Maine Man

What a great promotional video for the State of Maine.

Growing up in Maine as I did, I remember so many, many moose I couldn't begin to count them all, but each one made it's mark, some had their 15 minutes of fame, and some (just like some humans) died way too young. All have continued to heighten the affinity I feel towards them.

There always seemed to be an abundance of moose around back then. I saw my first moose less than 3 miles away from our house when I was about four. For many years we saw moose almost daily, all within a 10 mile radius from home, many quite close by. From our upstairs window we watched one across the road in my neighbor's field. My mother thought it was a horse at first glance. And another time someone called one morning to say on their way home from the drive-in they saw a big bull moose standing in our driveway. I went out to scout the driveway for tracks and found a large tooth that I was sure belonged to the moose. In spite of the fact Mom thought it was a cow's tooth and I was some kind of crazy 5 year old girl, I kept it for a long time. I never knew whether I lost it eventually or Mom threw it out. (I would never have thrown it away!)

We often saw moose in the little bog just beyond the one room school house I attended starting in 1946.

On one occasion I was playing in our front yard when a car coming down the hill stopped suddenly almost in front of me. The lady in the passenger seat rolled her window down and was obviously very distressed when she pointed down the road and asked "WHAT is that...that great beast in the road?" I glanced down the hill and standing there in the road was a bull moose. "Oh, that's just a moose, he won't hurt you," I said casually. She asked me how my mother dared to let me play in the yard with animals like that "walking around loose". I laughed and ran inside to tell mom about the moose AND the lady. What the lady didn't know was I not only played in the yard, but I ran through the woods almost daily, and sometimes took carefree naps in mossy clearings. (You know, I never did see a moose in the woods back then!)

The one room school house was closed back when I was six or seven. It was bought by a local couple who converted it into a family dwelling. One day (when I was maybe about twelve) our phone nearly rang off the wall. It was the lady living in the school house. I babysat a few times for her. She was so excited I could barely understand her. Mostly I heard her shouting "NINE MOOSE!! NINE MOOSE!!.. came out of the woods... NINE MOOSE!!... looked like a (#@//"%!#) parade!... NINE MOOSE!!" I walked down to see her and she told the story all over again, pointing excitedly to the kitchen window all the while. Apparently while she stood there doing dishes, glancing out the window occasionally, she was caught off guard by the sight of a bull moose walking out of the woods (less than twenty feet away) and coming straight toward her kitchen window only to turn at the last possible moment to walk off to her left and through her neighbors yard. No sooner had it turned than another moose came out and followed suit. One by one, like a line of soldiers, out they came straight towards her window and turned until nine moose had come and gone. It was one of those wish I'd been there to see it moments. I laughed then and I still do when I think about it. Every one should have at least one good moose encounter to tell about! Hers is one of the best I've heard.

For many years it was common to hear about car moose accidents near the bog bordering route 11 just before the intersection with route 26. About the time I was going to high school 1956-1960 there was one summer that at least three moose were hit in the same area.

A couple years after that my best friend and her husband bought a new car and were headed home across the "Promise Land" road (north side of the bog that crosses route 11). Her husband had been driving but he agreed to let her drive once they were on the back road. Her driving career took a sudden and spectacular turn that day, so to speak... They, and their bright new car ended up in a ditch, the car on it's side, with a bull moose looking down at them through the open window. I always figured that particular moose car accident had a happy ending! She had avoided hitting the moose by swerving sharply. The moose responded by taking a considerable amount of time checking them out before walking away once he decided his work was done, and they were finally able to climb out and walk home as well. That was the only car moose accident I ever heard about that they all walked away from!!

You must be getting the full picture by now... Not only did my mom mark my height on the door casing, not only am I now one of the Old timers who still measure distance by the hour, but my life - my lifeline - is dotted with "moose markers". Moose were in one way or another as much a part of my earliest years as the dresses my mom made for my sister & me each spring from grain sacks (it's true), or the shiny patten leather baby doll shoes for Easter, or the endless sun-filled summers, and snow-sledding winters.

Algkontaka Av Tredje Graden

What's the matter? Don't speak Swedish? Welcome to Moose Garden! I know many moose that do speak Swedish and they can be found at Moose Garden in Sweden. This is an amazing place. There are many tame moose there that you can walk up to and pet. They are very human friendly. The web site has a "moosecam" which can be viewed at any time of the day. Don't forget the time difference between Sweden and east coast USA. (+6 hours) The moose even help produce moose paper. I won't decribe that process. You will have to see it for yourself. Happy viewing! 

Size Does Matter! (Part one of a five part series) Originally posted 7/30/08

Question: What did the female moose say to the male moose? Answer: Nice rack!

Yes, this chauvinistic remark that we of the human species may be reluctant to speak, for fear of sexual harassment charges, is perfectly acceptable in the moose kingdom. Who knew?

The moose certainly does have some exotic behaviors as well as a reputation for awkwardness. Early settlers from the cities of England thought moose as monsters. Some thought of them as over twelve feet tall! I hope this blog will bring to light some of the peculiarities of the moose (alces alces americanus) as well as debunk some "moose myths" and defend its clumsy reputation.

It turns out that bigger truly is better in the moose world. One attraction the female moose (cow) has to the male moose (bull) is the mass of his antlers. If a bull eats well all summer, his rack will grow to massive proportions. This mass is a signal to the cow that this bull is a more desirable mate in that he has better knowledge of food sources than a bull with a smaller rack. The cow is even more aggressive toward other cows to ensure that this bull is only her mate. In essence, she........ "stands by her man." lol

Antlered animals are found only in the deer family-deer, elk, caribou, and moose. Horned animals such as sheep, cattle, bison, and antelope differ as they have permanent fixtures. Antlers are deciduous, meaning they are shed and grown new each year. Among the females of the deer family, only the female caribou normally has antlers. The moose has the largest and heaviest antlers. An exceptionally large moose may have antlers that measure two meters across. Antlers growth only take place between the months of April and August. Growth rate is rapid-up to 15mm per day or 18-25 kg of mass in 140 days.

Moose on the Loose on Mount Washington

I have been saving screen shots of web cams from the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire. (don't ask me why, just comment, my therapist will read it) These cams are sponsored by Mount Washington Weather Observatory. Here we have a moose traipsing across the summit in the winter. Amazing. She must have gotten bored of living in Pinkham Notch and decided to try a new home in Crawford Notch for the winter! (more condos) Here is a link to all of Mount Washington Observatory's web cams. Very cool stuff











I found this very cool Youtube video of that same moose stumbling around the summit. Thanks for visiting my blog!

A Bit of Moose Humor

Click image to make it bigger!

You Can't Get a Crazier Moose Than This

Spotted Moose Spotted

A moose of a different color

By Joseph Robertia | Peninsula Clarion

Hugh Edwards, 76, has seen a lot of moose during the 33 years he's lived in Alaska, but few could compare to an unusual colored ungulate he spotted just south of Kenai last month.

"It was shocking," Edwards said in regard to a moose with numerous naturally occurring white blotches to its coat, most of which are on the animal's face, neck and shoulders.

Luckily for Edwards, he said he had the right equipment with him to prove what he had witnessed.

"I saw it off of Cannery Road. It was a Saturday and I had my camera with me because I go down every once in a while to take pictures," he said.

Edwards said he initially sped by the moose, but caught enough of a glimpse that he knew something was a little different about this animal.

"I turned around, then parked and shot photos of it from the car. There was two of them, but the other one with it was a normal color. They were just eating along the side of the road. A couple of other cars stopped too, but they just kept eating," he said.

Edwards said the entire time he has lived in Alaska, he has only seen one other moose as unique.

"Way back in the '70's I saw one in the Swanson River area that was completely white," he said.

Jeff Selinger, area wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Soldotna, said he receives a calls a year of moose fitting this unusual description, although many of the callers may be describing the same animal, just in a different location on a different day.

"Piebald is what it's called, and it's uncommon, but not rare. It's characterized by white blotches, unlike albinos which are more rare, and completely white with pink eyes and whitish-pink hooves," he said.

Selinger explained that many of the calls Fish and Game has received about piebald moose, come from a vicinity near where this recent sighting occurred.

"North Cohoe and the K-Beach area are where we've had most of the sightings locally, but in other parts of the state, such as Healy, they seem to have a higher occurrence of them," he said.

As to if the blotchy white spots could help or hurt the moose in terms of camouflage from predators or hunters, Selinger said it was difficult to say for certain, but he suggested that the unusual color pattern could make it more visible when crossing the road at night, reducing the risk of it being hit by a motorist.

Though not in front of a vehicle, but Edwards said he hopes the moose with this particular pattern will show itself more.

"I'd like to see it again because it was really something. You just don't see them like that everyday," he said.

Joseph Robertia can be reached at joseph.robertia@peninsulaclarion.com.

Monster.com Superbowl Ad

When am I going to get to work in one of those offices?

Cat Meets Moose

How cute is this?

Another Valentine's Day photo op.