Tuesday, May 14, 1996
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This week's reports | Reports from the press | Downeast Birdline -- transcript of current telephone message | Black fly report for May 8-14 |This week's reports
Monday, May 6. Alfred (Map 2) The black flies were non-existent today, probably because of the freezing temperatures. Middle Branch Brook is now back to normal height for this time of year, approximately 10-14 inches.
Tuesday, May 7. Orono (Map 23) Bumblebees active now, feeding at flowering shrubs and flowers of bedded bulbs. F.W.
Wednesday,May 8. Otis (Map 24) Noted the first wild strawberry plant and trailing arbutus in bloom. B.G.
Friday, May 10, daytime. Alfred (Map 2) Playing baseball was fun until the blackflies came out. M.L. (That is a little message from Mark, my 8 year old son.) Black flies...hmmm...2...pain, at dusk especially. My favorite insect controls are yet to return, bats and the barn swallows, who nest in our (where else) barn. At 5 AM the birds are singing so loudly not much else can be heard. Cardinals are my favorite in the morning, Whip-o-wills at night. J.L.
Friday, May 10, evening. Alfred (Map 2) I took a walk in the woods. Lots of sign of
deer activity...many buds eaten by deer...nice sharp and clean angled cuts on
saplings...especially ones growing from stumps from maples and other hardwoods. Looks like
it may be a buck because of two factors...1) large and well rounded hoof points and 2) no
sign of fawn tracks....well maybe more..3) deer droppings were rather large (even though
this is not always an accurate way to judge) plus lots of old rubs on saplings and other
trees.
Saw where deer fed on fir trees during winter months...shows the lack of quality food
during worst of winter. I didn't find any dropped antlers yet. These are harder to come
by. Moose traveled down the middle of old snowmobile trail for 300+ yards. Could see where
moose ate some saplings...about 1/2 inch diameter and ripped...not a clean angled cut like
deer. J.L.
Saturday, May 11. Otis (Map 24) Received 1.9 inches of rain during the weekend storm. B.G.
Sunday, May 12. Wallagrass Plantation (Map 67) Snowed steady for over 24 hours. Snow accumulation hard to measure because of compaction and melting, but 10-11 inches is minimally the amount we got. This is the latest snow of this size in my 35 years living in Wallagrass. S. Z-B.
Sunday, May 12. Otis (Map 24) Rose-breasted grosbeaks: the first male and female rose-breasted grosbeak were in the yard. B.G.
Tuesday, May 14. Otis (Map 24) Although I did not have pine siskins during the winter, I still have pine siskins visiting my feeders. B.G.
From the press
Bangor Daily News__Monday, May 10, 1996, page A10
"Local Lions?" [editorial]
"...Since 1990, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has logged 150
cougars or mountain lion sightings on its database. In addition to the Holden and
Bucksport cat reports, both unconfirmed, there have been sightings in the last month or so
in the north from Houlton, Down East from Lubec and Cherryfield and over in Lakeview
Plantation.
Once officially dismissed as cases of mistaken identity by tourists and flatlanders, too
many of these encounters have involved knowledgeable humans -- people who wouldn't be
startled into adding 80 pounds to a fisher, for instance -- to be anything but a big cat.
Their appearance may be due to possibilities other than the return of the indigenous
Easter cougar. ...The first step in determining where the cats have come from is to accept
that they are here, and Maine wildlife officials now are taking the sightings
seriously."
Downeast Birdline -- transcript of current telephone message
Downeast Birdline -- transcript of current telephone message
Maine black fly report in map form
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