A somewhat random record of observations of what's happening around Lake Wicwas and the Lakes Region. I hope to post about once a week - your comments are welcomed.
Summer arrived in full force this week with some nice hot humid weather and several waves of good old thunderstorms. On one warm sunny morning I saw our friendly garter snake basking at our front step again, and I thought it looked particularly dark and shiny. Then a few minutes later Linda called to show me what she had found among her flowers:
A ghost of a snake
It was a perfect snake skin that our garden attendant must have just shed. I was able to extract it intact from being entangled among the flowers, and it was still flexible enough to straighten it out and measure it - it was 30-1/2 inches long, but in reading about snake sheds I learned that a shed is actually much longer than the snake itself. [Ref: Wikipedia] A snake exits its old skin through the front after rubbing on a rough surface to loosen it up. It then wriggles out starting at the mouth, which leaves the shed inside out as the snake literally crawls out of its own skin. [Ref: Wonderopolis] This one left a perfect replica of itself.
I can't say whether it's inside out or not, but it sure looks like the edges of the mouth have been turned up.
The fact that our snake is growing and needs to shed proves it's earning its rent-free housing under our front step.
Our tenant shows off its shiny new skin.
The summer weather this week also provided opportunities for warm morning paddles, and there was a lot to see on the water, including wild iris blooming all along the shorelines.
Yellow Flag on the Roger Harris Natural Area. (Iris pseudacorus)
Larger Blue Flag near Sheep Island. (Iris versicolor)
I also had an encounter with a beaver that let me know it was not amused with my presence in its cove.
Mr. Beaver on a morning swim off the Marion Preserve just before giving me a stark warning with a tail slap.
The initial slap of the flat tail on the waters sends the loud alert.
The force of the slap pushes his hind feet right up in the air
which results in a pretty nice splash.
And finally, I did come across our loon family which continues to thrive with both chicks seeming to grow daily - as well as being well behaved.
Harley and Davidson are growing quickly. Photo by Debby Crowley.
A good sized minnow goes down the hatch. Photo by Debby Crowley.
Perhaps you heard the news from Pleasant Lake up in New London. The loon pair there had two chicks, but apparently abandoned one of them. An alert went out to everyone on the lake that one chick was missing, and soon thereafter someone found the little guy all by itself. When it was reintroduced to the family, the larger chick pecked at it mercilessly while the parents watched and did nothing. So the biologists from the Loon Preservation Committee rescued it and brought it to a rehabilitator who determined is was very undernourished but other wise healthy, so it will be cared for and eventually returned to the wild. This behavior is common among birds and other animals; it even has a term: siblicide. The parents somehow decide it is best to commit all their attention to the larger and stronger chick. But we appear to have no such problem at Lake Wicwas.
Harley and Davidson appear to be good friends.
Perhaps it helps that there was very little time separation between the hatching of Harley and Davidson so they are nearly the same size.
And lets not forget we have a second nest yet to produce. As of this morning mom or dad is still on the nest tending to the eggs, but we should have new chicks by next weekend.
They sure did a nice job decorating the nursery. Photo by Debby Crowley.
We have two new loons on the lake, and so far they are thriving under the expert guidance of attentive parents. Everyone is most comfortable when the little ones are safely tucked up on the back of mom or dad.
Our newest loons take a post-breakfast siesta.
My first sighting of the little ones was the morning of June 17th, when the youngest was only a few hours old.
The proud parents on the morning of June 17th
Dave Thorpe earned naming rights this year, and his choice of Harley and Davidson are quite appropriate considering they were born on the final days of bike week 2019.
Dave took this picture of Harley and Davidson on June 19th when they were three and four days old
I was a little surprised when the family came by our house to visit that same day, since that's a long trip from their nesting site, and the rogue loon continues to frequent our cove.
The family's first visit to Marion Cove
Before they appeared we heard quite a bit of ruckus out on the lake, so perhaps they had to chase away "Solo" before they could enter safely. We haven't had a successful raising of even a single chick on Lake Wicwas for four years now - maybe these tough biker birds will find a way to survive!
They sure look vulnerable when mom and dad dive at the same time
On a later fishing trip to our cove the parents were already teaching them how to fish. First one parent - we'll say mom - came up with a minnow and presented it to one of the chicks - maybe Harley.
Look how patient Davidson is as mom gives Harley his turn.
The transfer.
He's got it.
But apparently Harley lost it and both of them went for the retrieval, but mom came up with the goods.
Where's that sneaky minnow?
Here, let's try that again.
They will learn soon enough.
Now for some snapper news. When I was heading to do Lake Hosting one morning I saw a huge momma snapping turtle digging her way down into the dirt right alongside Chemung Road where it's closest to the lake.
Digging a nest amid the poison ivy. Is that a defense mechanism?
I didn't know they dig their hole head first - painted turtles don't do that. Her head was covered with dirt except for her eyes which were nice and clean when she opened her eyelids.
Snappers don't seem to make any effort to disguise their nests. When I came by later she was just heading back to the lake leaving a large, visible wound in the earth.
Back to the lake she goes.
Several obvious nesting sites were dug.
No wonder they lose a lot of eggs to predators.
Later, on a kayak trip I stopped by Turtle Island which is a popular nesting spot for snappers, and I counted 31 individual nests! However, according to NH Fish and Game, snapping turtles may dig several false nests before they actually lay their eggs, so they do use a bit of defensive deception to confuse predators. Nonetheless, up to 90% of snapper nests may be destroyed by predators. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing: snapping turtles are a dangerous predator of those little loon chicks when they're not up on mom's back.
As of Saturday afternoon, the second pair of loons was still on their nest, only a few yards away from a snapping turtle nest. With some luck those chicks will hatch around July 4th, and maybe we'll have four little Wicwas chicks for the adults to protect.
One parent stretches while the other keeps the chicks safe from a snapper attack.
Finally, one more exciting note: The New Hampshire legislature passed SB132 to formally make the spelling of this body of water "Lake Wicwas" and this week the governor signed the bill into law. At last, we all know for sure that there is no "k" in Wicwas!
The lakes and it surrounds are becoming busy with the sounds of summer, and this past week the most prevalent sound was that of the Harley Davidson!
Click here to hear the rumble of the V-twin (then click the play button).
Bikes lined up at George's on Saturday morning
The bikers had some great weather early in the week and only a few damp moments mid-week; attendance was good and by most reports thing went smoothly.
Quieter sounds were found away from the roads, and I always encourage people to go out and enjoy all the wonder that the Lakes Region has to offer, but with this wet spring the mosquito content is way up there. Bug spray is an option, but I find this approach the most satisfying:
Essential armor for a relaxing June walk in the woods
The best part is the bugs can't fly into your face and eyes, and it can actually be amusing hearing them buzz all around you, frustrated they can't get in. You can get a hat like that, or just a simple net that goes on over a baseball-type cap on Amazon for less than $10; I got a pair of them for $7.99 and keep one in my back pack so it's ready when needed.
So outfitted I can walk calmly and quietly, exploring the coolest, darkest, dampest corners of the forest where interesting creatures like to hang out, even in early morning or late in the evening when things really come to life. One morning I stopped near a local marsh and listened to a diverse chorus of woodpeckers, frogs, toads, birds, insects - the whole enchilada from a single vantage point - click here to listen.
I could never enjoy this symphony while slapping at mosquitoes. Here's another recording where the mosquitoes were especially thick.
Frogs, toads, and birds all eat those tasty mosquitoes so it's no surprize they go together. What eats frogs and toads? Here's one thing:
A garter snake prowls for frogs, slugs, crickets, maybe even a small mouse or mole
Linda has seen this guy a couple of time in her gardens, a great resident because snakes eat lots of garden pests especially slugs which love the cool damp gardens around the lakes. Of course toads eat even more garden pests, and since snakes love to eat toads also, it's maybe a trade off. But this snake appears to have taken up resident under our front step, and were happy to have him.
At last report all was was well with the loon nests. The pairs are keeping a pretty low profile at the moment, but this lone rogue, which we have named "Solo" came right up to me in my kayak, perhaps to remind me it owns this cove.
Solo isn't a shy bird
If all goes well we could have a chick by next weekend.
Finally, all this rain is a good reminder of the importance of proper management of drainage and run-off to prevent erosion and pollutants from getting into our lakes. The Waukewan Watershed Advisory Committee is holding a workshop this Tuesday, June 18 from 4:30 to 7:30 pm at the Meredith Community Center. There will be several presentations and many organizations will be there (including the Meredith Conservation Commission) to demonstrate how to best manage runoff from your property. Click here for more details. Lake Winnepesaukee Americorps member will also be attending and they are offering free on-site evaluations for anyone. If you're interested but can't attend you can contact them at mail@winnipesaukee.org. A little extra effort will help protect our beautiful lakes and the animals that depend on them.
Happy Father's Day Dad, and all fathers out there!
For the second year in a row there are two loon nests on Lake Wicwas. I expect we'll see a band on the first pair to know it's our long-resident female, but without bands to identify the second pair we we can only postulate these are the same birds which have returned for another year.
The second nest is in a secluded spot on the lake where there isn't much boat traffic so it will not be marked with signs and its location won't be advertised. If you do happen to come across it or observe a loon behaving strangely just move away from the area.
I noticed the nest because two loons were close together near shore but clearly not fishing. Thinking something was going on, I took some pictures from a distance but only after blowing them up did I see they were building a nest on a tiny mound of earth. One bird was at the nest pulling up weeds while the other loon was farther out searching for more substantial building materials and bringing them back.
The second loon gathering sticks for the foundation
As of today a loon is sitting happily on the nest, though it has no shade at all so when the weather gets hot it might not be so happy. It will be important for one parent or the other to stay on the nest as an egg can cook quickly if exposed to the hot sun. They'll switch positions frequently to allow their partner to go for a swim and cool off.
Last year both of our loon pairs laid two eggs and each hatched a single chick, but both of them succumbed to the many threats a loon chick faces. Let's hope things go better this year.
The other large birds that nest on local lakes seem to fare much better, and the parents have already hatched their eggs and are out on the water tending to their brood.
Seven little goslings in a row
Geese and loons will sometimes interact but mostly they keep their distance from one another.
When I was out attending to some conservation areas on the lake this week I was visited by a few other birds including one I don't see very often.
A curious song sparrow wondered what I was up to
And a tree swallow sat for a long time and watched
Both of these were on Turtle Island. This next one was poking along the rocks over at Bryant Island looking for insects to eat.
I don't see a spotted sandpiper on the lake very often.
It's always nice to have some company to share the beautiful sights of early summer on the lake.
I'll get to opossums in minute, but first, the loons have nested!
This bird's head-up position means it's not concerned about my presence beyond the signs
We do have two pairs again here on Lake Wicwas and the first pair nested around May 23rd; it was the careful eye of Tom Crane that spotted it. The nest is again in a very busy spot on the lake so Dave Thorpe and Henry Stevens of the Loon Preservation Committee put out signs to protect the nest from spectators and boat wakes.
Many thanks to Dave, Marge, and Henry for their efforts with the signs again
The nest is on the south side of Bryant Island - you can't miss the signs. But the nest can be hard to see, so if you visit, bring good binoculars, don't go any closer than the signs, and please keep your visit short. If all goes well we will look forward to loon chicks in the last week of June.
And here's someone else that will be looking forward to loon chicks:
A bald eagle patiently watches over Bryant Island
This immature bald eagle has been hanging around the lake this spring. This picture was taken at the island just south of Bryant Island, where it has an eagle-eye view of the loon nest. Let's help the loons save their strength for a stalwart defense of their little ones.
On Thursday I was at Turtle Island doing some re-vegetation work and I saw the second pair out shopping for real estate right off the island.
At last sighting, the second pair was still scouting out potential nesting sites near Turtle Island
It seems these slow moving animals amble around the forest all night acting as mobile tick magnets. But they are excellent groomers, and as they clean themselves they gobble up all those nasty little arachnids. And this study was done on the black-legged tick (also called deer ticks) which carry Lyme disease, so they are a great reducer of the Lyme disease vector. I would guess they do the same for the larger wood tick as well. I don't have any pictures of the nocturnal opossum, so here's one from the above article.
Mother opossum with its litter of Joeys. Image by Frank Lukasseck
So when you see one of these awkward looking creatures crossing the road, do your best to avoid it, and give it a well-deserved thank you for taking care of some of the less desirable creatures we find around the lakes.
