15 June 2021: Trapping Browntail Moths

How to tell male from female Browntail Moths.

While killing Browntail moth caterpillars is easy and may make you feel better, it’s problematic for a variety of reasons. First, it gives you the sense that you’re doing something to rid yourself of the Browntail problem when in reality you’re probably not making a dent at all in the caterpillar population. If you just spray them with soapy water, sure it kills them, but then you’ve got dead caterpillars with their toxic hairs laying around your yard. I did that last month, fanatically wandering around my deck and yard with a spray bottle of soapy water in each hand, shooting caterpillars like some madcap wild west gunslinger. Of course, I got the rash on my arms and neck. Then I put aside the spray bottles and took up a tin can with some soapy water in it and kitchen tongs and went around picking the caterpillars up and dropping them in the can. More rash. Now that the caterpillars have begun pupating, I’ve been searching for the nests, cutting down those that I can reach with my tree pruner, and soaking them in a bucket of soapy water. Is this helping? I sure hope so, but I have my doubts. Continue reading →

Browntail Moth Hell [UPDATED]

Browntail Moth Caterpillar

If you’ve managed to avoid getting a Browntail Moth rash so far this summer, congratulations- and be careful, the summer isn’t over yet. Many of us haven’t been so lucky, myself and my wife (and most of my neighbors) included. My house is surrounded by large Red Oak trees that hang over my yard and deck. Last year we were still somewhat oblivious to the caterpillars and the risk they pose with the result that we got extensive rashes over large portions of our backs, necks, and arms. This year we’ve been more cautious and have avoided hanging out on our deck and in our yard, with the result that the rashes we’ve developed haven’t been as bad or extensive as they were last year, but they have still been very unpleasant. Both my wife and I have had a few sleepless nights so far this year. Even now as I type this, my hands are itching. Continue reading →

10 June 2021: Birds In The Marsh

An American Bittern, one of the birds heard during the birding trip into the marsh. (stock photo).

Last Saturday, Steven Viti, Nancy DeWall, and myself, Malcolm Burson, took a two-hour paddle up into the Clary Lake marsh to see what birds were around. We started over on the floating bog where the blueberries grow where we got good looks at Eastern Kingbirds, Yellow Warblers, and Purple Finch, all of which are likely breeding there, and we heard a Veery singing. As we worked our way into the marsh, we heard a call with which I wasn’t familiar; later detective work led to the conclusion that this was a Marsh Wren, a species I hadn’t observed before at Clary. A zig-zag to the other side, beyond the island, produced a Swamp Sparrow, a regular breeding species here. We watched a Great Blue Heron fly across the north end, and once we headed that way, heard an American Bittern, possibly a return to breeding territory that I heard every evening last year closer to the main body of the lake. Continue reading →

03 June 2021: All’s Well That Ends Well

Canoe in tow

My wife Margaret and I had just settled down on our dock the other day to take in the afternoon and have coffee when I got a call from our President, Dave Knight. He had been on his way home when a man had flagged him down, saying that he and a friend had been out fishing on Clary when their canoe capsized. He had swum to shore and then hiked a quarter of a mile out to the main road to look for help. He told Dave his friend couldn’t swim and he had left him over an hour ago, without a life preserver, clinging to the upended craft. Continue reading →

May 2021 Water Level Chart Archived

May 2021

I have archived the May 2021 Water Level Chart (at left). The dearth of precipitation which has plagued us all winter continued through the month of May. At the end of April we were 3.50 inches short of normal for the year and today, on the last day of May, having received an underwhelming 1.91 inches for the month (normal for May is 3.71 inches), we’re now worse off at 5.20 inches short of where we would be in a normal year. It would have been even worse but for the 0.93 inches of rain we received on Memorial Day, the last day of the month. The timing was lousy but the rain itself was very much needed and I’m glad we got it. It also seemed like a fitting end to a long cold weekend that had me burning wood in my stove again; I’m OK with putting on a sweater in the house but I draw the line at wearing gloves at dinner! The three day weekend also marked the start of our Courtesy Boat Inspection program and unsurprisingly, we didn’t inspect any boats entering or leaving the lake. It was not the 3 day weekend you were looking for! Continue reading →

25 May 2021: Rough Water on Clary Lake

Early Sunday afternoon on May 23, 2021, a strong cold front blew in from the north. Behind it were high winds that lasted all afternoon and into the night. We took it on the nose on our location on the south shore of Clary Lake. For a while I thought my boat would ride it out OK but it was taking a beating and I decided to move it over into a protected cove… It made for a pretty hairy ride, I wish I’d had the foresight to do it sooner!

Here are a couple of webcam pictures from that afternoon. Continue reading →

23 May 2021: Relax, It’s Tree Pollen!

Tree Pollen on Clary Lake

While this looks similar to the end stage of an intense algae bloom, it’s really only plant pollen. One telling difference is the color: this stuff is decidedly yellow whereas dead cyanobacteria is bright green. I suspect it’s pollen from White Pine though I’m not sure. In any case, it’s a natural phenomena and there is no reason to believe pollen has an impact on water quality though for a short time it can impact lake water transparency. While it looks ugly, it is of a short duration and will eventually disperse into the water column and sink. Another difference between pollen and algal blooms is the timing: pollen events happen in the Spring whereas algae blooms are typically a mid-to-late Summer and early Fall phenomena. Here are a couple of pictures of cyanobacteria on my shoreline taken in October of 2013. The color is decidedly different:

The more you know!

MDIFW 2021 Spring Program Series

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife are putting on a series of programs this Spring. This is something new they’re trying and I applaud their outreach efforts. Some of these programs are geared more towards children but they’re all interesting. Past programs are available as recordings. Continue reading →

21 May 2021: Rumor of Big Fish in Clary Lake Confirmed!

Dinky Fish

The rumor that there are big fish in Clary Lake has been confirmed! I don’t usually post fish pictures on the website but I’m happy to make an exception for this beauty, sent to me the other day by CLA member and friend Steve Viti. At 5 pounds, I’ll bet that was exciting to catch on the light tackle that Steve uses! Steve of course threw this fish back to grow some more. These big Bass are valuable breeders and should be returned to the lake as quickly as possible. If you’re looking for something to eat, harvest a small bass or two or have your fill of all the Black Crappie and White Perch you want- there are plenty of them in Clary Lake! In Maine’s Southern Zone, there is a 2 fish bag/possession limit for Large & Small Mouth Bass with no length limit, but only 1 may exceed 14 inches.

Get out there and catch something!

The 2021 Spring/Summer Newsletter Is Posted!

Wild Rice (Zizania palustris) is making a comeback in the marshes around Clary Lake. Photograph by George Fergusson

I’ve added the 2021 Spring/Summer Newsletter to our Newsletter Archive. It went in the mail less than one week ago and how gratifying it is that membership checks are already coming in! A little more information about the newsletter: we call each issue the “Spring/Summer” issue but really, it’s the only issue we publish during the year so that term may change in future issues. It is a throwback to when we actually did try to put out two newsletters a year, an initiative that turned out to be a lot like work. With email and our website, we found we really didn’t need two newsletters a year to stay in touch with out members. The last year we published two newsletter was in 2012, we haven’t done since, and we probably won’t do it again unless (or until) circumstances change. As for the name the “Clary Lake Clarion” that came from a small local newspaper that my father Stuart Fergusson and Paul MacDonald published back in the summer of 1931. I found a couple of copies of in an old closet a few years ago (see post “The Original Clary Lake Clarion“). Appropriating the name for our newsletter just seemed… appropriate! Here’s the newsletter: Continue reading →

The Newsletter is In The Mail!

No really! It’s in the mail which means the Clary Lake Association’s 2021/2022 Membership drive has begun! Traditionally, it begins with the mailing of the Summer newsletter which went in the mail a few days ago. Most of you should have it in your mailbox by now, or will have shortly (I’ll post a digital copy here in a few days). Unofficially our Membership drive begins on April 1st which is the date we start accepting dues for the upcoming year. In reality, it’s never too soon or too late to join or renew your membership in the Association. We’re always ready for new members! Dues are $25 per person per year and Membership is open to all. I’ve added a page to the site to keep track of who has signed up for the Upcoming Year. At the time of this writing there are already six people who have renewed their memberships. You’ll find the list under the Current Membership List, under the Membership Menu. Continue reading →

Free Fishing Mother’s Day Weekend

Cast a line and celebrate the special moms in your life

During Mother’s Day Free Fishing License Weekend, May 8-9, 2021, everyone is encouraged to cast a line and enjoy Maine’s many waterways with the special moms in their life.

On these days, any person (except those whose license has been suspended or revoked) who registers may fish without a license. All other laws and regulations apply on these days.

This free fishing license weekend is in addition to the semi-annual free fishing weekends. June 5-6, 2021 is the next scheduled free fishing weekend.

We hope you have a memorable weekend fishing with the special individuals in your life. Remember to be safe: tell someone where you are going, and when you plan to return, and ALWAYS wear a life jacket when on the water – the water is extremely cold this time of year.

02 May 2021: Water Quality Monitoring Resumes for 2021!

46 Years of Secchi Disk Measurements

Kelsie French and I got out on the lake today to start Water Quality Monitoring for the 2021 season, a spring ritual that has been taking place on Clary Lake since 1975. All the data we collect is periodically sent to the Lake Stewards of Maine (formerly the Volunteer Lake Monitor Program) where it is checked for validity and accuracy. My father Stuart Fergusson was the first person to submit secchi disk readings for Clary Lake in 1975. David Hodsdon started accompanying him at about the same time and according to DEP’s Linda Bacon, David took over completely in 1991. For many years David worked solo until Jack Holland joined him around 2001. I got involved in 2013 and Kelsie French, our newest water quality monitor, started in 2018. After 44 years on the lake, David retired after completing the 2019 season and Jack Holland has taken a hiatus from water level monitoring. We hope he resumes sometime soon! Becoming a water quality monitor requires certification by the Lake Stewards of Maine, and periodic recertification. Continue reading →

April Water Level Chart Archived

April 2021

I have archived the April 2021 Water Level Chart (at left). The dearth of precipitation that has plagued us for much of last year and for the first three months of this year has continued into April with total monthly rainfall amounting to only 3.12 inches, a good deal of which we received on the last day of the month. This is well below the April average of 3.87 inches. Year to date we’re 3.5 inches below normal and we’re only a third of the way through the year. This does not bode well for ground water supplies this summer, even if precipitation returns to something like normal. The USDA has categorized this area of Maine as “Abnormally Dry” (see below) which is certainly an unusual condition for Springtime in the Northeast. Nationwide, drought conditions are much worse as this next graphic from the Maine Climate Office clearly shows: Continue reading →

25 April 2021: Diminishing ice cover on Maine’s lakes could impact fish populations

Lake Auburn. This picture links to the article.

Here on Clary Lake we haven’t been keeping ice in and ice out records for long enough to see a shortening of the iced-in period. Our records go back to 2001 and in that time, there’s no obvious trend but over significantly longer periods (many decades and longer) it’s clear that Maine winters are gradually becoming milder and anyone who’s lived around here for more than a few years can testify to that fact. This article in the Kennebec Journal discusses some of the impacts of shorter iced-in periods on Maine Lakes.

Diminishing ice cover on Maine’s lakes could impact fish populations

22 April 2021: Browntail Moth Update

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry (DACF) and other groups are predicting the 2021 Browntail Moth season will be a bad one. A recent article in the Bangor Daily News (worth reading!) is claiming this will be the worst infestation of BTM in over a century. It sounds like hyperbole but could well be true. The picture at left is a small section of a Browntail Moth 2021 Winter Web Moth Survey (PDF) published by the DACF shows the results of a drive-by survey conducted earlier this winter, hence the survey data are along major roads. The blow up includes Whitefield & Jefferson and shows medium to heavy concentrations of Browntail moth webs along Routes 126, 218, and 215 (South Clary Road). Of particular concern is not just the number of webs spotted (dot colors primarily yellow, tan, and red), but the density of dots which is an indication of how many individual vehicle stops were made. I’ve inserted the above picture into Google Earth. Download this KMZ file and load it into Google Earth. Continue reading →

17 April 2021: Canoe On The Loose

Brenda Robbins down at the east end of the lake has reported their green Coleman canoe has floated off. Something like this seems to happen every spring to someone or other! If you should happen to spot it, tie it up if you can and let George Fergusson know. Thank you!

12 April 2021 PSA: Mind Your Docks!

September 2013 picture of Art Enos’s dock. It just so happens his dock did NOT have floating decking but if it had, it would have floated away!

Despite it being early April, many people have already put in their docks this year, perhaps because the lake is relatively low for this time of year, or they just want to get a jump on the boating season. Like who doesn’t? However, most of the docks I’ve seen are just barely clear of the water. The lake is currently only 0.17 feet (2 inches) below the HWM, much lower than it’s been the past two years on this date. While it’s been relatively dry so far this year, it is not unreasonable to expect significant spring rains at any time. If that happens the lake could easily rise 3-4 inches (or more!) almost overnight and flood the docks. If your dock is of the stationary (not floating) kind and if your decking is of the unattached floating variety, you might want to make sure to attach it to the frame so it doesn’t float away. Zip ties work well for this or use some clothes line or something similar to tie the decking down.

08 April 2021: Good Morning!

Some mornings I look out at Clary Lake and it just takes my breath away.