We've had some cold days!

 And, today is no different. Our high will be 17F. Drew is going out for a snow shoe to enjoy the crispness of the morning! Toby and I will chill inside and have hot cocoa and dog biscuits! 

Snow followed by heavy rain and wind

We got 5.5 inches of heavy, wet snow before it started raining!

This is what our winter weather has come to. We get a warm day (up to 43F today) with snow in the morning and rain following. 

Then, we go into a deep freeze with very cold temperatures with ice covering all the surfaces. Rain will start in about 45 minutes!

Finally real winter temperatures

Whooo! Baby, it's cold outside!

New Year Resolutions / Adventure 2022

Here we go again! Another new year and I still haven't accomplished much on my Adventure list from the last few years. Aughhh...As usual, there are a few resolutions and tons of adventures to consider. Here are a few old ones that I never got around to last year, as well as a few new ones:

1. Try new photographic techniques: 
a) Use a neutral density filter when taking moving water and cloud photos (longer exposures like a minute long.)
b) Learn and practice stacking photos.
c) Use the Apeman Underwater camera at the beach.
d) Go to Popham Beach and photograph the tide pools, seaweeds on the rocks at Fox Island, Piping Plovers (bring long lens)
e) Play around with the lensball with photos.

f) Get together regularly with Greyhound friends for photo fun sessions.

2. Maine Mineral & Gem Museum - Bethel, Maine - AND some rock hounding and rock and mineral shows YAHOO! My buddy Veronica got me a membership to the Mineral Society of Maine!

3. Plant Winterberry (Ilex verticillata), male and female plants, for berries for birds during the winter months. The Maine Cooperative Extension link has more information. Planting guide for Winterberry. Buy from Gammon's Garden Center in Auburn, ME  (207) 783-6986. (1 mile past Lake Auburn toward Turner.)

4. Photograph Piping Plover chicks on Popham Beach (by July 4th many of the chicks have hatched and they are flightless for 25-30 days). So, go to Popham Beach any time during the month of July to photograph the chicks.

5. Center Point Preserve in Bowdoinham- If possible, bring tripod and long lens in springtime to try to photograph migratory birds.  

6. Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center - Rent a canoe for an hour or two to photograph the marsh along the Dunstan River. Opens 9:30am. Glossy Ibis migrates in during April.

7. Maine Coast Heritage Trust's Woodward Point Preserve is nice and flat with lots of variety in Brunswick. AS WELL AS  Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust Trails: such as Maquoit Bay Conservation Land - over a 1 mile trail.  Potts Point Reserve, AND Stover's Point Preserve - South Harpswell - Short walk.

8. Visit Saco Heath Preserve (Nature Conservancy) to do some photography and butterfly watching during late May to early June when the heathland plants bloom AND when the Hessel's Hairstreak Butterfly is feeding off the heath flowers.

9. Vaughan Woods, and Historic Homestead - Kennebec Land Trust, Hallowell - Short walk.

10. Woodbury Sanctuary - Stanton Bird Club -Litchfield/Monmouth. 3 miles of trails. AND Purinton Homestead Conservation Area - West Road, Bowdoin. Part of the Androscoggin Land Trust. 1 mile of walking trails

11. Ovens Mouth Preserve - Edgecomb - Boothbay Region Land Trust - 4 mile walk

12. Orono Bog Boardwalk - One mile boardwalk loop trail through part of the 600 acre bog that is part of the Caribou Bog Complex.

13, Visit Sunflower Farm Creamery in Cumberland - to see the mama goats and baby goats.

14. River Run Tours around Bath, Arrowsic, Georgetown (through July 28th)

15. Maine Maritime Museum Lighthouse and Nature Cruises (through Oct. 29th.)  YAY! My buddy, Shannon, has gifted me a 4 hour lighthouse boat tour for 2021 (due to COVID it is now for 2022!)

16. Whale Watching - 
a) Odyssey Whale Watching Tour - Portland.  
b) Quoddy Link Marine - Whale Watch out of St. Andrews New Brunswick. - Humpback Whales and Finback Whales in August. Ha! This means that we would have to stay in Campobello for a few nights...Awesome!

17. Monhegan Island - Monhegan Boat Line out of Port Clyde AND Hardy Boat Cruises out of New Harbor. Go in May for the migration of Warblers and other birds.

18. Casco Bay Lines - Cruises and tours.

19. Mt. Washington Cog Railway (New Hampshire)

20. Machias Seal Island Puffin Tours - Bold Coast Charter - out of Cutler. Late July to early August is when seas might be calmer. This is for younger and healthier people than me. My knees will not be able to handle the boat to dingy transfer, nor the dingy to shore transfer, nor the rough path to the bird blinds.

This is the 900th post on Maine Nature Diary, on Blogger!

Birthday and Christmas Nature Books

 

My friends have come through again. I got the Suburban Safari book for my birthday and the Sibley book for Christmas. I rarely have time to read, and only do so during school vacations, so the timing is awesome as are the books!

First day for ice skating on Caesar Pond

 Ugh... It is too slippery and rough for me to get over to Caesar Pond, but the ice looks stunning! Smooth as can be. Quite a few ice skaters on it.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

I love Red-bellied Woodpeckers. Often, my view of them does not reveal the red belly, but here you can see it.

I love the bars on his wings and his bright red head! Such a beautifully colored bird. If you put out suet feeders, you will get woodpeckers.

The Bluebirds of Happiness

Male Bluebird

We had a flock of Eastern Bluebirds visit our yard today. It was such a thrill!

A female bluebird checks out the suet feeder. She is probably looking for mealworms!

Here it is mid-December and the Bluebirds are still here! 

Bluebirds generally forage on the ground eating insects. But, in winter they will also eat dogwood berries, sumac, juniper berries, and much more.

I looked in my "Sibley Guide to Birds" book and saw that Bluebirds usually just spend the summer breeding season with us and migrate south afterward. But, I just looked at the publishing date on my book, and it is the year 2000. 

Here is an updated range map from eBird. Global warming has changed the migratory patterns of lots of birds, and I see that it has affected Bluebirds as well. They now live in southern Maine all year round.

New Maine Nature 2022 Calendar

I just created this new calendar for 2022. Fun!

A Good Old Fashioned Nor'easter

 Wow! We sure got a good dose of rain along with 10 mph-20 mph winds. We measured the rainfall at 3.5" and our neighbors measured it at 4.25". They are probably correct. Either way, we got a boat load of rain!

We took a drive and then a walk in the woods. First, we checked out the Dead River which seems to have become the "Un" Dead River, on this Halloween Day, as it has risen quite a bit from the storm water and has a bit of a current today!

Luckily, there are two huge culverts that keep the road from flooding.

Then, we went to one of our favorite hiking areas on Hix Small Road. When we get rain like this, the road tends to wash away, or at least it used to before our town did a proper job of rebuilding the road across the East Cathance Stream. As you can see, the stream rose up to road level and flowed over it.

Here is the East Cathance Stream as it has overflowed its banks. This is normally just a trickle. Yowzer!

I crossed through the water on the trail and looked back at the stream on both sides of the road.

Here you can see one of the culverts better. It is too small for the volume of water that has to move through it. There is a second small culvert closer to me that you can see water shooting out of as well. We really need a bigger one like those on Dead River Rd.

Then, we went visited Wagg Road to see the newish pond that has formed since one of the culverts has been clogged with debris. Wow! This used to be just a small bog.

Here is the other side of Wagg Road where there is just a trickle of water flowing into it. The colors are so pretty!

When we arrived home, I got to wade through the water to get to the edge of Caesar Pond. Yes, I could have walked around it, but what is the fun of that? And, there are too many ticks in the weeds right now. I was also happy to see that my boat made it through the storm okay.

The pond was very high. If it wasn't so windy I could have gone out in my boat, but I can't go up against 11mph winds.

And here is a view looking to the north. So pretty...sigh...

All in all, we had a fabulous day as evidenced by my wet trousers! I had to pour water out of my hiking boots and wring the water out of my socks. I love walking through puddles and slogging around in the woods! I can't think of anything more enjoyable!