Pond Hockey - February 1, 2015

This weekend Meredith Village hosted the New England Pond Hockey Classic. 

They had everything one could want for a weekend of outdoor hockey - unless one wanted to be warm.  It was brutal, with temperatures just above single digits and strong northwest winds bringing wind chills down below zero - for the daily highs!

Northwest Winds Blow Across Meredith Bay

Nonetheless, there were hundreds of skaters, spectators, food vendors, snowmobilers, and more.

They always create a nice public ring right at the edge of Hesky Park so anyone can participate.

Of course, there was plenty of good hockey action, right there for everyone to see up close and personal.

Back around Lake Wicwas, the animals are feeling the cold as well.  The birds have been feeding very actively during this cold spell, with flocks of gold finches on the feeders like I don't usually see.

They are bold enough to fight off even the White Breasted Nuthatches who usually defend the feeders for themselves.  Even though it is the deep of winter, some of the finches are letting hints of the their true colors shine though.

I personally haven't seen much activity around the deer that was killed last week, but another nature watcher (thanks MT) who has a view of the site has seen lots of animals taking advantage of the food source, including this bald eagle.

I did take a ski out to look for action, and as I came out of the woods onto the lake, an eagle took off from a tree right over me.  There were a couple of crows on the carcass, so the eagle must have been waiting for its turn to feed. 

Regular snow and cold weather has allowed some great skiing on the lake as well as the trails around Wicwas. 

 It's worth getting out for a few minutes to enjoy the beauty, as we are definitely now into winter in New England.

(Congratulations Patriots!)