traveling in front of me on Greenwood Rd. in Brunswick on Wednesday morning Aug. 31. There has been a doe with 3 fawns hanging out in the area over the past few weeks so I would guess this was one of them. For a while it laid in the middle of the road then got up and crawled to the shoulder of the road and then layed downed in the bushes just to the side of the road. Brunswick PD arrived and were going to put the deer down even though I told them it was acting better over time. They just said thats what they do with deer that are hit by cars but before they was able to do that the young fawn got up and crossed the road and started to walk down the side of the road. Not wanting the fawn to get hit again I now found myself walking down the road with a deer at my side much like you would take a dog for a walk. I figured the best thing to do was try and get the deer into the nearby field and drive it towards the woods line about 100 yards away. So for the next 30 minutes with a stick in hand I walked this deer through the field till it got to the woods. The deer took several breaks along the way to rest but you could clearly see it was getting much better as time went on. The rest beaks did though allow me to eat some of the ripe blueberries that were growing in the field. At one point we were even running together in the field. When we reached the woods the fawn laid down again at which time I left it behind. Let’s hope it can reunite with it mother and siblings. SY
Determined Herring Gull, Eastport (Map 37)
The mackerel are running in Eastport and lots of folks are fishing. So is this juvenile herring gull.
We watched fishermen cast their lines, reel in, sometimes with a line filled with four mackerel but usually empty. Cast, reel. Cast, reel. A young couple at the end of the pier worked to figure out what they were doing. Cast after cast, they came up empty. I heard her tell someone it was their first time fishing for mackerel and they didn’t really know what they were doing. A gentleman walked over to help them. A few minutes later they were casting again.
“Look!” someone yelled. “That seagull’s chasing a fish!” We watched it chase and lose the fish several times.
And then the excitement began. “HEY! THAT’S MY FISH!” The young woman at the end of the pier had something on her line. I thought she was excited about finally catching her fish. She was excited but it was because the gull was also catching her fish.
She leaned back hard and fast, pulling the string of mackerel away from the gull.
It caught up while she reeled in the slack line.
When it had its fish, it started to fly away. The fisherwoman leaned back hard again, yanking the fish and the gull back to the water.
The battle continued for a full minute. While she reeled in slack line, the gull tried to fly away with the fish. She leaned back, bringing them back to the water two more times.
This young gull has learned to be a thief early in life.
In the end, the young woman won and the juvenile herring gull flew. It settled in the water at the middle of the pier and watched other fishermen.
