October 31, 2021: First Frost of 2021

We didn't quite make it to November, but Lake Wicwas finally had a frost on Friday morning, October 29th.  It wasn't even a hard frost, only forming ice crystals in areas exposed to open sky with radiational cooling; areas under tree cover or near the warm lake still didn't have even a touch frost.  But in open fields the frost was heavy.

The plants don't wait for a frost to partake in their annual transition, they start on their own schedule as shown by these cat-o-nine tails in a swamp on Squam Lake.

We saw these along the "Swamp Walk", a neat board walk through the swamp in the Chamberlain-Reynolds Memorial Forest in Center Harbor. (Here's a map in case you want to visit.)   It's a beautiful area along Squam Lake with crystal clear beaches, nice views of the Squam and Sandwich Mountain Ranges, Rattlesnake Hill, and even Red Hill.  

Red Hill in all its late fall glory.

While most plants are giving up for the year and preparing to go dormant, having created their seeds and sent them on to find a place to live on their own, one plant is just now blooming:  Witch hazel.

Witch hazel blossoms are just getting started in October.

The birth of next year's fruit.

What's even more interesting is that while it's blooming, it is only now releasing its seeds from last year.  The seeds are contained in pods that mature in the fall and burst open, shooting seeds out ten, twenty, or more feet from the tree.  

A witch hazel fruit about ready to launch its offspring into the world.

A witch hazel branch is also often taken as preferred material for a divining rod used to locate sources of water, though I won't attest to that ability.

Taking a late fall hike on the Mount Welch-Dickey loop this week I found an example of a tree with two year's worth of fruit on it.

Red Spruce on Welch Mountain at about 2600' elevation.

These spruce trees have the tightly-wrapped reddish-brown cones of this year's seeds still maturing while the dry, brittle, gray open cones of last year are still hanging on the tree after releasing their seeds to the ground.  These trees have adapted their own unique methods of surviving in the extreme weather conditions near tree line in the White Mountains.

This past week I came across more evidence of life coming and going, passing from one form to another.

Some poor bird met its demise right here.

This pile of feathers in the middle of a trail tells me some unlucky bird, after feeding itself all summer on the seeds and insects of New Hampshire, gave its sustenance to a larger animal.  I have two questions here:  One, what kind of bird was it?  I first thought "blue jay" due to the color of the feathers, but they aren't nearly blue enough, and they are too small; blue jays have bright blue feathers with lots of white as well.

But then consider that there are only small, downy feathers here - no flight feathers - so the larger parts of the bird with different coloring may be elsewhere.  If not a blue jay, other possibilities include nuthatch and titmouse, both of which are smaller and have blue and gray coloring.

Just little blue tips at the end of some feathers.

The other question  is, who was the predator?  A kestrel, merlin, or small hawk are candidates which would explain a pile of small feathers resulting from an in-flight attack.  Another possibility is a feline, either a bobcat or a feral cat.  It was pretty far from civilization to be a pet cat, but that is a possibility as other than habitat loss, cats are by far the number one human-related killer of birds in the United States, accounting for an estimated 2.4 billion deaths per year in the U.S.  [REF:  US Fish and Wildlife Service]

I'll never know the answer to either of those questions, but I do know that a summer's worth of feeding has provided a good nutritious meal to one of our forest creatures.

Tomorrow brings us November, and we'll soon be without all our fall colors in the trees, but as of today there are still a few hardy souls hanging onto their leaves to brighten our lives even on a dreary, rainy, late October morning.

Happy Halloween!

October 24, 2021: Snow in the Mountains

While we've been enjoying more fabulous fall weather, the White Mountains to the north have been earning their name with their first coatings of snow.  I saw the evidence on October 20th when on a beautiful, blue-sky day, a snow-capped Mt. Lafayette was visible from the White Mountain Ledge in the Hamlin Town Forest.  

You can't make it out in this picture, but there's snow on Mt. Lafayette.

On that trip I also stopped at the Lake Wicwas view point on the red trail - the lake was as deep blue as I've ever seen it, reflecting that clear blue sky on a breezy day.

Looking northeast from the Lake Wicwas view point on the Red Trail.

On the way down from the ledge I noted several trail blazes that have been seriously vandalized by our forest critters.

Rodent damage on the trail blazes.

There's always a question of who does this - mice, squirrel, or porcupines.  I think it's probably red squirrels because the damaged blazes are widespread and porcupines keep to a small area.  Also, the damaged blazes are on all kinds of trees, including some that porcupines don't favor.  Finally, the tooth marks on the chewed edges are pretty small, seeming more like a mouse or a squirrel's incisors at work.  

But I won't know unless someone catches the culprit in action some day - and even then, there could be multiple species involved.  Another question is why.  Perhaps they are attracted by the color and then chew on it to sample it, or just to wear down their ever-growing teeth.  Sometimes there are elements in paint or in plastic that animals crave, including some salts and minerals.  There's probably a whole study that can be done on this subject.

One more nature note from the Hamlin Forest:  this huge mushroom crop was growing around the base of nearly-dead oak tree on the trail leading up to Crockett's Ledge:

It looks like it could someone for a week - if it's edible.

I was fooled yet again by the loons this week.  I saw two loons fishing together and thought for sure it was the two juveniles, Coco and Jimmy, based on their coloring.  But when I cropped the pictures I realized that only one of them had the chevron pattern of a juvenile and the other had a few remnants of spots from adult summer plumage, so I assume it was mom with one of the kids.  

Junior (on the right) appears even bigger than mom.

It's getting late for a parent to still be here but the young ones may stay well into November.  The loons have  been entertaining lots of company on the lake, this week a group of four male mallards trying to impress a single female.

But there was also an interloper in the group:  a ring-necked duck.  

Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)

Ring-necked ducks are fairly regular visitors to the Lakes Region as they migrate through central New Hampshire between their summer breeding grounds in Canada and the very northern edges of New England and their winter homes south of Connecticut.  They're pretty birds with their sharp yellow eye, and white band and black tip on their beak.  Just remember that the ring on the neck that gives them their name is rarely visible.

This raises more unanswered questions - why was a different species of duck hanging around with the mallards?  At any rate, the mallard drakes didn't seem to appreciate the intruded and kept themselves positioned between the ring-neck and the female.

The drakes standing guard over the hen.

I've noticed the number of boats and docks around the lake is getting small now, but there are are still fishing boats and kayaks out enjoying the fine weather.  Sunrises and sunsets have been plentiful too, including this brilliant sunrise that Neil Crimins caught and was kind enough to send to me.

Morning light shines on the hills behind the mirror of Lake Wicwas.  Photo by Neil Crimins.

We better enjoy it while it's here - snow on Mt. Lafayette reminds us this weather won't last forever.

P.S.  The Hill Historical Society sent me parking information to access the history tour I described last week.  I update the map with the locations and if you click on the parking symbols (red "P") it will give you the driving directions.

October 17, 2021: Hill History

Beautiful fall color is a strong pull to get out for a walk, hike, or ride in New Hampshire.  This week I rode along the Pemigewasset River from Bristol to Franklin, following the old road that used to lead to the village of Hill, New Hampshire, located just upstream from the Franklin dam.  I knew that when the US Army Corps of Engineers built the dam the village was moved to higher ground to avoid flooding at its location right beside the river; in fact the village often flooded and sometimes was cut off from the rest of the world even before the dam was built.  What I didn't know is that eagle scout Tyler Kulacz, for his eagle scout project, created a fascinating history of the old town all along the road.  There are 15 plaques that describe many of the buildings, their inhabitants, and their history, including where they are presently located up on higher ground.

One of 15 plaques (that I found) on Old Hill Road.

Here's a link to a map of that area  with all the plaques I found on my ride.  I rode in from the State Park at Profile Falls; I've asked the Hill Historical Society for the preferred access point from town and will post it when I receive their response.

Building the Franklin Dam may have further cemented the demise of the fishery in the Pemigewasset River which previously had incredible runs of shad, herring, salmon, and American eel.  (Here are two short articles by NH Fish and Game about the anadromous fish of New Hampshire's rivers:  Anadromous Fish;  Restoration Efforts.)  But at least it had some benefits to other animals by protecting a large area of riparian habitat along the river.  And if the dams are ever removed to restore the aquatic life, the land along side it will be undeveloped and remain highly valuable habitat.  The hunters certainly like the protected habitat - I came across perhaps a dozen hunters out looking for field birds and waterfowl on the ten-mile stretch of road.  And the birds are there!  At one point I came upon a pair of pheasant just standing in the middle of the road.  

As I approached, they didn't fly, but rather started walking down the road in front of me.  I rode along slowly, and as I got closer they walked faster, and then started running - really fast - those birds can move!  Eventually, rather than flying, they ran off the side of the road and simply vanished into the thick pricker bushes.  I didn't see any waterfowl along the river, but I have seen the first migrating ducks back on Lake Wicwas:

My first sighting of migrating ducks this year.

A group of six wood ducks stopped by early Saturday morning, and one male was showing off his stuff.

They're such pretty ducks - I hope they come back when the lighting is better.

Mr. and Mrs. Wood Duck.

The fantastic fall weather continues with temperatures in the mid and even upper 70s with high humidity which tends to bring on morning fog.

But it burns off quickly as the sun warms the atmosphere, making for beautiful days to be out on land or water.  Good friends invited us for a ride on the big lake, and a great hike on Rattlesnake Island.  

Looking south towards Alton Bay from Rattlesnake Island on a perfect October day.

There's some neat geology as well as an unusual forest community on this volcanic island which is the eastern portion of the ring dike that includes the entire Belknap Range.  We saw several turkey vultures soaring on the warm updrafts along the steep hills of the island - but couldn't get any pictures.  We also witnessed a  gorgeous sunset over the hills to the west while heading back to the dock - thank you Dan & Ginny!  

Another day this week found us in Tamworth and Wonalancet at the foot of the White Mountain National Forest - always a beautiful spot, even on an overcast day.

Wonalancet Union Chapel along the Chinook Trail.

I think the warm weather has put us behind the usual foliage schedule, and certainly behind the average first-frost date as we haven't even been close to a frost yet and the average date for Meredith is October 1st to the 10th.  [REF:  PlantMaps]  The temperatures have been warm enough that I haven't yet seen mist forming on the lake in the morning as cold air flows downhill and onto the warm humid water.  But it has provided some stunning sunsets. 

And a highlight of the week:  I saw a bat fluttering around picking off insects under one of those blazing skies.

It's hard to see, but it was definitive - there are still some bats here in the Lakes Region.

October 10, 2021: An Window for Life

First, it's time to revel in the beauty of New England's maple trees in autumn.  The sugar and red maples are hitting their peak colors and will be vibrant throughout the Lakes Region this week.  Last week the lower elevations in the White Mountains were close to peaking.

Franconia Notch on an overcast day.

Bear Hill Pond

The beech and oak trees will follow behind shortly.  Talking about beech trees, when I was looking at beech nuts back in August ("Beech Nuts", August 29) I mentioned that beech are patient trees, growing slowly in the shade waiting for their moment in the sun.  Well, I recently came upon just such an opportunity for them or some other plant that's in the right place at the right time:  A stand of pines had blown over in one of our recent wind storms.

A whole group of them was ripped up at the roots and put down on the forest floor.

And it was obvious why they couldn't stand up to the blow:

Their roots just peeled up the foot or two of soil on top of a granite slab.

These trees had entrusted their life to the thin soil on top of the granite that New Hampshire is famous for, but it couldn't hold the them in place as the trees grew taller and their wind loading increased.  The soil in New England is only about 20,000 years old, re-building slowly ever since the glaciers from the last ice age scraped the granite clean.  (Sometimes one shouldn't build one's house upon the rock.)

But these trees' demise makes an opportunity for other plants to grow - look at the hole created in the forest canopy:

It's not a big hole, but some light will get through.

Throughout this hemlock-hardwood-pine forest there's almost nothing growing down in the understory due to the lack of light - just a few ferns and mushrooms, the latter of which don't photosynthesize, so don't need sunlight.  

Almost nothing grows in the shade of this closed forest canopy.

But now this opening will let sunlight bathe a small patch of forest floor, providing the life-giving energy that plants need to live.   Plants that want to take advantage of this opportunity will have to act quickly; in just a few years the surrounding trees will greedily spread out their limbs to take advantage of the opening, and the hole will be sealed off.  But fast growing plants that have tiny sprouts or even seeds waiting in the soil might get enough of a head start in this window of time to make a go of it.  And if successful, it will bring much needed diversity to a rather homogeneous forest - a miniature example of what happens after a forest fire.  I'll keep an eye on it over the next few years and see if any opportunistic plants take advantage of the moment.

Now a quick loon update:  Our female loon is still on the lake and Jimmy is still hounding her for his meals.  

That's mom behind Jimmy as he asks when dinner will be served.

And so down she goes on another fishing expedition.

There have been observations of a single juvenile loon way down on the opposite end of the lake; I'm guessing it's Coco because it's still a little early for another juvenile to be making its way to the Atlantic Ocean for the winter.

And finally, it's the time of year when you get a morning wake-up call at exactly 30 minutes before sunrise - that's when duck hunting begins for the day.  One day this week we were awakened with the sharp report of six shotgun blasts all at once as the clock struck 6:24am.  But alas, at least one got away, as this pretty duck was seen an hour after the sunshine illuminated the red maples along the shore of Lake Wicwas. 

At lease one duck survived the hunt.

I can't tell if this is a mallard or an American black duck enjoying our beautiful fall foliage.  I hope you too can get out to savor the beauty of fall in New Hampshire this weekend or next.

October 3, 2021: Cranberry Trifecta

This week we were hiking with good friends (thanks Bill and Tracy!) in the Kelley-Drake Conservation Area, a nice property conserved by the New Hampton Conservation Commission, when we came upon a large growth of low green plants with bright red berries in a wet area near Lake Pemigewasset.  Bill immediately identified them as cranberries.

Large cranberry or American cranberry (vaccinium macrocarpon)

I picked up a few of them and brought them home to see if they are the edible type, and sure enough, they are.

In fact these are the same species that are cultivated into a highly valuable commercial crop, especially in the cranberry bogs of Cape Cod.  If you serve Ocean Spray cranberries at Thanksgiving table, this is what you are eating.  I cooked up my handful of berries with a little maple sugar and had them in my yogurt - delicious!

It's clearly the season for cranberries; in the past few weeks I have come across mountain cranberries, cranberry viburnum, and now the traditional American cranberry.  I expect this weekend I'll see people in the marshes around the lakes with buckets in hand foraging for these pretty delicacies.

As the weather cools and flowers fade from the scene there are fewer pollinators around.  The yellow jackets are storming the hummingbird feeder but many other bees are much less prevalent.  One exception is the bumble bee.  This large and hairy bee can keep warm better than other bees and hornets and is often the first to arrive and the last to be seen each season.

A bumblebee diligently collects pollen from each tiny flower.

Nice and warm in its thick fur coat.

They're happy to find Linda's collection of coleus which she kindly lets bloom late in the summer.

Off to the next coleus.

We've had some cooler weather now, but I think the foliage is still a bit behind.  Even up in the White Mountains this week the color is just emerging.

Sandwich Dome and Jennings Peak seen from Sandwich Notch Road.

Kastle Equine at Bumps Intervale in Campton.

Back in Meredith where the foliage is even less developed, mom and her two loon chicks are still on Lake Wicwas but I think mom is getting a little frustrated with them.  I heard them far off, with one of the chicks making a really annoying call that sounded just like a kid whining that they're hungry.  When they sailed by me both chicks were constantly harassing mom, demanding food.

Coca and Jimmy badgering mom for food.

At one point mom lost her patience and snapped at them.

"Catch your own dinner!"

One chick then dove and came up far away, but it wasn't long before he or she returned back to mother.  I haven't seen dad for a week or two now so maybe this time he's really gone for the winter.  Mom will soon follow, and then Coco and Jimmy will have to fend for themselves.

Until they too leave, everyone will treasure the calm, warm, waning days of summer.