In the Right Place: The Coast Is Clear

In the Right Place: The Coast Is Clear

Yesterday, for the first time in a long time, the federally supported U.S. Drought Monitor reported that, as of July 20, the entire seacoast of Maine was no longer abnormally dry or in drought:

U.S. Drought Monitor, July 22, 2021

Nonetheless, most of the rest of the State remained abnormally dry or in moderate drought and there is a pocket of severe drought in the upper southwest corner adjoining New Hampshire, according to the weekly report.

We’ve been getting above average fog, rain, and/or mist here on the Down East coast all month. This has kept our wooded streams flowing and our bogs lush, as you’ll see from the images above and below.

These images were taken on July 20, the day on which this week’s Drought Monitor is based. (Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: Cool Customer

This little masked marvel was hopping joyfully in our woods on Monday, July 19. He’s a Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus), one of the most studied amphibians due to its mysterious ability to survive severe cold. (Sex assumed from his being less than two inches long; females usually are slightly larger than two inches.)

As with other amphibians, the Wood Frog is an animal with a metabolic rate that is too low to produce the heat necessary to keep its organs working. That is, the Wood Frog’s operational body heat must be obtained from the environment; it is ectothermic or “cold-blooded.”

Even so, Wood Frogs are remarkably adapted to the cold for reasons not yet fully understood. They usually are the first amphibians to appear in early spring, even when there is still ice in the vernal pools and the northern limit of their range is thought to be the tree line of the Arctic tundra.  (Brooklin, Maine) Click on image to enlarge it.

In the Right Place: Thick and Thin

The sun is trying to break through the morning’s thick fog again as this is written. This has been the foggiest and rainiest July in recent history here on the Down East coast. Yesterday, the sun eventually established a foothold and fought off the fog until the afternoon, when the fog started rolling large again.

This created the above interesting effect in Blue Hill’s Connery Cove that we were lucky enough to witness yesterday. Before the fog engulfed the Cove, the small fishing vessel Sun’s Up was brightly lit by its namesake for a few minutes. However, the fog continued to advance and soon snuffed the sunlight as you would a candle flame.

About 20 minutes later and a few miles to the south, we also were lucky enough to watch the 145-foot-long schooner Heritage being pushed by its yawl boat through the incoming fog and fading dusk light:

It was coming into our Great Cove to shelter for the night as the fog continued to thicken. (Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: Beleaguered

 Here you see a Monarch Butterfly sipping from a common milkweed floret on July 7:

Below, you’ll see two newly hatched Monarch Caterpillars chewing milkweed leaves on July 13:

In our neighborhood, we seem to have fewer Monarch Butterflies and Monarch Caterpillars this year than in other recent years of diminished sightings. It may be coincidental, but this year there has been an apparent influx of American Robins and Bluebirds near the milkweed patches that I monitor. Leighton Archive images of each:

Robins are among the birds that eat the butterflies. Bluebirds eat the caterpillars I learned recently from Sherry Streeter, our neighboring Monarch hostess and protector. These insects are supposed to be toxic and their bright colors are meant to warn predators away from them. However, that’s not always the case, research indicates.

Some birds that are Monarch predators have adapted by eating only parts of the regal butterflies; Bluebirds, before eating the caterpillars, reportedly squeeze them against a hard surface until most of their toxic content is exuded from both ends of the insect; then, they gobble them up with a crunch. Predatory insects and the occasional mouse also will attack the otherwise-beleaguered Monarchs at various stages of their development. These beautiful creatures just can’t catch a break, it seems. (Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: Questionable Practices

As you see below, those of us who visit Naskeag Harbor are now being asked an ultimate question: “What else is there to do?”

A possible answer for fishermen floats in the background: the Harbor’s summer convenience raft, which sells fuel and bait to lobster fishermen and buys their catches. (Brooklin, Maine; image taken on July 16, but sign remained as of yesterday.)

In the Right Place: Osprey Nest Report 12

The saga of Ozzie and Harriet continues to unfold pleasantly, as you may infer from Thursday’s and Friday’s (July 15-16) images here.

During our last episode, we were worried about June, the youngest and smallest of the family, whom we hadn’t seen for a while. Well, she’s getting bolder now and rising regularly from the depths of her home, as you see her above, to the right of her brothers David and Ricky. (The sexes of the youngsters are assumed for descriptive purposes.)

Harriet spends more time away from the nest now that her nestlings are too large for any predator. Below, you’ll see Ozzie and Harriet (golden eyes) with fast-growing and curious David (red eyes in the middle). If you look closely, you’ll see Ricky’s back as he rests in the nest.

Answering questions from people who apparently are of a certain age, as I am: Yes, we’ve named these happy ospreys after the characters in “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” a television situation comedy of the 1950’s and ‘60s. It involved the problems of the Nelson family, especially those of the family’s two youngsters, David and Ricky. We named the third of “our” ospreys “June,” the month of her birth. (Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: Great Expectations

The mouth of Patten Stream was churning with alewives on Wednesday afternoon (July13) as the tide from Patten Bay rose high. It was raining, which cast the scene darkly and made it difficult for this young Great Blue Heron to cross the slippery rocks and get into a good fishing position.

Great Blues are our largest and most regal Herons (that is, they’re “Great”), but they’re considered to be a “Species of Special Concern” by Maine wildlife officials. That’s primarily because their coastal breeding populations have shown significant declines in recent years. This loss appears to be at least partly due to an increase in predatory Bald Eagles and proprietary human beings along the coast.

Although they may be Great, GBHs are among our skinniest birds, as you can see here. They can reach almost five feet in length, but usually weigh much less than eight pounds. While slow and awkward on their feet, they can achieve a respectable air speed of about 30 miles per hour.

Leighton Archive Image

(Images taken on July 13 in Surry, Maine, except for the in-flight Archive one.)

In the Right Place: Dog Days

It’s mid-July – prime summertime – but the weather gods have not been good to us here on Maine’s Down East coast. All week, it’s been foggy and/or rainy at least in the morning and sometimes most of the day.

Yesterday’s fog was gruel-thick at times, as you can tell from these images of the 125-foot-long schooner Mary Day leaving Great Cove in the morning, with tourists at the bow being unable to recognize tourists at the stern.

Naskeag Harbor was no better, as you can see from the image of the Town Dock:

Yet, our usually fertile soil remains dangerously dry. The weekly U.S. Drought Monitor, issued yesterday, showed that, as of July 13, most of Maine’s coastal counties continued to be “Abnormally Dry” and some in the State’s southwest corner actually were in “Severe Drought.” A good part of central Maine was reported to be in “Moderate Drought.” The Monitor is a federally supported report.

The temperatures in the first two weeks of July here often have ranged from uncomfortably chilly to uncomfortably clammy; the rain at times has hammered so hard that the deprived ground cannot absorb it well. If the trend continues, August could be a brutal disappointment.

This is not good for the “Vacationland” state that is famous for its grand summers and the nature lovers who come here to enjoy them, not to mention the fishermen and other outdoor workers who depend on them. It gives no solace to realize that it’s worse elsewhere. The Nation’s environment seems to be turning on its handlers like a dog that has been beaten so long it has nothing to lose. (Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: Yellow Bird Road

It took about 15 minutes to find this male Common Yellowthroat Warbler Tuesday, July 13. He would sing from within a large bush; I would go near the bush; he would stop singing; I would stick my head into the bush and “phish” for him, and I would hear him singing from a different bush.

He eventually tired of the game and stayed put for about three seconds. (Repeatedly making a “phish, phish” or similar sound sometimes attracts curious birds.)

Common Yellowthroats are our only warblers that nest low and stay low most of the time. They’re easily missed by those who always look up in the treetops for warblers. Common Yellowthroats are not to be confused with Yellow-Throated Warblers, which mostly inhabit leafy treetops in summer. Why such similar names were chosen is beyond me.

However, as far as descriptive names go, the two Yellow Throats seem to have fared better than their cousin, the Yellow-Rumped Warbler:

Leighton Archive Image

Leighton Archive Image

It seems to me that the Yellow-Rumped just as easily could have been called a Yellow-Sided or a Yellow-Crowned Warbler.

(Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: Organic Farming

Queen Anne’s Lace flowers are icons of high summer, but they’re already out in full force here. If you look closely at the images below, you’ll see that this plant, also known as Wild Carrot (Daucus carota), has not only attracted pollinating flies or bees, but also ants that apparently are herding aphids.

As you may know, aphids are miniscule insects that suck the sap from plants. Ants are known to “farm” aphids and stroke them so that they exude “honeydew,” a sweet milk-like substance that the ants drink insatiably.

I’m not sure what species these pollinators and ants are. If you can identify them for me, it would be appreciated. (Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: A Start

Here, in Nakeag Harbor yesterday morning, we see indications that some of our fishermen haven’t gotten all of their lobster traps in the water yet. However, we hear that most of the fisherman are “all in.” We’ve also been told but that, so far, it’s been a “slow start” for lobster catches.

Below, you’ll see the water creeping up yesterday on a favored parking space for some fishermen – on the beach point, which is used only by those who know the tides well.

Fisherman here trailer their outboard-motored skiffs to the Harbor to ride out to their moored boats and to return from them. (Brooklin, Maine.)

In the Right Place: The Drain in Maine

Local ponds are brimming after Tropical Storm Elsa’s brief kiss on July 9, but analysis of the data indicates that the drought continues to plague much of Maine.

Above you see a local Fragrant (Scented) Water Lily (Nymphaea odorata) apparently unaffected by the conditions. However, below you’ll see that nearby Common Cattails (Typha latifolia) have been slow to put out new growth:

“It rained and drained for the most part,” according National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Kimble in Gray, Maine, as quoted in the Portland Press Herald. Rainfall this year is still about five inches below normal in total, notwithstanding Elsa’s exuberance. (Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: Osprey Nest Report 11

Summary: Harriet put on quite an aerial show yesterday morning when a bald eagle appeared about half a mile away. After that, two chicks showed themselves; whether there still is a third chick is yet to be determined. Ozzie did not make an appearance while I was there.

Harriet’s defensive strategy seems to be based on the theory that it is better to challenge the enemy at a distance from the nest, rather than stay near or on it. On seeing the eagle, she began screaming and scrambled immediately up and off the nest, as you see here.

She began flying in wide circles above the nest like an aircraft carrier fighter that provides cover for the flat top. The eagle paid absolutely no attention to her antics and continued on its way, slowly flapping its huge wings to cross Great Cove.

All the while, Harriet circled and screamed, the chicks huddled unseen at the bottom of the nest, and I did contortions trying to keep Harriet in focus. (It seems that the chicks go to the bottom of the nest when Harriet screams in attack mode, but not when she calls differently at the sight of Ozzie.)

As the eagle disappeared, Harriet returned and calmly preened herself as if nothing had happened. That’s when two chicks stuck their heads up and peered over the side of their nest. I waited for 30 minutes, but neither the third chick nor Ozzie appeared.

(Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: Weather or Not

Tropical Storm Elsa said her tearful goodbyes here yesterday with almost two inches of rain and wind gusts that reached almost 40 miles per hour, according the Brooklin School’s weather station.

Although the rain at times was slashing and the County was under flash flood and high surf warnings, no significant harm appears to have been done here. Besides, we needed the rain to bring our ground water levels up before August.

Above, you see Fiona, defenseless in the rain at her lonely mooring in Great Cove yesterday. She’ll probably have to be bailed out soon. Below, you see a nearby field pond being topped off at about the same time. No frogs were complaining.

(Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: God Save the King

This image of a Monarch Butterfly on Common Milkweed flowers appeared yesterday in our monthly column in the Ellsworth American.

Click on the image to enlarge it. To read the column, click here: http://www.5backroad.com/montly-column

In the Right Place: Seals of Approval

Yesterday was hot and hazy here, but there was a good breeze in Great Cove where an enjoyable spectacle was going on: The WoodenBoat School Elements of Sailing classes were catching those breezes and scooting all over the Cove like water bugs.

Above, you see We 3 performing yesterday for a languid audience of harbor seals.  (I think I heard one or two flipper claps for some especially good come-abouts.) Here’s another of the boats out yesterday, Crackerjack, flaunting her tanbark red sails":

Both sailboats are part of the School’s fleet of 12 ½-foot (at waterline) sailboats. Some, such as the We 3, are “Herreshoffs.” These were designed by the famous naval architect Nat Herreshoff in 1914 and have been in constant production since then. They are considered by many to be the best small sailboat ever built.

Others, such as the Crackerjack, are “Havens.” These were designed by our locally famous naval architect Joel White in 1984 as a modified Herreshoff 12 ½. The principal difference between the two designs is that the Haven has a retractable centerboard and the Herreshoff has a fixed keel. Thus, the Haven has an advantage in shallow water, but both sail beautifully.

The rigging can be different. Here’s Fox, a Haven with a gaff rig like the Crackerjack’s:

Here’s Dovekie, a Herreshoff rigged as a Marconi Sloop, like We 3:

(Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: Osprey Nest Report 10

Here you see Harriet feeding a chick on Monday, July 5. – a very delicate process involving two sharp, hooked beaks.

Ozzie and Harriet remain in good health, but I’ve seen only that one chick recently. You’ll remember that we’ve seen three originally. There could be a benign reason for seeing only one now. The nest is deep and the dominant (first born) chick may be commanding the high ground to be fed first, while the other chicks huddle below where I can’t see them from my great distance. Harriet has been making moves that could be interpreted as feeding other, hidden chicks.

Of course, we need to remind ourselves that nests of big raptors will never pass an Occupational Safety and Health Agency inspection. Chicks fall out, try to fly too early, and get attacked by their more dominant siblings, not to mention being stomped accidently by incoming parents with talons.

The tyke that I saw Monday seemed healthy, inquisitively staring at the world with his red eyes that will turn to gold when it matures (sex assumed):

He is growing dark primary feathers and still has a lot of down on its wings:

Ospreys usually have few problems with predators; they are extraordinarily protective and will viciously attack intruders. However, sometimes a raccoon will get to the eggs or a rogue osprey, bald eagle, or great horned owl may get a chick by slipping under the radar while the female takes a short break from the nest. Here’s Harriet returning to the nest from a short pond-water-sipping break last week on a foggy day:

(Brooklin, Maine)

Annual Brooklin Independence Day Celebration

The weather was perfect, the time was over-ripe, and it looked like everyone had a great time at the Annual Brooklin Independence Day Celebration, held yesterday. The contrast between last year’s plague-dictated cold and rainy whizz-by of a couple of trucks and a few cars was stark.

As usual. the day began with the Brooklin Town Band on the Library lawn warming up the crowd with a wide variety of music, from John Philip Sousa marches to Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”

The parade started at about 10 a.m., led by some of our veterans carrying Old Glory and an Missing in Action Flag. Following that were modern and historic fire engines from Brooklin and the area.

There were two significant floats created by our neighbors. The first was a space-oriented presentation, complete with a black hole and a kidnapping alien. The other, titled BEe HAPPY celebrated bee keeping. Interspersed in the Parade were individual creations.

As usual, antique and classic cars ere featured and drew quite a bit of attention during the parade and when displayed in the Town Green afterward.

After the parade, the celebration continued at the Town Green. The usual children’s games — The Dead Chicken Toss, Golf Putting, and Wet Sponge Throw — were popular, as always.

And, finally, the usual delicious lunch of barbequed chicken or hot dogs, corn on the cob, cole slaw, and potato salad, with cold watermelon or ice cream as a desert

(Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: An Eyeful

It’s sunny here as I write, but we’ve had soaking rains during the past several days. They’ve been a boon to thirsty farmlands and gardens and a curse to sailors and sightseeing passengers on coastal cruisers. Yet, a few of the latter have been determined that discomfort will not deter their plans. Here we see a small schooner’s crew and its complement of young and adult passengers sailing – above deck – through a downpour in Great Cove on June 25.

This is the Alamar out of Castine, Maine. (I’m told that Alamar is a Spanish name that means “to the sea” or “get closer to the sea.”) She’s only 45 feet long and her beam (widest part) is 13 feet. She’s a keeled wooden schooner like some of her large cousins; that is, she has a permanent keel, not a retractable centerboard as a keel. She also has an inboard diesel engine.

Alamar was bult in 1947 in Machiasport, Maine. A bit unusually, the craftsmen who built her worked by eye from a half-model designed by Dan Stuart and Nathaniel French; non-linear lines were not “lofted” from carefully cut wooden or plastic strip forms that would have allowed full scale scribing of her curves.

(Brooklin, Maine)

In tje Right Place: Happy 4th and Happy History

Here you see the Pride of Baltimore in 2012, celebrating the 200th anniversary of the war of 1812 by sailing past and saluting Fort McHenry.

Leighton Archive Images

The Fort is where Francis Scott Key penned his patriotic poem “The Star Spangled Banner.” Key was inspired by the unexpected American defeat of the British invaders, which prevented them from capturing Baltimore, Maryland, late in the War.

His poem became the lyrics to our national anthem, which will be heard countless times throughout our land today and tomorrow.

There were other significant American victories in that War to keep our independence, especially by the emerging Navy and citizen privateers who were licensed to harass and capture British ships. This is where the Pride of Baltimore fits in.

The 100-foot Pride is a reproduction of a typical 19th Century Baltimore Clipper Topsail Schooner of the type used as privateers in the four-year War. Those clippers were small but agile warships that were remarkably successful in capturing and harassing enemy merchant and war ships.

The clipper shown here actually is Pride of Baltimore II. She was launched in 1988 as a replacement for another reproduced clipper of the same name that was sunk in a squall in 1986. However, both Prides were named indirectly in honor of the Baltimore Clipper Chasseur, one of the most famous of the American privateers.

The Chasseur (meaning hunter in French) sank or captured at least 17 enemy vessels before returning to her hometown at War’s end. Upon seeing Chasseur’s victorious return up the Chesapeake Bay, the city’s largest newspaper dubbed her “the pride of Baltimore.” (From Brooklin, Maine)