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My Trip to Maine–Part 2
by Kathie Lambert
Day 3— June 2— Colby College, Sydney Bog, Messalonskee Lake, East Pond, China Lake Watershed
Awoke to picture postcard perfect blue skies with fluffy white cotton ball clouds, cool temperatures, and NO RAIN!!! We are happy campers today.
Herb teaches biology at Colby College and lead us around campus to the Perkins Arboretum and Bird Sanctuary. What a wonderful place! The main trail entrance is just before the main entrance to the college. The trail snakes through several habitats including a hemlock forest (my favorite kind). The trails ranged from fairly dry and springy to wet, slick, muddy, waterlogged, and flooded due to the recent rains. Great looks at Black-throated Green Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Herb used a tape to call a Barred Owl. Almost immediately, one flew into the area and sat and posed for several minutes while we ooh’d and ahh’d. The highlights of the trail were the abundant wildflowers. Everyone made fun of me laying on the muddy trail getting a picture of a blooming Jack-in-the-Pulpit until they saw the picture and decided it was worth the effort. Purple Fairy Wings were cute, and the red Trillium was wonderful.
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On to Sydney Bog. On the way, we made an unexpected stop at a gravel company where some sharp eyes spotted a colony of Bank Swallows. We watched them for quite a while. It was amusing to see a bird fly into a hole, then to see dirt flying out of the hole, sometimes into the face of another swallow sitting at the entrance. You just don’t think of swallows this way.
Sydney Bog produced a number of great birds. We didn’t get fully into the boggy area and stayed on the dry trail. Great looks at Scarlet Tanager, Northern Waterthrush, Purple Finch, Nashville Warbler, Canada Warbler. Again, the wild flowers did not disappoint. The Pink Lady’s Slipper and a Trout Lily looking flower were 2 of the more unusual varieties.
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Messalonskee Lake produced Black Terns, Bald Eagle, Warbling Vireos, and perhaps the best looking Eastern Kingbird I’ve ever seen. We only birdwatched the pier area. Unsuccessful attempt at digiscoping—using the digital camera to take a picture through a telescope. The Eastern Kingbird was very cooperative, but I just couldn’t get the hang of it. Need to practice at home.
On to East Pond. Al & his wife own a summer camp on the lake. As we arrived, Jane was there to meet us. We had a picnic lunch on the deck over looking the lake. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds ignored us and continued to feed at the feeder. However, our presence was too much for the skittish Baltimore Oriole. A nesting Flicker flew in & out of a tall stump next to the driveway.
Next on the list for the day was a tour of the China Lake area including the cemetery. The cemetery had great looks at a merrily singing Baltimore Oriole and several Warbling Vireos. During broad daylight, a Common Nighthawk flew over, much to everyone’s surprise.
On the way to our lodging for the night we passed a sign
post that caught everyone’s attention. It had the names of several towns in
Maine with the number of miles. The unusual part was the town names—China,
Poland, Mexico, and Sweden (2 times in 2 different directions!).
Spent the night at the Claybrook Mountain Lodge at the southwestern end of the Maine back country. The lodge looks like it was built by my husband (not a compliment—do they have building inspectors here?). The downstairs bathroom isn’t finished. If the people in the room above you are up at 0400, you will be too. Decoration is strictly hunting lodge motif with lots of dead animals on the walls. The only place where my asthma kicked up. Pat & Gary, who run the place, are great and very knowledgeable about the area and its wildlife. Gary is also a game guide. For further information, they have a web page at www.claybrookmountainlodge.com. It’s a bed & breakfast kind of place, but you get 3 meals a day. It’s only recently been open in the summer as they normally cater to the fall hunters and the winter snowmobilers. Food was good, home cooked, and plenty of it. The homemade bread was the hit of the meal. The meal is served family style. At one point, Paul wanted a second helping of something and asked if he could do a boarding house reach across the table. We giggled & consented. He has very long arms and it was amazing to see just how far he could reach. This provided fuel for humorous moments later in the trip. In the evening, Herb sat on the porch and played his practice bagpipes—a smaller, less noisy version of the full size set. He plays well & sounds much better than my father ever did (Dad attracted the attention of the neighborhood Bassett hound who howled while he played—very funny, although he didn’t think so).
Copyright © 2003 by Kathie Lambert and Richard L. Becker
