You are invited to participate. Your reports are always welcomed! Tuesday, October 15, 1996
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| This week's reports | Special report: a day in the woods near Alfred, Maine | Downeast Birdline -- discontinuation announcement | Inaugural meeting, 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. Your reports are always welcomed!
Please e-mail Frank Wihbey, Editor: menature@maine.maine.edu
This week's reports
Thursday, October 3. Orrington (Map 23) A U.Maine class found banded killifish, brown bullhead (a.k.a. hornpout), a species of dace, and a pickerel at the littoral zone of Fields Pond at Maine Audubon's Fields Pond Nature Center. J.K.M.
Wednesday, October 9. Orrington (Map 23) Fields Pond Nature Center. A small flock of Eastern Phoebes and Yellow-rumped Warblers observed catching insects by old farmhouse. B.G.
Thursday, October 10. Alfred (Map 2) I was walking along the edge of this field at dusk
and out comes a doe. The problem was I couldn't tell wether it was a doe or a bush...the
fog gave me enough cover to walk within about 60-70 yards before I could positively
identify her. Then she walked closer to her safety zone...the edge of the woods. She then
turned completely around and started walking in my direction again. She finally walked
into another clearing and eventually it got so dark I lost track of her.
I forgot to mention the moose that walked nearby where I was hunting along this rock wall
in Alfred. For as big an animal as it is, hardly any noise was made; and this moose walked
right over small trees and whatever else was in his path. I didn't get a glimpse of its
head so I can't tell you whether it was a bull or cow. J.L.
Thursday, October 10. Alfred (Map 2) I don't remember if I told you about the barred owl that visited me while I was in my tree stand [see October 5 report]. I always get a kick out of owl visits. They are completely silent. Funny what genetics will do. I've had owls approach me 5 different times ALL while I was just getting into my tree stand in the morning. Coincidence? I don't think so. But I've never read anything about this. I assume that what noise I make is the first attractant and then the owl can't figure out what I am because I'm completely still and in full camo. Try it sometime: tree stand watching. Maybe that is the key to being able to see them up close and personal. J.L.
Saturday, October 12. Cushing (Map 8) Cushing Nature Center is a 500-acre coastal
wildlife refuge located on a peninsula. It is open to the public,. Among things observed
on our visit on a fair, moderately cool (51 degrees) day were various wildflowers still in
bloom in locations less susceptible to the early frosts, such as shoreline banks, and
forest interiors: New York asters, orange hawkweed, red clover, seaside goldenrod, yellow
hawkweed, and possibly Northern false foxglove. In fruit were: rose hips on rosa rugosa
(wild rose), trailing juniper, and possibly red baneberry.
We startled a group of about ten seabirds, probably sandpipers, feeding in or near the
water (then at low tide), as we rounded a corner in a trail and came out into the open
above a small cove. (Next time I'll make sure to make more effective use of the natural
screening!) Wooly caterpillars (bands: black/dusty orange/black; lengths: 1 to 1-1/2
inches) were a little more numerous than elsewhere.
Noticed unusually large quartz crystals, and mica plates on shoreline ledge rock. But we
did not collect any, nor wildflowers, in compliance with the Nature Center's posted rules.
F.W.
Special report: A day in the woods near Alfred, Maine
Sunday, October 13. Alfred (Map 2) A day in the woods of Maine...hunting? Chipmunks zipping by -- any movement will arouse their suspicions -- which might get them to chattering (which by my standards is pleasant compared to the aggravating alarm of the red squirrel.) But by my staying still, they go back to their amusing routine. Red squirrels on the other hand test even the most patient person. Any noticeable movement sends a red squirrel into a tizzy, with a loud obnoxious chattering alerting anything near of the red squirrel's concerns. I used to consider the red squirrel a big pain in the ---. But now I use its presence to my advantage. The threat of his alarm keeps me as still as possible. An added bonus is the Laurel and Hardy antics of young red squirrel as they chase each other all around the forest. Up and down trees...around and around the trees they scramble jumping without any prior notice to a hemlock branch and then down the tree across a log around the hill and then back up the same maple tree to start their entertaining routine all over again. It is ten minutes later before I remember that I'm bow hunting and not sightseeing.
Suddenly a whoosh sound comes from behind me and before I figure out what it is, I see a ruffed grouse walking under the hemlocks with its black ringed neck and black tipped tail both "ruffed " out in excitement because it saw some slight movement of my fully camouflaged head. But because it can't make out exactly what I am it walks around for a few minutes clucking like a barnyard chicken in a nervous state; and only if I stay completely still does it go back to its routine of finding the perfect place to scratch a slight indentation in the soil to make a comfortable bed to lay in. It sorta reminds me of me when, around noon, instead of leaving the woods I look for a comfortable spot in the Sun on a slight hill to get comfortable so I can take a 20-30 minute nap before continuing hunting. This way I stay out in the woods all day...sometimes not even reaching in my pack to get a drink of water. That way I won't have to urinate all day.
A walk in the swamp opens up a totally different world: one of small brown birds the size of my thumb (don't even ask me what they are, 'cause I haven't got a clue) some with brown specks on their breast and others, slightly larger, with faded yellow on their breasts. Other brown birds the size of blue jays are flying all around me -- again with brown specks on their breasts and with a pleasant cheep/chirp.
The most pleasant thing I saw this morning is little white -- almost translucent -- insects dancing up and down over the outstretched tip of a dying fern. I was mesmerized by this for an extended period of time, probably 20 minutes, before I came back to my senses.
Coming out of the swamp I came across fresh moose prints in the moss. The prints couldn't have been more than a half hour old. The edges were as crisp as could be. On my way out I turned back to gaze at the sunset and I found that I had walked under a hornets nest about 35' up hanging off a single branch of a maple sapling. When I turned back and saw the nest I was on a hill on the south side of the valley I had just walked through. After shaking the tree a few times a few hornets came out to investigate what was going on. They turned out to be white faced hornets. I made a mental note to come back and retrieve this nest before Nature destroys it. J.L.
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