March 8, 2026: It's Been a Long Winter

When March comes along we usually see some early signs of spring, but this year, with two feet of snow on the ground, there's not much to see yet.  On a search for promising signs this week, I found mostly remnants from last fall, though these old milkweed plants were pretty on a winter day.

Spent milkweed pods from last summer.

One pod still had seeds in it.

It's interesting how well these stalks hold up through a long winter.  I also found Maleberry bushes with lots of seed pods along the shoreline.

Seed pods on maleberry (Lyonia ligustrina), also known as He-huckleberry.

There were some splashes of bare ground showing on both exposed south-facing slopes and under dense hemlock trees early in the week.

Bare patches of ground under hemlock trees.

These, however, were covered up with snow from this week's nor'easter, but it shows why deer use dense stands of hemlock trees for their winter homes.  The thickly-needled branches catch much of the snow that falls, which subsequently melts before getting to the ground.  This makes travel much easier for heavy bodies on skinny legs with small hooves.  

Meanwhile, the tiniest animals like mice, which have relatively large feet for their body mass, can hop along the top of even light, fluffy snow when they come up to gather birdseed.

While I was poking around in those hemlocks, I discovered another remnant from last year, an old bird nest.

A bird nest in a hemlock tree.

Based on the location and nest construction, I put my money on a Robin's nest.

I found no signs of sugar maples being tapped around the area either, something that's happened as early as mid-February in recent years.  But all wasn't in vain in my first search for spring.  I did find some Red Maple branches that were showing bright red color to usher in the spring season.

And, saving the best for last, the earliest of the spring flowers have sprouted, though these are definitely cheating because they aren't wild, and they were planted under the eaves by a warm foundation.

Snowdrops are emerging as the snowpack recedes.

Still, it's a cheery sight to see, and with 60 degrees in the forecast, they may bloom this week!

March 1, 2026: Warm Winter Homes

During our snowshoe trip through Page Pond last week we found a squirrel nest high in a Black Cherry tree, which caught my attention because I usually see Gray Squirrel nests in oak trees.  A gray squirrel nest can be identified by its location high in a sturdy tree, and almost always constructed with an outer layer of oak leaves.  They usually build their nest in an oak, probably for easy access to their preferred building material, but that isn't always the case as seen in that cherry tree and this pine tree:

A gray squirrel nest in a sturdy White Pine.

I've often wondered how a nest made of leaves placed high in the bare branches of an oak can survive through winter with the wind tearing at it for months - let alone how a squirrel can keep warm in there when it's 10 degrees below zero with a northwest wind howling.  And doesn't the resident get wet when it rains?  I found the answers to my questions in a book titled "Winter World" by Bernd Heinrich. [HarperCollins, 2003]  Heinrich explains that the gray squirrel builds its nest in the summer when the oak leaves are still green. 

In this nest - which is in an oak tree - some leaves still show some green color.

It chews off branches with the leaves still on them, brings them to the construction site, and then weaves them together to form the frame of the nest.  Thus the leaves are securely attached to the branch because without completing the fall leaf progression, the chemical process that released leaves from a tree doesn't take place.  They turn brown, but they stay secured to the branch, and that's how the nest survives the wind.

Here we can see branches woven together.

Next the squirrel will chew off green leaves which it layers and knits together inside the frame in a shingle-like manner to shed rain and snow melt, explaining how it keeps dry.  Finally, it will chew up soft woody material, bring it to the nest, and attach it to the green leaves all around to create a thick internal layer of insulation.  Heinrich doesn't say where the entrance hole is, but I expect it's near the bottom on the side away from the prevailing wind.  So inside that apparent random collection of oak leaves is a tight, dry, insulated home for the squirrel.  And that's important since squirrels mate in late winter with their offspring born in early spring.

With all that said, gray squirrels will also make a nest in a tree cavity for their winter home and raising their first of two litters.  But I know they were using the nest I saw in the White Pine because someone was up there making a racket - that's the only reason I found it - I went looking to see what was making all that noise.  I wouldn't otherwise look in a pine tree for a squirrel nest.

Red Squirrels have a similar nesting method and schedule, though there are notable differences.  Red squirrels nest lower in trees, and for some reason, tend to pick small, flexible trees.  This may be to discourage larger predators from climbing up to raid their nest.  Or maybe they just like to be swayed to sleep as the wind blows the tree around.

Here's another example of a red squirrel nest I've seen.

Did you notice the invasive bittersweet climbing all the trees?  😞  

As well as squirrels build protective nests, they alone are not enough to keep them warm in winter; they must eat constantly in order to burn enough calories to generate heat to keep them warm.  Small animals, unlike the large species such as moose, deer, and even beavers, don't have enough body mass to store much fat to burn during the winter.  But many small mammals, the red squirrel included, have a special attribute: it builds small stores of brown fat around its internal organs.  Unlike the more typical white fat, brown fat has a high rate of oxidation when burned which creates a lot of heat.  It's this heat that keeps the red squirrel warm on the especially cold days when it won't venture out to access the food stores it collected over the fall season.  To fuel its heat generating needs, a single red squirrel will need to collect thousands of pine cones in its winter pantries.  

A Red Squirrel's hoard of White Pine cones collected in the fall.

We don't see red squirrels as often as the gray, but this one has been visiting in the warmer weather this week (we saw 40 degrees!), happy to collect the easy pickings of all the bird seed its best friend the white-breasted Nuthatch shovels out of the birdfeeder onto the snow.

Gobbling up a high fat content sunflower seed.

The high energy content in sunflower seeds will regenerate its fat stores while reducing the depletion of its cone collection.  Red squirrels are fun to watch, but they can't top the antics of the gray squirrels.

Ah, yes, bright sun and 40 degrees - spring is here!  Meteorological spring that is.  March first is considered by meteorologists as when the weather patterns are more spring-like than winter-like.  There is still plenty of winter left in New Hampshire, and March is often the best time to enjoy winter activities such as skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing, or just a walk on a pretty trail.  The WOW trail in Laconia is a prime candidate, just bring some traction devices for your boots.  Other options are the many snowmobile trails in the area, such as the trail between Lake Wicwas and Lake Winnisquam.  For those you'll need snowshoes.

The bog in the Chemung State Forest between Lake Wicwas and Lake Winnisquam.

With the deep snow cover and thick ice on the lakes, it will be an excellent season to enjoy your favorite winter activities!

Snowshoeing Page Pond

This was supposed to be a post about winter tracking in the Page Pond Town Forest, but old man winter had other plans - and I'm not complaining!  We woke up to another gorgeous winter wonderland with about six inches of fresh powder, which made for a beautiful excursion through pristine snow.

Entering a winter paradise.

A group of ten intrepid snowshoers braved the trip through unbroken snow, up the field, down to Page Pond, and all the way to the mill dam.

 I forgot to take a picture of the dam, but here's one from a prior year.

The historical mill dam which powered an up-and-down sawmill on Meredith Neck.

New snow meant all the animal tracks were covered up; all we could identify were deer, which punched deeply into the snow, and a few gray squirrel tracks.  Even woodpecker chips and red squirrel debris had been hidden.  But by the time we were heading back to the trailhead there were bits of birch tree catkins lying on the fresh snow where the goldfinches had already been feeding on the tiny seeds within the catkins.

A goldfinch extracting seeds from a catkin on a birch tree beside the field.

The best wildlife moment was a large flock of mixed birds feeding on fruit trees right near the trailhead.

Three cedar waxwings frame a single robin, all plucking apples from the tree.

The larger robins had caught my eye first.

But then I saw there were more cedar waxwings than robins.

A colorful cedar waxwing brightens up a winter day.

Cedar waxwings are fruit eaters, so are likely to be found around old farmsteads and fields, such as those at Page Pond, where there are apple trees, Autumn Olive trees, and of course, plenty of Oriental Bittersweet.  Unfortunately, when cedar waxwings eat bittersweet fruit, the seeds are aren't digested, but pass right through them, which means they spread this invasive species far and wide throughout their range of travel.  

American Robins in summer eat almost exclusively invertebrates such as earthworms, grubs, and insects.  But in winter they turn into frugivories, meaning fruit eaters.  Like several other birds that used to migrate out of New Hampshire in the winter, robins have been resident here year-round since the late 1990s, partly due to warmer winters, and partly due to the prevalence of ornamental fruit trees planted by homeowners.  This was yet another discovery that resulted from the Audubon backyard bird count.  

While we're on the bird watch, I'll share a photo of a red-tailed hawk I saw last weekend (thank you RB for help with identification.)

It flew out of the trees and over the staging area of the Laconia Sled Dog races just as the dogs started getting excited and loud as they were lining up for the start.  The hawk either didn't like the noise, or knew that the racket would send any potential lunch prospects running for cover.

So there wasn't much tracking to be done at this winter's Meredith Conservation Commission guided snowshoe tour, but nobody complained given the beautiful winter scenes through which we trekked.

The top of the field at Barnard Ridge Road with the Belknap Mountains in the background.

Thank you all for joining  the trip!

February 15, 2026: Sled Dog Championship

We hit the winter trifecta this year:  Pond Hockey, Fishing Derby, and this weekend, the World Championship Sled Dog Derby.

Pulling hard in the Six-Dog Classic race on Saturday.

This year was the 97th running of this championship race event, and the conditions were perfect.  The snow was deep, firm, and dry, and the track packed down well.  It seemed like the teams were moving fast this year.

We went on Saturday morning to see the 6-dog competition.  The teams went out on the track at two minutes intervals, and the starts were exciting as the handlers did their best to keep the highly energized, impatient athletes in place waiting for the starting gun.

The starting line is loud and hectic with the dogs barking relentlessly as if saying "let's go already!"  But when they finally get released, the team becomes silent, and it's all business.

Almost time

And...  they're off!

Teams in the unlimited class, which ran in the afternoon, can have a dozen or more dogs, but even the six-dog teams go fast.  (I left the audio track in so you'll get the international flavor of the event.)

There's a wide range of breeds that run; I think this was the most handsome team.

By the time the teams are are coming back to the finish line, their demeanor is not quite as enthusiastic as at the start, and long dangling tongues prove they put all their effort into the race for their musher.  Here's the same team at the start, and then at the finish:

Start

Finish

Here's another team:

The start

And the finish

Snow plastered on the faces of the second and third row shows why it pays to work hard to be the lead dog!

The races continue today with the six-dog Classic at 10:00, the three-dog Juniors at 12:00, the one-dog Juniors at 12:40, and the unlimited at 1:30.  The best place to watch is the start-finish line right across from the State School on North Main Street in Laconia.

I'll close with a status of my bird count through Saturday:

7 black-capped chickadees, 3 tufted titmice, 3 white-breasted nuthatches, 2 red-breasted nuthatches, 1 downy woodpecker, 1 hairy woodpecker, and 1 red-bellied woodpecker  

Nothing unexpected, but it was nice for the Red-bellied Woodpecker to make an appearance.

I saw no goldfinches, juncos, mourning doves, or even squirrels, but there's still today to observe.  Tom Crane has all the doves this winter - here's a photo he took:

I count 18 mourning doves enjoying the sun in Tom's yard over looking Lake Wicwas.

So we're at the end the major winter events in the Lakes Region, though the Alton Bay Ice Runway is still operational, and next Saturday, the Meredith Conservation Commission is leading a guided snowshoe trip at the Page Pond Town forest, and there are still a couple of spots available.  If you're interested you can find the details on the Meredith Conservation Commission website here.

February 8, 2026: NH Audubon Bird Count

There's an opportunity for everyone to join the ranks of citizen scientists, and increase our understanding about birds and their behavior by participating in the NH Audubon Backyard Winter Bird Survey which takes place next weekend, February 14 and 15.  

Tufted Titmice are typically one of the most numerous birds in the Backyard Bird Count

Participation is as easy as looking out your window and noting which birds you see, and how many.  You can count for as little as five minutes or for several hours, at any time over the two days, and whatever you report is valuable information for those studying our birds and their populations.  Birds on feeders, on the ground, in trees, or flying overhead all count.  

Dark-eyed Juncos are a common ground feeder.

They also want counts of chipmunks and red and gray squirrels in the census.

Each year there are new surprises that come out of the survey data.  For example, last year there was a record number of 1,389 Carolina Wrens observed.  These wrens have been increasing in numbers since 2007.  Maybe you'll see one, though it's been much colder this winter than last year which might have an affect on these traditionally southern birds.  

If you have suet in your yard you might see a woodpecker, such as this Downy Woodpecker that visited us yesterday.

One of five woodpecker species you might see this weekend.

Long-term trends identified by this survey are also valuable.  For example, the population of black-capped chickadees has dropped by half over the past 40 years, something scientists are studying.  

A Black-capped Chickadee takes a drink.

It's been so cold this winter that bits of liquid water are few and far between.

You can read the results of the 2025 survey here.  It's interesting how the numbers of different species varies each year, and if you participate, your contributions will be included in the 2026 report!  There's a simple form to fill out and mail in, or you can submit your sightings electronically online.  Here's a link for more information, and you can request or download forms here:

https://nhaudubon.org/education/birds-and-birding/backyard-winter-bird-survey/  

OK, that's the bird survey.  What about the fish in winter?  The Great Meredith Fishing Derby provides its own set of data based on how many fish are caught and what size they are. I haven't found any scientific studies based on the Meredith derby, but biologists in the NH Fish and Game Department use derby results to collect data on the health, size, and age of fish populations across New Hampshire's lakes.  I'll update this entry after getting down to derby headquarters on Meredith Bay this afternoon to see what's on the leaderboard.  But on my way to the Hamlin Trailhead yesterday, there were a lot of fishermen parked at the Wicwas boat ramp.

Fisher people lined up in the morning at the boat ramp.

The fresh snow had once again bedecked the forest in pristine finery, and made for beautiful skiing.

More open water for the animals, this flow coming from a beaver dam.

It was quite a contrast from just one day before.

The snowmobile trail from Lake Wicwas to Lake Winnisquam is a great cross-country ski trip.

Blue sky, gray sky, snowy sky - it's all been beautiful this cold and snowy winter.

The Whiteface Mountain Trail in the Belknap Range.

   Go Pats!