While a got back from New Hampshire a few days ago, I have been very busy running errands to post. I first went the the Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge, which appeared to be the best place to bird in the North Woods. While several species like Veery, Magnolia Warbler, and Black-Throated Greeen Warbler continued to evade my eyes, I was able to catch some birds I missed during migration season and a Snowshoe Hare. I then traveled further north on State Route 16 where I finally saw a Moose in a wetlands near Milan. I tried my luck at Umbagog Wildlife Refuge but unfortunately got lost and only saw a Merganser (although pleasant to see, leaving my area 2 months ago.) I decided to take a trip the the Connecticut Lakes in Pittsburg. My navigation system decided the best route to go would be through some back roads north of Errol instead of the traditional paved roads. While I do credit my navigation system in taking me a more wildlife friendly route where I several new birds such as Canada Jay, Boreal Chickadee, and Ruffed Grouse (all of which are certainly lifers,) although it did lead me down a road which turned into a snowmobile only road (I didn’t have a snowmobile.) I eventually found my way down the right road towards the Connecticut Lakes thanks to some locals and as soon as I got onto Route 3 I found a very strange fox, running out in the open along the side of the road with a small animal in its mouth. It ran along that road for at least a quarter of a mile before I outpaced it. The final place I stopped before it got dark was the East Inlet Dam. While my luck initially dry, I spotted a pair of Ring-Necked Ducks, a bird that is reportedly rare for this time of year even for that area. As I walked back to my car I heard some high pitched calls coming from several nearby trees which Merlin identified as a Brown Creeper. After a few minutes of scanning the trees where the calls were coming from I saw one. I thought that was a successful end to a successful trip, however driving back to camp I saw not one, but 2 Fishers, an animal I had only heard stories of and never actually seen.
Mammals
18) Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus)
19) Moose (Alces alces)
20) Fisher (Pekania pennanti)
Birds
166) Red-Breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)
167) Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla)
168) Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis)
169) Black-Throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens)
170) Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus)
171) Canada Jay (Perisoreus canadensis)
172) Boreal Chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus)
173) Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)
Heard-Only Species
12) Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis)
Progress:
Mammals- 20 (even with my hunts for mammals in years past, this is my highest total on the East Coast)
Birds- 173
Herptiles- 11
Total- 204
Heard-only Species- 12
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