An ending to Maine

Maine, Maine, Maine.  I don't think there is a bad thing about the areas I visited during my time in Maine.  I may have been apprehensive about living out of a tent and trailer at first, but the peninsula won my heart very quickly.  It was great to be able to hear the ocean all the time, especially at night in the tent.  Although it gets old living out of a tent, a rainstorm on the coast in a tent, on occasion, makes it all worth it.  It seemed so strange to have gulls constantly flying over the spit of land that we inhabited as they moved to the water on the other side, but it really helped my gull identification to have such constant flyovers.  There were also lots of raptor flybys with sharp-shinned hawks and merlin actively hunting as the strong ocean breeze blew them along.  The few peregrines that could be seen moving through were really a special treat.  Watching raptor aerobatics on such strong winds and so close was just like being at a hawk watch, though with a view much closer to sea level.  The peninsula is bisected by a length of private property where some amazing folks spend their spring, summer, and fall.  I was lucky enough to meet many people who have loved the point for much of their lives, and who's families have had their houses there for generations.  It was easy to see why they would keep coming back, and work to keep the point as undeveloped and as untouched as possible.  While we were taking down nets, we were given an amazing look at a spruce grouse that walked right up to us without hesitation.  Spruce grouse are notorious for showing no aversions to humans.  I unfortunately left my camera at the trailer, so after freaking out and actually enjoying how close this grouse was to us, I ran as fast as I could back to the trailer.  After riding my bike back down, I had to try to sneak up on the grouse, rather than just watching it walk right up to us.  Sadly, I couldn't get as close as the initial encounter, but I did still manage to get a couple of pictures with one of my shorter lenses.

Spruce Grouse

Spruce Grouse, about an arm's length away

Sadly, this is the last post I'll have about my time in Maine, but it was the best project and place I could have spent my last months before starting graduate school.