by Sallie and Art Wilder
Nature Watch
It has been fun following Dot Haggan's Rufus hummingbird saga. We thank her for sharing that with us and can't help but wonder if it will come back to Dot's next summer!
On September 29 Art and I spotted 4 Sandhill Cranes on Rt. 8 in Norridgewock! Had heard that they nested in the area and fledged two young. They have been seen around here in past years. Also in October Art saw a flock of Snow Geese fly over, one was gray, so probably a dark morph stage.
We sure enjoy hearing from Pam Prodan, she sent in this; I spotted a Canada Warbler September 30 feeding in my front yard. When I reported it to Dr. Jim Chace, October*s speaker on Canada Warbler, he noted this date is quite late for this specie. Canada Warbler has the furthest to go of our warblers - to northern South America, in and east of the Andes. He also delicately pointed out that natural selection may be at work. But, other summer species also continued to make appearances here. On October 9, around dusk, a bat (unknown sp.) was swooping around the edge of one of our fields. And, on a sunny October 25, I spotted two Chipping Sparrows and several (probably immature) warblers feeding at the edge of our field. Represented among the warblers were Magnolia, Yellow-Rumped, and Common Yellowthroat. These species typically winter in the southern U.S. and West Indies. High in the air that day, clouds sailed by against a deep blue sky and the next morning, the migrants had vanished. Finally, as further evidence of our late fall, while Witch Hazel is a shrub noteworthy for its fall bloom, it was nonetheless surprising to find one on November 1 that still had a yellow blossom.
On October 29 (rain date) WMAS had a very delightful and informative walk in Pam Prodan and Conrad Heeschen's woodlot. Altho rain had been a posibility, it was a beautiful day and we all enjoyed seeing the very diverse and interesting woods and beautiful scenery.
Question to ponder: Will Roxanne Quimby become Maine's next Percival Baxter ?