From the dock on the Madagascal Stream looking east last weekend.
Downstream on the Madagascal
Author: john gregory
Upstream on the Madagascal
Last weekend during our visit to Grand Falls Township in Penobscot County, Maine, we had a great day canoeing north on the Madagascal Stream. The drought conditions may have enhanced the fall foliage (lots more reds than usual) this year. The stream was better off than most small streams with fairly normal water levels. About a mile north or so from this point, beavers have reinforced a dam they have maintained for years. The dam is holding back water at a level two feet higher than what you see here.
Autumn on the Madagascal
We journeyed north this past weekend. Beyond the Penobscot River. Beyond Passadumkeag ridge and almost to the land of the Passamaquoddy. The fall season is in full bloom, or not.
Running out of water at the bog
The drought conditions around the local woods is severe for the small ponds, bogs, and streams. The streams feeding and draining the nearby bogs are not just low, they are absolutely dry. Here is a small beaver out in the far bog, immersed in duck weed that lies in the lowest water level seen in thirty years. It is similarly amazing that the foliage in the bog and the surrounding woods has been thick and brilliantly green all summer.
Ducks at the equinox
The black ducks of Woodbury Pond visit the little inlet near our house when the wind comes from the south or west. They are sensitive to visitors usually and peaking through the trees sometimes works.
The last hummingbird
We have not seen a hummingbird around our feeder during the last week or so. The temperatures have drifted toward freezing at night and the local drought has diminished the size of wild flowers, probably decreasing the quantity of available nectar. I think the Maine flocks have out-migrated. The bird shown was seen at the far bog more than a week ago.
Getting ready for the fall
While visiting the Webber-Rogers conservation land, we found a variety of birds foraging among the reeds along Potters Brook. This species is a warbler? Sparrow?
Goldfinch getting ready for fall
On our recent patrol to the far bog we saw a number of birds we haven’t seen most of the summer. The goldfinches were prominent.
Cormorant on Pleasant Pond
Scruffy woodpecker on an old tree
The noise of a modestly sized wood pecker caught my attention while walking along the far bog several weeks ago. It wasn’t easy to locate the bird and, when I did, I only got a quick glimpse on a dead tree top. With the benefit of post-capture processing, I was able to identify it as ….. not sure? A scruffy downy woodpecker is all I can assume so far.
john's f-stop 