Vol. 2, no. 6 Tuesday, February 11, 1997
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 |
You are invited to participate. Your reports are always welcomed!
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
Wednesday, February 5. Orono (Map 23) Around 9 pm, as I stepped outside for a walk I heard some animal noises that I quickly realized were too rhythmic to be a dog barking. It was the call of a barred owl ("Who-cooks-for-you? Who cooks-for you-all?"). I had never before heard one so early in the year, so I was surprised. Perhaps it came close to human dwellings to hunt exposed mice whose tunnels in the snow in backyards were melted away today. F.W.
Wednesday, February 5. Caratunk (Map 30) Things here are covered with over 2 feet of
snow. Last Tuesday when we had a snow day from school, I went x-country skiing and broke a
trail up to my knees all the way. I think I'll head outside to repeat the performance this
afternoon. I haven't seen many birds this winter. Because of little snow cover south of
here I think the birds have stayed away. I didn't put out a feeder this winter because I
now have a cat.
The moose are around, where they shouldn't be -- the roads. I came upon two bull moose one
day last week just after dusk. One was on his knees licking the road. Both still had huge
racks. Good thing I wasn't driving very fast. B.Y.
Friday, February 7. Orono (Map 23) Even as late as 5:45 am I was able to clearly see Comet Hale-Bopp with the naked eye and even better with binoculars, despite the morning twilight. It is higher above the horizon than I thought it would be -- located in the Great Summer Triangle, which is well above the horizon at dawn at this time of the year. At this time the comet is almost due East, and is located above and a bit to the left (Northwest) of the bright star Altair, in the constellation Aquila.. F.W.
Saturday, February 8. Mount Desert (Map 16) Snow now covers all trails, but treacherous ice is in many places, from water running across the carriage paths, flooded streams and from the freeze/thaw cycle in the snow. Pretty "ice waterfalls" are in many places. The only birds in evidence were chickadees. Plentiful deer and squirrel tracks were noticed, outnumbering the human tracks! J.R.
Sunday, February 9. Newburgh (Map 22) Saw-whet owl heard near my residence around 9 pm. R.M.
Sunday, February 9. Orrington/Holden (Map 23) Fields Pond Nature Center. Tracks of
animals were found everywhere, frozen into the snow and ice, probably formed in
Wednesday's slush and melted snow. Many adult and juvenile deer tracks, some actually
showing the dew claws, were seen criss-crossing the meadow areas. A long raccoon trail was
followed from where it came out of the woods (assumedly where it denned up in a tree) to
where it traveled on a farm road in the meadow. It was probably stirred from its winter
stupor by the relative warmth of the mid-week, also.
A deer mouse (species may not be correct) traveled out of the grasses at pondside, right
out onto the open ice of Fields Pond, a dangerous move for a small mammal! Its tracks,
frozen into the pond ice and surface snow, led a longer distance than I cared to follow. I
wonder what end it met, or whether it found new territory, after presumaby being crowded
out from its former area, forcing it to take desperate action?
Squirrel tracks, a possible set of fox tracks, and the inevitable domestic dog and cat
tracks were also found. F.W.
Sunday, February 9. Holden (Map 23) Copeland Hill. Mount Katahdin, eighty-two air miles distant,was clearly seen, resplendent in its thorough cover of snow down to the mid-slope (about 2500-3000'), below which level the darker shade of tree cover was prominent. F.W.
Monday, February 10. Orono (Map 23) Several cedar waxwings and several Bohemian waxwings were seen in the very top of a white pine and an adjacent elm. They were apparently waiting for an opportunity to safely dive down to feed on crabapples on nearby trees. This is an annual return. R.M.
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