March 21, 2021: A Time to Wait

I might have had my last excursion on the lake for a few weeks as we enter one of the two times during the year when our lakes are inaccessible.  In both spring and fall there are several weeks where ice seals the lake off from boating but is not safe for travel even on foot, and with a forecast for several sunny days with temperatures near 60 I may have had my last trip until open water returns.  Even with well over a foot of ice covering most of Lake Wicwas - and many other lakes - there are already open areas where streams empty into the lake or where a south-facing shoreline heats the water.  

Things will progress quickly from here with full sun and warm temperatures.  That same spot looked like this just a few days ago, and it hasn't even been particularly warm.

What keeps me off the ice are the unknow danger spots as strong March sun makes the ice soft and porous, and currents in the lake create unpredictable thin spots.  But I did get one trip across the lake in astronomical spring - the vernal equinox occurred yesterday at 5:37am (eastern daylight time).  

On one of my last trips on the lake I took a walk to the site of the deer kill I found a couple of weeks ago to see if any more evidence had appeared as the snow melted.  It hadn't, and in fact, things had gone the other way.  All evidence of the fur and digestive tract was gone.  The only thing left was the contents of one of the deer's stomachs (being ungulates, deer have four digestive compartments though only one is technically a stomach).

Stomach contents left on the ice.

Looking closely at the contents you can see why they need four stomachs to digest their diet - in winter it looks basically like sawdust.

No wonder no other animal will eat that - except maybe a beaver!  Every other part of the deer has disappeared.

I mentioned last week that I saw the first migrating ducks in one of those open spots near the outlet of Lake Wicwas, and this week there was a pair of Mallards dabbling in the Mill Brook where it spills over the dam on its way to fill up Lake Winnisquam.

Mallards probe the mud in the brook for food.

Soon ducks will be paddling all along the shoreline as those open spots enlarge, and the beavers won't be far behind.

One item to follow up on from last week's barred owl is another candidate for Camouflage Champion:

A great horned owl hides in a tree fork.  Photo by Debby Crowley.

This photo of a great horned owl was taken by friend and photographer extraordinaire Debby Crowley.  Owls certainly have perfected their camouflage technique.

And finally, one of my favorite sights (and smells) of the season:

The Chemung sugar stack is steaming!
(Though you can't see it, it was a-boiling.)

Maple syrup is on the way - I'm already thinking about fresh blueberry pancakes!