In the early 1600’s a dam was built in Nequasset, now a portion of Woolwich. It was the early primary power source for the town, the site of grist, saw, and fulling mills. The original wooden fishway provided a rich harvest of alewives, which was apportioned among the residents according to their…
Amphibians, part of Maine’s wildlife population, are cold-blooded vertebrate (having a backbone) animals usually living on land but breeding in water, where their offspring change into adults. Salamanders An example of a Maine amphibian is the Spotted Salamander. It breeds in vernal pools (pools that have water in the spring but dry up later in…
Collisions with moose and deer are all too common in Maine. The state Department of Transportation posts signs where crossings have been reported and prepares maps describing the frequency and locations of collisions.
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 Maine Department of Economic Development had a hand in delivering two white tail deer from Maine to the Disney studios in 1938, in response to a request for model photographs for the animation artists in the forthcoming movie Bambi. In 1968, the Department recalled its role, with the help of Maurice “Jake” Day of…
One of about a dozen species of owls in Maine, the Barred Owl is relatively large at 20 inches. It moves about at night to feed on small animals such a rodents, frogs and birds. This owl has also been found to take fish from a lake. Though usually hidden in dark reaches of swampy…
At night, he saw the stars in the sky in their fixed positions and the crescent of the moon floating like a boat in the blue. He saw trees, stars, animals, clouds, rainbows, rocks, herbs, flowers, stream and river, the glistening dew in the bushes in the morning, distant high mountains which were blue and…
are the largest of rodents. They have flat, scaly tails, and large front teeth. Beavers use their teeth to cut down and dismember small trees to use in construction projects: their homes (lodges) and dams to surround their lodges with water. Access to the lodges is underwater, so most bothersome animals cannot get in. They…
Endangered, threatened, and other common birds in Maine. The same species may have variations of its sounds depending on the region in which it lives. All sounds in the Encyclopedia have been recorded in Maine.
Almost 400 different bird species have been recorded in Maine, of which approximately half are known to have bred here. With a little effort a birder should be able to see 200 species in the state during the course of a year. See Ecology>Nature Preserves for locations.
text by Craig McLaughlin Wildlife Biologist, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Bear Facts Physical Characteristics The black bear, featured above at the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray, is the smallest of the three species of bears inhabiting North America (black, brown/grizzly, and polar), has the widest distribution on the continent, and is the…
In the northern portion, the Appalachian Trail crosses the township following Bald Mountain Stream and the Piscataquis River, passing just north of the village, which is near the river and is accessible on the Blanchard Road from Monson village. See maps and photos.
According to the Audubon Society’s Field Guide to North American Birds, “The Bobolink was probably confined to the central grasslands originally, but with the settling of the Northeast it quickly spread into New England. Now with farms abandoned and the land returning to forest, the species is declining.” In Harpswell, a large portion of Mitchell…
This Cowbird, 6 to eight inches beak to tail, is a spring and summer visitor to Maine. Once a follower of bison on the great plains, these birds now inhabit the edges of woods, roadsides, and towns across the United States. Females lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, then abandon them to…
Butterflies in Maine Monarchs The colorful and common Monarchs range throughout the United States, including all of Maine, especially in rural areas with fields thick with milkweed. Wingspan ranges from 3½ to 4 inches. As forests reclaim abandoned farms and the remaining cropland displaces milkweed and similar plants, this butterfly has become less abundant in…
These birds are colorful members of the finch family. The male is well known for its bright red coat, and the female has tinges of red on her fine brownish feathers. At 8-9 inches, they sport a distinctive tuft atop their heads. Both males and females wear a black “mask” around their eyes. Cardinals are…
The Black-capped Chickadee is the State of Maine’s official bird. Actually, the law only refers to the “chickadee,” but there are other species. This 5 inch bird inhabits the northern half of the United States and southern Canada. In addition to the familiar chicka-dee-dee call, its song, sounding like hey-sweetie or fee-bee-bee, is less associated with…
This raptor has traditionally summered in Maine but moved south for the winter. However, climate change may have altered that pattern. A bit smaller than an osprey, it is still an imposing sight perched near a house. Its habitat in Maine ranges from deep forests to wooded residential areas. The example below showed up in…
These large, black birds are found in Maine primarily along the coast, on rocky shores, on ledges, and swimming in the water. “Cormorant” is derived from two latin words that mean “sea crow,” but this bird is not actually associated with the crow family of birds. This double-crested cormorant (typically 32 inches long with a…
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…