Mike Baker, left, confers with Paul Peaslee Sr., on Sunday as his son, Paul Peaslee Jr., unloads several cords of firewood at Baker’s Smelt Camps in Pittston. The elm and ash keep the shacks that sit on the frozen river warm for winter anglers, Paul Peaslee Jr. said. Baker said that camps, which burn about 25 cords a winter, should be opening next week.

Glenn Hodgkins, of Hallowell, searches for birds with a spotting scope Tuesday, between ice floes on the Kennebec River in Hallowell. The avid birder said he searches for avian species “any time I can get an excuse.” He was attempting to locate a drake wood duck that had been spotted on the river earlier.

A white-tailed deer emerges from beneath a tree Wednesday, in Augusta, where it had bedded with three others. Deer are moving into winter yards that provide sustenance and shelter as snow accumulates.

Deputy Game Warden Don Gray, center, hands a shotgun to District Game Warden Norman Lewis, right, as he and acting Sgt. Dave Chabot, left, prepare to fire the weapons Wednesday at a range in Augusta. The state wilderness law enforcement officers qualify on sidearms and shotguns twice a year. Gray, who retired from the warden service as a sergeant after four decades of service, still serves as a deputy warden in the Bethel area.

A pair of bald eagles survey the Kennebec River from a tree on Sunday, in Gardiner. The raptors were observing the river as the annual winter migration of smelt commences.

Volunteers arrange fir trees Sunday on the Kennebec River in Gardiner for the Festival of Trees, to raise money for Gardiner Youth Hockey. Each of the 25 trees erected at the waterfront were decorated by local businesses which contributed to the fundraiser and raffle held in the evening.

Dan Howard of Augusta walks around a maple tree while searching for headstones on Sunday at a cemetery in Pittston. Howard, who described himself as “just crazy” about genealogy, was attempting to locate two relatives who were interred in the 18th Century.

Steve Swindells, right, of Smithfield and his son, Matt of Gardiner, return to their blind in Chelsea on Saturday, while waterfowl hunting at dawn on the Kennebec River. The men said they spotted flights of ducks and geese but didn’t harvest any birds.