Something Downeast

I first saw the fox in early July; its appearance heralded by a cacophony of crows and jay complaining. I saw only the fox’s back at first, and the color, more blonde than red, made me think I was seeing a straying dog. But then I saw the fox’s head, and his brushy tail. It was trotting, and I glimpsed it only for a moment before it disappeared from view. Later, I again heard the crows and jays proclaiming their displeasure, and saw the fox making his return trip. His fur was dense and healthy, the white of his tail and chest gleaming and clean, and his black socks strikingly dark.

Since then, I‘ve seen that first fox, and a smaller, slightly darker and thinner fox together. I’ve also realized the odd, almost feline sounding cry I’ve heard several times late at night is not the Bob cat or Lynx I suspected, but a fox bark. I’ve made two very bad recordings with my phone; I’ve linked to them below, and to a much better YouTube clip for comparison.

Fox Bark 1

Fox Bark 2

This is a better example of the way a fox sounds; more scream than bark.

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I‘ve taken the suet cage with nest-building fibers down since I took this picture, but it’s not too late for one last hatching of American Goldfinches. They breed very late. I‘m seeing young ones now, old enough to have left the nest, but not quite sure where to land on the feeder in order to successfully obtain seeds. This adult male Goldfinches has it completely figured out.

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis), male

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Bishop’s weed or Aegopodium podagraria is a native of Eurasia, also known as ground elder, herb gerard, goutweed, gout wort, and snow-in-the-mountain. Like its cousin, Queen Anne’s Lace, another Eurasian import, (Daucus carota) Bishop’s weed is a perennial and member of the carrot family. Bishop’s Weed was brought to the U.S. as an ornamental ground cover in the late 1800s. It is still very common in Europe and has spread to most of the U.S.

Bishop’s weed has been classed as an invasive weed in a number of states because it is aggressive and pervasive. It has long rhizomes that propagate even if they are ripped out of the ground, as well as numerous small seeds from the flowers. It grows rapidly to height in early spring and summer and stops shorter (native) plants that grow close to the ground from receiving adequate exposure to sunlight, causing them to die. I’e been helping a friend weed a local garden with flowerbeds. A few years ago some donated bulbs came with an extra payload of Bishop’s weed, and it flourished and spread despite aggressive attempts to remove it. Some of these plants are over five feet from rhizome to top.

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The Forsythia was stunning this year, but the weather for taking pictures of the Forsythia was less stunning. It was a strange winter, and so far, a strange spring. Lots of rain, lots of over cast skies, and the spring migration of birds was a little behind the usual schedule. That said, the Ruby-throated hummingbirds were back the first week of May, and they seem ravenous and populous.

Though I missed pictures of the Forsythia, here are some magnolias.

Tulip Magnolia

Tulip Magnolia

Star Magnolia

Star Magnolia

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The fog here is beautiful, and not the same as the Cheshire County N.H. fogs and mists, or the fog from home—though we do get some very dramatic fogs in Puget Sound, especially in late fall and early winter.

At home they call this ground fog. It’s especially common in early evening, when you can see it roll in to cover the ground.

When the fog is thick like this, it lingers for hours, coating windows and flat surfaces with drops of water when the fog leaves

You can get lost in the fog at home, especially on low-lying boggy
areas

I’ve been trying to take pictures of the Maine fog in the early morning and evening, as it winds through the trees. The fog looks like someone has wound gauze ribbon in and out and around the trunks and branches of the trees. I’ve mostly failed to capture the way the fog looks. The fog looks tangible, as if you could reach out and tug on it to move a ribbon.

My friend Heather has done much better in these Bailey Island Lands End photos.

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