Please e-mail Frank Wihbey,
Editor: menature@maine.maine.edu Vol. 2, no. 27 Tuesday, July 8, 1997
The Editor recently hiked on the Appalachian Trail and observed Nature in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Link to trip report.
Quick jumps: | This week's reports | Black fly report for July 2-8 | 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 report on any aspect of Nature in Maine
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.
Saturday June 21. Orrington/Holden
(Map 23) Fields Pond Nature Center. The following species were observed during a guided
butterfly walk at Maine Audubon Society's Fields Pond Nature Center in Orrington, Maine,
on June 21,1997:
Butterflies: Skippers (clouded, orange, dusted, silver-spotted, European) Ringlets,
Northern eyed browns, Spring azures, Cabbage whites, Silver-bordered fritilarries,
American coppers, Clouded sulphurs, Tiger swallowtails, Northern pearl crescent, Viceroys.
Other insects: Hummingbird moth, Ctunid moth, Blue damsel flies, Carrion beetles,
Deer flies.
Birds: Osprey, Ravens, Swamp sparrows, Red-winged blackbirds, Bluebirds, Cedar
waxwings.
Wildflowers in bloom: Buttercups, Cinquefoil, Lupines, Iris,Yellow rattle,
Blackberry, Bunchberry, Blue-eyed grass, Sour grass, Arrowwood viburnum, Cherries,
Dogwoods. P.S.
Monday June 30 [8:00]. Alna (Map 7) Haven't seen any black flies lately -- lots of mosquitoes though, and fireflies. Black fly level = 0. A.G.
Tuesday, July 1. [1:00] Camden (Map
14) Black fly level = 0
Came across 2 baby Winter Wrens on the way up to Ocean Lookout on the Tableland Trail on
Mt. Megunticook in Camden. They were hopping around on the rocks at the base of the second
of the 2 steep sections, about 1/4 of a mile from the Ocean Lookout. It looked liked the 2
young were trying to answer their parent, who was singing its beautiful song overhead --
could not see the parent -- but when the young opened their beaks, in what looked like an
attempt to answer, nothing seemed to come out. A.G.
Wednesday, July 2 (5:00 pm). Alna (Map 7) Black fly level = 1. Saw 3 black flies. A.G.
Thursday, July 3. E. Orland (Map 23)
Toddy Pond near the dam: Our loon pair of the last decade swam 20 yards from the house at
noon. I returned yesterday from 5 weeks in North Dakota to find one of this pair tending
the nest on a floating island we'd made for them last year. Finding them both away from
the nest at noon concerned me. Shortly after spotting the loons, a blue heron glided just
above them to land near their nest 200 feet away. One loon sprang from the water, heading
for the nest, and I for the binoculars.
Outside with the binoculars I missed that activity. Instead, I found both loons swimming
between us and the nest. A minute later, a dot of a chick, the size of a small adult fist,
appeared, swimming near the two. This is the first chick we've seen with this pair in five
years. Both loons dived to leave the chick alone on the surface. This lasted only a few
seconds. Within minutes, the chick found its way in and out of the cover of a loon's right
wing. (From now on, we'll take special note of loons with padded shoulders.) But later,
still, the chick was in what must be a classic position between both wings and at the rump
of one parent. For hours the loon moored itself, headed mostly to the cool, wet, sea wind,
and the chick coursed its parent like a louse finding its way through the big bird's
feathers.
(Update: on July 4th we spotted a second chick with this pair, both chicks often on one
parent.) W.D.
Thursday, July 3. E. Orland (Map 23) Toddy Pond near the dam: 1 or next to no black flies detected this week. W.D.
Thursday, July 3 (3:00 pm). Bigelow (Map 29) Black fly level = 0. A.G.
Sunday, July 6. Southwest Harbor (Map 16) Bernard Mtn. Sheep laurel is blooming on the mountain. Deer scat in several places. Startled a hare, which retreated into the brush near the summit. F.W.
Tuesday, July 8. Orono (Map 23) Most
wildflowers reported last week remain in bloom. The following are new additions to the
show: butter-and-eggs, hop clover and pineapple weed.
There was a heavy dew on this clear morning, from the high humidity but cooling
temperatures after the previous evening's thunderstorms. Sure enough, there were the
funnel-weaving spiders' webs glistening everywhere on lawns.
Fireflies are still active. Mosquitoes now appear in great numbers and fairly suddenly
around a half-hour before sunset.
Red fox seen at 10 pm along the side of Route 16, moving warily but not going too far into
the forest for cover when we drove by. F.W.
Tuesday, July 8. Fort Kent (Map 67) Little Black Lake. Black fly rating: 2 Although there has been an increase, black fly activity still isn't back to what I would consider a 3, i.e. a situation where I am unable to work outside without repellent. This may turn out to be one of those years where blackfly activity is on the light side in our area. E.T.
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