July 26, 2026: Vinylhaven Island, Maine

Penobscot Bay in Downeast Maine was our home base this past week; our explorations went south to Rockland, north to Belfast and Fort Point just below where the Penobscot River enters the bay under the Penobscot Narrow Bridge, and east to Vinalhaven.  The highlight was the trip out to Vinalhaven Island, about 10 miles off shore.

Entering the channel to Caver's Harbor on Vinylhaven.

I was watching for mammals on the way out and back from Vinylhaven - a seal or maybe a dolphin - but alas, it wasn't to be.  But there were birds.  On the open water of the bay, seagulls were swarming the lobster boats, fighting over fish scraps thrown overboard. 

Plus one lone gull that circled high above all the others for some reason unknown.

A common Herring Gull circling over Penobscot Bay.

There are over 4,600 thousand islands off the coast of Maine, most of which are quite small.  

One of the 4000 islands in the Gulf of Maine.

Many of these islands used to provide critical nesting sites for shore birds because there were no mammals to predate the birds or their eggs.  Today, the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refugee is working to protect these sites to help endangered species such Puffins and Artic Terns which have lost much of their habitat to human activity.  We didn't see either of these birds as we made our way through some of these islands on the approach to Vinallhaven, but we did see a few common species, one of which we see regularly in the Lakes' Region. 

A single Great Blue Heron hanging out with the gulls.

We also saw cormorants, which are seen up and down the coast of Maine. 

Double-crested Cormorants

Cormorants are also present on the larger bodies of water in the Lakes Region, and occasional visitors to Lake Wicwas.  Here are couple of cormorants perched in a pine tree on Wicwas.

In a small inlet to the Lanes Island Wildlife Preserve on Vinalhaven, there were several Common Eiders diving, and one resting on one of the many seaweed-draped ledges. 

Common Eiders, females and/or juveniles.  (Males are black and white.)

Common Eiders are the largest of our ducks, behaving more like seabirds than most of our lake ducks.  They can dive down 60 feet and their primary food source is the Blue Mussel.  They tear mussels off the rocks, swallow them whole, and let their strong gizzards grind up the shells to digest the good stuff inside.  [Cornell Lab of Ornithology]

We also explored a little human history on the bay, including Fort Point, where a fort was built in 1759 to protect the north country from attack by sea.

Today there are only remnants of the block house foundation and some of the berms built around the fort.

Securing the land for the military however, has resulted in protecting 120 acres and one mile of beautiful Maine coast for public access. 

In a 2020 post I mentioned the lime kilns in Rockport (September 27, 2020).  This week, walking along the Goose River in Rockport, we saw this huge bank of what looked like lime.  The immediate assumption proved correct:  this is a giant mound of lime tailings discarded after burning the limestone to create the calcium oxide (quicklime) that was shipped to New York and Boston to make mortar and plaster.  

A mountain of waste produce from turning limestone (calcium carbonate) into quicklime (calcium oxide) by heating it to 2000 degrees F in giant kilns

The rusty scrap metal in the piles are the bands that held lime casks together for shipping. 

Rusty old bands from lime casks

Quicklime needed to be packaged and handled carefully because if it got wet onboard the ship, the resulting chemical reaction would create enough heat to spontaneously catch fire. 

While we away from the lakes, our reliable loon watchers kept a good eye on not-so-little Pip.  

Photos by Debby Crowley

Look - wings!  With tiny primary feathers!

There was a moment of concern when a bald eagle swooped down, but Pip evaded the attack!

I'd be remiss not to mention the excellent blueberry crop this year.  It's still not too late to pick a batch, but I recommend finding shaded bushes, as the fruit in the sunniest spots is getting overripe now.

Still loads of berries yesterday.

I'll end back in Maine, with a postcard-perfect picture from Penobscot Bay,

Memories like this bring us back to the coast of Maine every year.

July 19, 2026: Annual Loon Census

The Loon Preservation Committee's Annual Loon Census took place yesterday.  Each year, LPC hosts an annual Loon Census, when from 8:00 to 9:00am on a Saturday in July, volunteers count loons to collect data that helps the LPC monitor New Hampshire’s loons and their progress on lakes throughout the state.  This year, Lake Wicwas was well represented, showcasing a total of seven loons in the census.  The star of course, was little Pip.

Pip and a parent.

Pip was spotted with both parents at 8:16am in the far northwest corner of the northern pair's territory.

The northern territory family.

A big fish being prepared for Pip.

Pip's parents continue to provide generous meals, though Pip spends a lot of time with its head submerged studying the experts to learn how to fish for itself.  

At the same moment this was being observed, Team-Thorpe was observing three loons in the south territory, two of which are assumed to be the banded south pair.  The third was likely a rogue, looking for nesting territory for itself.  Then around 8:50am, those three were joined by a fourth loon, right at the boundary between the two nesting territories.  

Four loons on the boundary line.

I wonder if the two resident pairs are both pushing the rogues towards the other pairs territory, pinning them at the boundary.  I was able to confirm from the female's leg bands that the south pair (at a minimum the female) was part of this asylum.

Not a great look, but good enough to see the blue and green bands.

So, Lake Wicwas contributed a total of seven loons to the census.  The overall results will be reported by the LPC later in the year.  For more information on our loons, be sure to attend the Lake Wicwas Annual Meeting on August 1st at the Wicwas Grange.

This week I made my first visit to the Red Hill River Conservation Area with a long-time hiking partner.  It's a beautiful, quiet area in Sandwich with a well-flowing stream, an interesting network of gentle trails, and some large, mature trees.  

Red Hill River in Sandwich.

One of many good size White Pines and Hemlocks on the property.

We hiked a 2.5 mile loop along part of the river and over a small hill, and there are other route options as well.  We even discovered an old cellar hole along the route.

A cellar hole with remnants of a stove and brick chimney.

This area is definitely worth a visit; you can find trail information and driving directions here.

There were plenty of  interesting sights back around Lake Wicwas as well.  On one walk I came across a large pile of feathers beside a fallen tree.

It wasn't hard to identify who these feathers belonged to - can you guess the owner?

The bright blue and white colors indicate a Blue Jay met its demise here.  Determining the identity of the predator took a little more digging.  The conditions of the feathers gives an important clue:  note how the feathers are intact, clean, and undamaged. Mammals - bobcat, fox, etc. - tear into their food, ripping, shredding and damaging feathers in the process.  But these feathers have been cleanly plucked right out of the bird; a trademark raptor food-prep method.  Also, raptors frequently sit on a log or a branch to prepare their food, then, after the excess, non-consumable weight is removed, they'll take it away to be consumed elsewhere by themselves or their mate and young.

So, this is likely a raptor kill site.  I first wondered if it might be the Broad-winged Hawk I saw last week, but broad-winged hawks are too large and insufficiently agile to catch a bird in flight; they primarily feed on rodents and amphibians, though they will pluck a baby bird from a nest if they find one.  Broad-winged hawks are buteos which are generally considered ambush predators.

The raptor that caught this blue jay was most likely an accipiter, which in New Hampshire includes Sharp-shinned Hawks and Cooper Hawks.  These birds are smaller, with short wings and long tails that allow them fly fast and maneuver deftly though tight trees in pursuit of prey.  One source I found said blue jays are a "classic meal" for a Cooper's Hawk, so maybe that was it.

A highlight of the week was a quick visit from the three brothers.

Three River Otters play in the lake.

Otters have round tails, unlike the flat tail of beavers.

These are most certainly the three otters I tracked all winter (I don't know that they're brothers) taking a playful cruise far out in the cove one morning on their way down to the dam and Mill Brook, possibly heading over to Lake Winnisquam.  

I'll close with another cheery face, this one sent to me by a friend and fellow musician that lives in Moultonborough (thank you BB!).  This little guy was checking out some good smell that attracted its attention.

It's better to have a woodchuck staring in your window than a black bear!

 

July 12,2026: Blake Brook Paddle

This week the Lakes Region Conservation Trust sponsored a guided paddle tour on Lake Wicwas.  It was a small group, but they were adventurous, powering through the thick weeds to paddle all the way up to the beaver dam that impounds the beaver pond in Blake Brook before it flows into Lake Wicwas. Once we got past the shallow cove and into the brook the weeds thinned out and the paddling was easier. 

Working our way up to the beaver dam.

Blake Brook is the second largest tributary feeding the lake; Dolloff Brook is the largest.  Both tributaries have beaver dams which provide great value to clean the water before entering the lake, as well as providing flood mitigation during heavy rain events, and storing water to supply the lake through prolonged dry spells.

As far as one can paddle before reaching the beaver dam.

There are literally thousands of White Water Lilies blooming in the lake now, and we saw quite a few Floating Bladderwort.

White Water Lilies - and several Yellow Water Lilies

White Water Lilies

Floating Bladderwort

There was even a painted turtle posing for us as it was sunning on a log.

Back in the middle of the lake we noticed a stand of tall dead trees reaching up above the forest canopy west of the lake.

Ash trees killed by the emerald ash borer.

These are White Ash trees, killed by the invasive Emerald Ash Borer which I mentioned in the May 17, 2026 Journal Entry.  

The remaining live ash trees in the Lakes Region won't last much longer.

Speaking of invasive species, here are a few of the most notorious invasive plants to keep an eye for at this time of year as they are easily identifed right now.  All of these spread very rapidly and should be addressed as soon as they are noted.  Once they have grown into a large area they are much harder to eliminate.

Glossy Buckthorn

Purple Loosestrife

Japanese Knotweed

I mentioned recently that a skunk family has taken up residence behind our house.  I'm pretty sure that's what's been digging holes beside our steps at night, so I set the trail camera to see if that's the case.  Well, I haven't seen the skunk yet, but I did catch this animal which was probably following the skunk's scent.

I wonder what a bobcat would do if it came upon a skunk....

We also have a broad-winged Hawk nest somewhere in the vicinity.  They've been driving the chipmunks and small birds crazy whenever they're near.  I saw this one swoop in, causing all the other birds to scatter.

Broad-winged Hawk

Finally, a check in with our loon chick, Pip, thanks to Deb Crowely.  

Loon photos by Deb Crowley

Pip is doing fine, and somehow swallowing ever bigger fish.

At this rate, Pip will start shedding its baby fluff soon!