AUGUSTA – Two professors from the University of Maine at Augusta will be presenting their research on the effects of human interaction on Canada jay (Perisoreus canadensis) behavior and nest predation on Tuesday, Sept. 24, from 12 to 1 p.m. in Jewett Hall, room 180 on the UMA Augusta campus, 46 University Drive.

Marielle Postava-Davignon and Jennifer Long, both UMA assistant professors of biology, compared jay behavior and nest predation levels in New Hampshire and Maine between sites where little human interaction has been documented, and sites located at popular recreation areas where feeding has been well documented. They captured, banded, tracked and recorded the birds’ behavior to determine if human interaction impacts important behaviors such as predation and breeding.

The Canada jay, when living near humans, can be a friendly little songbird that seems to enjoy engaging with humans and the free food we provide, whether in a feeder or out of a trash can at a scenic overlook. Known by several other names such as the gray jay, whiskey jack, and even camp robber, they might steal food from your picnic table and even eat right out of your hand. It was this bold behavior that caught the attention of Postava-Davignon, an avid hiker. 

“One tried to steal my lunch when I was hiking and was rather pesky about it,” she quipped. She then wondered if it was or wasn’t okay to feed them, and if doing so caused them to be so audacious. Back home and after a thorough search for information, she found nothing definitive on the subject. She invited Long to join the project, and so it began. Through their research, Drs. Long and Postava-Davignon observed that Canada jays living in more remote areas often behave differently from their more urban-dwelling counterparts. 

Come hear what they discovered about these behavioral differences and their implications. This one hour presentation will be on the UMA campus and also remotely on Zoom. Visit https://www.uma.edu/academics/research/research-colloquium/ for more information.

UMA transforms the lives of students of every age and background across the State of Maine and beyond through access to high-quality distance and on-site education, excellence in student support, civic engagement, and professional and liberal arts programs. For more information, please visit uma.edu.

It has stood overlooking Route 1 in Freeport for over 50 years and is one of Maine’s most popular landmarks. The Big Freeport Indian, or as some call it, the Big F—— Indian sees visitors every year from all around the country, most of them stumbling across it on their way to L.L. Bean.

Here are 5 things you may not know about the Big Freeport Indian.

1. The owner of Casco Bay Trading Post commissioned ought the Statue in 1960

According to 2015 an article in Maine Magazine, Julian Leslie opened Casco Bay Trading Post in 1947 and was looking for a way to drive business to his store on Route 1 in Freeport. He ended up having a giant statue of a Native American created and shipped to Freeport for $5000 where it was placed on his property next to busy Route 1. When his statue was completed, it had to be shipped from Pennsylvania on a flatbed trailer until it arrived in Freeport on August 26, 1969.

2. The Big Freeport Indian was an advertising gimmick to sell mocassins

How wonderful were the 70s?? The Casco Bay Trading Post in Freeport, Maine.
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Casco Bay Trading Post crafted and sold leather goods, including mocassins, hence the 30-foot tall statue. It seemed to have worked as Casco Bay Trading Post remained in business until 1989.

3. Arrows were often found lodged in the statue

While camping at Winslow Park every summer growing up, we’d drive past Casco Bay Trading Post and often notice arrows lodged into the fiberglass of the Big Freeport Indian shot into it by people who had nothing better to do with their lives. This must have been a pain to have removed regularly.

4. Businesses keep coming and going at the Big Freeport Indian

Since Julian Leslie closed the Casco Bay Trading Post in 1989 after 42 years, other businesses have occupied the space, but none have been as successful as Casco Bay Trading Post. As of this writing, the space is empty with the last tenant being Big Indian Country Store.

5. It may be the most famous, but it is not the tallest Native American Statue in Maine

Worlds Tallest Statue of a Native American/ Indian, Skowhegan, ME.
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The world’s tallest statue of a Native American is the “Skowhegan Indian” which stands 62 feet high on a 20-foot base, double the height of the Big Freeport Indian. Coincidentally, the Skowhegan Indian was installed in 1969, the same year as the Big Freeport Indian.