Partnerships Play Vital Role in Protecting Maine's Endangered Shorebirds
By Assistant Regional Wildlife Biologist Brad Zitske Piping plovers are small, striking shorebirds typically found on sandy beaches and dunes in southern Maine. Their camouflage plumage makes them more often missed than detected but the keen-eyed observer can see them starting and stopping on the beach in their seemingly endless foraging search for invertebrates. Signs, fenced sections of beaches, and nest exclosures are good indicators of piping plover presence. Least terns are the smallest tern in Maine and are more closely related to gulls than shorebirds.
IFW, Students to Capture and Track Radio-tagged Heron
Students and teachers from several schools across the state, in conjunction with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, are capturing and radio tagging great blue herons to learn more about herons and their habitats. The student’s jobs, equipped with binoculars, minnow traps, and fish ID cards, is to locate a foraging heron in their area and then catch fish to use as bait to keep the herons comi
Bud Leavitt Wildlife Management Area
[caption id="attachment_1513" align="alignleft" width="300"] View from Bud Leavitt WMA towards the western mountains[/caption] By Mark Caron, Regional Wildlife Biologist The Bud Leavitt Wildlife Management Area comprises 6,530 acres across portions of four towns including Dover-Foxcroft, Atkinson, Garland, and Charleston (Delorme Atlas, Map 32). The W
Training Drill Prepares Biologists For Multiple Crisis Scenarios
[caption id="attachment_1496" align="alignright" width="410"] Biologists locate, capture and assess oiled wildlife in a mock oil spill scenario.[/caption] The Department’s mission is to “protect, conserve and enhance” Maine’s fish and wildlife resources.
Searching for Maine's Moose Calves
By Scott McLellan, IFW Wildlife Biologist As part of the moose survival study that the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) initiated in 2014, it is important to u
GPS Radio Collars Tracking Deer for Next 5 Years
By Lisa Kane This article also appears in the April issue of the North Woods Sporting Journal How many of you apply for an Any Deer Permit each year? These much sought-after permit allocations are based, in part, on the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDFIW’s) estimates of the previous winter’s deer mortality, previous season’s actual hunter harvests and biological information collected during each hunting season on harvested deer. Another part of the equation is called the Winter Severity Index, or WSI.
Working with Partners to Create Wildlife Habitat
By Sarah Spencer, Region C Wildlife Biologist In the Downeast Region, biologists frequently work with partners to accomplish tasks aligned with the Department’s mission. A recent example of this collaboration came in mid-April when Region C Wildlife Biologists participated in an effort that was organized by the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge of the U.S.
Two things you probably didn't know about gray squirrels
By Wildlife Biologist Joe Wiley You can learn a lot about wildlife by just being still and observant. While sitting on my front porch on a warm day in late March, I noticed four gray squirrels in the ancient sugar maple tree in the yard. The squirrels were doing usual springtime squirrel stuff, mostly courtship chasing. Then, I noticed one of the squirrels was very interested in the swollen base of branch stubs on the main trunk of the maple. Using my binoculars, I could see the squirrel licking a light colored spot on the branch stub.
Installing Better Stream Crossing Structures Benefits Fisheries and Wildlife
[caption id="attachment_1398" align="alignright" width="514"] A half culvert like this one, place on cement footings, allows for a natural stream bottom that allows for the passage of fish and other species.[/caption] By Joe Wiley, IFW Wildlife Biologist Landowners, bo
Well-planned Timber Harvests Can Provide Food and Habitat For Wildlife
[caption id="attachment_1389" align="alignright" width="331"] The cavity in this oak tree is useful to a number of species.
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