Vol. 2, no. 7 Tuesday, February 18, 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
Friday, February 14, 5 pm. Orono (Map 23) About 150 starlings were high in the branches of two elms, calling and not moving much for a long time. F.W.
Saturday, February 15. Orrington/Holden (Map 23) Fields Pond Nature Center. Tracks of deer, raccoon, fox, squirrel, mice, voles and snowshoe hare were all noted in the fresh snow. The brook is flowing, on one long portion of its run, on top of the ice in its streambed! F.W.
Saturday, February 15. Orono (Map 23) Goldfinch males in dull winter plumage and females in year-round color, and black-capped chickadees fed simultaneously at a feeder without apparent competition. Purple finches and goldfinches fed on mountain ash fruits at the top of the tree near my residence. F.W.
Sunday, February 16.T2 R9 WELS/T2 R10 WELS Near the Golden Road and Abol Bridge. Clear,
breezy, +8 degrees. The snow is 30" to 36" deep. I cross-country skiied along
Abol Stream, eventually encountering fully open running water. Many animal tracks led
straight down out of the woods above, apparently to drink. The paths seemed to maximize
cover from the trees and then plunge straight to the water. There were more tracks of more
species here than anywhere else along the two mile section of trail. This must be a
survival issue: with most bodies of water frozen in the deep winter, how far must animals
travel to slake their thirst, and at what risk of predation?
There were lots of signs of deer browse on streamside shrubs and short trees.
Mount Katahdin, majestic with its mighty mass draped in snow, showed very few rocks
protuding from the blanket, perhaps indicating an even greater depth than in the lowlands,
where I was. F.W.
Downeast Birdline has ceased -- discontinuation announcement
Downeast Birdline -- transcript of current telephone message
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