Moose Tracks…

( *Note*  As some of you may know, there was a double post last week (by double post I mean two posts on one day), “Bird Seed For…Deer?” and this one.  It was my own goof that they were both posted on the same day.  That’ll teach me for not double checking the date when I schedule a post. 

Forehead?  Meet palm!

Anyway, to those of you who read this post last week, feel free to skip it and come back next week.  To those of you who didn’t catch it last week, well, here you go…!)

 

 

And I‘m not talking about the famous ice cream.  I’m talking real tracks from real moose.

 

Recently, I went hiking at Quoddy, looked down, and saw this…

 

Moose Track

 

I‘ve lived in Maine all my life and have seen only a handful of moose.  Sadly, I‘ve never been able to photograph one.  But I see tracks a lot while I‘m out hiking.  And these tracks were big.  They may not seem like it in the photograph, so to put things in perspective, I took a picture of the same track with my foot next to it.  Now, I have big feet.  I wear a women’s 12 (or a men’s 10).  This is one big moose!

 

 

Moose Track - Foot Size Comparison

 

I followed this thing down the entire trail but didn’t see it once.  The tracks were fresh and the scat was fresher.  I guess I just don’t have the best of luck when it comes to catching wildlife other than birds and squirrels on the hiking trails.  I haven’t even been able to catch a picture of a deer while hiking (just in my yard at home)!

 

 

Until next time…

 

[^_^]

 

~A.M.

Bird Seed For…Deer?

 

I keep several bird feeders around my front yard to, of course, feed the birds, and entertain my indoor cats. I’ve noticed that every so often one of the feeders in the tree in my front yard ends up on the ground. I always thought it was due to the wind, a big squirrel (those things can get pretty massive here in Maine, especially the grey squirrels), or a raccoon. But I’m not so sure now.
Recently, I looked out my kitchen window and saw this…

 

 

Deer at the Bird Feeder 1

 

I didn’t know I was buying bird seed to feed the birds AND the deer.

 

Deer at the Bird Feeder 2
Don’t look at me like that, deer. [O_o]

 
Until next time…
[^_^]
~A.M

Sunning Snake

 

I recently went hiking on the trails of the state park close to my house.  It was a pretty nice day, until I got to the usual spot where I stop to have lunch (I always pack a lunch when I go hiking [^_^]).  As I sat down to enjoy my lunch, the clouds started rolling in and the wind picked up making it super cold.  Then, as I started off to finish the rest of the trail, the sun came back out and the wind died down.  Such is my luck.

 

Anyway, at one point near the end of the trail, I noticed this little bugger sunning itself on one of the bridges over a muddy area.  I’m super stoked I managed to catch its tongue scenting the air!

 

Snake

 

Keep your eyes peeled while you hike, folks.  It’s easy to miss little snakes like this that come out to sun themselves in the middle of trails.

 

 

Until next time…

 

[^_^]

 

~A.M.

Beach Finds

 

This past Thursday, I woke up early and went over to the beach since the tide was going to be out.  My walk started off pretty good.  It was cold, but the beach was deserted.  On my way back to my car, I happened across something rather disturbing that had washed up onto the beach, wrapped up in seaweed.  Now, I won’t tell folks what it was because I, myself would like to forget I ever saw it, but let’s just say it wasn’t something native to the ocean, and it was sad to see.  [-_-]

 

Instead, let’s focus on some of the nice things I’ve come across while walking the beach.  Like this little dude…

 

Beach Snail

 

Keep an eye out for these little guys when you walk on a beach at low tide, folks.  Sometimes they’re hard to see, but it’s easier if you keep a lookout for their little trails.

 

 

I hope none of you ever come across what I came across last Thursday.

 

 

Until next time…

 

[-_-]

 

~A.M.

Go Away, Snow…

 

According to the calendar it was officially spring last month.  I guess no one told the snow.  There’s still quite a bit of it hanging on in my state, especially on the hiking trails.

 

Last week I went hiking only to encounter this…

 

 

PMWR - Birch Point Trail Snow

 

It may not look like much but this snow was up to my knees.  And it was so soft that even my snowshoes didn’t help.  Crazy, huh?  Snowshoeing in April.

 

But, that same day, I ended up over at the beach near where I live.  It was cold because of the wind, but there wasn’t much snow around and none on the beach itself.  While walking, I met this little guy.  His name is Tuffy (or Toughy, I’m not sure how his owner spells it).  Funny, because he’s not tough at all!  But, he’s cute.

 

Tuffy

 

Hopefully the snow will get the message that it’s spring so I can hike my favorite trails without having to struggle through knee deep snow or use my snowshoes.  It’s mid April for crying out loud!

 

 

 

Until next time…

 

[^_^]

 

~A.M.