Please e-mail Frank
Wihbey, Editor: menature@maine.maine.edu Vol. 4, no. 5, Tuesday, February 2, 1999
Quick jumps: | This week's reports | Prior weekly Nature reports | Prior black fly reports |
You are invited to report on any aspect of Nature in Maine
Please e-mail Frank
Wihbey, Editor: menature@maine.maine.edu
Report format = Day, date, [time]. Location (Maine Atlas Map number) Report text. Initials of correspondent.
Wednesday, January 20. Fort Kent (Map 67) We had a rain Monday night and although the snow depth did not go down significantly (we have about 2 feet) the snow iced over. Not having a feeder, I have not seen any impact on birds. I am, however, by way of pure speculation, concerned about deer which will definitely break through the ice on top of the deep snow layer when moving off deer trails and may hurt their legs on the sharp edges of the ice when pulling them back up, or may even, if their hooves aren't really hard and sharp, slip and slide on the iced-over trails. I had to wear ice-gripping safety treads under my boots to walk up the trail from our house to the road and across my iced-over driveway. Our driveway is still so icy that I don't dare to get my car out of the garage. I am afraid I have to attack it with a pick as I did the trail to our house, a really monumental job since the ice is really thick! E.T.
Wednesday, January 27. T2R10 (Map 50) On another hike into Hurd Brook we saw a ruffed grouse in nearly the same place as we saw a pair last week. We did see several more grouse tracks in a dusting of snow that had fallen the night before. I forgot to mention last week that three trees in particular between the Golden Road and Hurd Brook, adjacent to the AT, have been pulverized by one or more pileated woodpeckers. Fresh wood splinters litter the snow nearly every time we hike that area. Moose are still in the area and deer tracks are now more common not only in the moose trails but along our snow shoe trail as well. D.W.
Friday, January 29. Argyle (Map 33) Returning from Holden, northbound on I-95 near mile 196, my wife saw what appeared to be a young bobcat nonchalantly watching traffic from a sitting position near the edge of the woods. Its coloring matched a bobcat's perfectly and particularly striking were its black-tipped ears. D.W.
Sunday, January 31. Farmington (Map 20) On Titcomb Mountain in Farmington, there was a thick ice crust with a dusting of snow on top. I saw tracks of Snowshoe Hare, Fox, Coyote, Red Squirrel, and Boreal Red-backed Vole, and Short-tailed Weasel (a.k.a. Ermine) alongside the ski trails. J.K.M.
Sunday, January 31. Bar Harbor (Map 16) Cadillac Mountain
and environs. No snow in the woods at all, except for small patches at the very highest
elevations. South Ridge Trail is icy in spots. There is the amazing sight of seeps and
springs still emitting liquid water, despite the deep winter cold. On the icy emission of
a spring on the trail slope I counted about 32 "rings" (graduated icy steps)
where the daily flow had frozen each night and the flow of the next day was inhibited
still more and cascaded a few inches less than the day before. This would mean the first
permanent icing started about Dec. 31 but has been maintained by water flowing out of the
still-warm temperature of the Earth!
Observed were black-capped chickadees and ravens. Downy woodpeckers were identified by
calls, but not seen. A few red squirrels were active in the needleleaf forest. There was
fox scat and weasel(?) scat on the large rocks in the trail, appearing to mark
territories.
From the summit we could see Mt. Katahdin at the very edge of the horizon, in snow capped
splendor, clearly visible 116 miles away! Looking out to sea we noticed a very low cloud
bank about a mile or more offshore. I assumed it was "sea smoke" condensing in
colder air layers above (relatively) warmer water, and kept away from shore by prevailing
winds. It got further out as the afternoon progressed.
The Union River continues to flow rapidly, and fully under the Route 1A bridge in
Ellsworth and is open and ice-free all the way to the sea.
The ocean at Thompson Island and the North shore of Mount Desert Island was at the highest
tide I have seen all year, probably coincident with the full moon today. Ice floes were
piled up on shore making a dramatic sight! F.W.
Monday, February 1. East Millinocket. (Map 43) On a brief hike this afternoon near Spencer Brook I saw my first "snow fleas" of the season. The temperature had reached the high 30s but had since fallen near 30 degrees and the fleas were in the shadows. Though numerous enough to paint the snow black, they didn't appear to be very active. In over a mile of walking, only 2 squirrels were seen. D.W.
Monday, February 1. Lubec (Map 27) A large flock, over 250 Robins, were in Quoddy Head State Park, Lubec, on Feb. 1. J.K.M.