Q. This moth is 3" long. Do you know its name?

A.  The moth appears to be a member of the Sphinx family (Sphingidae) but I can’t definitely tell the species from that one picture. For one thing it doesn’t show the hindwing pattern. I feel confident it is a member of the Sphinx genus. A few possibilities I’d toss in would be Great Ash Sphinx (Sphinx chersis); Northern Apple Sphinx (S. poecila); Apple Sphinx (S. gordius). -ARS
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Saturday, August 15, Readfield (Map 12)
Went out in the kayak for a few hours today on Maranacook Lake. While there a family of loons passed by. The adults would dive down and then resurface with a fish and then swim over to the chick to feed it a meal. SY


Sunday, August 16 Phippsburg (Map 6)
A nice change from the crowed state park beaches on a hot summer day is to pay a visit to The Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area and Seawell Beach. From a small parking lot located just off RT. 216 you will find the trail head which is a old road that leads the 2 miles to the beach area. Along the way you pass by some very interesting rock formations and a couple of salt marshes. Make sure you take the side trail to the summit of Morse Mountain. From the sun-warmed rocks there is a nice view out over the Sprague River Salt Marsh, Seawell Beach and  Small Point. If you go make sure you go around the time of low tide as there is not much of a beach area at the time of high tide. But at low tide the beach area is huge and uncrowded. A very nice and relaxing spot on a summer afternoon. SY
















August 25, Talmadge (Map 45)
Common yellowthroats (birds) have once again moved in the greenhouses.  The doors are open every day and the sides are rolled up on sunny days. The birds choose to stay inside even when I'm working.  They fly to the opposite end of the greenhouse or keep the wall of cucumber vines between us.  They have access to water in each greenhouse.  They spend their days catching insects that bounce against the roof and from plants.  When I close up at night they've tucked themselves into the tomato and cucumber plants (growing up strings, not on the ground) or are perched on trusses. I'm sure they must leave at times but they will continue to return to the greenhouses until the urge to migrate hits.  RF

August 1, Cape Elizabeth (Map 3)
Spent the day at the Two Lights State Park. The park is named after the two lighthouses that are located just to the north and is also home to a World War II era gun battery. No sandy beaches here just the bold rocky coast  to enjoy. While there I passed by a seagull that had gotten itself into a bit of a problem as it had a long piece of fishing line hanging from it's beak. My guess would be that a fisherman's line either broke or had to be cut with some type of bait fish still on the line. The seagull then saw this and swallowed it hook, line and sinker. It seemed not to bother it very much and could still eat and pick up stuff from the rocks. SY

August 7, Georgetown (Map 7)
Spent another day at the ocean this time at  Reid State Park. While walking along Mile beach there was a large group of sandlings playing in the surf. As the water would wash in they would head for higher ground and then as it receded they would run back and peak at the the ground. Very interesting to watch. SY

August 8, Phippsburg (Map 6)
This is an American mink in the wild. I took this shot on Little Wood Island which sits about 1/2 mile off the coast of 'The Burg.' The residents of the island report seeing mink regularly. They say they no longer have any nesting common eiders because the mink have eaten them. I have seen mink three times this year on the rocky shore of Totman Cove on the West side. That's three times more than I have ever seen before! Two of the mink I have seen in the past week are recognizably distinct from one another. Mink are super territorial and will not tolerate another male in their territory. A mink's territory can be several miles in a long, narrow area of either a pond margin or along the coastal shore. This leads me to believe that one of the mink is either a kitten from this year's litter or a female. Mink give birth once a year. They can have delayed embryo implantation if circumstances aren't right for birthing, so though they mate between April and May, they may not give birth for as long as 76 days. However, about 50 days is normal. They have between six and ten kittens, sometimes called cubs. Mink eat small fish, shell fish, birds and rabbits, which are their favorite. I have a fisherman friend who complains that if he leaves sandwiches or chips aboard his lobster boat at night, that the mink steal his lunch. So if you live on the coast and are putting out cat food at night and it disappears, but you don't see your cat - maybe think mink! RRR

August 9, Carrying Place TWP (Map 29)
Went for a hike today on one of the states newest trails. It's part of the Maine Huts and Trails network and leads to the newly opened Flagstaff Lake Hut. It's a easy 2 mile hike to the hut over a trail that is used by hikers and mountain bikers in the summer and snowshoers and x-country skiers in the winter. In the more muddy parts of the trail there were a number of moose tracks. Once at the hut there is a wonderful view out over Flagstaff Lake to the Bigelow Range. SY

August 16, St. Croix Flowage, Baileyville (Map 45)