Frenchtown Township

First Roach Pond from Kokadjo

This unorganized township northeast of Greenville is probably best known for the village of Kokadjo and First Roach Pond. The village is at the north end of the pond, which is wholly contained within the township. Kokadjo is short for Kok (kettle) Wadjo (mountain) pegwasebem (lake); together “Kettle Mountain Lake.”*          …

Glossy Ibis

This bird’s year round home is along the southeast coast of the United States and islands in the Caribbean.  But the Glossy Ibis is an occasional visitor during the summer mating season. These two, on the right, were observed at the Scarborough Marsh in 2010, along with apparent summer vacation friends in the feather of…

Legislature, Senate Party Balance

2004 Senate Election

Political party electoral strength has followed certain geographic patterns in recent years.  In the maps below Maine Senate district election results are illustrated: blue for Democrats, red for Republicans, and yellow for non-party (“independent”) candidates.  During this period the only independent elected to the Senate has been Richard Woodbury of Yarmouth representing Senate District 11.…

Merganser, Common

Common Mergansers on Giles Pond in Aurora

This duck is, in fact, common throughout Maine in the summer and year round within about 40 miles of the coast from York County to Hancock County.  Lakes are their preferred habitat. Long at 22-27 inches, the common merganser has a pointed, orange bill with jagged edges to catch slippery fish.  The male’s dark green…

Eider, Common

“Best known for its soft, warm down”, the large diving sea-duck common eider, according to Audubon*, is “most easily observed because of its tendency to remain close to shore and its relative abundance, especially in northeastern North America. This cold ocean inhabitant is the largest duck in the Northern Hemisphere.” While this bird’s range is…

Mourning Doves

These pigeon-like birds visit home bird feeders, feasting mostly on seeds that drop to the ground. They remain year-round within about 40 miles of the coast. In summer they may be found in all but northern Piscataquis, Somerset and Aroostook (western portion) counties.   The doves are ground feeders in the wild and measure 12…

Atlantic Puffin

Puffin near Machias Seal Island (2011)

This sea bird with a colorful bill lives year round near the coast of Washington and eastern Hancock counties. The largest concentration of puffins is at Machias Seal Island, off shore from Cutler in Washington County. The island is claimed by Canada. At twelve inches tall, the birds seem tiny in the water among the…

Crow, American

American Crow (2013)

The American crow is related to crows on other continents, such as Europe, Africa and Asia. Similar to the common raven, also black, it is smaller, up to 18 inches compared to up to 27 inches for the raven. In Maine they are year-round residents in the southern two-thirds of the state, and summer residents…