|
|
|
|
July 1997
I took my first walk through Railroad Park on the Androscoggin River in
Lewiston at the invitation of Bonnie
Lounsbury of the Androscoggin Land Trust. Bonnie
is on a City committee planning the park’s design.
Our intent was to walk the property with an eye for wildlife habitat.
As we crossed the large field, a groundhog disappeared into his burrow.
A male rose-breasted grosbeak fluttered in a tree-top. We stopped by the small canal where the waterfall was
roaring. Phoebes flew through the
spray to crevices in the rock wall of the canal, where they most likely have
nests. Swallows were hawking for
insects above the water. It was a
busy place! Winding our way
through the sumac that provides winter food for birds,
we found the path. With a
few steps, it seemed we entered another world, far away from the city.
The thickets and trees were alive with birds.
We sighted gray catbirds, kingbirds, goldfinches, yellow warblers, and
blue jays. The river, as a source
of water, and the complex structure of the natural area make it attractive to
wildlife. The taller trees form the
canopy. The tangles of small
trees and shrubs, mostly honeysuckle, make up the understory.
The nectar of the honeysuckle flowers is used by ruby-throated
hummingbirds, and the berries are relished by birds. Insects, drawn by the river and the diverse vegetation, are
an important source of protein for the birds.
As we were leaving the natural area, we paused at the top of the slope
and turned around. The tree tops were at eye level.
Right in front of us, a blue jay flew into a tree with a stick in its
beak, and added it to the nest it was building. We walked into the field and there was a flock of mourning
doves . Crows flew among the trees
at the edge of the field.
I said to Bonnie what a wonderful place this is for people living or
working nearby. We talked about how the habitat could be enhanced for wildlife
and planned another walk to focus more on vegetation.
The following week, we met by the entrance to the park.
With Bonnie was her son Bart. I
had invited Mike Cormier, the City Arborist for Lewiston, who knows plants and
wildlife. We took the same route as
the first walk, starting by the small canal, where we discovered fox grape
growing, a great feature for the birds because of its fruit.
As I looked across the river to Auburn, I saw a great blue heron flying
high along Main Street. I tried to imagine the heron’s view. Two mallard ducks were swimming at the river’s edge on the
Lewiston side, and a bit further into the river, a cormorant was starting its
take-off. Once again, I was
struck by the peaceful feeling of the place.
As we walked
the trails, we talked about how to prevent erosion into the river.
We looked at the bamboo take-over of one section, which could be
controlled if cut two or three times a year.
The tree species are quite diverse.
Mike pointed out green ash, box elder, slippery elm, oak, several kinds
of maple, white pine, black cherry, mountain ash, and big tooth aspen.
The different trees help create the structure used by wildlife for
nesting and cover. They also
provide a variety of food sources, from the insects present to flowers, seeds
and fruits.
We left the shade of the trees and walked into the field.
We talked about how to improve the habitat while accommodating the use of
the park. The natural area
doesn’t need any enhancement, except for a bit of attention to the trails.
Fruiting shrubs might be planted at the edge of the slope between the field and
the natural area, along the proposed bicycle path.
Good selections would be redtwig dogwood and viburnams, such as
nannyberry, arrowwood, the wayfaring tree and cranberry.
Then we pictured scotch pine, hawthorne, crabapple, ornamental pear and
serviceberry alternating along the edge of the field, from the natural area
along the small canal, around the corner and continuing the entire length of the
field along the canal by the street. Most
of these shrubs and small trees flower in spring, have fruits which are visually
attractive, and have interesting foliage and shape.
These attributes make them good landscape choices, while the plantings
also provide excellent habitat, especially for birds, butterflies, and moths.
It was hot standing in the full sun, and we decided that shade trees
would be most welcome along the sidewalk from the entrance of the park to the
trestle. Sugar maple, red maple and
red oak grow quickly, and provide interest into the fall.
The arrangement of these plantings in hedgerows or mini-wildlife
corridors would allow birds to move around the perimeter of the park.
We walked across the trestle, and stopped to watch the river flowing
underneath us. Looking back at the
area, we could see several large old trees half-reclining over the water,
perfect perches for birds hawking for insects.
We continued on to Bonney Park in Auburn, where a woman and three
children were flying a kite. Two
parks connected by the trestle would be a great enhancement of the habitat for
people too!
By Nancy Coverstone (ncstone@umext.maine.edu), University of Maine Extension Educator in Androscoggin and Sagadahoc Counties
Return to Wild About Nature Table of Contents
Putting knowledge to work with the people of Maine
A Member of the University of Maine System
Last Modified:
08/13/06
These pages are currently being maintained from the
Communications Office Office, University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
Send comments, suggestions or inquiries to www-questions@umext.maine.edu
COUNTY OFFICES | PROGRAMS | RESOURCES | PUBLICATIONS | WHAT'S NEWS | UMAINE EXTENSION HOME | UMAINE
Information in this web site is provided purely for educational purposes. No responsibility is assumed for any problems associated with the use of products or services mentioned in this web site. No endorsement of products or companies is intended, nor is criticism of unnamed products or companies implied.
