wildlife

One of the animals that lives in our area but you rarely see is a fisher. Fisher are members of the weasel family and like their relatives the weasels and mink are great hunters. Because they are fairly secretive and not all that common it is more likely that you will see their tracks in the snow than the actual critter.

Argy and I have been walking in the evenings this week. We are taking advantage of the pleasant March weather and the switch to Daylight savings time. Two evenings ago I heard a single Beeep.. and I knew that spring was here for sure. For those who do not know it is the sound that the male woodcock makes when getting ready to perform his territory / mating ritual.

The wind shifted with a bang a little after noon today and we had a not too cold but windy afternoon. The skies were crystal clear and very blue. I always write about the clear winter skies but this time I’ll let a picture tell the story.

We had a few inches of snow on Sunday another dusting last night and are forecast to have another storm tomorrow. Temperatures turned colder and freezing is now a high for the day rather than something it might do overnight. In fact I put the heated water buckets in the kennel yesterday since the buckets had stopped thawing during the day. After a long warm fall winter is here.

I have recently gone to work as the Executive Director of the Maine Professional Guides Association. Don’t worry its part time, I am still guiding all summer and fall. I worked for the MPGA in the 1990’s as their first lobbyist and served as president and secretary of the organization before that. In the interim I have worked for a variety of conservation organizations while guiding at Maine Outdoors and four years at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

The last couple of mornings have been cold and in fact last nights frost lingered in the shade until nearly noon today. The ice has started to form in the shallows. Winter is definitely coming even though the last few days have been very sunny and mild. The falling temperatures and cooling water have the beavers working overtime. I noticed this morning where one cut a few small trees and dragged them across the road on my way to Augusta.

Over the last few years I have commented on how there seem to be more bobcats in our area. Because they are secretive most folks do not see them. I notice mostly tracks in the snow during the winter. Although our neighbors have seen one, Argy saw one last winter while I was away and I have seen a few crossing the road while driving and a couple in the woods over the years.

In the last few days clients have had more to see than just great weather and beautiful scenery. The critters have been showing up more than usual and in unusual ways. One afternoon on a perch fishing trip we were anchored in a cove out of the breeze. I heard a splash and looked up to see a young osprey about twenty yards away, nothing unusual here. Except the young bird was floating on the surface of the pond, wings outstretched, rather than launching himself (or herself) back into the air.

Most of the folks that I get to spend time with outdoors are a pleasure to be around and sometimes we are like old friends after only minutes. The couple I took on the lower Saint George Saturday were an absolute delight. The stripers did not cooperate at all but we were successful in capturing mackerel and watched lobstermen haul their gear up close. They were very interested in this world so different from the center of the country where they live.

As a working guide, someone who has appreciated wildlife all of his life and bought hunting and fishing licenses since he was old enough. I am troubled by two debates that are about to happen. Both of them surround licenses for hunting and fishing. One is a fee increase for hunting and fishing licenses (article in the Portland Press Herald) and the second is requiring a license to fish in salt water.