Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
speed right into the water with a huge splash. They must be careful to
correctly judge the size of their prey because their talons cannot release
until they set a fish down on something solid. If their claws slice into too
big a fish and they cannot lift it from the water, they can drown.
Birds of Prey
Many magnificent birds of prey call Maine home, including the spectacu-
lar bald eagle to the osprey, red-tailed hawk, sharp-shinned hawk and
Cooper's hawk. In Acadia National Park, the reintroduction of the endan-
gered peregrine falcon has been so successful officials are considering
dropping their status to threatened.
Woodland Creatures
While trips to see marine mammals and seabirds are more dependent on
where
you go, the chances of seeing some of Maine's many land mammals
vary greatly depending on
when
you go.
Most woodland creatures - beaver, deer, fox, porcupine, raccoons - are
more active at dawn and dusk, and that is when you have the best chance
of spotting them.
Moose
Moose may be more active at dawn and dusk, but can often be spotted at
almost any time of the day. They prefer boggy areas or lakes where they
love to wade and feast on aquatic plants. The water running off a bull
moose's antlers in late season, after the creature has put its entire head
underwater to reach succulent vegetation, can sound from a distance like
rapids on a river.
Bears & Wolves
Seeing a bear is a rare event, and the jury is still out whether or not some
larger mammals call Maine home at all. Officials now do not believe that
there is a breeding population of wolves in Maine (they were hunted to
eradication more than 100 years ago). Still, two hunters in recent years
have killed what they thought were coyotes, but turned out to be stray
wolves. The official state word is that wolves are welcome if they wander
back here by themselves, but no outright effort to reintroduce them will
be made, despite efforts by at least one group to promote reintroduction.
