This entire week has been abnormally warm for this time of the year, the temperature has ranged from 60 to 70 degrees; the buds and flowers are finally blossoming due to the early sun. Mornings are almost at the point where it feels like Summer- that atmosphere of the sun basking over your face with a warm breeze flowing around your body carrying songs from an orchestra of many different birds.

Yesterday Robin and I watched the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race at Six Mile Falls; we arrived at the point where all of the paddlers were just coming over the falls. The water this year was not as high as last which is why not many people flipped, I would say probably 20 out of 200 people that we saw come over the falls actually flipped as opposed to last year 90% flipped. There are a few attractions to the race, three of which are the flamboyant paddlers who either stand up while paddling or have funny items on their boats, the flips and seeing people you know.

After the race we installed my new Thule rack system that I got for Christmas last year and loaded the Kayaks on, it’s very sturdy and very easy to hook and unhook the kayaks.

On Sunday evening we headed to Brewer lake about an hour before the sun was to set and paddled up a stream with shore shrouded in Pussy Willows. These bushes/trees were covered with Red Winged Blackbirds that are very outspoken and curious. Along the way we witnessed for the first time in person two adult Bald Eagles diving for fish as well as two Osprey; Osprey dive differently than an Eagle, they actually dive completely in the water and come back up with their prey- it was very interesting to watch.

April so far has been fairly typical for the term “April Showers” as it has been fairly rainy and cool 40 degree weather. The sightings of Robins are eagerly sought by Mainers because their presence usually means Spring has began. Up until this past weekend I have not yet spotted a Robin, I have seen and heard flocks of Black cow birds which migrate to northern Maine during Spring.

Robin and I drove Route 9 from Brewer to Ellsworth and then to Prospect Harbor to visit her parents. On the way we spotted many large groupings of Robins; we stopped alongside a field snapping photographs while listening to them sing (see flickr posting of this set). I never really paid attention to how much Robins actually run until now since my Robin is a runner. During our visit we drove through the Scoodic Loop so I can see what the coast’s shoreline looked like during spring. With the tide out it revealed many jagged lava formed rocks and ledge with a mixture of smooth water worn slide-like caves where the waves crash and restreat over and over. Summer and fall are the coasts best seasonal vistas however the it’s still beautiful during the Spring.

I woke to slight snow fall with the sun peering through the veil of gray clouds and a thin blanket of fresh snow covering. I read that Maine was to receive a snow storm this weekend, ranging from 1′ - 2′ of snow. After going through my morning readiness I headed to the gym and then to Hampden to work on a client’s computer. The development that my client currently resides is new and hosts very large 3 story houses with plenty of surrounding land. As I’m waiting for their computer to restart I look out the window to a near white-out of snow, the flakes very large and falling fast. After finishing my work I make my way home, not being familiar with development’s roads as well as not being able to see that well I quickly and embarrassingly find myself in a ditch. I called my insurance company stating that I need a tow truck to pull me out of the ditch and roughly 15 minutes of waiting they arrived and successfully pulled me out, my car did not suffer any damage from going off the road.

When I arrived home Robin was there waiting, thankfully she did not have any problems getting to my apartment. We decided to go outside and make snowmen during the storm since it is something we both have not done in a long time. I unpacked my snowsuit for Robin and found a pair of old insulated wind pants for me. We were able to create a James snowman and a Robin snowwoman in under an hour. We had a good time outside in the snow, it’s peaceful and reminds me of my childhood when my brother and I would be in our field making forts and large snowmen. Bangor received a little over 15” throughout Saturday.

Early in the year the topic of Puffins arose between Michele, a fellow photographer co-worker of mine, about how we wanted see them in person and have the chance to photograph them in their own habitat. A local magazine had an article that highlighted pros and cons of each Maine Puffin tour, we both decided on Norton’s Puffin Tour due to having the option of actually getting on an island to view the Puffins- all but one other tour guide is not allowed to set foot. The island that Captain Norton is allowed to dock with is Machias Seal Island, an island only occupied by American and Canadian Game Wardens and of course various bird species and seals.

I woke up around 4:30am and left with Michele at 5am to arrive in Jonesport by 7:00am; on our way we saw several Blueberry harvesters in the fields of Machias and other Western-Maine towns. We arrived on time and boarded “The Chief”, an old Lobster boat that had been refitting to hosts roughly 25 people- thankfully we only had 18 people on this trip which allowed everyone a seat. We set sail and shortly after leaving the harbor the weather dropped by at least 15 degrees, the seas were very calm. After an hour we the island was in sight with Puffins throughout the air, sea and land; as we got closer more wildlife came in to view, Puffins, Razorbill Auks, Grey Seals and even a spouting whale in the distance. The captain said the island hosts 3,000 Puffins which I had a difficult time believing but now that I have actually been to the island that has changed. Once we were on the island Michele, myself and two other photographers went into a 5′x7′ shed with little spy windows. Once we heard the pitter patter of Puffins on top of our shack we opened the blinds and to my surprise Puffins were everywhere, literally covering the rocks for as far as the island spans. Puffins make an interesting call or chatter that is similar to the noise of a chainsaw in the distance.

After a few minutes, Puffins gradually moved closer to the blinds allowing us to see them up close; they are such a unique creature, no larger than an American football, with orange feet, black feathered wings, their rear plumage consists of coarse black hair, the same with the chest and belly but white and the features that makes these birds so unique is that their black eyes are immediately surrounded by an orange and red triangle with a similar colored large beak, their head capped with the black plumage with white face. Their look resembles a mix between contentedness and sadness when viewed from the side. The Puffin is a member of the Auk species which is interesting as their cousins; the Razorbill Auks are very different in terms of their color.

We were in the blinds for over an hour which is more time than most people are allowed, I was able to take roughly 200 shots; unfortunately I was overwhelmed by how many Puffins there were- I did not think enough to capture them during their normal routines of fighting, cleaning, squawking and beak rubbing. After an hour of watching and photographing the birds we re-boarded The Chief and headed back to the shore; I slept most of the way back despite the loud motor.

We stopped by one of Michele’s family run business; they harvest and process Blueberries right out of their garage. They built a machine to separate the Blueberries from the bushels; the entry point of the machine has a vibrating conveyor belt to remove twigs and rocks, the belt proceeds through an enclosed vent that sucks up leaves, the berries are then dropped down on to another conveyor belt where they are dispensed in to different size Blueberry boxes. After visiting for awhile, we drove down the road to their Blueberry store that ironically is designed to resemble a Blueberry from the outside; being a conosur of berries I purchased two scones and a Blueberry Pie.

Today was one of those beautiful summer days that you just need to experience every time they occur; the temperature was hovering around 75 degrees, the skies were mostly clear with a very light breeze. Some of my favorite ways to enjoy such as day are as follows: Four wheeling, hiking, walking in a field barefoot, kayaking, driving down the road along the coast with the windows down, sitting above the coast listening to the waves below, playing Xbox and swimming.

After Church, I decided to put my kayak to use and headed to Eddington which is ten miles from Bangor. Eddington hosts a few ponds and streams, one being Chemo pond. While I was unloading my kayak a man with a Saab was loading his kayak onto his Thule Hull-a-Port- a system that I am considering purchasing for my car as the foam blocks are not working out that well. I asked him how his trip was and his thoughts on the Thule system; he explained that he does not regret the purchase and that they make the entire trip more enjoyable due to the ease of use.

I set sail and sighted a destination for today’s trip; a stream on the south eastern edge of the pond. Streams and small rivers are one of my favorite bodies of water due to the amount of wildlife and plant life that you can encounter. This stream’s width fluctuated from 10′ to 40′ throughout its many twists and turns and hosted beds of Lilly Pads at every bend giving off a sweet aroma. The shoreline was lined with thick berry bushes, exposed stumps, Pitcher plants, mud clad mounds and razor grass. The water was very calm and clear which allowed me to view fish swimming along the bed of the stream, Painted turtles sunbathing at the surface of the water, Bull frogs basking in the sun on Lilly pads and beavers moving hewed trees. As I neared the end of the stream, beavers had built a dam that I could not transpose but it did however allow me to utilize my new 70-300mm lens. While relaxing in my kayaking, taking in the sun, listening to the water trickle over the cluster of twigs and branches, Sparrows and Goldfinches chirp I heard splashing near by; the reason why I waited had come to fruition, two young beavers were swimming around enjoying the sun. I was able to quietly paddle close enough to them so that my lens could reach in on one of the beavers scurrying a way from me; they are very agile in the water.