Monday, June 20, 2016: Umbagog NWR, NH&ME

Umbagog NWR is half in ME and half in NH.  This 14,640 acre refuge was established in 1992 to conserve and manage high-quality wetland and upland habitats integral to the success of migratory birds, species of special conservation concern, and rare plant communities.  There are over 200 species of birds on the refuge and almost 100 that also breed there.  Umbagog Lake is nearly 8 miles long with an average depth of 15' and covers over 8,000 acres.    

Whenever we are hiking on a forest trail we are always on the lookout for potential Blow downs

aka "Widow Makers"

Spruce fir forests favor wet or shallow soil.  For this reason, and due to New Hampshire's rocky landscape, these forest stands typically exhibit shallow root systems making them susceptible to Blow downs during high wind storms.  These Blow downs are beneficial to many wildlife species as they provide den areas, cover, and foraging grounds for many many species.

Chipping Sparrow

The head pattern of this sparrow changes in fall and winter.

BirdMobile in his Maine campground near Bangor

Blue Flag Iris

Song Sparrow

We seem to encounter these handsome sparrows almost every day.



Eastern Gray Squirrel

Saw nothing but Red Squirrels in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI




Mama Mallard

and her young-uns

Male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

These birds hybridize with both the Red-naped and Red-breasted Sapsuckers where their populations overlap.

We hadn't seen even one of these birds on our entire trip until yesterday and again today.



Common Loon

One of our very favorite birds.

Though the sexes look alike, this is probably the male.  He stayed in the same very confined area the entire time we watched and photographed him.

And in our experience this is unusual behavior as they typically will either swim slowly away from you or dive and come up 40 or 50 yards farther away from you.

 He was probably staying near his mate who was likely on their nest  sitting on eggs as the young usually hatch in early to mid-July in New Hampshire.

These beauties make underwater fishing dives of up to 200 feet below the surface.  They are specifically adapted for diving with heavy bones and eyes that can focus both in air and water.



So handsome!

Good night!

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