Tag Archives: fox

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.

Another day another Song, Tuesday Afternoon

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Another day another Song, Tuesday Afternoon

I like this theme of musical song titles each day but this one might not be too accurate. It’s Tuesday but  I actually had morning and afternoon. Mid-day was just lazing around waiting for the passing showers to end.

Tuesday morning

Pine Trees of Maine on a Tuesday MorningI can’t say Tuesday was the most successful day I’ve ever had but I certainly made every attempt to accomplish at least some goals.  At 7 am I left the cabin in hopes of spotting that elusive moose, or even a deer. It was pretty much me and the road and the morning shadows. I stopped to take some scenery photos like the long rows of pines. After all, this is the Pine Tree State and a field of Lupine. A hour later I turned for home without seeing so much as a rabbit much less a moose.

Sunshine go away todayField of Lupine

Yes another song title. My sunny Tuesday began to cloud over as I turned for home. I figured I’d clean out some emails and read a book until the storms passed. I also napped a little. That’s what vacations are for, right? It was after lunch before the sun broke out again in full glory. Time to get on the road again.

 

The Afternoon scenic drive Funny Duck Crossing sign

After checking out Ecopelagicon for a canoe rental (Not open) I tried to call a guide service. No phone service so I sent an email. I figured I needed some serious help. At this point other than lots of crows I’d seen 1 fox kit, 1 chipmunk, a blue jay, a bat and a possible bald eagle…or maybe just a really big crow. I’m sure I saw a flash of white??? So you see the wildlife, with the exception of crows and black flies, were making themselves scarce. I couldn’t even find the ducklings at the duckling crossing!

 

Scenic Drive or Hike – that is the question.

I started out on another scenic drive. The problem is they all start from the same place so you have a 1/2 drive just to get to a new starting point. After filling the gas tank I heading out for Scenic Drive #2 on the list but my directions slid off the car seat. When I retrieved them it had opened up to Angel Falls. I took that as a sign and began to look for the turn off.

angel Falls maine

News Update:

I was interviewed by an online travel site called TravelOopsies.com

If you’d like to see my interview you can find it here: https://www.traveloopsies.com/not-checking-the-destinations-weather-dates-resetting-on-booking-websites-expensive-foreign-road-signs-and-other-travel-mistakes-peeves/

Monday Monday so good to me

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Monday Monday so good to me

From Here comes the Sun to Monday Monday, the song titles keep describing my days. Today was just a lazy day. The morning was overcast again so I did some computer work, cleaned out my emails and finished reading a book I brought with me. After lunch a thunderstorm came through. No rain just lots of thunder and wind. Then the sun came out.

Time to look for Wildlife

It was time to head out to look for animals again. So far the only wildlife I’d seen were those pesky black flies. blue jay in back yard on MondayA blue jay landed on the porch railing this morning so I’m going to take that as a sign. I picked another “scenic drive” and headed off.

Keep an attitude of anticipation

My mantra for the search was to believe I would see something. Wildlife don’t perform on cue. Just keep my eyes open. The scenery is nice . I stopped at each scenic overlook.Noyes overlook with storm clouds on Monday afternoon The first one, Noyes Overlook, had a nice panoramic shot but the black flies were nasty even with bug spray. Maybe because of the thunder storm earlier. I’m sure it rained somewhere.

Height of Land

This is the 2nd overlook. The lake viewed from this vantage point is Mooselookmeguntic Lake. Yes that’s a real name, I kid you not. This is also another point where the Appalachian trail crosses the road. The overlook here is well maintained. Being on the top of the mountain probably helped with the breeze so it kept the black flies to a minimum.Height of Land Overlook Mooselookmeguntic Lake

Finally a bit of Wildlife

And a little bit indeed! As I left the Height of Land overlook I was getting a bit frustrated. With cloudy skies again there’d be no sunsets to photograph and it would get dark early. Just as I was considering turning around  I spotted something on the side of the road.

Little fox on side of road on Monday

Luckily there was a shoulder to pull over. With the car stopped I could see it was a little fox kit. No mama or siblings, just the one youngster. I’d take a picture and then try to move a little closer. He’d get nervous but seemed fascinated by the camera clicking.Red fox baby on Monday

 

I don’t know how long our little dance would have gone on if another car had not come along. When he heard that one approach he took one last look over his shoulder and was gone. I hope his family is nearby.

Red fox kit Monday afternoon

Happy Weekend

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I made it to Saratoga, NY last weekend where I caught up with my Mom and my sister. It was about a 4 hour drive both ways but it was worth it. I’m not allowed to say how old my Mom is but she is holding strong in her 9th decade so I think every year older deserves a celebration.

The drive was pretty uneventful driving  up. I always watch for wildlife but mostly I saw the usual carnage of dead animal carcasses along the sides of the road. The exception was the gang of turkeys that grazed by the side of the highway.

After an enjoyable lunch at the 99 Restaurant I headed back to Taunton, MA. It was now later in the day so there was a bit more animal life. I saw 3 deer, several turkey vultures, more turkeys and a rabbit. Too bad you can’t stop on the interstate for pictures.

deer

This weekend I did get out briefly so I made a return trip to the sanctuary where I saw the fox a few weeks ago. It was later in the day so I hoped he’d be out and about if indeed he had a den nearby.

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I lugged 2 lenses with me a zoom 24-300 and my big telephoto 300-500, in case he was farther away. I’m thrilled to announce that I was successful, at least in part. He is a fast little bugger so I only got a glimpse of him.

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