Memorial Day, May 30th: Great Bay NWR, NH & Rachel Carson NWR, ME

May 30th, Memorial Day, 2016:

Great Bay NWR, NH:  This morning started out rather dreary with temperature hovering around 53 degrees with mist and a light rain.  It didn't take long to traverse the entire coastline of New Hampshire since it's only 18 miles long, less than Pinellas County where we live.  On the 3 miles of hiking trails in the refuge, because of the rain and fog we only saw 5 bird species that we identified by sight; But we identified 9 more bird species by ear, listening to their songs as the birds themselves were nestled out of sight among the foliage in the tree tops of the canopy.

This refuge is approximately 5 miles west of Portsmouth, NH.  The main part (1,057 acres) is located along the Eastern Shore of Great Bay in southeastern New Hampshire.   The lands in and around what is now the refuge were long used for farming and the harvesting of hay.  Then the federal gov't purchased the area and established Pease Air Force Base.  After the base was closed in 1990, US Fish and Wildlife established the refuge two years later and is restoring and managing the refuge to enhance the quality and diversity of its habitats. 

Rachel Carson NWR, Maine

In the early afternoon we only had to travel 20 miles or so into Maine to get to this refuge.  The sun came out and a cool breeze made the hikes here most enjoyable though there wasn't a lot of wildlife.

This refuge was established in 1966 and covers greater than 5,000 acres.  It has 10 divisions scattered along a nearly 50 mile coastal stretch between Kittery Point and Cape Elizabeth in southwestern Maine.  In 1970 the refuge was named to honor the memory of the late environmental author Rachel Carson who wrote the landmark book Silent Spring.  Published in 1962, just two years before she died, it described the post-WW II unrestricted use and widespread, harmful impacts of highly toxic chemical pesticides and herbicides upon humans and wildlife.  The great diversity of habitats in this refuge supports nearly 400 species of birds, mammals, fish, reptiles and amphibians.  

Rachel Carson worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service for 16 years, first as a biologist, then as a writer-editor.  One of our favorite quotes from this amazing lady is "all the life of the planet is interrelated... each species has its own ties to others, and... all are related to the earth."

Up Periscope!

Eastern Gray Squirrel

Pink Lady's Slipper