The Wrack: Photo Galleries

A quick lunch-time trail hike turned into an exciting wildlife tracking adventure this afternoon for two members of the Education Staff! After turning onto the Pilger Trail from the Laudholm Connector, we noticed the very distinct tracks below. See if you can spot them!

Just added to the historic photo archive is this old photograph with the brief note "at Wells–Laudholm" written on the back. Any tractor experts care to speculate on the year and make of that antique? Thanks to Charles for passing along the 2x3" image from which this was cropped.

Charles, Mark, and Frank installed seven bat houses within four of the Reserve's fields today, in an effort to provide habitat for the local population of these insectivorous flying mammals who eat up to 1,000 insects per hour. Below are pictures taken during one of the installations. We are hoping that bats will move in to this new real estate in the spring!

In July, fifteen middle and high school teachers from seven different states participated in the Teachers on the Estuary (TOTE) four-day field-based workshop at the Reserve. Since then, they have been teaching their students about estuaries and watersheds, while also implementing student-driven stewardship projects. On Saturday, the more local contingency of this TOTE group (and one teacher skyping from Kentucky!) met at the Reserve for a follow-up session. The teachers shared information about their stewardship projects, which are very impressive!

Yesterday's Lunch 'n Learn in Mather Auditorium drew over 20 people who were interested in learning more about the birds of York County. Marie Jordan of York County Audubon Society shared her vast knowledge of birds, as well as an impressive slideshow of her bird photographs. Following are just a few of the snippets of information that I documented in my notes from the program:

1. Pine Siskens come through this area in November and March. They look like house finches, but have yellow on the wings.
2. King Eiders can sometimes be seen off Marginal Way in Ogunquit. Harlequin ducks are common in this location in the winter, too.
3. Cedar Waxwings and Bohemian Waxwings feast on the fruit from crab apple trees through the winter months.
4. Saco Heath is a great place to find Prairie Warblers in the spring.
5. At Kennebunk Plains, birders often see Upland Sandpipers, Grasshopper Sparrows, and Vesper Sparrows.
6. Many birds have expanded their range into Maine. Birds like the Red Bellied Woodpecker and the Carolina Wren were not here 30 years ago.
7. It is very important to manage fields for Bobolinks and Meadowlarks, waiting until after their nesting season to mow.
8. Marie shared a statistic she had heard--that roughly one million birds in Minnesota are killed by cats each year. She encouraged all of us to keep our cats indoors for the sake of songbirds.
9. Mockingbirds have their own song! In addition to all of the mimicking they do, they also have their very own "harsh sounding" song.
10. When someone asks Marie what her favorite bird is she replies, "The bird I am looking at this minute!" She has too many favorites to name just one.

After the indoor presentation, the group ventured outside on a bird walk with Scott Richardson. Soon after leaving the auditorium, a Sharp Shinned Hawk flew overhead and Scott explained the flight patterns and wing differences of the area's most common raptors.

Following is the list of birds either seen or heard along the walk:

1. Song Sparrow
2. Sharp-shinned Hawk
3. Blue Jay
4. Red-tailed Hawk
5. American Crow
6. Yellow-rumped Warbler
7. American Black Duck
8. Surf Scoter
9. White-winged Scoter
10. Northern Gannet
11. Double-crested Cormorant
12. Bonaparte's Gull
13. Common Loon
14. Ring-billed Gull
15. Tree Swallow