Dear Katie,


Happy spring! Below are just a few of the posts from our Harpswell Nature Watchers Facebook group. Want to see the rest? Click here to join.


What are you seeing out there? We'd love to hear from you! Click here for more information about Harpswell Nature Watchers.

A pine warbler landed right next to me on the feeder! The warblers are coming back! I saw another type of warbler at Devil's Back yesterday, but didn't get a good photo... Pretty soon they will be singing and easier to identify!


(Submitted by Gina Snyder. April 10, 2023)

This fluffy fox was being chased across the field at Mitchell Field this morning by a couple of crows. He saw me and my dog and I swear he said, “Ugh! Mondays!” and ran back towards the woods. (I was very proud of the dog for not chasing him!)


(Submitted by Molly Scott. April 10, 2023)

Ring-necked duck couple spotted just south of the Mountain Road bridge on Harpswell Sound.



(Submitted by Karen Croteau. April 13, 2023)

Happy Earth Day everyone! Things are springing! The osprey, great blue herons, and egrets are back, eiders are wooing their potential mates, peepers are peeping, and as you saw with Gina’s lovely pictures yesterday, one of the first native flowers to bloom in this area—trailing arbutus—are blossoming. At this time of year, the seasonal changes are fast and furious! Keep a lookout for bluets and trout lily blossoms this week.


And, it is the time of year when dandelions spring to life! Dandelions are everywhere right now! Most folks are not particularly fond of them. But, they are pretty interesting. Brought to North America by European settlers, they quickly spread largely for their usefulness. They are perennial and have a long tap root. Dandelion flowers open each morning and close each night. (Sometimes they won’t open at all on cloudy days.) When the flower is completely mature, it closes one night and simply doesn’t open again until the seeds are ripe. During this time, the stem grows and grows, perhaps to give the seeds a better chance of spreading in the wind by towering over their neighbors—and spread they do!


Their scientific name, Taraxacum officinale, translates into something like “the official remedy for all disorders.” Dandelions are rich in vitamins A and C, as well as calcium and iron. The milky sap found in the stem of a dandelion, which is chemically related to the similar-looking sap in milkweed plants, can irritate your skin, but to this day it serves as a folk remedy for removing warts. Dandelion flowers were used to make wine, the roasted roots can be ground as a coffee/tea substitute, and of course the young spring leaves are delicious in salads.


(Submitted by Lynn Knight. April 22, 2023)

Great blue heron on Great Island.


(Submitted by Barbara Anania. April 23, 2023)

Glossy ibises, in the marsh behind the Nazarene Church on Route 24 in Harpswell. Four of them methodically working their way south across the marsh. I just got my money's worth out of my new camera and lens!


Update: I posted some videos in a separate post. These birds are not unheard of around here, but much more common in the south. They are occasionally seen around here during mating season.


To see more photos and videos of the ibises, visit our Facebook page.


(Submitted by Howard Marshall. April 29, 2023)