By Doug Hitchcox Depending on where you live, you may have the fortune of encountering a medium-sized game bird called Chukar. Youll recognize this bird from their inclusion in many North American field guides, though they are not a native species. Chukars, pronounced chuh-kahr, are an introduced species, originating from mountains of middle Eurasia, now common around the western United States Great Basin north into western Canada.

[caption id="attachment_2984" align="alignright" width="496"] Recognizing different types of animal tracks showcases the variety of wildlife that call different habitats home.[/caption] With just several open spots remaining, teachers interested in bringing the Maine outdoors into their classroom should register now for the upcoming Nature of Teaching workshops, created by Purdue University in conjunction

[caption id="attachment_2970" align="alignright" width="321"] A hatchling painted turtle rescued from the road.[/caption] By MDIFW Wildlife Biologist Sarah Boyden Driving through Embden the other morning, I passed several snapping turtles laying eggs along the sandy stretch of the road.

[caption id="attachment_2949" align="alignright" width="386"] The electrofishing boat has two booms which deliver an electric current into the water.[/caption] By MDIFW Fisheries Biologist Jim Pellerin Each year during late May and early June, the regional office gets a phone call or two about some strange things happening during the wee hours of the morning on some local lake or pond.  I ev

[caption id="attachment_2934" align="alignright" width="237"]Figure 1. This is a scale from a 3-year-old landlocked salmon.[/caption]   By Tyler Grant and Merry Gallagher, MDIFW Fisheries Biologists One of the more important tasks for fisheries biologists when making management decisions is figuring out how old a fish is.