Thursday, August 7, 2008

Kayaking Machias Bay

If you are ever in Machias, Maine; Go on a Sunrise Canoe or Kayak Adventure.
http://www.sunrisecanoeandkayak.com/




Maine Coastal Master Guide Rob Scribner (facing),
holds what appears to be a large wing bone.








Master Inland Guide Dave plans to take the Coastal Guide exam in the near future.


They plot true and magnetic location.
As one moves south, the error is less significant.


Rob explains petroglyphs. What's a petroglyph?

The best way to find out is to ask Rob. Sure,

you can Google it, but that's not as fun!

Jen (left) and her friend (center) admire the seals from 10-100 ft away.
David focuses on next picture.

Call Jen for a tour or to rent a kayak.
207-255-3375.

Slide Show of Below Pics

Click here to view below pics in a slideshow.

Finches Feeding Fledglings

Mother House Finch Feeds Young:


on the ground...



by the pool...




and on the deck.




"Mommy is that you?", inquires Freddy Finch
"No, sorry!", replies Kathy Cardinal, "she's waiting
in the Photinia fraseri".



"Why that's Latin darling. It seems our Mr. Ringo
is an educated man."








"Chug-a-chug-a-choo-chew"

"And the train enters the tunnel".


"Any seconds?"

"Yup".

Daddy was only feeding this young male in the am at this point.

Later in the day, he chased the fledgling away.
Adam's observation: Notice the red plumage.
Adam's inference: This a male, beginning to molt and turn red.
Adam's prediction: The young bird will be entirely red, before the beak turns color.
This prediction is based on last year's observations.







Do You Love Hummers as Much As I Do?




Hummingbirds are one of the most fascinating birds to watch, even if you are not an avid birder!

Sitting on my porch watching birds is one of my favorite hobbies. You see, I don't just watch. I do subtle things to watch the behaviors of "aves". Nothing that would harm the birds…Things like changing the water level in the bird baths… Do different birds like different water levels?

So last night, I was repositioning my hummingbird feeders, talking on the phone, and trying to untangle the mono from which a feeder hangs. I was coming very close to "speaking French"! Alas, I got to a point in which I could sit down and concentrate on my conversation with a very special Savannah resident.

Just in the middle of our conversation about "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" of her fairly new job, a time when I should have been giving here undivided attention, a ruby throat whizzed past my head! I immediately interrupted her explanation, and became a bird commentator.


This hummer first check out a test tube feeder, an eloquently decorated feeder, with a painted copper bloom and two leaves. This feeder usually stays full, because we all know that humming birds do not want us to spend too much money on feeders. He then checks out the feeder I just moved to their favorite feeding location.

Later, he finds the feeder he was looking for, the one the ground that I was trying to untangle earlier. After about a minute of unsuccessful tries to feed off a fake bloom that is flat on the ground, he took off. You see, I am pretty sure that hummers will not land one the ground, but he got as close as he could without touching.


Urban legend: Humming birds never or rarely land.
Fact: The ruby throats that I have observed do exactly that. After feeding they find a branch that has no leaves and is very slender. This is where they will perch. Now they look like a leaf!

Hope you enjoy the pics.








Maine Coastal Vacation

David and I went to Maine to seek out puffins. Puffins are unique, in that they spend 75% of their life at sea. They have an amazing 95% survival rate at sea.
We started our vacations Friday around 2 pm, by heading North on U.S. 1 to Cobscook Bay State Park. We pitched tent at 10:30pm after, collectively turning a 6 hour drive into an 8 hour drive. This happened by stopping just to see something interesting.
Things like that, spontaneity, made our trip exciting!
Our puffin trip was cancelled due to high winds and thunderstorms, but we had a great time.
Best of all, I enjoyed my time spent with "my big buddy"!

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Maine Coastal Vacation Pics


Me at Machias Bay, Maine

Brother David "My Big Buddy"



Seals lay on submerged rocks. Machias Bay

Bay Seals

Aw, so they eat a few Atlantic farmed salmon.

Who couldn't love this animal?
All I could see were logs. So Ithought!
Hobbie: Taking self-pictures



Lobstah!

Simply awesome view!

Abandoned Scott Paper Office

We departed in a fog bank.

Fog Lifts a Bit

Cobscook State Park










The view of Frenchman's Bay from U.S. 1 N.
Imagine, a couple was geting married with this
in the background.