Squirrel Trapping Starts Monday

Monday will mark the beginning of the fourth year of the T.A. Squirrel Project, a mark/recapture study of Gray Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) on the grounds of Thornton Academy. Squirrels are a common sight here at T.A. and conducting some real-world research on these creatures helps to drive home many of the management concepts we learn about in Maine Fish and Wildlife class. As an added bonus, there is very little published research on gray squirrels so any findings we make during our study could someday help to add to our overall scientific understanding of the species.

A collared squirrel on the feeder in 2017. Notice the red collar (2017) and beads used for individual ID. 

Each fall since 2015, we have captured gray squirrels in live trips around campus and fit adult individuals with a color coded collar. Juveniles are released without any hardware to avoid ending up with a collar that fits too tightly. We switch the color of the collars every year to help keep track of year class and possibly glean some information on the lifespan of our squirrels. The other day, while doing a preliminary count with my G2 class, we spotted a squirrel wearing an orange collar. This was especially exciting as that squirrel would have been originally trapped in the fall of 2016 making it at least three years old. Two year olds have been common since our study began but to document a three year old is a first for us. I'm really hoping to catch that squirrel again this fall to get some data on changes in its body size as well as get a fresh new orange collar on it. The average lifespan of a wild gray squirrel is something that still remains a little foggy.

Another collared squirrel visits the feeder in December of last year.

The second phase of our mark/recapture research kicks in sometime around November when we deploy mobile feeders around campus and monitor them with trail cameras. My lab aide, Cody Agro, will end up sifting through thousands of photos of feeding squirrels looking closely for collars. We will then keep track of the ratio of collared to non-collared squirrels on our feeders and use a mathematical formula called the Lincoln-Peterson index to estimate the overall population, but more on that later. For now, we need to focus on capturing adults and getting some new collars out there around campus. Our 2018 class will be wearing yellow collars. I'm planning on providing regular updates throughout the trapping and monitoring season so stay tuned!

This large male was the first squirrel we collared last fall. It was hit by a car on Fairfield Street later on that winter

Breaking In the New TAAS Canoes

Last Sunday was a big day for the Thornton Academy Anglers' Society. After over a year of planning and grant writing, we finally hit the water in our shiny new Old Town canoes. I started the Anglers' Society when I arrived at T.A. in the fall of 2013 with the hope of increasing students' outdoor knowledge and appreciation through fishing. I took two kids ice fishing on our first outing that winter. The club has grown steadily ever since and today boasts around 20 dedicated members. Outings these days typically include 14 kids (the max our mini-buses will hold). While ice fishing sets up great for groups of this size, finding locations where those kinds of numbers can effectively open water fish from shore is considerably more of a challenge. Having a small fleet of canoes opens up a much larger list of possible fishing locations, dramatically increases the likelihood of success for our young anglers, and teaches a lifelong skill many of them may have never been exposed to.

Picking up our new canoes at the dealership last June. 

As a youngster, I participated in the Pathfinders program at Bonny Eagle Middle School. Pathfinders is geared toward outdoor adventure but definitely had a large fishing component with our advisor, Mr. Pelletier, being an avid fly fisherman. As a seventh and eighth grader in the Pathfinders program, I camped and paddled all over the state including Munsungan Stream, Baxter Sate Park, and the St. John River. Along the way, I formed lifelong friendships and made a ton of fond memories. My time as a Pathfinder was transformative and plays a big role in my mission as a teacher these days. Since day one of the Anglers' Society here at T.A., the dream of acquiring some canoes of our own has always been in the back of my mind.

The boys spring pathfinder group on our overnight in Baxter State Park, June, 2001

Students on last Sunday's outing participated in a mandatory safety training, that once completed, qualifies them for all canoe outings going forward. They learned the important parts of a canoe, a variety of strokes, safe transport, PFD use and emergency procedures before ever touching the water in a TAAS boat. Watching Thornton Academy students paddle down the river on Sunday shortly after launch, I sat reflecting on the journey from my time as a middle school Pathfinder to leading trips with my kids today. It was surreal to watch kids confidently paddle down the river landing fish and making great memories. If just of few of these members someday pass on their skill and passion for the outdoors, the TAAS mission has been accomplished. In the end, we landed 70+ fish and had an awesome day afield. My head is spinning brainstorming all of the cool things we are going to be able to do with our new boats.

The T.A. Anglers on the river shortly after launch.  

Cody and Ivy with a nice smallmouth on the line. 

Isaac and Breece laughing it up on the river. 

A huge thank you has to go out to Thornton Academy for their support in the mission of the Anglers' Society, the Cabelas' Outdoor Fund who helped to fund our canoe project through their "round up for conservation" program, and Jeremy Goulet for helping to chaperone the maiden voyage. We also need to thank Mike Delcourt, or "The Original Mr. Delcourt" as the kids call him, for assisting in shuttling vehicles from our starting point to the take out and donating some of his secret lures to each kid.

 Cody with a big smallmouth.

Nolan with a fine largemouth.

Back Up and Running, and What's Up with all the Roadkill Squirrels?

Hello all,

It has been a bit since my last post but I am planning on getting back to my regular ways this year with a little twist. I will be keeping readers up to date on all of the happenings in the T.A. Forest as usual but am hoping to expand my posts to some of the big things going on with the T.A. Anglers' Society as well as my personal adventures afield in Maine throughout the year.

This fall marks the fourth year of the T.A. Squirrel Project in which my Maine Fish and Wildlife students assist in trapping and collaring gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) around campus then monitor the population using trail cameras in the late fall/winter. Wildlife-minded folks around the state have been noting a big uptick in roadkill squirrels this season. It has been featured recently on local news outlets and the Portland Press Herald. Doug Hitchcox (@dhitchcox), a former classmate of mine and current staff naturalist at Maine Audubon, observed 311 roadkill squirrels on I-295/95 north/south in a 293 mile round trip on Tuesday. That level of road mortality is unheard of in a normal year here in Maine. There are multiple factors coming together to create this perfect storm. First, two years in a row of large acorn crops have allowed high reproductive success, or recruitment, in our local squirrels. Second, this time of year the squirrels' second batch of offspring are beginning to strike out onto the landscape naive to many dangers including road crossing. Finally, add in a fall with notably fewer acorns hitting the ground and you have a booming population forced to move around the landscape more in search of food.

A collared squirrel hit on Fairfield Street adjacent to campus last winter. 

Irruptions, or marked increases in the occurrence of a species, happen naturally, most commonly with migratory birds. Snowy Owl populations in the arctic are cyclical and are tied closely to recurring rises in lemming numbers. When lemming populations are high, snowy owl recruitment ramps up leading to irruptions of young owls here in Maine during the following winter as lemming numbers begin to decline and individuals strike out in search of food. Squirrel irruptions have been documented occasionally around the country since the 1700s. Famed naturalist, James Audubon, presumed that the "migratory" squirrels he observed during a particularly large irruption in the mid 1800s must have been an entirely separate species. He named it Sciurus migratorius. It turns out they were just eastern gray squirrels and he was one of the earliest observers of a natural boom and bust cycle in a species tied closely to tree nut production. So keep your eyes peeled for squirrels in the road and do your best to give them a break. We are lucky not to have to dodge vehicles to grab breakfast.