Moose up the Road Apiece!

Posted on March 14, 2017March 14, 2017 by Dusty Roads

Rangeley, a town in Franklin county Maine has a population of around 1200 until the tourists come to town. Rangeley is the center of the Rangeley Lakes Region, a major resort area.

It looks like a June vacation will be an excellent time as far as the weather is concerned. Watch me jinx us by making a statement like that! But really. When I check the average temps the average high in June is 69 degrees and the average low is 47 degrees. Nice sweater weather. Of course they did have a record high of 90 degrees and a record low of 27 degrees. There’s been no snow in June and only an average rainfall of less than 5 inches. But if it rains there’s a bowling alley. We can all go bowling!

I want to go to Maine in June for the moose. The moose is the state animal of Maine. Moose spotting becomes an activity late spring to Mid-summer. Seems to me June falls right in the middle of that range. The best time for spotting moose seems to be early morning or evening and noon to 2 pm. Sounds like moose like to have lunch too!

Calves are born in late May to early June right on track with our June vacation . I can visualize the photos now. Early morning has such beautiful light!

One of the activities I’m thinking about is a Moose Safari. There are both walking safaris and water safaris in canoes or kayaks . I know how to canoe but I’ve never been kayaking. That would be a new adventure. Plus there’s plenty of hiking trails. Also sounds like a lot of waterfalls on these trails.

One location in particular that caught my eye is The Hunter Cove Wildlife Sanctuary, sitting along Route 4 between Rangeley and the town of Oquossoc, the sanctuary offers nearly two miles of looped, flat, hiking trails leading through moose country. The sanctuary, as well as the lakes, is home to deer, foxes, loons and other bird and animal species.

I’m used to wildlife sanctuaries. I visit them in Massachusetts all the time so this might belong on my list.

I’m ready for June to arrive and my Maine wildlife adventure to begin.

A Letter to Mom

Posted on March 9, 2017March 9, 2017 by Dusty Roads | 6 Comments

Hi Mom

I’m glad you liked the whale photo. The funny thing is that I didn’t even know I got it until I got back home. I took it on the very first whale watch I went on, the Sunrise Photo Safari!

It looked blurry on the little LED screen so I kept going out on more whale watches to try to get that breaching whale picture. They were fun anyway. Can you believe its just a baby whale? There’s nothing to show the scale but if Mama was around you’d see it’s only a little 2 ton baby!

I know you want to know what’s up for the June trip to Rangeley Lake. There’s not much to tell at the moment. I know Sandy is doing some research on the internet to see what’s in the area to do and see.

It all started when I did a search for the best time to see Moose in Maine. The article I read recommended Moose-head lake which is about 3.5 hours north of Rangeley Lake but there was no time share at Moose-head Lake so I looked into Rangeley and that was also suggested for wildlife…moose, bears, loons, foxes, eagles and the list goes on. So I booked the only accommodation that was available, a 3 bedroom unit! (I think it’s a cabin)

I didn’t want to be rattling around in a 3 bedroom cabin all by myself. It seemed greedy somehow. I’d be keeping a family from getting away to Rangeley for their vacation. Then I thought, why not see if Sandy and Mom want to come. It less expensive since there’s no plane fare involved. There’s a kitchen so we don’t have to eat out every night. Everyone can have their own bedroom. Sandy will have her own car so no one has to depend on me if I’m off taking photos.

The best wildlife photos are in the early morning and late afternoon so I figured I’d have time during the day to join you guys in things you may want to do and we’d have the evenings to just kick back.

Other than that, I haven’t thought much about the trip. I’m looking forward to us getting together like this. We don’t have much chance to do it with me in Massachusetts and you guys in New York. Sometimes it seems like we’re miles apart. Life is just so busy! This is a chance to slow down a little.

Photo #10

Posted on January 8, 2017January 8, 2017 by Dusty Roads

And That’s All There Is!

Posted on August 7, 2016August 7, 2016 by Dusty Roads

Once we left Seal Island and the Puffins I was done in. The fresh air, the early start, the excitement of seeing these adorable little birds up close and the boat ride had zapped me of the rest of my energy. Once we arrived back in Cutler it was lunch time and starting to rain.

The gathering

The Church in Cutler offered us the use of it’s basement which was set up with tables and a kitchen. Plus there were bathrooms. Following lunch it was off again, this time to Boot Head Preserve.

When we found the trail head to Boot head preserve I decided to give up on keeping up. I stayed in the car and took a nap. It was lovely.

We returned for dinner at Helen’s Restaurant at 6:30 before retiring to our rooms to pack.

We all met at the vans at 6 am for breakfast at Dunkin Donuts and a trip Machiasport- Pot Head. I didn’t lug the camera this time. I had what I came for and as is usually the case when you don’t have the camera, I missed a beautiful shot of 3 deer.

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They stood on the dirt road watching us. It was like they were frozen. There was plenty of time for a picture if I’d been prepared. Finally the first 2 crossed and disappeared into he woods. I thought the 3rd had gone back into the woods where it had come from when it came flying out like it was shot from a gun. It literally flew across the road in one bound.

We spotted 2 bald eagles and bunch of smaller birds but by this time the deer were the highlight of the day for me. Puffins, deer, eagles, some of my very favorite things.

This was a good trip.

Thanks Mass Audubon for a great time.

A few More Puffins

Posted on August 4, 2016August 4, 2016 by Dusty Roads

Ok , after all that build up one little Puffin picture was probably a bit anticlimactic so here are a few more. I took over 100 so there’s plenty to pick from.

Puffin portrait

We were in the blinds for a little more than an hour. There was a lot of activity.

On Watch

Puffins flying in and out.

The Landing

They were quick. Those of us taking pictures were trying for that iconic shot of a puffin with fish in its beak but that was harder than expected.

Stike a pose

We’d see the birds flying in from a successful fishing trip but they immediately popped into their burros. Once they had fed their little puffins and came back out they stood around and photos of empty beaks were easy.

Eye Contact

Puffins make their nests in holes in the ground that they dig with their claws. They also makes nests in the rocks.

In the Rocks

Because they are little, the other birds try to steal their catch so they waste no time above ground. The best I was able to do was get a picture of a Puffin with a beak-ful of shrimp. No fish.

Shrimp Take Out

The other photographer in the blind with me did get a fish shot. You can see her beautiful pictures at www.mywildlife.zenfolio.com.

The gathering

One of the most fun things that happened while we were in the blind is suddenly we heard a tapping. At first we thought they’d come back to get us out of the blind but then we realized the sound was coming from over our heads. The birds were landing on the roof of the blind and it was their little feet we were hearing.

Puffin

Puffins make the strangest call. For a little bird its terribly guttural, not pretty at all. When I’d see one calling it reminded me of a donkey braying.

Can You Hear me now?