Maine Nature News

Vol.  10, no. 18   Tuesday, May 3, 2005

Quick jumps:  This week's report | Editor's Column | Home page

Tuesday April 26. Brunswick (Map 6) It was a little after lunch time today when I as traveling down the Greenwood Road here in Brunswick. There is a small pond located right next to the road and as I started to drive past there was quick flash out of the corner of my eye. It was an osprey that had dove into the pond and pick up a small fish. It then flew right in front of my windshield. I mean about 3 feet way as I put on the brakes to slow down. Water falling off the fish in the birds talons fell onto the windshield as we passed. A real close call. Also this week the local paper here in Brunswick had a very interesting picture. It was of a red tail hawk that had landed and caught a blue jay. What was amazing about this is that it took place on the Brunswick Mall at noon time. The Mall is the park right in the center of town and a very busy place during the lunch hour. People are sitting all over the place on a nice day eating a brown bag lunch or a hotdog from one of the near by vendors.  S.Y.

Friday, April 29.  Hodgdon (Map 53 ) Ice is out on the Meduxnekeag River impoundment in Hodgdon. I haven't been over to Drews Lake or Nickerson Lake yet. However the frost is not totally out of the ground in here, so recent rains have recharged the vernal pools. This morning's snow didn't last long, and we probably got about half an inch.  (We pulled the snow fall measuring stick out of the yard last week.) The peepers and tree frogs have begun calling in Linneus.  R.M. 

Friday, April 29, 2 pm. Scarborough (Map 3) This is my last report before I head up to Jackman for the next seven months. Today while driving past the Scarborough Marsh on Route 9, I saw about 3 swallows pass over the road!  E.C.   

Saturday, April 30. Lambert Lake (Map 46) I found scat of Coyote, Moose, and Bobcat; also eggs of Wood Frogs. J.K.M.

Saturday, April 30.  T2 R9 WELS (Map 51) River Pond.  About an hour before dark, my wife and I saw a Great Blue Heron wading in the high water of River Pond. A young bull moose waded and fed nearby while cool rain began to fall again. A few miles south along the Golden Road we saw a doe and a buck browsing in a fresh-cut area.  The buck's antlers already have about 3 inches growth to them. A little further on we heard a chorus of peepers. We stopped to savor it, wishing we were camping so we could hear it most of the night. While listening to the peepers, we suddenly heard a leopard frog join in, loud and clear. It was the first leopard frog we have heard this year. R.D.W.

Saturday, April 30, 9:21 am. Franklin (Map 24) Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) just landed on my feeder. It flew off to the popples [Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)] along the stream and is now singing in the field beyond. The last time I had one in my yard was on October 18, 1999!
    5:30 pm: Walking up to a neighbor's (P.S.) house I spotted something in the driveway.  It was a Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus).  It sat frozen for about 2 minutes and then bolted a short distance into the brush.  I kept still and noticed another one. The first stood up on its hind legs and seemed to be munching Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) needles. It did this several times stretching further up and once almost lifting a back foot onto a low branch. Imagine!  A tree-climbing hare!  Both of them were brown but had very white feet and tails. I assume they are still shedding out their winter white coats. B.G.

Friday, April 29                      Saturday, April 30
Lowest dip in road, College Avenue Extension, Orono, Maine 

Sunday, May 1.  Orono (Map 23) The Stillwater River overflowed its banks due to the recent heavy rains and the continued flow of snowmelt from farther north contributed by its source, the Penobscot River.  This is highest I have seen it since the flood of spring, 1987.  It receded quite rapidly today.   F.W. 

Editor's column

Tuning in the news on Nature's station

After some yard work we had come inside on a sunny Saturday morning for some coffee, and to finish reading the weekend (Bangor) newspaper.  We had been sitting there for a while when my wife said "Listen to that."   I replied "Yeah, it's a robin."  She said "No, I mean it's the kind of call they make near dusk."  Well darned if it hadn't started to cloud over and darken a bit.  The robin was, in a way, announcing this with the "Chirrup, chiree, chirrup, chiree" call.  A reminder to myself:  Nature is always bringing us news, if we would only listen!

Appeal for black fly reports

   Reports on observations of black flies are welcomed each week, starting May 3.   It is helpful to have them by Monday evening, for compilation each Tuesday.  I will probably keep it going through the end of July, or whenever the little air force retreats! 
   It is easy and fun.  Rate the severity of black flies at locations in Maine where you reside or visit. The scale is 1 to 3: 
       1 = none or few
       2 = some, but tolerable
       3 = many, a royal pain.
   Your observation will be represented by a colored dot on a map of Maine for that week. Don't forget to report a level of "1" before they start in earnest, and to keep up the reports after the flies have disappeared, since an observation of "1" is just as useful and valid scientifically, as reports of "2" or "3".  Please e-mail the Editor at: menature@maine.edu
   Thanks in advance to all who participate faithfully!