Added Maine Photos 5/2/16

Goldfinch stopped by the feeder today for a little lunch break. Them finch birds just love their thistle seed.

Tree swallow spent some time the other day in the yard trying to decide if him and his mate liked any of the half dozen tree houses we have up. We always get at least one brood of tree swallows to raise a family here. Love watching them catch those terrible, nasty black flies Maine is so famous for.

                                                    

Little different view of the West Quoddy Lighthouse

Frenchman's Bay looking towards Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park.

Moose Skull my wife Linda painted capturing the autumn colors of the forest and bird life that are so active during the Maine hunting season. A different way for one to preserve their wild game harvest.

 

Male oriole grabbing a small piece of orange for himself, orioles love them oranges. Below right newly arrived pair of mallards stopping for a little rest and nourishment before continuing to their ancient northern breeding grounds.

Two more bird photos I thought you might enjoy. We have this female cardinal that certainly looks like she had a very bad hair day. Along with her we have a very regal looking female red breasted grosbeak. Hope you enjoy and will be back in a week or so. Don't forget check out my favorite links, you will be glad you did.

Enjoy these two scenes I took last summer just off of West Quoddy light house, had a wonderful time with my wife and our grandson Alex.

LIGHTHOUSE and MOOSE

Now these two moose photos were taken up in North Otter Pond. The one below were the moose is looking behind him was actually a deer who eventually came out into the pond as well. My wife and I also her the slight noise that the moose did for we also were wondering what would emerge from the woods. We were sitting along the shore taking a break from kayaking when this photo shoot happened.

This here is Pond Island light located down river at the mouth of Kennebec near Phippsburg, Maine. The light house and light built in 1855 but destroyed. Later on the fog horn and light were replaced. Boat is only access to this uninhabited island and light.

 March cattails getting ready to cast their seeds for the coming spring, love the long winter shadows upon the snow. This was up at our second camp. The one we called "just a camp".

Thought cha' might enjoy a couple of bear videos I got on my game camera while you are wasting time.

Took this photo some years back while doing a little hiking and thought you might enjoy taking a look. Like deer never get tired of seeing them. Well hope you enjoy the newest blog report. 

This here is "Coop" the coopers hawk that came a calling a couple days back. He hung around for a bit and it paid off for he managed to take a real nice plump mourning dove right out of the air in full flight, really something to watch for sure.

Coyote Videos

  Thought you might enjoy a few videos on coyote that I captured on my game cameras. Always enjoy checking the camera cards because never sure what I may have. Sometimes a fisher or moose, deer, coyote and of course pesty squirrels that seemed to just want to run back and forth so as to use up the battery. That is ok I use the rechargeable's so nothing lost but a little time. On another post I have some moose and a few other critters to share with you.

Blue Bird returning

The other day looking out the back window I saw a Eastern Blue Bird stopped by the feeders, wonderful and colorful site for sure. That very day there was a lot of bird chirping going on as well. The little Junco's also made their appearance at the feeder base, being ground feeders as they are. All in all it was a nice mild February day to enjoy our feathered friends. 

October and February in the bog

Couple of photos of a neat beaver bog in back of my son's house in Sidney, Maine. He has gotten to watch it develop from a very small natural stream into a very large beaver bog. For twelve months a year it is always putting on a different look. Thought you would enjoy an October look as well as a February look...enjoy!

Wife Gone Wild

Last week was our grandson's Alex fourteen birthday and both his dad and his grandma are dang talented folks. Anyway my wife asked the boy what would he maybe would like for his birthday. At the time he was not sure but not too long later ma got a call.and it was Alex telling her that he would like his grandma to paint him a wild lion, and by the way could it be roaring?

Now if you don't think that didn't turn her into a frazzle, "a wild lion" she yelled out to me that , that is what he wanted. Having never even done a lion let alone a wild one she seemed to be beside herself a bit much. I did not see her for three days as she went into her studio trying to think this through. learned a long time ago to stay away from the wife when she was a thinking.

Finally she came out of her mad room and proclaimed she was ready to paint. here again it is best to stay out of the studio (mad room) when she has decided to put her deep thinking down on that there canvas. So for the next couple days old Taz and I just hung out together eating peanut butter sandwiches, Taz loves peanut butter.

As we waited like the Cardinals in Rome waiting to hear who the new pope is, it finally happened. She yelled out she was done and hoped the young one would liked it. Taz and I were just happy it was over because about now we both are running out of that peanut butter spread.

Timidly Taz and I approached the open door and stood in amazement for there ready to jump off the canvas was this beautiful wild lion. I assume it was beautiful having never seen a wild lion before. It certainly was different from her normal artt work like baskets of apples or subjects like that, you know what I mean.

Well it seems that once I posted it on Face Book for the whole dang world to see the phone would not stop ringing for request kept pouring in from as far away as the Louvre somewhere over there in France or Norway, not sure of where they hide that building I don't even know how to pronounce it.

I am afraid that this wild lion is going to be causing all kinds of problems for Taz and I. the grandson still home playing with his x-box, mother went shopping for a case there of that Skippy peanut butter and flew out of Bangor on a red-eye for France. Got to end now my mouth is starting to stick together from so much Skippy.

TAZ the Mouser

Couple photos of our buddy Taz, he is a little crazy so he blends right in with us.. He loves camp as well as the woods. He has a couple times walked upon a moose but all we have to do is give him a yell and he breaks off immediately. He is just a bark shy of being the perfect friend. Being a sheltie he barks at everything and everyone. You best have ear plugs when in the truck and he happens to see a horse, cow and even bales of hay and the music begins. Of course if he were perfect we would expect that all the time.

These photos were taken the other day when we hiked into camp, had not been up since November. Anyway on the way up he thought he would copy his wild relatives and catch a mouse or two, yea right, that could happen! He is beyond a doubt the biggest baby you can believe. He is so fierce that he is afraid to go down into the cellar, or into the bathroom or even go out in the dark alone. We even have to cut up the hot dog when we give him one at camp or home. I can say though that he does tremble whenever he hears those coyotes calling.

Anyway, just wanted to introduce you to Taz, He is an old Skowhegan  pup we picked up some years back from a fellow who went by the handle of the Cross-eyed Poacher. Nice enough fellow as long as there were no wardens around. Town mayor wanted to pay us for taking the barker off their hands but we didn't want to have to give the money back if things did not work out. He does do a good job of keeping them thar preaching people away that come around now and then, if you know what I mean.

I'm Back

I am in the process of reactivating my blog that I started a few years back. Over time and other pursuits I let this blog fall by the wayside but feel there is much to add and share. 

I hope you visit my blog often for my intent is to try and add new stories and tales along with my photos as time allows. You will notice some post contain dates that go back but the photos and write up are still relevant today. 

In the blog under my Favorite Links over in the sidebar is a list of shops that my wife and I have on Etsy. The shops contain all types of unique gifts of art, cards, bookmarks, and of course my photography. I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised to find such a neat array of unusual gifts of fine lasting quality all in one place.

I encourage you to send me feedback in the comment section located at the end of each post. Maybe you have a topic regarding our natural environment that you would like me to dedicate a post to.

You may also sign up to receive my blog by email every time I add something new. I am open for any ideas you may have. Any unusual stories you may have regarding nature please submit them and maybe we can share them with our readers in the side column Chips from the Beaver Tree.  I ask every one to be polite with any of their feed back.

This site is a work in progress so please keep checking in. Enjoy all the photos and the tales associated with many of them 

Thank you
Dave