Maine Fish & Wildlife: Field Notes

FALL FISHING IS HERE! Cool nights, warm days, yes fall is coming! Along with cooler air temps, so goes the water creating exciting, fun fishing on our beautiful lakes, rivers and ponds. Visit our website (link in profile) to get your license, check regulations and to view our fishing reports! #fishme #happyfishing

Great day at the #toughmountainchallenge racing against our friends from New Hampshire Fish and Game!

The Maine Wildlife Park, located on Route 26 in Gray, will open for the 2014 season on Saturday, April 19th at 9:30am – just in time for school vacation! Even though there is still some snow on the ground and it’s a bit muddy, the wildlife park will welcome visitors a bit later than usual, due to heavy snow cover, on the 3rd Saturday of April this year. Visitors will be happy to note that for the 6th year in a row, the park’s admission fees remain the same!

This Thursday, I had the pleasure of going out in the field with volunteer, Rick Lawrence, and technician, Brittany Currier.  This was my first heron colony visit of the season and it was a rewarding one.  Despite post-holing through snow to get to the colony wetland, the day was relatively warm and more importantly, sunny!  When we reached the colony edge, I immediately noticed one adult great blue heron standing on one of the nests, and a second flying off in the background.

A young Golden Eagle was released in northern Oxford County last week after 3 months of clinical care and rehabilitation at Avian Haven Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Freedom, Maine. This is the first successful release into the wild among only 6 Golden Eagles physically recovered in Maine during the last 40 years. 

In October 2013, we stocked 650 fall yearling (12-15″ long) landlocked salmon in the lower Fish River between the Fish River Falls and the town of Fort Kent.  This was an attempt to support a sport fishery for salmon in the lower river

A significant habitat restoration project was recently completed by the Town of Washburn and the State of Maine.  The aging Salmon Brook Dam was removed from Salmon Brook, a large tributary to the Aroostook River.  The site is highly visible, located on the north end of town along Main Street.  The project reconnects the lower Salmon Brook and Aroostook River system to the upper Salmon Brook watershed  - removal opens up 30 square miles of watershed upstream of the former dam.

Woodcock are a true sign of spring in #Maine. Photo by Dave Small

Some fun and interested facts about some of Maine's species of wildlife.

Today marks the end of the ice fishing season on most waters in northern Maine, and the end of another season of winter creel survey for regional biologists. 

All ice shacks must be removed from inland waters by April 1.

Congratulations to Georgette Kanach - Second Place in the 2014 Duck Stamp Contest

Congratulations to Rebekah Lowell - First Place in the 2014 Duck Stamp Contest