Maine Nature News

Vol.  10, no. 48  Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Quick jumps:  This week's report | Home page

Wednesday Nov. 23.  Windsor (Map 13) The slow temperature drop, the light snow, and a slight breeze came together today to give us a "tracking snow" for the hunters. We probably had about an inch and a half today. A number of people stopping by our house mentioned it, the hunters talking about the exciting possibility of tracking a deer and the ex-hunters and senior members of the community saying how rarely a snow like this has fallen lately.
    Underneath the snow, there is a lot of surface and ground water as we had a significant amount of rain on Tuesday.
    The blue jays and crows seemed to also be talking about the snow, the jays especially talking in terms of annoyance. I guess they were thinking about their winter stores -- seeming to fly about checking on them. P.S.H.

Wednesday, November 23.  Presque Isle (Map 65 )  The temperature was about 20° F, and a very light, very fine snow was falling. The pillars were bright when my wife first called me out to see them. The sky had cleared between light snow showers. As the clouds moved back in they started to dim.  It was a spectacular display -- almost as much fun as the real Northern Lights. S.J.

Thursday, November 24.  Orono (Map 23) We were taking a stroll around the neighborhood on Thanksgiving afternoon.  The sky was overcast, and a very light rain was falling.  The air was calm. With the lack of workday traffic it was pretty much silent.  Suddenly there was a flash above us.  From the brightness and the color we figured it was a mercury vapor streetlight blowing out -- a last bright fling as it died.  We didn't have long to wait for an explanation!  A loud clap of thunder followed within a couple of seconds showing that it was quite close!  Although it did not appear to be cloud-to-ground lightning, we scooted home, not wanting to be a target out there in the open.  We heard a couple more before we got home.  This reminded me that, though rare in winter, lightning is still a year-round phenomenon in Maine  F.W.

Thursday-Friday, November 24-25.  Windsor (Map 13) It wasn't snowing early Thursday morning, but soon it began. After light snow most of the day Wednesday produced about an inch, Thursday's snow during the morning and midafternoon produced another nearly 3 inch amount. At the end of the snow, the precipitation became quite wet, snowflakes with raindrops in the middle, plopping down through a stiff southwest breeze. And then, the thunder! Long rolling peals, mostly sounding like jets taking off, roaring through hills toward the coast, maybe Camden or Hope heard them overhead.
    Then, a time of clearing skies for a few hours and back came the snow during the evening with almost another inch falling between 9:30 and 11 pm.
    Friday a sunny day, with very little breezes now and again, mostly staying below freezing all day. Friday night it is still, and it is the sort of night when temperatures will surely plummet.  P.S.H

Saturday, November 26.  Franklin (Map 24) My neighbor, P.S. and I took a walk to Schoodic Bog. On the way in we found a deer carcass. We don't even want to speculate about how it got there. Anyway as we approached it, 2 Common Ravens (Corvus corax) and 2 American Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) flew off and up into the trees. I managed to get this photo (by holding my camera lens up to my focused binoculars) of one of the eagles.

When I arrived home I had a yard full of guests! We are pretty sure that the 3 Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) that had been coming are all toms. The 11 others that my neighbor's son spotted are now with them. I don't think they are all hens as he reported.  I think there might be some jakes among them.  I noticed some of the birds have little horns.  I think those are the jakes. Any ideas if the horns help identify the birds?  Or do both sexes sport these? They have returned every day since Saturday.  I hope to be a turkey expert soon!   B.G.