A relatively shy and infrequently noticed bird in Maine, the northern shrike often perches atop a tree awaiting a food opportunity. Unlike most songbirds, this one preys on small birds and rodents. This one, uncharacteristically, was in downtown Brewer near City Hall. Their primary habitats in summer are open spaces in woods or swampy areas…
The town of Aurora is home to two geologic features created by ancient glaciers. Silsby Plain This feature is an example of geologic deltas, which are formed where streams produced by melting ice enter a body of water. The Silsby Plain was a delta deposited into a narrow marine inlet when the sea was at…
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.”* …
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…
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.…
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…
“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…
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…
Megunticook
This forested, rural unorganized township in Hancock County has few residents and no major village. Fletchers Landing is a small village on Graham Lake, a large water body north of Ellsworth.
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…
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…
Bridges may be classified by several factors: span, travel, form, and material. Five basic forms are arch, beam, cable-stayed, suspension, and truss. Of course, each form may serve several uses, including road vehicles, railroads, and pedestrians. Here are some examples in Maine. Bridge Forms The brief discussion of the basic forms below only begins to…
This bridge, built in 1931 by the American Bridge Company was slated for replacement in 2013, and was described in the Federal Infrastructure Projects web site as noted below. The project replaced an 80 year-old movable span truss bridge at the end of its service life with a high level, fixed bridge over the Kennebec…
The Map Cabinet offers selected images of historic maps of Maine. Most are from the Library of Congress where higher resolution versions are available by following the links listed under “Sources” below. The Library’s “permalinks” are permanent links to the associated images. “Image source:” links are those from which the images were acquired on the…
The Gulf of Maine extends from Cape Cod in Massachusetts, to the coasts of New Hampshire, Maine, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, and to Cape Sable, Nova Scotia. An important part of the Gulf is Casco Bay, which supports substantial varieties of marine life, but is in the midst of the highest concentration…
Tidal flats are a substantial resource harboring a variety of species, including clams, quahogs, marine worms, lobster larvae, and crabs. These resources are endangered by polluted water runoff from residential and commercial activities. The video clip below shows clam survey activity and small crabs scampering under an incoming tide during an educational event in 2012.…
Stephen Joseph Longley (1957-2013), born in Lewiston, was known throughout the Appalachian Trail hiking community by his trail name, “The Ferryman,” for twenty years, from 1987 to 2007. He operated the Appalachian Trail Conference’s Kennebec River Ferry Service where the Appalachian Trail crosses the Kennebec River in Caratunk, one of the most formidable and treacherous,…
Donald Baxter MacMillan (1872-1970), though born in Provincetown, Massachusetts, lived in Freeport as a boy, and graduated from Freeport High School and Bowdoin College in Brunswick. He later taught at schools in Maine and Massachusetts. After joining Admiral Robert E. Peary’s successful expedition to the North Pole in 1908, MacMillan began to explore, eventually accompanied…
Why “Grange“? Its origin is likely from the British English. The Oxford English Dictionary notes “British: a country house with farm buildings attached. Historical an outlying farm with tithe barns belonging to a monastery or feudal lord. Archaic: a barn. From Latin granum “grain”. by Stanley R. Howe* The National Grange came into being in 1867…