Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures

That's me inside that bug jacket... I'm zipping up the netting that covers my face.

BLACK FLIES!!!!

I did a lot of walking yesterday, locating the old manholes and flagging them...

It was easier to walk along the roads rather than drive the Gator as some are located maybe 20' or 30' off the road, and also some are covered in grass and brush.

The black flies were out in numbers!  They're the kind of fly that likes to bite around my ears, the back of my neck and they especially seem to like working their way through my hair and to my scalp.  They leave welts on me about the size of a basketball...  okay.. I'm exaggerating...  maybe pea size or a big bigger.  And they itch like the devil!!!

At any rate, I dragged out my bug shirt and wore it most of the day. I have to be desperate to wear it because, even though it has net panels in various areas, it's still kind of hot to wear.

But...  I was desperate....

Despite all that, I still had a good day...

One of the informational sign posts needed to be moved.  It reads "Wildlife Condo".  The tree that was riddled with woodpecker holes had blown down and we needed to find another place for the sign.  Look at the tree behind Bill & the sign... this is a great spot for the sign to go.  Those long, rectangular holes are created by a pileated woodpecker.  Looks like it found a lot of dinners in this tree!

Canada Anemone

Venus's Looking Glass

I always have to stop and check out the wildflowers.  There's always something new to see...

One of my very favorites is.. 
Lupines
When my kids were young, one of their favorite books was "The Lupine Lady".  It became a favorite book of my granddaughters, and will probably be read to my great-granddaughter as well.  We tried for years to grow lupines in Ohio...  but to no avail...
 
I've been seeing a lot of tiger swallowtail butterflies.  This one was in perfect shape...  no ragged edges or anything.
For something so beautiful, they sure do like nasty things to feast on.

Oh yes... one big reason this particular area became a national wildlife refuge.. 
A not very good shot of the
Upland Sandpiper
This is a fairly big bird...  12" in length, with a wingspan of 26".  Unlike their close relatives, they are inland birds...  preferring open fields as their nesting grounds.  I don't know how many nesting pairs are here this summer, but I came across this one when I was checking out the manholes yesterday.

I also scared up a red fox, but I was so engrossed in watching him/her run across the fields that I didn't even raise my camera until it was WAY too late....

Another thing I did yesterday was.. 
Trail Maintenance....  I was cleaning the moss and algae that had built up on a foot bridge on one of the trails.  I used the timer on my camera to take this...  it's kind of blurry, but you can still see what beautiful woods this trail goes through. 
Here's the bridge...  all clean again.

What was Bill doing (when he wasn't putting up that sign)? 
He's been doing vehicle maintenance.  Changing oil and filters, doing grease jobs...  tuning up....  All the things that those big toys need in order to run efficiently.
He and Kirk have finished the dump truck and the backhoe...  they're almost done with the excavator.... I think there are a couple of other pieces of equipment that they'll do maintenance on before really getting down to the "nitty-gritty" jobs that require these big guys....  Like pulling up all those manholes that I flagged yesterday.

That's pretty much what goes on here...  just a typical day here at Aroostook NWR.

That's All For Today!
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