Tag: Mid-Coast Maine

Turkey Tracks: Fall Foliage in Mid-Coast Maine

Turkey Tracks:  November 4, 2013

Fall Foliage in Mid-Coast Maine

 

This has been one of the prettiest falls I ever remember in my ten years in Maine.

Perhaps it’s been the relatively dry Indian Summer?

The hillsides are literally orange–and when the sun hits them–Oh MY!  I find myself just wanting to drive around and capture the orange.

Two weeks ago, I took this video on a cloudy Sunday–so the hillsides don’t have sunlight firing them up.  Since then, the color has deepened and become even richer.

Here are two stills from that same day.  Remember, no sunshine…

And, you can see how what Sarah Orne Jewett called “the pointed firs” occupy the tops of our hills.  It’s colder up there, and with global warming, they are retreating up the hillsides.

Fall Foliage 7

Fall Foliage 2

Here are some views around the house, starting with a video taken from the upper porch, which looks out to a ridge and into our woods:

And looking into the path into our woods:

House Views 5

Turkey Tracks: What’s Happening To The Atlantic Puffin?

Turkey Tracks:  July 8, 2013

What’s Happening To The Atlantic Puffin?

Aren’t they cute?

 

They’re dying.

A story in The Washington Post (1 July 2013, C10) shares that the remaining puffins in Maine, about 2000, are starving to death as the fish they eat are moving away from the warm temps now present off the coast of Maine.

I dropped off brother-in-law Greg Heath, his nephew Gregory Heath, and his granddaughter Fiona Whittle (and my grandniece) at the windjammer J&E Riggin yesterday for a four-day sail.  Captain Jon Finger said the temperature on the harbor entrance buoy was 72 degrees.  Can I just say that that is shocking.  The “normal” temp would be in the 50s range…  And up until a few days ago, we’ve had very cool weather up here in Mid-Coast Maine.

Puffins are not the only seabirds in danger.

Here are more images if you feel so inclined.

 

Google Image Result for http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Atlantic_Puffin_Latrabjarg_Iceland_05c.jpg.