Good friend shows no interest in my 6-year-old daughter
Dear Carolyn: My close friend of over 20 years lives next door. She is single, ...
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Nature
Cormorants make an appearance
Even in the midst of a Maine winter in January, nature has beautiful scenery and ...
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Nature: Gyrfalcon makes stop in Trenton
Nature is full of surprises and you never know when you are going to be treated to a wonderful sighting on and off this island. A gyrfalcon was seen this past week in Trenton and this is definitely a special sighting! This large hawk’s home base is in the high Arctic south to Labrador and …
Nature: Dovekie makes rare appearance
Winter is a time of harsh weather for humans in ways we all know well and so it is with wildlife that lives life on and near the ocean. A friend in Bar Harbor spends a good bit of time walking and observing nature in Bar Harbor and this week sent me great photos of …
Crossbills’ beaks are a perfect tool
January is the beginning of a new year once again on Mount Desert Island. The weather is harsh and we expect to see snow at any time blanketing the ground making the island a winter wonderland. Snowshoe hares have an easy time blending in when snow covers our landscape. Rodents traveling under the snow have …
Shaggy raven, or sociable crow?
Is it a crow or is it a raven? Often I am asked this question. How do you tell which is which? I got phone call this past week from someone asking me to please help her tell one from other. I’ll try to help. Both birds are commonly seen in the skies over Mount …
Nature: Duck courtship a ‘mallard ballet’
Home, sweet home comes in a variety of sizes and shapes for humans and wildlife! When I come across a big old tree towering above me or a fallen log on the forest floor, I always think of what creatures are calling this their home. When a pileated woodpecker finds an old stump or big …
Nature: Birds love fishing boats
Most of the island summer visitors are long gone this month but a couple of turkey vultures were seen this past week flying over Bar Harbor. These large black birds usually are now in the southern states. It is only in recent years that they have become regular summer visitors. When we first moved here …
Nature: Turkeys can fly, often sleep in trees
Turkeys are large birds! They also are seen frequently on this island these days. The state’s re-introductory program worked well. When our family moved here in 1972 no turkeys were seen. Now, in 2019, they are a familiar sight all over the island. Wild turkeys spend a lot of time during the day walking about …
Nature; Birding is a hoot
“The North Wind doth blow and we shall have snow and what will poor robin do then …?” This old rhyme always comes to my mind about now. Ducks are good to watch near Thunder Hole now. A column reader sent me a note saying there was a flock of black scoters near Thunder Hole …
Nature; Wayward white goose returns
For many months residents in Southwest Harbor have enjoyed seeing a lone white goose making its way across the lawn at Western Way, across the busy road and into the harbor. It found companions in the harbor in the form of ducks and occasional other geese. One Canada goose in particular became its friend for …