Tuesday, March 12, 1996
Report format = Day, date, time. Location (Maine Atlas Map number) Report text. Initials of correspondent
Friday, March 8, 1996. Orland (Map 23) [Toddy Pond] There had been one merganser cruising in and out. Lots of crows and chickadees, though less than 3 or 4 years ago, when we had over 20 species visit our feeders. This year it is only the chickadees visiting the feeders! Don't know why unless it is due to activities of the species Homo s. W.D.Friday, March 8, daytime. Wallagrass Plantation (Map 67) This morning spotted a Fisher in a balsam poplar which overhangs the deck at home (Wallagrass) Probably was attracted there to the suet feeder. Our dog set up quite a clamor--and the Fisher remained there for over two hours--in fact was still there when I had to leave for school. The fisher was much larger than I had ever envisioned one, appeared totally black, and the only noise it made was a "chest rumble" Sounded like an anxiety noise rather than any aggressive sound. S. Z-B.
Friday, March 8, daytime. Otis (Map 24 ) The red squirrels are tunneling through the snow to reach my bird feeders. Normally they travel on top of the snow and their tracks provide ample evidence of their numerous visits to the feeders. B.G.
Friday, March 8, daytime. Otis (Map 24 ) On two occasions this past week , I observed a vole. At the interface between a shoveled area and the snow, it had great difficulty climbing, but could scamper easily over the snow or the shoveled parking area. B.G.
Friday, March 8, daytime. Otis (Map 24 ) Since the storm, numbers of redpolls at the feeders have decreased dramatically. B.G.
Saturday, March 9, afternoon. Bar Harbor/Mount Desert (Map 16) Snow about 15 inches deep on almost all trails. This much depth of powder snow on Mount Desert Island is unusual. Some wind-drift. Some ice and interesting wind sculptures at Otter Cliffs due to proximity of the Ocean. S.Q.F.
Sunday, March 10 8:00 am. Bangor (Map 23 ) "Seasmoke" fog observed over the Penobscot River in Bangor near the breached dam. Trees on nearby bank coated with ghostly, delicate white frost. Possibly created this far inland under the right conditions: air was still and temperature about zero degrees F., incoming high tide would have brought in "warmer" sea water (temp. about 35?) during the early a.m. Perhaps just the lack of ice and presence of open water due to the swift upstream and downstream currents and the temperature differential caused it. All gone by 9 am. F.W.
Sunday, March 10 10:15 am. Orono (Map 23 ) Gray fur in a disturbed area in the snow, probably a squirrel's, were all that remained of a mammal killed on ski trail in the forest. There did not appear to be any incoming tracks; nor outgoing tracks on the snow. Predation by an owl? Maybe the prey broke loose, fell and was recovered by the predator bird? F.W.
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