Cassini

From the Boston Globe's "Big Picture", a series of 24 incredible photos of Saturn.

Having an Organic Garden is bad?

You know why? Not enough chemicals ! It seems that an industry group has their knickers in a twist over Michele Obama having a garden at the White House. Normally I stay away from political stuff on my blog, but this is just plain nuts. Go here to read the email and other whining going on.

Owling

Last night, er I mean early this morning, I finally got to complete the 2009 Maine Owl Monitoring Project. It was not a dark & stormy night. It was a near full moon with clouds. And a few passing snow showers. Absolutely beautiful.

Peter and I only heard a GHO, and a Barred Owl. So for me it was an expected count. At stop #5, we were treated to a coyote pack chorus. About an 1/8 mile from us, which is quite close, but it makes the experience all the better. Didn't see a soul on the road, save for the single Border Patrol car that I passed.

And a raccoon.

Homies in the Hood

Northern Red-bellied Snake (Storeria occipitomaculata)

I'm pretty certain this is one of the Sphinx moths, but not too sure. I'm sure someone will chime in.

Wood Turtles (Clemmys insculpta)

So, in my moderate sleep deprived mind, I thought decided my blog will help remind me to keep track of some of my neighbors that I ran into last fall. The knife in the photos is 6 cm. The wood turtles had just hatched and the day was pretty cool. I want to go back and check the nest this spring. I did move them, too many crows and ravens about.

It was a dark and stormy night...

No ,really it was. Last night 5 of us went out into the late night gloom to do the Maine Owl Monitoring Project. The survey has been in jeopardy for this weekend do to the forecast. And last night was looking good enough to give it a try. The Girls Gone Wild team headed out from our rendezvous point at 11:30 pm. My team left a few minutes later. It went downhill from there. Our first stop, you could hear the window blowing higher up the mountains. By the second stop, I called it, you couldn't hear the recording 20 feet away. The snow just added to the night.

We have until the 9th of April to complete the survey, the weather ,however looks not very cooperative.

5 Miles W Oquossoc ME

Today: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 41. West wind between 14 and 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tonight: A slight chance of rain showers before 2am, then a slight chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. West wind between 7 and 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Monday: Rain showers, mainly after 2pm. The rain could be heavy at times. High near 48. Light wind becoming east between 10 and 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Monday Night: Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 33. Breezy, with a east wind between 15 and 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Tuesday: Showers. High near 44. South wind between 9 and 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Tuesday Night: Snow showers likely. Cloudy, with a low around 24. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Wednesday: Snow showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 38. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Wednesday Night: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Thursday: A chance of rain showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Thursday Night: A chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a low around 22. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Our protocol calls canceling the survey when the wind if 14 mph or higher.

Spring!

I know winter ended and spring started back on March 20. Last night we had about a half an inch of snow. That melted off by noon, and the temps went up to 55. I put my xc skis on,(yes we still have that much snow,up to 2 feet in the woods), and went out across the field. That degraded into a shuffle, then slog, and finally I took them off walked across the grass and came back up the road.

Later, I went out and saw a butterfly. What?! Wait! What are you? I chased it down and snapped a picture of it. Camera phones suck, but as a record shot, it works. A Milbert's Tortoiseshell (Aglais milberti), and that is the first of spring butterfly for me.

And the birds are heading back too. A Kestrel made a flyby, and the woodcocks were busy peenting this morning. Saturday night, I go out for owl monitoring. The weather looks bad, but at least I can start a post with "It was a dark and stormy night..."

Ponderings

It's been a busy month, and a busy winter. I recently took on another job, which I really don't need, but it seemed like it would be interesting. It is. I am the Natural Science Program Coordinator for a local museum. You could call it a cat wrangler.
I'm going to expand my blog to include other areas instead of just doing photography, so take off your coat and stay a while.
Tonight I was looking around as I am want to do and found an interesting piece of jewelry over at Maxilla & Mandible, a store in New York. I had been there once and if you are ever in NYC, you should stop in a see it. Anyway, they have beetle bracelets and pendants. Pretty much, beetles in acrylic. In summer around here I usually have enough bugs and other forest detritus that having beetles in plastic just might look real weird. I'm not real sure what I think about it.
This summer is shaping up to be a busy one. Along with the nature programs , I will be doing a butterfly survey and participating in Mountain Birdwatch. And trying to keep hiking, (Baxter State Park, here I come!) And taking more photos.