Vol. 1, no. 38 Tuesday, November 19, 1996
Quick jumps: | This week's reports | Downeast Birdline -- discontinuation announcement | Meeting of new group: Greater Portland Naturalists Forum | Publication announcement: Biological Diversity in Maine: An Assessment of Status and Trends in the Terrestrial and Freshwater Landscape |
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Please e-mail Frank Wihbey, Editor: menature@maine.maine.edu
This week's reports
Report format = Day, date, time. Location (Maine Atlas Map number) Report text. Initials of correspondent
Saturday, November 16. Otis (Map 24) Black duck on Morrison Pond. B.G.
Saturday, November 16. Eddington (Map 23) Adult bald eagle flying upriver on Penobscot near Eddingtown Bend. B.G.
Saturday, November 16 Bar Harbor (Map 16) Acadia National Park. In midafternoon, on a
Southwest-facing slope above the Bowl, a mountain pond near the Beehive, one or two
crickets were heard, despite the low air temperature (32 degrees). Also on this pondside
slope beaver had cut down about an acre of small birch leaving the main stems of the trees
on the ground with no evidence of hauling them off for their lodge or dam.
Ice was everywhere evident after the four-day cold spell: all small bodies of open water
in bogs were completely frozen over. Ice from seeps and springs covered many rock ledges
and outcroppings. The Tarn on Route 3, which is in mountain shadow for much of the day
during the late fall and winter, is nearly frozen over. In contrast, the Bowl, which
enjoys sunlight almost all day, has no ice, except for spots on its forested banks.
At Sand Beach a group of about twenty male and female eider ducks were seen resting on the
fairly calm ocean, a hundred yards offshore.
A red fox (the customary one) was seen on the Ocean Loop Drive above Sand Beach. Park
visitors were stopped in the wrong lane to see him but not (I hope) to feed him. It is
obvious that this otherewise wary animal has already become acclimated to humans. F.W.
Saturday, November 16. Orono (Map 23) Ice has appeared in the Stillwater River for the first time this season. Protected inlets are completely frozen over. F.W.
Saturday, November 16. Clifton (Map 24) Did a sunrise hike up Chick Hill in the hopes of seeing the "green flash". Though the weather was cooperative, no sighting. Single digit temperatures and quite a wind chill kept the animals sightings to a minimum but did see some hardy chickadees. B.D.
Sunday November 17. Old Town (Map 33) Hiked back by the airport. Saw a large (10" diameter) aspen which had been rubbed between one and three feet off the ground and had a scrape below it but the depth of the gouges in the bark had me wondering if a buck really was responsible, some were 3/4" deep and the bark was really shredded but also did not seem eaten in any way. The deer sign near the airport is amazingly abundant (as any drive nearby at night will support). Flushed 3 grouse all within a 50 square foot area. Many small coves in the Penobscot River are already beginning to ice over. B.D.
Sunday, November 17. Old Town (Map 33) Partridgeberries, mountain ash berries and other tree fruit are still in evidence, even this late in the season. What is the relation to winter feeding of local birds? I will have to watch. F.W.
Sunday, November 17. Alfred (Map 2) The change to winter conditions is just about
complete. Most plants have died. There is a type of fern that is still richly green. I
have no idea what type of fern this is.
Now when a person sees a doe you can rest assured a buck isn't very far away. The dominant
bucks are traveling all over trying to be the buck to breed each doe as she comes into
estrous. This wasn't the case just a few weeks ago. The first time I saw a buck with a doe
was Nov. 11th here in southern Maine. The first scrapes I saw were in late October. Now if
you hunt, you would better your odds of being successful seeing a buck if you let whatever
does you see walk by undisturbed. This isn't always going to be the case but you improve
your odds by watching the doe instead of taking her. And if you don't have a buck walk by,
at least you have a wonderful memory to last you awhile.
The last two times I was out in the woods I saw turkeys. One was at dusk as I was standing
on the southeast side of a hill protecting myself from the wind. I heard some rustling in
the leaves and stopped and waited for about 10 to 15 minutes. Along came three hens
directly over the top of the hill. Of course with me standing in her path she started
clucking nervously. Then she flew up about 40-50 feet up in a white pine tree. Actually
all three of them each roosted up in a different tree. Then another couple of turkeys flew
up into trees from the other side of the hill. After a few minutes a tom walked over the
hill and he flew across this small opening into another tree. After a few moments a hen
flew across the opening to the same tree the tom roosted in. After a few minutes the
turkeys changed branches nervously. The next morning about 1/2 mile away a tom walked back
and forth in some 2 to 3 foot high white pines mixed with mature red oaks. This area has a
lot of red and white oak and white pine. He never knew I was there.
About an hour and half later I witnessed a bird of prey fly by about 2-5 feet off the
ground for about 250 - 300 feet. The back of the bird looked blue but I figure that was
the reflection of the sun. The wing span seemed about three feet or so across. I assumed,
because of the shape of the head, that it was a hawk of some type. There was absolutely no
sound made from this bird flying by. Could it have been a Goshawk? It didn't seem to flap
its wings more than just a few times. I was just inside the edge of a five year old clear
cut.
The red squirrels, gray squirrels and chipmunks are still busy getting ready for winter.
The blue jays are being a pain in the woods. But because I tend to stay still they soon
fly off to be a pain to something else. Chickadees aren't much different. They will fly to
branches a few feet away and look me over real close and then take off, unless I move.
Then a bunch of them will move in and squawk off for awhile until they get bored because I
didn't move. J.L.
Sunday, November 17. Lincolnville (Map 14) About forty Canada geese seen feeding in a field. J.R.
Sunday, November 17. Camden (Map 14) Mallard ducks seen in Camden Harbor, about twelve, mostly drakes. J.R.
Monday, November 18. E. Orland (Map 23) Toddy Pond near the dam: It's been a beautiful week of much temperature variation accompanied by delightful coloring of sky, water, and woods. In addition to the subtle coloring of winter woods and wetlands, we welcome the change in lines and form. These past weeks of dryness (1/2" of total snow compared to NE Ohio's 54"; 2" of rain compared to Portland's 18" at one falling) leaves the Pond level moderately low. Today's warmth brought one goldfinch visiting with the regulars, the chickadees. W.D.
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