Please e-mail Frank Wihbey,
Editor: menature@maine.maine.eduVol. 2, no. 20 Tuesday, May 20, 1997
Quick jumps: | This week's reports | Black fly report for May 14-20 |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
in our weekly "black fly report" network during May and June. It's very simple. Send me an e-mail with:Location, Maine Atlas Map number, and black fly severity on a scale of 1 to 3 (1=none or few, 2=some, but tolerable; 3=many, a royal pain). The more reports we get the better, for statewide coverage in the weekly maps.
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.
Wednesday, May 14, 8:30 pm. Bangor (Map 23) Chimney swallows -- about 200 to 250 -- were seen wheeling about the roof of an abandoned building in the downtown area. On further observation I found that the most violent whirling occurred over a chimney where members of the flock appeared to be diving back into the chimney at high speed while others literally shot out of the chimney to join or rejoin the flock already airborne. Their calls could be heard as high-pitched twitters. F.W.
Thursday, May 15. Gray (Map 5) Will gladly (?) report black fly sightings as I get out and about this spring. Here's hoping it's a short season for them. Some buds and flowers burst forth in Portland yesterday; guess they were waiting for a warm, sunny day! C.R.
Saturday, May 17. Orrington/Holden
(Map 23) Fields Pond Nature Center. Numerous bird species were spotted just while checking
the Center's trails: bald eagle, black capped chickadees, cowbird, goldfinches, hermit
thrush, kingbird, loon, hairy woodpecker, red-winged blackbirds, tree swallows, yellow
bellied sapsucker, yellow warbler, and wood thrush.
A species of shrub willow, and the shadbush trees are in flower. Bluets, dandelion and
wild strawberry are the wildflowers in bloom.
Coyote scat, full of deer fur, was seen. F.W.
Sunday, May 18. Orono (Map 23)
Blackburnian warbler seen at feeder.
Canada mayflower in bloom on forest floor -- very easy to miss unless you look carefully.
K.W.
Sunday, May 18. Caratunk (Map 30)
The ice went out of Wyman Lake on the Kennebec May 1 and out of Pleasant Pond in Caratunk
on May 6, though the pond has had a skim of ice two different mornings since. We had
3" of snow April 30 and 3" again on May 7. There was still plenty of snow on top
of Pleasant Pond Mt. on the weekend of May 3, according to some hikers.
During the past couple of months I've seen a bald eagle and a couple of moose along Route
201 between Moscow and Caratunk. Early in April, near 12 corners (Routes 43 and 201), a
herd of about 20 deer were seen grazing in a field. On Thursday, May 15, I watched a
scarlet tanager along a brook, first one I've seen in a long while. We have no black
flies yet! I hope this cold weather keeps the hatch to a minimum. I'll keep my eye out for
the little critters and keep you posted! B.Y.
Sunday, May 18. Fort Kent (Map 67)
Fort Kent has no reports yet of the pesky critters. There is still two weeks before the
black flies start to hatch. I was in Bangor this weekend. Still no flies there. But the
weather was considerable warmer than Fort Kent. I expect the infestation to start in the
Bangor area shortly.
Interesting note. On Friday, amidst a wind-driven snowstorm, the first Hummingbird came to
the feeder. The male bird has stayed all weekend and again tonight was draining the
feeder. There are no flowers, even dandelions are scarce. D.R.
Monday, May 19. Farmington (Map 20) Peepers are calling. Grass is green. No black flies in town today. F.W.
Monday, May 19. Portland (Map 3) As an urbanite living in Portland and spending part of many weekends on Peaks Island, black flies tend not to be a particular concern, as I do not often encounter them at any time of year. However, doing some yardwork on the mainland yesterday, I did notice what I think may have been a few, but I really wasn't concentrating that much on the minor annoyances, so it may have been another type of small insect. H.K.
Monday, May 19. New Sharon (Map 20) More on black flies from New Sharon: I'd say 2 or 2+ (moderate, tending to severe). They are really getting obnoxious. There is so much water about - -not absorbing into the ground. Looks like a really bad year. Oh for the good old days when they used to spray gasoline on ponds! I remember this happening when a kid and being very upset with whoever was doing it. It killed all the polliwogs. S.M.
Monday, May 19. Old Town (Map 33) Black flies are at level 1 at Sunkhaze National Wildlife Refuge. They were only present at streams, not in uplands between streams in the refuge. I figure they just emerged from streams that very day. J.K.M.
Tuesday, May 20. Orrington (Map 23)
Two neighbors in South Orrington report that a black bear has been tearing up their bird
feeders (on Hoxie Hill Road). One of them saw the bear. Last year a mother bear and two
cubs were seen near the intersection of Snow's Corner Road and Route 15 in North
Orrington. The residents took a picture of the cubs climbing in their pine tree.
This past week a hummingbird has been watching me in my greenhouse. Actually, he was
undoubtedly eyeing the bright red geraniums in my greenhouse. On Saturday it was sunny and
hot, so I propped open the greenhouse door to let more air in. The hummingbird promptly
accepted the invitation and flew in the open door to help himself to the geraniums.
Black flies are at level 1 (few or none). P.S.
Tuesday, May 20. Wallagrass Plantation (Map 67) No flies at all--we had snow last week--trees are behind on leafing out by 2 1/2 weeks -- (I have kept track of this for 22 years.) Our sense of humor is quite strained up here in the "far North". S.Z.-B.
Downeast Birdline has ceased -- discontinuation announcement
Downeast Birdline -- transcript of current telephone message
Return to top of this page.