Category Archives: animals

Isn’t Nature Amazing?

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Nature just keeps on amazing me.

Nature is continuing to WOW us on and around Cape Cod! I turned my back for one minute and we had “Air Jaws” stealing fish right off the fishermen’s lines! It was just a small Great White, a juvenile, but it came awful close to landing in the boat. As if that wasn’t enough a few days before that a big great white also stole fish off a line. He was just less showy. He snuck up and chomp, half the fish was gone in one bite!

http://www.necn.com/news/new-england/Great-White-Shark-Jumps-Out-of-Water-While-Crew-Fishes-Off-Cape-Coast-440153163.html

Great White Moose spotted in SwedenMeanwhile in Sweden

The Swedes aren’t dealing with great white sharks. No, they have the great white moose. Talk about amazing. I had trouble finding a regular old dark brown moose and here is a beautiful snow white Moose, with antlers no less!

 

 

 

Look What’s right in our own backyardBlue Jay with Peanut

While all of this nature news was making headlines here in Massachusetts, I was visiting my sister in New York. In her little suburban backyard we were entertained by all sorts of little critters. The Blue Jays were the first visitors when we came out. Sandy was prepared with peanuts to encourage them to visit. She’s such a good hostess. Did you know that Blue Jays love peanuts? The kind in the shells. They swoop in and snatch them, After they go back to the trees you can hear the shells cracking.

 

A Flash of Yellow

America Goldfinch

A little American Goldfinch ignored the fuss the jays were making to make a visit to the bird bath. He took his time getting a drink. No bath today! No time for a snack either. He had his drink and flitted away. 

Harry WoodpeckerThe Little Star of the visit

I knew Sandy had a bunch of little chipmunks living in the yard. I was anxious to take their pictures. They had other ideas. A Harry Woodpecker came along but no chipmunks.Squirrel in a tree

 

 

Then a squirrel stopped by to scold us and grab a peanut. But still no chipmunks.

 

 

 

Finally we had a visitor. The peanuts were just too much of a temptation. Only one came out to play but he was quite entertaining. 

Chipmunk with stuffed cheeks

 

Its Breaching Whales and Hungry Sharks

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The Whales are Breaching!

Breaching Whale off Cape Cod

Breaching Humpback Whale Stellwagen bank 2016

Last year was the first time I ever saw a whale breach here in New England. I’ve see lots of other behaviors but I always thought breaching was only in Maui, HI or Alaska. So with that in mind I went to Alaska but no breaching there. Finally last winter I spotted a breaching calf. A 2000 lb baby was leaping for joy. It was dawn and the day was still very gray. A good picture but not what I’ve been envisioning. My quest continues.

Breaching Humpback Calf

Breaching humpback calf in Maui, HI 2017

They were Breaching before my tour and after

I follow Captain John Boats on Facebook and all season I’ve been seeing posts about breaching whales on their tours. I finally got out on a tour last week but as you know from my last post, no breaching. In fact, right after my tour, there is was! Another post about a breaching whale. I know they aren’t trained performers but just the law of averages seem to favor my chances. How is it that I keep missing this amazing behavior?

Up the Stakes for a Trip that will be hard to top!

As I was sulking over my continued misses the Whale Watching trip to beat all whale watching trips hit my feed. How about whales and sharks? Yup, a recent trip delivered on the whales and then found a whale that had recently died from entanglement injuries. According to the news report it was a dead minke whale. Its always sad to see an animal that has died but nature is very harsh. But this time the passengers got to see how nature recycles. The death of one animal sustains another. What was being sustained this time? 2 Great White Sharks, that’s what!

Great White Shark

It’s Shark Week on Cape Cod

This is amazing. There is a tour company that advertises great white viewing but the folks on this whale watching trip never expected to to see a shark. This tour would be off the chart if you rated it. It delivered everything advertised and then dished up 2 great white sharks. What I would have given to be on that trip! Rating 10 +++++++ Way to go Captain John Boats!

Great White photo provided by Google Search

Deep Woods Maine Wildlife

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Deep Woods Maine Wildlife

My time in Maine is over, at least for this year. So It’s time to do a head count. What kinds of wildlife did I see or experience  while I vacationed in Rangeley. Notice I said saw or experienced because the most prolific wild thing were the black flies. They are such pests but also an integral part of the Maine experience.

So here’s the list

  1. Black Flies-in the thousands.  For an interesting read about these pests , delivered in a humorous manner check out http://downeast.com/blackfly-survival-guide/  

Black flies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.  A Blue Jay – Just one on my front porch

Blue Jay

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Bat,  Just one. Wish there had been more. Maybe they would have made a dent in the Black Fly population.

Flying Bat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Crows or Ravens…Not sure which but these big black birds were everywhere.

black bird

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Wild Turkey…Just one but that counts.

tom turkey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Turkey Vultures…6 or 7 circling a bog. Something must be dead in there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7.  Fox Kit..This little cutie gave me hope that I might begin to spot some of the famous Maine wildlife.

 

 

 

8. A Mama duck and 4 little ducklings

Mama Duck and baby ducklings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Bald Eagle..Maybe? I know they are in the area but I didn’t get a good l00k;  just a big raptor and a flash of white.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. Lots of little birds. I needed the Audubon Society to figure out what they were.

Little bird in a tree

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11. Canada Goose. Not very exciting but still it counts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12. A grey squirrel …Just the one. Expected to see more.

 

 

 

 

 

13. Chipmunk ..a little cutie but again, only one. Where are they hiding out?

chipmonk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14. A Moose…Finally my goal species.

Maine Moose by the side of the road

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

15. White Tail Deer…I’ve seen them before but they never fail to entertain.

Deer at rest

 

 

 

 

 

A Great Learning Experience

I fancy myself a wildlife photographer (amateur) and I’ve had some success. This week showed me how far I still have to go.  But I had fun and that’s the main thing when you’re on vacation. I’ll definitely plan another trip to Maine. It’s beautiful country. Maybe I’ll hire a guide to help me locate animals.  Some of them use blinds. Yes, That’s going on my list for the next trip.

Scenic Drive #2 continues

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Scenic Drive #2 continues

After the ducklings and a moose I almost decided to call it a day. What more could I want and it was only 9 AM! But no, lets finish what I stated so back on the road to Stratton I went. The scenic drive continues. Route 16 connected with Rt 27 and I entered Carrabassett Valley. I passed Sugarloaf Mountain, a well known Ski Area, finally reaching the picnic/rest area in Kingfield.

Take a break, Stay awake, have a picnic

gray squirrelI have to say that rest areas in Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire are pretty top notch. This was a lovely picnic area that even had rest rooms. It’s  located right on the river and it was very clean. Some of the picnic tables had roofs over them to keep you dry if it should rain.  There were charcoal fire places for grilling.  This is where I added another varmint to my animal list, a grey squirrel. He didn’t stick around when I parked but I spotted him anyway.

Scenic Picnic area at the Kingfeild rest area

On the road again

Back on the road again I was looking for a sign  to a scenic overlook called Ira Mountain. According to my directions the road would be narrow but the view worth it. I never saw the sign for the overlook but I saw a sign that read, “Iron Bridge”. I bet it was near there.

The Wire Bridge  The Wire Bridge in New Portland Maine on my Scenic Drive

Having concluded that I’d missed that turn off, I was determined not to miss any more. The next item on the scenic drive list was Wire Bridge. I wasn’t sure what that was but I was not going to miss it. Entering New Portland I kept a close eye out for signs and there they were. I followed each turn exactly and then the bridge was in front of me. What a fascinating bridge! While I took pictures a car crossed it. I watched as the wire supports bounced and the bed of the bridge swayed. I had to walk across it. Then, of course, I had to drive across it. Once across the bridge I could park and walk down to the river. That gave me another perspective.

The Scenic Wire Bridge in New Portland

Now Where?

One problem with my scenic road directions is that they got me to the Wire Bridge but then they got kind of vague. Do I turn around and go back? Do I continue on this road? It turned into a dirt road on the far side of the bridge. The directions said to take Rt 234 back to Rt 4. But I haven’t seen any signs for RT 234 at all, what to do? What to do? This is Maine, not Massachusetts. I could drive for hours if I make the wrong choice!

Guess What Day it is

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Guess What Day it is

hump day camel

Guess what day it is? Yup, it’s hump day, Wednesday, the middle of the week. My vacation is half over! I didn’t want to get out of bed. I didn’t want to think about the number of miles I’d logged looking for a stupid moose. It was time to get up and try again but oh my, I didn’t want to. It’s my vacation, roll over and go back to sleep.

A Scenic Drive is just what I need

I managed to laze around until 7:30 am when I gave in and packed up for another drive. This time I was going on a Scenic Drive. I was not looking for moose or any other kind of wildlife. This was going to be a relaxing 2 hour drive with maybe a stop to see a waterfall. The sun was shining and it was kind of cool so I tossed my hoodie in the car just in case.

Scenic Drive number 2Mama Duck and baby ducklings

On my handout from the resort I had 4 scenic drives. I did half of scenic drive #1 but ran into road construction before I could complete the 2nd half. Today I’d give #2 a try. The first step was to find Route 16 East. I had a good idea where Rt 16 was but I wasn’t sure if it was east or west. Remember , I am not looking for wildlife. With no expectation  I was pleasantly surprised that just as I saw the 16 east sign I also saw a duck. I pulled over and walked back with the camera. As I got closer the grass and weeds around the duck began to move and 4 baby ducklings emerged running to Mom. I stopped in my tracks. They were so cute but I didn’t want to scare them away so I took my pictures from where I stood and then backed away.

Route 16 East to Stratton

Maine Moose by the side of the roadBack on the road I headed down Route 16. I was the only car on the road this early so I poked along mentally ticking off what animals I’d seen most of so far…black flies, black flies, black flies. Ok so maybe a chipmunk or two, lots of crows (ravens?), 1 bat, that cute little fox kit and now the ducks. Just as I ticked them off I saw a moose. Yes, really! She was standing in a small field next to the road. I pulled over as carefully as I could. Mindful of the warning not to leave car doors open, I tried to slide out slowly so I could get the camera out of the car.

The Moose and IA Moose heading for the trees

The moose watched me carefully, ears twitching forward and back but she didn’t run away. I snapped a couple of pictures and tried to move a little closer. She took a couple of steps away then stopped. I stepped another couple of steps forward. She move a little too. We had quite the little dance going here. I’d move , she’d move. But like Cinderella at Midnight, the approach of an 18 wheeler sent Ms Moose heading for the trees. For such a big gangly creature she sure could move. I guess the universe rewarded me for my persistence even when I didn’t want to go driving around.