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!

February 1, 2026: The Deep Freeze

The deep freeze predicted for this week came through with a vengeance, starting off with of 15" of fabulously light snow on a cold Sunday night.  

The frigid temperatures that followed all through the week demonstrated a couple of physics lessons for us.  Tuesday night into Wednesday morning the atmosphere was clear, calm, and very dry (a dew point of -22 degrees).  The warmth of the earth was kept in place below the thick blanket of insulating snow, and 100% snow cover with no clouds to reflect back to earth what little heat was available above the snow pack, all conspired to allow intense radiational cooling to drop the temperature rapidly.  And with no wind to stir up the atmosphere, cold, dense air flowed right down to lake level.  The Lake Wicwas Weather Station recorded a low of -19.3 degrees that morning. 

Lake Wicwas Weather Station Data for January 28, 2026

Meanwhile, 50 feet higher in elevation on Corliss Hill, just a half mile from the lake, it was only -10.5 degrees.

Weather station on Corliss Hill

That's the coldest night we've had this year.  

A book titled "Winter World" [Bernd Heinrich, Harpers Collins, 2003] provided my second physics lesson.  I've mentioned previously the subnivean zone - the realm at the interface of the earth and the bottom of the snow pack - as well as some of the animals that safely reside there during the winter.  But I now learned why the temperature stays so close to 32 degrees there; it has to do with the physics of water as it melts and freezes.  Heat generated in the center of the earth rises up and melts snow at the bottom of the snowpack, which, as mentioned above, is a good insulator.  But as the season gets colder, the cold seeps down and starts to freeze that water.  

Heat from below melted this patch of snow.

But the process of water freezing is an exothermic process, meaning it gives off heat.  Why is that since it's getting colder?  Liquid water has a lot of kinetic energy - the motion of molecules moving around which keeps it liquid.  When water freezes, molecular motion slows dramatically, which is how it gets locked into solid crystals rather than flowing water.  

Liquid water in the area of the previous photo starts to freeze from exposure to radiational cooling.

But conservation of energy requires the kinetic energy to go somewhere, and it goes into thermal heat.  That heat warms up the subnivean zone under the insulating blanket of snow.  Conversely, during a stretch of warm weather, some ice melts, which now absorbs heat, thus lowering the temperature of the zone.  As Heinrich writes, 

Thus, as long as both ice and water exist side by side, they constitute a thermostat keeping temperatures constant.  Only the amount of ice and water vary, depending on the amount of heat loss or input.

The result is a nice stable environment for mice, moles, squirrels, spiders, and the larvae of insects such as butterflies and moths to spend the winter - the subnivean zone.  (niveus is the Latin word for snow.)

Humans might not appreciate long frigid stretches of cold, but it brings benefits that haven't been seen in quite a while.  One of the most important of these affects moose.  The moose population has been decimated by winter ticks which used to be killed off by cold temperatures, but for many years now, winters have been so warm that these ticks survive all winter.  Thousands of these ticks cling to a single moose and can drain enough blood from a even a full grown moose to kill it over the winter.  This stretch of cold should help the moose a lot.  Other benefits include killing off some of the invasive insects that have moved north into New Hampshire and are decimating our forests.  We might even get a reduction in the number of deer ticks and wood ticks that prey on other animals - including us.

The light, deep snow has made difficult travel for animals that live above the snow.  Not a single squirrel has made it to the feeders all week.  The bobcat with its large feet was sinking in enough to simply plow a path through the snow.

Moving off the lake it plowed a path through the woods before stopping for a well earned catnap under a hemlock tree.

Now, a week after the storm, it's been so cold that even today the snow is so light it feels like it fell just last night.  All week the skiing and snowshoeing has been great.  

Furthremore, the cold weather has allowed the Pond Hockey tournament to be held on Meredith Bay. 

It's quite a scene on the lake with hockey action surrounding you in every direction.

It's always good to root for the home team!

Giuseppe's takes on the Killer Beez

In between games the ice is swept clean to keep the action fast.

The women are definitely in the action as well.

With plenty of ice in the lake, a whole village has popped up and it will only grow this week as people arrive for next weekend's fishing derby.  

The hockey tournament continues through 2:00 today, so there's still time to check out the action.  Next weekend is the fishing derby, and based on the forecast, the sled dog races on February 13-15 should be good to go as well.

You can get right up close to watch the sled dog action.

Wicwas is often featured on the fishing derby leader board for both pickerel and black crappie.

There are so many ways to enjoy the winter season.  Cold temperatures and plentiful snow are providing a great start to 2026!