Maine’s Herons Reveal Their Wintering Grounds
By Wildlife Biologist Danielle D'Auria Did you ever wonder where Maine’s great blue herons go in the winter? You are about to find out! This spring, biologists from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) tagged five adult great blue herons with GPS transmitters as part of an ongoing effort to better understand the state’s great blue heron population. The great blue heron tagged in Palmyra and named “Nokomis” just showed up in Haiti on October 20th, and anyone can watch to see if she remains there for the winter and if she returns to Palm
Managing Deer Wintering Areas Is One Aspect Of A Regional Biologist's Job
By IFW Wildlife Biologist Scott McLellan [caption id="attachment_1963" align="alignright" width="318"] This photo (figure 1) shows a harvest block where a number of the white cedar trees were retained.[/caption] As a regional biologist, one of our responsibilities is working with landowners to manage deer win
Why Did The Moose Cross The Road...At This Location?
By Bob Cordes, IFW Wildlife Biologist [caption id="attachment_1960" align="alignright" width="424"] Motion-activated signs such as this one alert motorists to areas of high moose activity[/caption] This past week I was fortunate enough to attend and deliver a presentation at the Northeast Transportation and Wildlife confe
Conservation Easements Are A Useful Tool For Wildlife Management
By Sarah Spencer, Region C Wildlife Biologist [caption id="attachment_1950" align="alignright" width="446"] Wetlands and marshes are an extremely valuable wildlife habitat to a variety ofspecies.[/caption] If you’ve come across the Department’s previous blogs, you’ve been introduced to many of the
Looking For Areas To Hunt? Check Out The Sebasticook Woodlands WMA and the Carlton Stream WMA
By Keel Kemper, IFW Wildlife Biologist As a regional wildlife biologist one of the most common questions that we address this time of year is “I am not a landowner so where is there a place for me to hunt”? As posting of land has become more prevalent the sense that some sportsmen get is that there is no longer any good place left to hunt. Oh contraire!
What Exactly Is A Beaver Deceiver? And What Does It Do?
[caption id="attachment_1902" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] A beaver deceiver can keep water levels at a range that are manageable for both property owners and beavers.
Invasive Species: More Than Just a Thorn in the Side
By Wildlife Biologist Joe Wiley Why should outdoorspeople care about invasive species? Because invasives dramatically affect our outdoor experience in many ways! First, invasive species outcompete native species. It’s not a fair fight since invasives have many adaptations that allow them to survive and outcompete the native species. Habitats are diminished by losses of diversity when invasives invade. For example, the bush honeysuckles leaf out much earlier than our native honeysuckle. They usually have flowered before most native shrubs leaf out.
Experience Unique Natural Diversity at the Mattawamkeag River System Wildlife Management Area
By Regional Wildlife Biologist Allen Starr Imagine an area that could provide an opportunity to hunt or view any of Maine’s big game species, pursue a variety of small game (including waterfowl), search for a plethora of songbirds, access a large, scenic river for boating and fishing or visit rare and exemplary natural communities and ecosystems. The Mattawamkeag River WMA, located in Drew Plant
Monitoring Maine's Waterfowl Production and Populations
By Scott McLellan, Regional Wildlife Biologist Waterfowl brood surveys have long been a traditional part of the work program for regional wildlife biologists and serve as a method to monitor annual nesting success and survival of hens and their young. In region E out of the Moosehead Lake area, 9 of these surveys are conducted in the month of June and then repeated one month later. This schedule occurs annually on the same bodies of water in hopes to develop and understand trends in waterfowl production and populations. Surveys occur either during the early morning or earl
Photo Blog: Banding Canada Geese in Western Maine
Each summer, biologists and volunteers capture and band approximately 500 Canada geese in Maine as part of a region-wide effort to monitor and manage populations throughout the eastern United States. This week, I joined our staff in western Maine as we located, rounded -up, captured, banded and released two good sized flocks of Canada geese.
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