If you enjoy this column and the photographs that accompany it, I have started an Instagram account to feature my photography. Focused primarily on woodpeckers, the account will also contain photos of other birds on occasion. It can be accessed at instagram.com/mainewoodpeckers.
In other wildlife-related news, a lone porcupine has been spotted in my Newcastle neighborhood. Nicknamed Alfred by my daughter, the slow-moving, quill-laden creature has been seen consistently over the past few weeks. Multiple people have encountered Alfred at different spots and at different times. I suspect Alfred is living in the extensive tract of woods that serves as the back boundary of multiple homes.
As porcupines go, Alfred doesn’t appear to be either shy or retiring. One day, while my daughter and I were observing Alfred, someone walking down my road stopped to watch the porcupine with us. For at least five minutes, we all watched the porcupine as it fed on the edges of my neighbor’s lawn. Oblivious to our presence, Alfred did what porcupines have done for millennia.
Although most people are aware of porcupines and the threat they pose to dogs that tangle with them, the species has an interesting life history. Large rodents, porcupines are actually herbivores or plant eaters. They don’t hunt pets or target other animals. Depending on the time of year, porcupines will feed on tree bark, acorns, leaves, flowers, twigs, and roots. These salt-loving animals will also chew deer antlers and canoe paddles. Porcupines can also be observed searching for salt near roadsides and other areas.
A creature of the Maine forest, porcupines have a home range of up to 14 acres. In the winter, dens provide shelter and a place to ride out the worst of the season’s weather. Dens can be found under a ledge, in a hollow log, or under a stump. Largely arboreal, porcupines are often observed in trees. Serving double duty as a foraging site and natural cover, trees may offer porcupines protection from fishers, their main antagonist. Not surprisingly, predation by fishers most often occurs on the forest floor.
Outside of Maine, porcupines are found throughout Canada, the northeastern and western United States, and a portion of northern Mexico. Linked to forests, porcupines can also survive in desert areas, open tundra, and grasslands. Regardless of where they live, porcupines require food, water, shelter, and adequate space. And although their 30,000 quills are quite a deterrent, they still face threats posed by people.
As for Alfred, our local porcupine is currently living its best life in the woods of my quiet neighborhood. I hope it survives the winter and isn’t struck by a vehicle while crossing the road. Alfred is a reminder that if you see wildlife of any stripe, please slow down.
As the late Joe Gray, a nature columnist for this newspaper, once said: “Give wildlife a brake.”
