Maine Nature News
Vol.  11, nos. 29-31  Tuesday, July 18/25 & August 1, 2006

Quick jumps:  This Week's Report | Special Reports: Mothballs; Anting | Editor's column | History of the Maine Nature News | Home Page

Tuesday, July 11, 2006  Buckfield (Map 11)
    The bears are hungry much later than usual this year.  Most years they raid our sunflower seed feeders only in early May, but this year we've had visitors into July.  Finally, today I was able to see and photograph this beautiful guest, who was very reluctant to leave his find, even though he had pretty much finished it by the time I stepped out on the porch (maybe 20 feet away from him/her) to take these photos.
      He/she huffed-and-chuffed a while before slowly moving off into the woods.  We'll be bringing in the feeders at night again, but this happened at 7:30 am.
    Can anyone estimate his age? He seemed young, perhaps a couple of years old, maybe 300 pounds.  Friends about three miles away saw one the day before, also at their feeder.  It could have been the same one, as the range can be well over 20 square miles.  I was surprised to read that they can live to 25 years old in the wild.


    ...and the guest is reluctant to leave the bird feeder it tore down!
G.R.

  Wednesday July 12, 2006  Caribou (Map 65)
    While we were in the back yard this afternoon I noticed a little jumping spider sitting on a ripe raspberry.  Hoping it might stay put, I went in the house for the camera, but when I got back to the raspberries the spider had disappeared.  However, I soon spotted this larger spider that looked like the same species.  It was very alert to any movement, and every time I got close with the camera, the spider quickly turned to face it and looked like it would jump onto the lens if I kept it close.  All jumping spiders belong to Salticidae, and this one may be the so-called Bold Jumping Spider, species name Phidippus audax. 
C.B.K.

Friday, July 14, 2006 Fort Kent (Map 67)
    Fort Kent, Maine felt an earthquake this morning at 5:30 am.  L.C.

Saturday, July 15, 2006  Cranberry Isles (Map 16) Frenchman Bay 
    During a walk on Baker Island we spotted these fungi. None of us knew what species they were. Thought they were quite lovely. 

    On our sail over to Baker Island we saw a Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata).   It was quite active and we were able to spot it several times coming up for breath.  Unfortunately, these whales are still hunted today. Most are taken by Norway. 
B.G.

Saturday, July 15, 2006  Phippsburg (Map 6)
    Greenheads are on the attack along the coast in Phippsburg.  Does anyone know how long they have been out?  Do they usually stay about two weeks?  M.H.

Sunday, July 16, 2006, 11:00 am  Franklin (Map 24)
    Cicadas have begun singing in the tree tops. B.G. 

  Monday, July 17, 2006  Franklin (Map 24)
    Fledglings are everywhere this past week. Common grackles (Quiscalus quiscula), Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata), Mourning Doves (Zenaida macroura), Purple Finches, (Carpodacus purpureus). Birds making odd, almost plaintive calls while shivering their wings with other birds of the same species either flying away from them or stuffing food in their mouths are a sure sign you've got fledglings! The flying away from the fledglings is to encourage them to fly and forage on their own, much like a human parent backs away with arms outstretched from a toddler.
    The nestlings from the second brood of Eastern Phoebes (Sayornis phoebe) on the shelf attached under the eaves of my house are now making sounds. They are calling incessantly to be fed and the parents are flying all over gathering small flying insects to oblige.
    I've been finding blue mud daubers in my house recently.  These insects look intimidating and in fact can sting but they very rarely ever will. Solitary wasps don't defend their nests the way the social wasps such as hornets and yellow jackets do. Therefore they have no need to be as aggressive in temperament as their cousins.
B.G.

Tuesday, July 18 through Friday, July 21, 2006  Windsor (Map  13 ) I wanted to write my impressions of the storm we had here Tuesday afternoon.
    At about 2:15 pm I went outside.  It was hot, probably almost 95° F. and quite sunny.  There was almost no breeze and very high humidity. I was eating my lunch, and so was in and out.  The weather alert was sounding an alert at about 2:25 pm for Augusta.  I began tightening up.  We had 5 day old turkey poults in a small brooding pen.  With that hot weather, they were "opened up" tarps lifted on each side.  I closed it down, and put a 6 foot cedar post across the bottom of the tarp.  I also checked the other poultry and took one last check of the poults.
    I was aware of thunder at maybe 2:35 pm.  Off in the distance, it was making heavy noise.
    I began to walk toward the house, heading almost west.  There was a rushing overhead, almost like a jet standing still.  Wind!  Hit me in the face -- no rain but lightning!  It was about 2:55 pm.  In the house, closing windows and the lightning and wind roared and thunder boomed and cracked.  Power flickered many times as I shut about 15 windows in this old house!
    The rain began, hard and driving, and the wind, thunder and lightning kept up.  At about 7 pm the wind picked up to about 60 mph.  I estimate10 minutes into the storm we had a bit of small hail.  Very hard, driven by the wind; rain poured.
    We had three distinct periods of thunderstorms that evening.  By 7 pm the temperature had dropped to 69° F.. We were lucky, no blown roofs, tarps or trees.
    Wednesday was a beautiful day, in the 80's.  I walked into the fields about 5:30 pm.  The crows were busy chasing jays.  There were some tree swallows about, and an occasional ground hog whistle was heard.
    On into the woods and the horse flies were noticeably heavy.  I was in the woods for about an hour, and I believe I banished 20 of them before they bit!  Mosquitoes were thick in spots but a breeze was keeping them at a tolerable level.  There were many birds and it was an enjoyable, fairly quiet walk.   Thursday was the driest day of the week, and Friday it has been quite humid again, building to a thunder shower that gave us about 2 inches of rain this evening. I also write about getting outdoors as a blind man in Nature this Wednesday on my website.  I talk more about my outdoor habits at home here on Emma's Farm.
P.S.H.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006  Saco (Map 3)
   No black flies  here, but I'm overloaded with flying black ants!  They're a level 3:  a royal pain.  B.R.

Sunday, July 23, 2006  Windsor  (Map  13 )
  A moderate day temperature wise, Saturday's afternoon and nighttime rains were quite heavy.  Catbirds were quite evident today.  They were spending time in trees out front of our house, and that has been robin territory.  In late afternoon, as one robin flew into the area and noticed two catbirds, there was aggravation in its voice.  Then, the robins began
coming in, hopping and taunting the catbirds for about 20 minutes until they drove them off.  In its final moments, there were three robins against the two catbirds.  P.S.H.

Sunday, July 23, 2006   Franklin (Map 24)
8:34am:  Some of the Eastern phoebes (Sayornis phoebe) fledged. At least 2 are out. Adults still going to nest. Moments later all are out. I was unable to get an accurate count of how many. All adult and young disappeared within hours. B.G.

10:12am:  Female Yellow warbler (Dendroica petechia), male Black-and-white warbler (Mniotilta varia).   Both hunting insects on my spruce trees.   B.G.

Monday, July 24, 2006   Rangeley (Map 28)
    I figure someone should note that summer has signs of ending. I noticed that some goldenrod has started blooming up here, the fireweed is bloomed halfway up the flower spike.  The berries are ripening, it's getting longer in the night, and the black flies have pretty much ended. I haven't seen any trees changing yet, but that's only a matter of time.
Blueberries are looking real good, large fruit, and ripe. Riding my bike by a dried up puddle I saw coyote, raccoon and very finely detailed porcupine tracks. It's always worth stopping and read who's been around.

Thursday, July 27, 2006  T9 SD (Map 24) Donnell Pond
    A great day to enjoy this fairly remote lake.  Personal watercraft (Skee-Doos, etc.) have their place, but Donnell Pond is one those few where they are forbidden by Maine law in order the preserve its wild character.  There is public boat access at a small launch area on the Franklin side, but only paddle-powered craft or small powerboats can make it through the narrow, shallow inlet there.  The State has no plans to enlarge it, for the same reason given above.
    Its shore is mostly rocky like that of most Maine lakes.  But there  are two relatively lengthy sand beaches -- "gifts of the Glacier."  One is a 3/4 mile walk from the parking area (which discourages the carrying of heavy boom boxes and beer coolers).  The other requires about a 50 minute hike through the woods, or a boat trip to reach it.
    On the way to the closer beach we noticed hundreds of holes in the path, each surrounded by small dirt hills.  They were in a variety of colors, even those quite close to each other.  We noticed one hill that had 3 different colors of soil around a single hole!  Perhaps these reflect the soil colors as the digger hit different underground levels.  We assumed these were made by solitary ground-dwelling bees or hornets, so we stepped very carefully around the beautiful constructions.
    Arriving at the sparsely attended lakeshore I was surprised to see two loons floating very close to shore -- perhaps due to the lack of disturbance this morning.  It was a warm, humid day, so a swim was in order.  The water temperature was still rather cool for this late in July.
    One nice feature there is the patch of grass (sedge?) growing out of the sandy shallows, one of the few such I've experienced where one did not have to walk on mud to explore them.
    True to Maine tradition we had a dozen kinds of weather in the space of several hours, a lot of it propelled by an airflow from the southeast bringing various clouds, some bearing quick showers.  The Sun was in and out a lot, or sometimes burned through the thinner clouds.  I'm surprised my tan didn't come out mottled! (  : )  F.W. 

Sunday, July 30, 2006   Franklin (Map 24)
9:27am:    Silver-Spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus) (not to be confused with the Silver-spotted Skipper (Hesperia comma) which is a rare skipper in southern England) on my Sweet-peas. I have never seen one of these before! It was slow moving, hopping from one flower to the next. It allowed me to get within inches of it. When it decided to go, it went! Just vanished. I read afterwards that they are very strong fliers. I guess so!

12:49 pm: Male Red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) on sunflower feeder. It landed and called and called and called.   I could hear no response.   A few moments later I spotted a small flock of Red-winged blackbirds flying quite high. The bird on my feeder took off instantly, heading high into the sky and in the same direction the flock was heading. B.G.

Monday, July 31, 2006   Franklin (Map 24)
7:12 am:    Male Eastern phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) is on my nesting box making all kinds of wonderful Phoebe sounds.  No female or fledglings in sight or sound. 

11:07 pm:   A Black-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus erythropthalmus) softly coo-coo-cooing over in the shrubbery along my stream. I haven't heard or seen one since July 2000. And yes, I meant to write pm. These birds have a tendency to call at night, especially during breeding season.
B.G.

Special Reports

Mothballs

   (Thanks to B.G. for taking the time to send us this information on mothballs in response to a previous column.  I've learned something new!)

   Mothballs contain naphthalene or dichlorobenzene which are potent neurotoxins and can kill or cause severe illness in wildlife (pets, children and adults). The skunks are most likely rooting in the flower beds for Japanese beetle grubs or June bug grubs not the bulbs. The freshly planted bulbs may be disturbed by the skunks rooting for the grubs. They commonly root in lawns also.

  If you are finding bites out of the bulbs the culprits are more likely squirrels or woodchucks, possibly deer, or the grubs! Really, the skunks are doing you a favor by eating the grubs (helping reduce the number of common garden pests). But if you absolutely can't live with skunks in the yard or flower beds try fruit tree netting in the beds. Information about this method and a complete info sheet about skunks (as well as other great information) and tips for keeping them at bay is available at Massachusetts Audubon's website.

Anting

    The activity C.B.K. describes is known as anting. Many songbirds have been seen picking up ants and rubbing them on their feathers. Less frequently seen is the method of anting by spreading their wings and lying or squatting on an anthill, and squirming or otherwise stimulating the ants to swarm up among their feathers. The ants then use their
defense chemicals. The defense chemicals of the ants are believed to kill or scare away parasites on the bird's skin and in their feathers. Another possibility of anting may relate to high humidity and the know fungicidal properties of ant secretions. When birds are anting, they often appear to be shivering. Commonly seen "anters" are Ravens, Crows, Grackles, and Starlings.

   In addition to ants, birds have been observed using marigold petals, walnuts, and yes, mothballs.                   -- B.G.

(BG also included an article from ASPCA and a story by Nick Harder in The Orange County Register.) 

   Frank Wihbey has been thinking about retirement lately. Along with retiring from the University of Maine sometime soon, comes passing along his editor's hat here at Maine Nature News.
    When I read about his search for a new editor I gave it a little thought and moved on.  And then I came back to Maine Nature News, read the same paragraphs about his search for a new editor... and moved on. Then I started thinking seriously about this opportunity.  I poured myself another cup of coffee, walked down to the pond, and thought this through.  Could I be the next editor? Am I ready for that?
   Ready or not, here I am.  My name is Robin Follette.  I live and work on a small farm in Talmadge.  I grew up with a fishing pole in my hand at my grandparents' and great grandfather's camps on Upper Sysladobsis Lake in Lakeville Plantation. 
   I'm still fishing and spending as much in the outdoors as possible.  I'm happiest when I'm outdoors with husband Steve and daughters Taylor and Kristin.  I work full time on our farm from March into December.  I also work part time as the editor of Farm & Garden ezine. I've been at Farm & Garden since March of 2005, so I have a little bit of experience editing an online publication. I'm excited about a new chance to write about Nature.
  Frank isn't going far.  He'll still be an active part of Maine Nature News. He's going to work with me for a few weeks while I get settled and he'll participate as a correspondent, with occasional Nature reports.  For the near future please continue to use the same email address menature@maine.edu to report your observations. 

*  *  *

   My sister and I picked a few blackberries Sunday.  The wild raspberry crop here was disappointing but the blackberries are making up for it.  The blueberries also look great this year. I'm sure all this rain we've had is going to help with a bumper crop. We're picking and dehydrating chanterelle mushrooms. When they're dry I powder them to use in winter soups and stews. I've picked a few boletes too.
   I'm seeing signs of autumn now. The New England Asters (Aster novae-angliae) are starting to bloom. They're my favorite fall flower.  Have you noticed the maple leaves in your area? They're starting to turn here.  They're fading out to a light shade of yellow.  The nights are cool already. It's easy to sleep soundly when it's 55° F. over night.
   Enjoy your week!

Sincerely,
Robin Follette
Editor, Maine Nature News

History of the Maine Nature News
by Frank Wihbey

How It First Came About

   It all started when a Maine Audubon  member survey went out sometime around 1992 and got me thinking about one of the questions: “What improvements could be made...?”   I replied “There is a time and subject gap in communications for natural history observations in the state.  The Bird Alert telephone message [no web then] is weekly , but only covers birds. The Society’s Habitat magazine appears monthly, but is not really missioned to cover current observations.”

  This led to a solution idea.  I envisioned a tabloid size weekly on newsprint stock, similar to the shoppers’ weeklies distributed in some towns.  I imagined whom the circle of  “reporters” might consist of, perhaps science teachers, game wardens, birders who had non-bird observations to report, et al.   I wrote a prospectus and flew it by several people knowledgeable about communicating science to the public and working with natural history reports of “citizen scientists”.  My conclusion was that attempting such a project as a printed publication would not have been within the capacity of my time and energy.

The World Wide Web Comes on Stage

In 1989, Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web and gave it its name.  But it did not come onto my radar screen until fall 1995 when a wunderkind colleague took the time (thank you, Jenn!) to explain the Web concept and use of Mosaic, the first user friendly browser software.  I knew immediately that the Web was the ticket to get this idea off the ground!

Publishing on the Web obviates the need for printing and mailing costs, and has the further advantage of instant “circulation”.   If I required correspondents to exclusively use e-mail for sending reports, then their observations and other information would be received promptly and would not have to be retyped. My job would be: organizing the information, light editing, uploading the finished product to the Web and managing the website.

   In March, 1996 the Maine Nature News was born and has appeared weekly on Tuesdays ever since.  I have volunteered my time as Editor since then, until Robin Follette took over on August 1, 2006.  My employer still kindly provides the Web server space at no cost.  The corps of correspondents built slowly over time by word of mouth and “word-of-Web”.  All are volunteers who share an interest in Maine Natural history.

     I invite you to become a Nature correspondent.  It's easy and fun.  If you are already a correspondent I hope you will support Robin in her new role and in her efforts to maintain something Maine has that only one other state (Vermont) has so far: your shared Nature journal!