February is living up to its reputation for fickle weather — cold, warm, clear, snowy, rainy, sunny and icy roads. Fat robins usually arrive from the south this month and feed on rosehips. Geese gather together at the Trenton Bridge. Red-spotted newts may appear in minnow traps. Newts are interesting little salamanders but not so …
The rains came, the road was flooded at a small area at Seawall and right in the middle of this temporary puddle was a muskrat having a snack. My friend got out of her car to take a closer look. Muskrats are active all year here on the island, and where there is water they …
The weather in January is sometimes harsh and sometimes mild. But no matter what, the seabirds and other wildlife — and humans — have to adapt and try to survive as best they can. This past week brought one of a few challenges for sea life, and the finding of a young seal washed up …
Nice sightings of thick-billed murres (uria lomvia) this week in Bar Harbor waters. Two birds were seen near the fisherman’s float by Scott Robinson. These birds are not common in this harbor. They are more at home far out at sea and near their nesting colonies far to the north. My daughter and I have …
The weather has been frigid this week, and ponds are covered with ice. In spite of cold temperatures, life goes on and many island residents would be very surprised at the activity beneath the ice. Ice fishermen and skaters have been surprised at times to see a painted turtle swimming by under their boots. The …
It gave me great pleasure to hear from several column readers that they got to see flying squirrels at their feeders this week after reading my column. They had no idea that these appealing mammals were visiting them regularly until they turned the lights on outside and watched them glide into the feeders and enjoy …
Even though our deciduous trees look stark and naked now, they are certainly not dead! Even in the summer they have already begun their next year’s leaves and flowers. These are miniaturized and hidden in the scale-covered buds. In late summer the trees keep these incipient leaves and flowers from growing. At the same time, …
The daily search for food to sustain life sometimes makes animals do strange things. A friend this week watched a crow dragging a dead squirrel it had found on the road up into a tree. Very often, as any driver knows, crows are seen on the road tearing apart and sometimes eating road kill. Especially …
A unique visitor has been appearing in Manset recently in the form of a red-headed woodpecker. These birds are not at all common here. We do have several resident woodpeckers on Mount Desert Island which live here year-round. They are the downy woodpecker, the hairy woodpecker, the pileated woodpecker and the rare three-toed woodpecker and …
Evening grosbeaks are arriving in numbers as predicted. 50 is the largest group reported so far at one island feeder. It is an impressive sight to see them as they land with confidence and an already assumed authority. They are bold, brash and beautiful. Welcome them with lots of sunflower seeds! There has been an …
