February 23, 2020: Catching up around the Lake

With all the recent winter events in the Lakes Region there are a few things to catch up on back here at Lake Wicwas, the first of which is that the lake level has gone down quite a bit since the ice formed back in December.  It can be observed near shore where ice that fastened to land was fractured from the main ice sheet as the lake dropped, and was left hanging in space.

A glimpse of land under the ice.

Other evidence can be found where rocks that had been just below the surface have now been exposed.

I haven't checked the ice thickness in a couple of weeks but we've had enough cold temperatures that I expect it's approaching two feet thick.  The ice fishermen have certainly determined that it's pretty strong.

Cars started appearing on the lake in the first week of February

Authorities are still warning people to be careful on the larger lakes as the up-and-down temperatures have made the ice unreliable.  The weather has also prevented the ice runway on Alton Bay from opening this year, and it's too late at this point for it to be certified regardless of what the weather does next.  The runway is usually a popular attraction for aviators as it's the only the only registered ice runway in the continental United States. 

I haven't seen the ice motorcycles on Lake Wicwas yet this winter, but a few weeks ago someone did plow a fun skating circuit on the south end of the lake in front of the boat launch.

 They found the ideal moment to get perfect ice conditions.

I didn't get down there to skate, but other people had!

We've finally been getting regular snowstorms, and various critters have left their tracks in the fresh snow, including this fisher cat that walked along a stone wall looking for unsuspecting rodents that use all those nooks and crannies between the stones for hiding places.

Fisher tracks on top a stone wall.

It's hard to make them out, but I found enough evidence to be certain that's what was here.

Fishers are extremely good hunters which feed primarily on rodents, but will eat just about anything they come across, including the prickly porcupine.  Fishers are smart enough to track down squirrels living in hollow trees, and are strong enough to rip the tree apart to dispatch the residents inside.  It's tough enough to always be a target when out gathering food, but those poor rodents aren't even safe at night inside their own home.  And speaking of rodents, I wish they'd stopping gnawing on the trail blazes.

Most likely a red squirrel chewed this, but it could have been a porcupine.

I followed the fisher's tracks long enough to be certain it was a fisher but didn't see any signs of it finding a meal before I lost the track when it went up a tree.

There were other tracks on the lake that I wasn't able to identify.

Smaller tracks running from shore to marsh and back again.

The size, pattern, and obvious interest in a hole near land hint that it may be a small predator of some sort.

I heard two reports of bears this week, one a set of tracks, and one an actual sighting.  Both were small, probably first-year males, restless and with lots of energy and curiosity.  These were in Sandwich; I haven't seen any signs of bears around Wicwas so we're leaving the feeders up, but I'm keeping a careful eye out, especially with the warm weather forecast for next week.  I'm still hoping to see some of the visitors that have been absent this winter, such as the bobcat, the barred owl, and the ermine.  I wonder where they're all hiding out this year....


Winter has been giving us a regular dose of snow lately which has made for nice skiing and snowshoeing all around the Lakes Region.  Linda and I had a gorgeous trip up to the ledges west of Lake Wicwas, as well as a nice snowshoe in Page Pond Community Forest.

Looking north from the aptly named White Mountain Ledge

There are some  big trees in the Hamlin Conservation Area -
I could only get half of this beech in the picture!

The Mill Dam at Page Pond on Friday.

If you're in the area, perhaps you've been out enjoying the winter beauty as well - it doesn't get any better than this, and the timing is perfect for school vacation week.

February 15, 2020: World Championship Sled Dog Races

I'm posting this early in case anyone wants to go out tomorrow to see this amazing event.  Mushers from as far away as Canada, Michigan, and Minnesota travel to compete in this event right here in Laconia.

Rachel Colbath from Gilford, wearing bib number 1.

And with winter weather not reliable anymore, it doesn't happen every year, so when it does it's worth experiencing.  The trail conditions this year are excellent, and the weather tomorrow should be as beautiful as today and a little warmer.

Laconia Country Club was a beautiful setting for the races.

The start and finish are at the Laconia Country Club this year - a big thank you to them for hosting the event.  All the information regarding race times (10:00am to 1:30pm tomorrow) are on the Lakes Region Sled Dog Club website.  The first musher of the day was Rachel Colbath from Gilford!

Entering the start area.

A fun part of the day is getting to walk around the staging area and see all dogs and how excited they are.  It takes a lot of support to keep the dogs in control as they're getting ready for the start of the race.  They make a lot of noise at the start (but by the end they're not making a peep, and their long dangling tongues show how much effort they expended).

These dogs want to run.

C'mon, let's go!

And when they're off, you'd better get out of the way.

And they're off.

Sometimes they are a little too excited and things get tangled up as happened to one team right after the start.

The lead dog looks back as if to say "what are you guys doing  back there?"

But help was on hand to quickly get things straightened out and the team back on their way.

The race we watched was the "open" division and we saw teams from 8 to 14 dogs.  They move fast, and the musher has to really be careful on the turns to keep the sled on the track.

Total focus to keep control of the sled.

The teams start at three minute intervals to give each musher plenty of time to get their team settled and moving, but a faster team may catch up and need to pass the team in front of them.  There's a twisty, downhill section right before the finish, and one musher lost control and flipped his sled - with another team right on his tail.

Man down!

But did that stop those dogs?  Nope.

There were a few moments of chaos and tangled dogs, sleds, and humans.

Two teams intertwined.

But both teams regained their composure and finished the race, though the flipped musher looked a little bedraggled!

It's an impressive scene, one definitely seeing if you have the chance tomorrow.  It's as thrilling as it is beautiful!

Sled dogs running in New Hampshire's White Mountains.

February 9, 2020: The Great Meredith Fishing Derby

The big winter event in the Lakes Region took place this weekend and derby headquarters were right here on Meredith Bay, though anglers could cast their lines in any of New Hampshire's freshwater lakes and streams.

The boat ramp at the docks in Meredith.

We try to get out on the big lake on Saturday or Sunday to check out the action; this year it was Saturday, a brilliant day, and with ice coating the trees from the storm on Friday night, the setting was spectacular.

Meredith Village, home of the derby

Church Landing was framed by frozen trees and the birches in front of the Camp restaurant were shimmering in their winter attire.

Camp

Church Landing

The ice is pretty the day after, but the power outages (over 3000 customers were without electricity in Meredith alone on Friday night) aren't as enjoyable.

Perfectly clear ice formed on the trees.  It's pretty - when it's not over power lines.

I think most of the fishermen on Meredith Bay, especially those close to shore, are there more to have fun than to catch fish - there's an awful lot of activity on the ice there.  These fishermen flagged me down and asked for a picture - they were certainly enjoying themselves!

Happy fishermen hamming it up.

There were even people out playing a bit of early-season New England between the tip-ups.

Golf anyone?

If I get back to the bay today I'll check and see what's on the leader board - sometimes there is a fish from Lake Wicwas - and on Friday there were a few people out testing the waters here.

Pre-derby scouting at Lake Wicwas on Friday.

These anglers drilled over a dozen holes to determine where the fish were hiding, plying them actively by hand rather than with tip-ups.

It takes about ten seconds to drill through 12 inches of ice with this auger.

With the new snow the snowmobiles were back, and it's looking good for the Laconia Sled Dog races next weekend.  There are classes for teams of three, six, and "open" which can have over a dozen dogs - it can be quite exciting.  This year all races will start and finish at the Laconia Country Club.  Plans are subject to change; check the latest information at their website, including a map of the course with suggested places to watch.  Snow is a good thing in New Hampshire.

Racing action from 2013

Over on the nature side, while touring the new Multi-use Trail at Meredith's Page Pond Community Forest, I noticed this bird nest right beside the trail.

A little research tells me it's a nest from a Red-eyed Vireo.  One key aspect is the inclusion of wasp paper "decorating the outside."  [REF:  northernwoodlands]  The female of this pair picked a pretty spot, undoubtedly knowing that the bittersweet would provide protection as well as a colorful environment to raise her young.

Red-eyed vireos will often use spider web material and spider egg cases as well as sticky plant fibers to help hold the nest together [REF:  Cornell Lab of Ornithology] which is perhaps why this nest is in such good condition nine or ten months after being constructed.  Maybe you'll find it too - it's on the back side of the Page Field Loop.  If haven't seen the new trails yet, winter is a good time to check them out, and they are usually well packed just a day or two after new snow.  You can find the map on the town website here.

Keep thinking snow, and maybe I'll see you at the sled dog races.  And don't forget to vote on Tuesday.

February 2, 2020: Pond Hockey Classic

The 2020 Pond Hockey Classic survived this variable winter, and the action in the rinks was as good as ever.

Some teams are pretty serious.

Note the Giuseppe's Jerseys

They were able to hold the event on Meredith Bay, but it was close - the ice was sound enough to hold 26 rinks worth of hockey, but they kept vehicles and vendors off the ice.  Most importantly, they found a spot for the Labatt's beer tent.  (What would hockey be without beer?)  Even without cars, trucks, fires, and food vendors on the ice, there was plenty of entertainment out there, including hockey players of all sizes.

The feeder team.

Lots of happy faces - it was a much warmer day than most years.

No age or gender rules here.

 The usual assortment of winter vehicles was present, displaying a wide range of transportation methods.

Fat bike - with spikes.

Clearing the ice between games.

Sled dog try-outs.    ;-)

Would someone really ride this on the ice?

Regardless of what mother nature throws at us, Meredith always finds a way to pull off a good event.

Meredith Village is a beautiful spot for events, summer or winter.

The ice on Meredith Bay was reported to be between 8 and 12 inches on Wednesday, probably thicker when the tournament started on Friday after a couple of cold nights.  I checked Lake Wicwas and found 13 inches of ice on Friday, about six inches of black ice with seven inches of solid (not porous) white ice on top - plenty safe for almost any activity on the lake.  There were a lot of snowmobiles out a week ago, but with the trails losing a lot of snow, I saw none this week.

There were people out ice fishing, including this group that built themselves a nice fire to keep warm.

Later in the week I saw they left a fair amount of partially burned wood on the ice.

If this washes up on shore, you'll know where it came from.

Up on the shore I found that the thinning snow cover has allowed the animals to return to digging for acorns.  First squirrels,

Squirrels pulled this out from under the snow.  (Mice would have chewed the shells into smaller pieces.)

and then deer.

Deer were back to digging them up too.

All are happy to be able to access this high calorie food in the depth of winter.  I also found evidence of rabbits, though they don't eat acorns.

Rabbit scat - there were many.

These perfectly round droppings are most likely from a cottontail rabbit rather than a snowshoe hare based on the habitat (the two animals' scat can look very similar).  I found these in dense woods with lots of cover, which is where cottontails like to hide out.  Hares favor more open forest where they can use their speed to elude predators.  [Tracking and the art of Seeing, Rezendes, HarperCollins,1999]

Members of the order lagomorpha, which includes rabbits and hares, digest their food twice, somewhat like ungulates (deer, cows, etc.) but in the rabbit's case the food passes through the entire digestive system twice.  The first time through the scat emerges soft, and is eaten by the rabbit and digested again [ibid].  The scat we find on the ground is the second and final product.

There's snow in the forecast for the coming week, so perhaps we'll get some new snow on the ground to freshen things up for the winter sports enthusiasts as well as the sled dog races coming up in a couple of weeks.  This won't be acceptable for sled dogs:

And don't forget:  next weekend is the Great Meredith Fishing Derby!