SPORTS & OUTDOORS: Efforts needed to save our moose from ticks

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Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

According to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 73 percent of hunters harvested a moose during the last season. This was done despite warm spells in both September and October.

There were 2,080 permits issued, and 1,518 hunters were successful. That would lead you to believe that moose are plentiful.

Relatively speaking, this may be true. However, research by the department seems to indicate a drastic decline in our moose population. Once estimated at 90,000 moose, the population today could be as low as 50,000. With a substantial decline in the moose population also came the 50 percent reduction in moose permits issued last fall.

According to figures from the MDIFW, that is significant. The 73 percent success rate is consistent with the 71 percent success rate for moose hunters over the past five years. This is compared to turkey hunters who are generally about 30 percent, bear hunters are successful 25 percent of the time, while deer hunters in Maine are successful about 15-20 percent of the time.

However, in an interview with the Bangor Daily News, Maine moose biologist Lee Kantar stated that the reduction in moose permits has a negative impact on guides, sporting camps and rural Maine towns.

Kantar conducted a survey where 83 moose were captured and collared in early January in northern and western Maine.

“The thing that’s the challenge is that there’s no perfect data on how many moose are in any of those areas,” Kantar told reporter John Holyoke. What is causing this reduction in moose numbers? Kantar summed it up in one word: ticks!

In order to attempt to assess the population, DIF&W utilizes aerial flights to study the composition of the moose herd. Biologists also examine teeth from the moose to determine the animal’s age, measure antler spread, and monitor the number of ticks a moose carries, and examine cow ovaries in late fall to determine reproductive rate.

“Ultimately, we want to know about survival rates about cows and calves because they’re so crucial to our moose population, and whether we have growth or decline in stability,” Kantar told Holyoke. “We want to be able to predict at least the near future so we can satisfy what the public wants.”

In a press release from the MDIF&W, Kantar noted, “High success rates for moose hunters in northern Maine are consistent with what we are seeing with our moose survival study. Adult survival rates are consistently high in our study areas, and calf survival rates are higher in our northern Maine study area compared to our western Maine study area.”

Weather impacted many hunters, particularly in the first week of the season. Moose tend to travel less and spend more time in cover when it’s hot. It was also noted that hunter effort also declines during these periods.

However, despite all the efforts in studying moose, including analyzing blood, hair and fecal samples, and conducting a tick count, there still hasn’t been a way to prevent ticks from killing the moose.

Ticks continue to be a major nuisance in our surroundings. Maybe the answer lies in letting Mother Nature do it on her own, because sometimes human interference does nothing but make things worse.

In my article last week, I explained how it has been found that the presence of opossum could dramatically impact the tick population. But do the opossum have a place in our environment, and would their presence be detrimental to other animals in their respective regions?

The legislature’s IF&W committee has to come up with answers. It would behoove them to roll up their sleeves and get to work.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

In 2010, what Red Sox rookie became the only player in AL history to hit a grand slam home run on the first pitch of the first at-bat of his career?

Answer can be found here.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Highway carnage: we’re beginning to see more of this animal

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Opossum, the tick vacuum.

Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

“What’s for suppah, Granny,” is the question that comes from members of the Clampett family on the 1960s TV series, The Beverly Hillbillies.

“‘possum stew and crawdad pie,”replies Granny.

Not exactly appetizing if you ask me.

So, let’s get this question out of the way, right now.

First crawdads, or crayfish. They are delicious, but that’s a story for another time.

Opossums, on the other hand, taste pretty bad. They are edible, but are extremely greasy. They would probably be consumed only in a survival situation. They are high in protein, but must be well cooked. One person described it as “tasting like it had been cooked in a burning, plastic garbage bag.”

Why all this about opossums? Well, I saw one last week on my way to work, laying dead by the side of the road. I remember, a few years back, reporting about an opossum sighting in Winslow. But have heard very little since then.

Are they common in Maine? They are usually associated with the deep southern U.S.

Opossums are North America’s only native marsupial. They resemble a cross between a house cat and a giant rat. They are common in Maine, but mostly in the southern part of the state. They have migrated into Maine over the last 50 years, probably because of lack of habitat in their native areas.

At first, people were not all that thrilled about this creature supplanting itself in our environs. The animal has always been perceived as dirty and a possible threat to carrying rabies. All these theories are false.

Opossums may be your best defense against Lyme disease.

A study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that opossums, who are diligent self-cleaners with a tough immune system, are about eight times less likely to be carrying rabies than a feral dog. As they are constantly cleaning themselves, they can destroy up to 95 percent of all deer ticks that try to feed of them. Rick Ostfeld, author of a book on Lyme disease, and a senior scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, best described opossums as “basically walking tick vacuums.”

Many ticks try to feed on opossums, but few of them survive. Opossums scurry about the forest floor sucking up ticks at a voracious rate. If you want to rid yourself of ticks from the backyard, it would be better if you had some opossums hanging around. You can go online and find instructions on how to build an opossum house, similar to birdhouses.

With the escalation of tick populations in Maine, opossums are man’s best friend. Opossums consider ticks a tasty snack, and an easy one at that. According to a study conducted by the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, a single opossum can wipe out between 5,500 and 6,000 ticks in a week.

John Smith, who founded the Jamestown colony in 1607, first recorded the name “opossum,” from the Powhatan language (opassom). Smith described the opossum: “hath a head of a swine…tail like a rat…of the bigness of a cat.” The Powhatan word is derived from a Proto-Algonquain word meaning “white dog or dog-like beast.” William Strachey, the first secretary of Jamestown, described the animal this way: “beast in bigness of a pig and in taste alike.”

The opossum, Didelphis virginiana, is a marsupial endemic to the Americas. They originated in South America and entered North America in the Great American Interchange following the connection of the two continents. Their flexible diet, and reproductive habits make them successful colonizers and survivors in diverse locations and conditions.

Opossums are usually solitary and nomadic, staying in one area as long as food and water are easily available. And, of course, we all know about the term “playing ‘possum,” the act of mimicking the appearance and smell of a sick or dead animal. What I didn’t know is that the response is involuntary, rather than a conscious act. The stiff, curled form can be prodded, turned over, and even carried away without a reaction from the animal. They will typically regain consciousness after a period of a few minutes or up to four hours.

Although not a handsome fella by most standards, the opossum has a very important place in our ecosystem, in regards to controling the dreaded tick. I wonder if I could convince a couple of them to hang around camp during the summer.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

In 2004, which Red Sox pitcher was the winning pitcher in the clinching games of the ALDS, ALCS, and the World Series?

Answer can be found here.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Great Blue Herons struggle on coast, hold their own inland

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Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

We see them everywhere on our lakes. They are long, lean and stare at you from the shoreline or from tree tops. The Great Blue Heron.

The great blue heron, Ardea herodias, is found throughout most of North America, as far north as Alaska and the southern Canadian provinces in the summer months. In winter, the range extends south through Florida, Mexico, and the Caribbean to South America. Birds east of the Rocky Mountains in the northern part of their range are migratory and winter in the coastal areas of the southern United States, Central America or northern South America. From the southern United States southwards, and on the lower Pacific coast, they are year-round residents. However, their hardiness is such that individuals often remain through cold northern winters, as well, so long as fish-bearing waters remain unfrozen (which may be the case only in flowing water such as streams, creeks, and rivers).

great blue heron

The great blue heron can adapt to almost any wetland habitat in its range. It may be found in numbers in fresh and saltwater marshes, mangrove swamps, flooded meadows, lake edges, or shorelines. It is quite adaptable and may be seen in heavily developed areas as long as they hold bodies of fish-bearing water.

Great blue herons rarely venture far from bodies of water, but are occasionally seen flying over upland areas. They usually nest in trees or bushes near water’s edge, often on islands (which minimizes the potential for predation) or partially isolated spots.

Great blue herons are widespread throughout Maine; however, a noticeable decline in their coastal nesting population has occurred since the 1980s. By enlisting volunteers, the Heron Observation Network of Maine, is able to cover what is probably three times more sites than the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife could cover should they do it alone.

In total, staff, contractors, and volunteers surveyed 139 colonies in 2017. With over 184 ground visits, 61 volunteers monitored nesting activity at 92 colonies. Staff and contractors monitored an additional 47 colonies through aerial surveys and ground visits.

Over 66 percent of colonies surveyed in 2017 were covered by volunteers. Coastal observations show a decline in coastal colonies with a slight increase showing for inland groups.

All the effort by volunteers, staff and contractors revealed similar results as in 2016. In 2017, they observed 60 active colonies with 629 nesting pairs. Since not all known colonies were surveyed, they typically assume that the latest survey data for those still stand, providing a more probable total of 838 nesting pairs among 81 active colonies statewide.

The number of nesting pairs on coastal islands is at its lowest level since the 1980s. With only 221 nesting pairs among seven islands, the coastal population is now down 82 percent since 1983. Since 2013, the 5-year average has been decreasing 8-16 percent each year. The inland population looks relatively stable, with small ups and downs since they began close monitoring in 2009. The average number of inland nesting pairs over the past nine years is 683. Since 2013, the 5-year average has been increasing by 1-2 percent each year.

However, the inland increases don’t make up for the losses on the coast, though there may be a lag time between the initiation of new colonies and when they become discovered. Volunteers discovered eight new colonies in 2017. Two of those colonies are within six miles of the large colony on Wreck Island (Muscongus Bay) that was lost in 2016. While these two colonies only contain 40 nesting pairs combined, they could represent some of the pairs from Wreck Island. Now, volunteers would like to find the other 60-80 pairs who abandoned that colony!

Coastal islands may no longer be preferred habitat for nesting great blue herons in Maine; however, the reasons for this change are not entirely clear. Disturbance, predators, and change in prey abundance could all be part of the equation. The Heron Observation Network of Maine will continue its monitoring efforts that, hopefully, will shed more light on this disturbing pattern.

This spring will mark the tenth anniversary of the Heron Observation Network of Maine. While they have gained invaluable information regarding the abundance and distribution of nesting great blue herons throughout the state of Maine, their work is not yet done. In 2020, they hope to repeat the Dual-Frame Aerial Survey conducted in 2015 to arrive at an updated population estimate, which in turn will give them trend information. In order for that survey to be a success, they will need to continue to collect data on as many colonies as possible between now and then. Thus, volunteers are still essential!

Reports of colonies are also essential. As colonies shift around the landscape, they need help discovering the new locations. If you know of a great blue heron colony, please don’t hesitate to report it to MDIFW. There is no harm in reporting a colony they already know about. In addition, they need more volunteers to help cover as many colonies as possible. Contact MDIFW if you are interested in joining the Heron Observation Network and monitoring a colony.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Name the three Boston Red Sox leftfielders who are enshrined in MLB’s Hall of Fame.

Answer here.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Pesticides having a detrimental affect on bumble bee population

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Bumble bee

Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

Recently I read an article about the state of bumble bees and honey bees. It seems a common class of pesticide, neonicotinoids, is causing problems for honey bees and bumble bees, by attacking their central nervous systems, causing a reduction in weight and the number of queens in bumble bee hives. It also causes them to become disoriented, and fail to return to their hives.

Neonicotinoids are a class of neuro-active insecticides chemically similar to nicotine. As of 2013 neonicotinoids have been used in the U.S. on about 95 percent of corn and canola crops, the majority of cotton, sorghum, and sugar beets and about half of all soybeans. They have been used on the vast majority of fruit and vegetables, including apples, cherries, peaches, oranges, berries, leafy greens, tomatoes, and potatoes, to cereal grains, rice, nuts, and wine grapes. Imidacloprid is possibly the most widely used insecticide, both within the neonicotinoids and in the worldwide market.

For more than a decade, pollinators of all types have been in decline, mostly because of loss of habitat, inadequate food sources, diseases caused by parasites and viruses, and bee management practices, along with perhaps some pesticides.

In a British study, researchers dosed bees with the pesticide and moved their hives out to a field. After six weeks, they found the pesticide-treated hives to be 10 percent lighter than those that weren’t treated; and more important, the hives that had pesticides lost about 85 percent of their queens.

Even though lower doses were used with bumble bees, it seems that bumble bees are more sensitive to the pesticide and that issue is worthy of more study.

Honey bee

Honey bees, which aren’t native to America, are managed by professional beekeepers, carted from farm to orchard, and raised to produce honey. Bumble bees, native to this country, are wild pollinators.

Bumble bees are typically found in higher latitudes and high altitudes, through exception exist. They are also found in cold climates where other bees might not be found because bumble bees can regulate their body temperature.

Bumble bees are social insects that feed on nectar and gather pollen to feed their young. Bees are also needed to pollinate fruit, vegetables and nuts. Without them, experts say our diets would be very bland.

Bumble bees generally visit flowers exhibiting the bee pollination syndrome. They tend to visit the same patches of flowers every day, as long as they continue to find nectar and pollen. Pollen is removed from flowers deliberately or incidentally by bumblebees. Once a bumblebee has visited a flower, it leaves a scent mark on the flower. This scent mark deters visitation of the flowers by other bumblebees until the scent degrades.

Once they have collected nectar and pollen, bumble bees return to the nest and deposit the harvested nectar and pollen into brood cells, or into wax cells for storage. Unlike honey bees, bumble bees only store a few days’ worth of food, and so they are much more vulnerable to food shortages.

Queen and worker bumblebees can sting. The bumble bee stinger has no barbs and is capable of multiple stings. They are not normally aggressive, but will sting in defense of their nest or if harmed. They will attack host colony members, but usually ignore other animals and humans unless disturbed.

Multiple species of bees are either seing a decline or disappearing entirely from the European landscape, along with some native to America, some of them may even be extinct.

According to 20th century folklore, the laws of aerodynamics prove that bumble bees should be incapable of flight, as it doesn’t have the capacity to achieve flight with the degree of wing loading necessary. In 1934, French entomologist Antoine Magnan included the following passage in the introduction to his book, Le Vols des Insectes: “First prompted by what is done in aviation, I applied the laws of air resistance to insects, and I arrived … at this conclusion that their flight is impossible.” Apparently, the bumblebee’s wing function is that the wings work similarly to helicopter blades. Bees beat their wings approximately 200 times a second. Their thorax muscles do not expand and contract on each nerve firing but rather vibrate like a plucked rubber band.

So, environmental activists and some beekeepers are convinced the pesticide is a problem. Entomologists have said without bees, “we’d be a scurvy-ridden society.”

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Chris Sale is scheduled to be the opening day pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in 2018. Who was the last Red Sox lefthanded pitcher to start two consecutive opening days?

Answer can be found here.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Unity College students initiate a turtle mark-recapture study; radio-telemetry and habitat mapping project

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Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

While watching a documentary about turtles on British Broadcasting Company/America (BBCAm) over the weekend, they had several episodes about turtles on the show Blue Planet. It got me to thinking about turtles in our area, and the plight they encounter. I have written on turtles before, but I felt it was time to do it again.

Recently, I received a story from Unity College on a program the students conducted over the summer, and I thought I would share it with you.

Here is the article:

wood turtle

As the antenna slowly swept a semicircle into the crisp fall air above his head, senior Greg Leclair listened closely to the steady beep of the receiver at his chest for any change in intensity. Up to his hips in leaf-strewn stream water, sporting camouflage waders and a Unity College baseball cap, if it weren’t for the radio-telemetry gear Greg could have easily been mistaken for a fisherman on a morning expedition. But his quarry was of a much craftier kind.

Suddenly, he paused, eyes squinting against the increasing blaze of a rising sun, and gestured upstream. “We passed him. He’s that way,” he called out, catching the attention of two other student volunteers combing nearby banks for any sign of their clever target. Somehow they’d missed him — but that was no surprise. He could be anywhere: cozy under three feet of water or tucked happily between the roots of a tree. He might even be sunning himself beneath a thin layer of sand on a nearby beach, virtually invisible to all but the carefullest passerby.

But 20 minutes later, the jig was up. Going on a hunch, Greg wandered up an embankment and into the woods nearby, antenna in hand, to search. The transmitter’s telling beeps assured that Gotham, one of ten radio-tagged turtles currently wandering the woods and waters surrounding Unity, Maine, promptly got pulled out of the shady protection of an overgrown raspberry bush. Since spring 2015, Greg and other Unity College students have followed the telling beep of their telemetry gear and waded through deep waters to locate turtles.

In partnership with Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Associate Professor Matt Chatfield initiated a mark-recapture study and a radio-telemetry and habitat mapping project on a nearby Wood Turtle population. At least once a week in fall and spring, students pull on their waders and search for turtles, both tagged and untagged, to collect data on. “This project and this college are a match made in heaven. We’re all about sustainability science, conservation and protection of the environment here, and this project really speaks to that,” Dr. Chatfield said. “This is a real opportunity to collect information that can be used range-wide to help conserve this turtle in its wild habitat, and also offers integrative experience that is essential in training the next generation of wildlife biologists and environmental problem-solvers. So far it’s been very rewarding — it’s always fulfilling as a professor to watch your students grow.”

As a group, turtles are the most imperiled vertebrates on earth. More than 80 percent of species are already extinct or threatened with extinction. The Wood Turtle is especially at risk, and is experiencing widespread decline throughout much of its range. The species is currently listed as a Species of Special Concern in Maine, and as a Priority 1 Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Maine’s Wildlife Action Plan. But data on Wood Turtles remains sparse, making Unity College’s study a much-needed attempt to fill in some of the gaps. The project will hopefully help scientists understand how Wood Turtle habitat use and movement patterns may be influenced by things like agriculture, road construction, and development. “This project, through close collaboration between students, faculty and MDIFW biologists, helps fulfill the mission of the college, while simultaneously empowering students through invaluable experiences on a local, yet globally-relevant conservation project,” Unity College President Dr. Melik Peter Khoury said. “Participation in the project through internships, work study, and volunteering through the campus herpetology club, helps students transition smoothly into graduate programs and further their career goals as biologists or conservation practitioners.” Each turtle found is tracked with a number, using the same system as the state of Maine because ultimately all of the gathered data goes on to Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Besides their numbers, most turtles are also given informal names. “Shredder” came about after one turtle kicked so much during his transmitter glueing that he shredded the latex gloves of his handler. Another turtle unexpectedly turned up a solid half mile from his usual haunts one day and gained the name “Roman” for his efforts. “Gotham” got his name for his piercing yellow eyes and dark shell, bringing to mind an image of “the dark knight” for some students.

Dr. Chatfield has watched many of his undergraduates become increasingly interested in the project over three years of study, seeing its influence on their career paths, skillsets and sense of responsibility. He said he leans on Greg in particular in a way generally reserved in academia for graduate students.

DAYTONA 500: YAWN!

Was it just me or was this year’s Daytona 500, except for the final five laps, the most boring of all. I have never watched a Daytona 500 that had as many commercials as this one. It was like commercials every five laps, that took up about six or seven laps of the race. Here was how I tracked it. With 32 laps left, they went to commercial and returned with 25 laps left. Commercials again at lap 21, returned at 17, broke again at 14 laps, returning with 11 laps to go. And during the only green flag pit stops – very exciting to me – they were in commercials. I think I saw more commercials than the actual race.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

When was the last time the U.S four-man bobsled team won a gold medal?

Answer on page 11.

SCORES & OUTDOORS – Winter birds; pond hockey classic: good hockey, however….

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Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

A 40-year study conducted by the Audubon Society has found that more than half of 305 bird species in North America are spending the winter about 35 miles farther north than they did 40 years ago. Some of these birds include chickadees, robins and owls.

purple finch

Bird ranges can expand for many reasons, among them urban sprawl, deforestation and the backyard feeders.

The study suggests that the reason so many birds over such a broad area are wintering in more northern locations is climate change.

The study of migration habits from 1966 through 2005 found that about a quarter of the species have moved farther south. But the number moving northward (177 species) is double that amount.

Of all the birds, the purple finch was the biggest mover. Its wintering grounds are now more along the latitude of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, instead of Springfield, Missouri.

Over the four decades covered by the study, the average January temperature in the United States rose by about five degrees. That warming was most pronounced in northern states, which have already recorded an influx of more southern species and could see some northern species move into Canada.

The study also provides support for what many bird watchers across the country have long thought – that many birds are responding to climate change by moving farther north.

boreal chickadee

Previous studies of breeding birds in Great Britain and the eastern U.S. have noticed similar trends. But the Audubon study covers a broader area and includes many more species.

Examples of these are the purple finch and the boreal chickadee. They are spending their summers in the forests of Canada and fly south into the U.S. for the winter. Climate change could be playing a role in why they are not flying as far south as they used to. This is reflected in the fact that these species of birds are no longer as common as they once were in states like Maine and Vermont.

The Audubon Society likes to conduct their bird counts in mid-December. At that time of year, temperature is the primary driver for where birds go and whether they live or die.To survive the cold, birds need to eat enough during the day to have the energy needed to shiver through the cold nights.

With the milder winters that the northeast have been experiencing in that four-decade span, it is possible that birds don’t need to expend as much energy shivering, and can get by eating less food in the day.

However, researchers cannot explain why some certain species are moving. It’s speculated that changes in temperature affect different birds in different ways.

Researchers don’t know for a fact that it is warming. But when they keep finding the same thing over and over, they reason that it is not just a figment of the imagination.

MAINE POND HOCKEY CLASSIC

The 6th annual Maine Pond Hockey Classic took place last weekend at the Snow Pond Center for the Arts, in Sidney. Over 60 teams and 500 players from the northeast, Canada, and beyond, participated in this annual event, sponsored by the Harold Alfond Boys/Girls Club. The classic was founded in 2013, and its original site was on China Lake, in China.

I watched a lot of hockey over the three-day tournament and found most of it competitive. The A, B and Over-35 divisions showcased some good hockey. However, if I may make one suggestion, it would be this: there needs to be a better vetting process for the C category, or Recreational Division as it is named.

That class was the largest of the different groups. The level of talent was too broad. There were many teams with talent that should have been playing in higher divisions against stiffer competition. I watched a game on Saturday morning that ended 22-4 – I think. I lost track of the goals because they were coming so often. Not very entertaining nor competitive hockey. It was obvious that members of the losing team were amateurs who play in recreatonal leagues with below college skills, while the winners had obviously played at much higher levels. There were some teams in the recreational division that were comprised of players with much more experience from higher levels of competition.

Although many players said they had fun, I doubt losing 22-4 is exactly a joy ride. I suggest to the organizers that players with college or higher experience should not be paired against those who have high school or lower backgrounds.

If I may have one more suggestion: They need better monitoring of the games by officials. I witnessed countless rules violations that were not addressed.

Just a thought.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

When did the U.S. last host a winter Olympics?

Answer can be found here.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Those messy, dirty, scavenging and annoying war heroes

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Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

One of the educational things I do for myself every day is read the comics in the daily newspaper. It kind of sets the tone for the rest of the day for me. I have my favorites: Peanuts, Hi and Lois, Beetle Bailey, Garfield, etc. I even like to read Mark Trail just to see what kind of adventure he sets out on, and invariably, brings to a successful and happy ending.

The one that once caught my eye was a certain theme that Doonesberry was presenting. It seemed this certain person declared himself a “birder” and was on a quest to find a certain warbler to add to the list of birds he had witnessed.

That got me thinking. Claiming myself to be an amateur birder, I wondered how many different bird varieties I have seen in my life time. So, I set out to make a list.

Once I got to about 73, I decided I was wasting too much time on this. So, the thought came to me that maybe I should single out one that was intriguing to me.

Having seen birds as small as a ruby-throated hummingbird, and as large as a Great Blue heron, it was difficult to see which one in between would get my attention. Then it dawned on me.

These particular birds are mostly envisioned as pests, vagrants, scavengers and dirty inhabitants of parking lots, churches, parks, and just about everywhere else you can go in the world, leaving behind messes and clear indications of their presence, if you know what I mean. What is more intriguing than the common Rock Dove?

Pigeons, as annoying as they can be, were once highly-decorated war heroes.

More commonly known as pigeons, rock doves vie with the domestic chicken for status as the world’s most familiar birds. They are not indigenous to the western hemisphere. They were introduced into North America from Europe long ago and are conspicuous in cities and villages throughout much of the world.

There are few visible differences between males and females, and the species is generally monogamous.

Feral pigeons have become established in cities around the world. The species is so abundant, that an estimated population of 17 to 28 million feral and wild birds exist in Europe alone.

With only its flying abilities to protect it from predators, rock pigeons are a favorite almost around the world for a wide range of raptors. I remember several years ago when I kept seeing pigeon body parts strewn all over my yard. One day, when I just happened to be looking out the window, I noticed a large flock of pigeons cleaning up on the ground under my bird feeders. Like a lightning strike, I saw a broad winged hawk dive head first into the pile, and came out with his next meal. To protect the pigeons, I temporarily suspended the feeders until the hawk found a new place for his hunting grounds. That poor pigeon didn’t stand a chance.

Pigeons, though, get a bad rap. They have been falsely associated with the spread of human diseases. Contact with pigeon droppings poses a minor risk of contracting diseases, and exposure to both droppings and feathers can produce bird fancier’s lung. Pigeons are not a major concern in the spread of West Nile virus. Though they can contract it, they do not appear to be able to transmit it.

Pigeons, in fact, have been associated with humans for several thousand years. Believed to have been the first domesticated birds, they were raised for meat as far back as the time of the ancient Egyptians.

Because of their powers of flight and their remarkable homing ability, pigeons have played important roles in history. A domestic pigeon taken from its home loft and released many miles away will almost invariably return. And if a message is tied to the bird’s leg, the result is a kind of air mail – a fact that humans learned to exploit many centuries ago. When Julius Caesar marched against Gaul, the news of his victories was carried back to Rome by a network of carrier pigeons. Other pigeons carried messages for Alexander the Great and for Hannibal. In modern times opposing armies in both World War I and World War II made use of thousands of carrier pigeons, also known as war pigeons. Curiously, many pigeons have received bravery awards and medals for their services in saving hundreds of human lives. A total of 32 pigeons received medallions or medals for their gallant and brave actions during World War II. And today, pigeons are still bred for their homing ability.

The next time I see a disgusting-looking pigeon on the ground, I may stand at attention, salute, and thank it for the many contributions their collective ancestors made for the human race.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

When was the last time the US Olympic men’s hockey team won the gold medal?

Answer here.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Woodrow Charles – A gopher’s gopher makes another bold prediction

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Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

It’s that time when I have a love-hate reaction to this day. The love: It’s February and I get to go visit my gopher friend, Woodrow Charles. The hate: I have to trudge through snow, cold and wind to his lair in the woods of Center Vassalboro. Woody is a weather prognosticating groundhog that I visit every year for his prediction on the length of the remainder of winter.

Folklore has it that if Woody sees his shadow, we are in for six more weeks of winter-like weather. If he doesn’t see his shadow, we can look forward to an early spring.

So, I bundle up and head out. It’s a cold, sunny day. The snow is not deep, but there is ice as far as the eyes can see. Actually, with the sun shining on the icy surface, it is a rather beautiful sight, like diamonds spread out on the snow.

I finally arrive at Woody’s den. The light is shining through the window, and the smoke is billowing from the chimney. He’s home.

As I approach, I notice the Christmas wreath still hanging from the door. Kind of unusual for my little furry friend who is usually so meticulous about his surroundings. I knock gently.

Woody

Woody answers the door, dressed in a smoking jacket with an ascot, holding a glass of brandy and a cigar. He looks quite distinguished.

“Hi friend,” he greets me. “Come on in. Can I get you something?”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

“What brings you out here in this weather,” he asks.

“lt’s February,” I respond. “How come your Christmas wreath is still up, and what’s with the cigar?”

“Oh, I’ve been really busy,” he answers. “And the cigar is just a phase I’m going through, to kind of celebrate the moment.”

“How busy can you be,” I inquired.

“Well, the stock market is up, and I check my portfolio a couple times a day. I’m doing very well at this time. I’ve been trading and making moves. I’m investing in steel and concrete. Plus, with the new tax reform law that was just passed, I’m trying to figure out how that will affect my bottom line.”

“That’s only for really rich people,” I come back.

“Hey, my finances are my business,” he snaps back.

“That takes up all your time?” I ask.

“No, I also have to get ready for the Super Bowl. The boys are coming over again, and I have lots of cooking to do. You must remember Frank, Butch and Slim? By the way, they say ‘Hi,’”

“I’m glad they remember me. Why don’t you ever go to their place,” I ask reluctantly.

“What, and hang out in those drafty places where they hole-up for the winter. It’s much more comfortable here.”

“Any prediction?” I ask.

“It’s going to be a really tight game, as usual when it involves the Patriots. But I think they will win 27-17. Nick Foles will look like a backup quarterback against the Patriots defense, and Brady will, … well, Brady will be Brady.”

“No, I’m talking about the weather. It is Groundhog Day, you know.”

“Oh, that again,” he says with a sigh.

We both sit there, uncomfortable, for a moment. We glance at each other. What is he thinking?

“Well, if I must,” he snorts. “OK, February will bring below average precipitation and slightly colder weather, maybe one degree below normal. March will be warmer than normal, about five degrees above normal with about one inch above normal precipitation. It looks to me that we most probably will have another six weeks of winter, but with a possibility of an early spring.”

“Hey,” I interrupted. “You’re starting to sound like a weather man, even worse, a politician.”

“Isn’t that what you want,” he snaps back.

I guess he is right.

As I headed toward the door, I stopped, turned, and looked back.

“So, why concrete and steel?” I inquired.

“Don’t you read the news? Last, week the nine prototypes for the wall on the Mexican border were tested, and all contained either steel, or concrete, or both. I may as well get in on the action.”

I shook my head, turned and walked out the door.

“See you next year!” he called, as the door slowly closed behind me.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Which NFL player has scored the most individual points in a single Super Bowl game?

Answer here.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: An imbalanced food web and Lyme disease

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Deer Tick. (photo by Jared Belson)

Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

This week, I’m going to print an article that was sent to me by Glenn W. Martin, regarding the tick-born disease epidemic. It is an interesting article and worthy to be passed on to our readers.

Glenn W. Martin, a resident of Montville, is a master Maine Guide and farmer, and his hypothesis on the cause of the tick/tick-borne disease problem is worth a read.

Maine’s extremely large and growing tick population is to blame for human contracted tick-borne diseases such as the Lyme epidemic. This was the result of an increase in tick hatching and growing habitat. The root of the problem was driven by a disruption in the food web caused by the artificial introduction of wild turkeys. Wild turkeys were introduced to southern Maine by 1980. Relocation continued across the state for 20 years by netting birds from established New England flocks. The goal of the program was to increase hunting opportunities. Regulated, permit-only hunting kept the birds safe and propagated the current population.

Increased wild turkey populations have caused disruptions in the bug food chain. Voracious, shoulder to shoulder eating habits have stripped tracts of woods, edge and grassland of large protein filled grasshoppers, caterpillars, worms, grubs, beetles and spiders among others. Leaving areas reduced in bug life is detrimental to many wild creatures (migratory song birds, snakes, shrews, voles and moles) and beneficial to others (Gypsy Moths, Japanese Beetles and Ticks).

Many species of spiders and insects rely on other bugs for food. These creatures are called predator bugs. Their populations reflect the amount of protein a particular area’s bugs are producing. Foliage and grass-eating insects convert vegetation into protein. Sub-terrestrial beetles, grubs and worms convert decaying vegetation into protein. Turkey’s aptitude for fast growth and large food consumption have decreased the protein-producing bug numbers. Eggs and larvae (protein) are the currency of the bug world. When a caterpillar is eaten, it doesn’t mature to lay eggs as a moth. Reduction of eggs and larvae is reflected in reduced bug populations.

As mammals depend on protein in milk, insect and spider populations depend on protein in eggs and larvae. Tick populations have not suffered because their protein source is warm blooded animals. Like any insect or spider, a tick’s largest predator is other young spiders and insects eating their eggs and larvae. Reduced predator bug populations provide sanctuary for tick eggs and larvae. History shows a balanced food web will not allow for an exponential growth in tick population. Current rates will continue until the natural predators are restored to their past levels, when ticks were virtually nonexistent. The disruption turkeys caused in the complex food web is the primary reason we have a tick-borne disease public health crisis.

Many publicly funded studies and reports were consulted to better illustrate this connection. A passive, statewide tick surveillance was initiated in 1989 to record the species, size, season, location, host and age, with a report published in 2007. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife made a Wild Turkey Assessment, recording a basic timeline and reasoning behind the turkey program. Public records clearly show that where wild turkey populations had grown, tick populations increased exponentially. In 2010, the Maine State Legislature required the Maine CDC to record all incidences of Lyme Disease and other tick-borne illnesses. Up to date wild turkey harvest records are available from MDIF&W. The help of numerous MDIF&W wildlife biologists, the Vector-Borne Disease research group led by Chuck Lubelczyk and the wisdom of the Maine State Legislature made the pieces available to put this puzzle together. Thanks Given!

Primary sources to consult are:

  1. Maine CDC report to Maine Legislature on Lyme Disease February 2017.
  2. Maine DIFW Wild Turkey Assessment January 25, 2000.
  3. Maine DIFW Wild TurkeyHarvest Records per WMD post 2000.
  4. Passive Surveillance in Maine, an Area Emergent for Tick-Borne Diseases 2007 Entomological Society of America.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Of the New England Patriots’ five Super Bowl wins, Tom Brady has been MVP ofur times. Who was the fifth?

Answer here.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Raccoons should be left alone no matter where you see them

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Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

On our way home to Waterville driving along Rte. 201 recently, during the recent unseasonable warm spell, my wife and I observed a raccoon walking along the roadside in Winslow. My first thought: “A raccoon out during the day is not normal, and could mean it is rabid.”

While it is true that a rabid raccoon will exhibit a variety of unusual behaviors, activity during daytime is most definitely not a guaranteed indicator of rabies. You see, although raccoons are primarily noctural, they do often get some stuff done during the day. It’s not that unusual for a raccoon to be active in the middle of the day. We just don’t see it often. They often go off in search of food or drink, especially a nursing female raccoon who has babies to take care of, and who has extra nutritional requirements.

Raccoons can be cute…

Raccoons, along with foxes, skunks and bats are considered a primary carrier of the rabies virus in the United States. While any warm-blooded animal can carry rabies, these are the ones that are called “rabies vector species.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only one human has ever died from the raccoon strain of rabies. That is because a rabid raccoon is usually dead within 1-3 days of becoming infected, and even if you’re bitten by a rabid raccoon, effective post-exposure treatment is available and recommended.

How can you tell if a raccoon has rabies? Rabid raccoons are very sick, mostly they are lethargic. Their walk may be erratic, or their legs paralyzed. They may be walking in circles or falling over, discharging from the eyes or mouth, or lurching in an unnatural fashion. In short, they just plain look sick. If you see a raccoon outside when it’s light out, and it looks agile, alert, is running or foraging in a smooth and coordinated manner, then you can be almost certain that it doesn’t have rabies. This doesn’t mean you should approach it and offer it a lick of your ice cream cone, but you most likely have nothing to worry about.

But the best advice is that should you see a raccoon, no matter what time of day, leave it alone. Never try to feed it or approach it. A raccoon out during the day may be foraging for food. For example, especially in urban locations, if you always put your trash out at 1 p.m. in the afternoon, raccoons will learn that. So, if you see one that is lingering in your yard, seems overly friendly, is acting unstable, etc., leave it alone, and contact your police or animal control officer.

  • A couple of myths about raccoons is that if a raccoon is seen during the daylight hours, it is rabid. Well, we’ve already discussed that, and the answer is “no.”
  • Raccoons hibernate during the winter: No, they go through a period of decreased activity in the winter.
  • All raccoons are carriers of rabies: No, the majority of them do not have rabies but those that do, will die within days of being infected.
  • Raccoons eat cats: No, they don’t – usually. Raccoons are quite capable of killing cats but normally don’t attack cats unless they are threatened or rabid.
  • Raccoons always wash their food: No, it is more akin to their “feeling” their food.
  • Raccoons make good pets: No, raccoons do not make good pets. Even though it is legal to keep wild animals in Maine including raccoons – with a permit – it’s not advisable to have a raccoon as a pet. Over time, as it grows older, it could become too wild to handle.

…but they can also be vicious.

Raccoons in general can be a nuisance, but caution should always be used around them. I once had one living under my garage. I set a Hav-a-Hart trap baited with cat food, and captured it within an hour and a half. But the tricky part was moving it to another location in the country. Frightened, it was very aggressive while in the cage, and I had to use a stick, with gloves on, in order to load it in the back of my SUV. Its claws were as sharp as razors and could have done some major damage to my hands when I tried to grab the handle. The release was successful, and the raccoon hurriedly waddled away. I don’t recommend this to just anyone.

As a matter of fact, my sister-in-law once tried using a broom to fend off a raccoon that had attacked her dog. The raccoon retaliated and bit her. The ‘coon ran off and was never found. So, because of the uncertainty of whether or not the raccoon was rabid, she had to undergo a series of painful shots. Although that incident is probably an isolated one, you never know how a raccoon will react. In this case, she probably didn’t have much choice because the raccoon had attacked her small dog. But it serves as an illustration of what can happen.

A very safe rule of thumb, quite simply, is if you see a raccoon, leave it alone, or contact a professional if you suspect that it is rabid.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

The New England Patriots have appeared in the most Super Bowls with nine (5-4). Which two teams are second with eight?

Answer here.