June 26, 2022: Bobcat on the Prowl

I continue to receive word of bobcat sightings around Meredith, and this week, I had my own and it was a good one.  One morning when I opened the shades, there was Mr. Bobcat standing proudly on a rock in Linda's garden, scanning his domain.

I say "Mister" because of its size - this is a big cat.  Male bobcats weigh on average 27 pounds but can weigh over 40 pounds.  Females' average weight is ten pounds less at 17 pounds.  Furthermore, a female should be near her den taking care of her kits which should have been born in early May.  

Not seeing anything of interest, he slunk off the rock to find a nice grassy spot for his morning grooming.

Nice sharp claws.

As still as I tried to stand, he knew something was there as he looked right at me at regular intervals.

Bobcats are ambush hunters, waiting quietly for their prey to amble by unaware, and he lay quietly grooming for a long time until suddenly his ears perked up and his neck rose high - I happened to be taking a video at that moment.

Now he was on the prowl.

Looking where he was heading, we saw the source of the sound - a medium size white-tail deer.  But the deer saw us in the window, so we stood perfectly still, meaning that's the end of taking pictures.  Now we watched with trepidation, not knowing what we were about to see.  I know a bobcat can take down a deer - it jumps up on its back and delivers a powerful, fatal bite to the neck.  But this usually occurs in winter when deer are slowed down by deep snow while the cat can sprint along on top of the snow with those large paws.  Linda was thinking "I can't let this happen" but we just froze and watched.

The bobcat had stopped just at the edge of the road right across from the deer which was walking slowly down the road browsing on foliage along the way, frequently raising its head and staring right at us.  Then it crossed the road right towards us - and the bobcat.  I don't know what the trigger was, whether the cat moved or the deer glanced in that direction and saw it, but suddenly the deer lurched and bounded down the road.  The cat sprinted out but realized there was no way it was going to catch a deer in full gallop.  It stopped after two leaps, watching meals for at least a week bound down the road.  It was an anticlimactic ending, but rather relieving for us too.  

If you'd like to learn more about bobcats you can attend the Lake Wicwas Association Annual Meeting on August 7th at 9:30 am at the Wicwas Grange in Meredith Center.  Patrick Tate, Wildlife Biologist for NH Fish and Game will provide a presentation on Bobcats in New Hampshire.

Now, some good loon-news after last week's sad story:  both pairs have nested and are incubating, presumably, an egg or two.

Both nests are well hidden, so well in fact that they have both been given signs to prevent paddlers and fishermen from flushing the sitting bird off the nest without ever seeing it until it's too late.

Perhaps all the fighting with the rogue loon was keeping them from nesting, and now with the rogue loon out of the picture they got right to business.  These two pairs do seem to have come to an undestanding about sharing the lake and where the dividing line is.  Because it's so late in the breeding season I won't be surprised if each nest has only one egg, where normally a pair has two.  But with a short season to raise chicks, having only one will let the parents provide twice the food and protection, increasing the chances of it being ready to fly off before the lake freezes over.  

So, it's all good news in the world of nature.  Except perhaps for the hungry feline that didn't get venison for dinner.

P.S.  A big thank you to all paddlers who came out for the LRCT guided paddle this week - I enjoyed it greatly!

June 19, 2022: Loon Killed and Breakfast by Airmail

Note:  This journal entry contains some unsettling news and pictures that may be disturbing to some readers.

It's tough out there in the world of nature.  

An osprey returns to the nest with breakfast for the family.

Fish are hunted by creatures large and small, from birds to bears to otters to tiny leeches and even other fish.  But even animals near the top of the food chain must always be vigilant.  If a bald eagle saw this osprey with a fish in its talons it wouldn't hesitate to swoop right in and steal that fish, and the osprey wouldn't even try to fight, it would just go off and catch another.

Osprey in flight.

Nature's harshness isn't just about food however.  Territorial battles can be just as deadly and many animals will fight to defend their turf.  Unfortunately Lake Wicwas was the location of a fatal territorial fight this week; this is the part of the story where it gets difficult.  Early in the week Gordon Loud sent me an email with the ominous subject "Dead Loon" along with a picture that left no doubt about it.

I headed out to try to collect the bird for the Loon Preservation Committee to study to determine the cause of death.  I picked up able-assistant Michael Marion on the way, and Gordan's directions along with the known wind direction led us right to the bird before the scavengers (snapping turtles, racoons, etc.) got to it.  There was great trepidation on my part wondering if it was going to be one of our banded loons; there has been a great deal of loud fighting on the lake this past week.  Of course, the loon could have died from lead poisoning or from being hit by a boat, but as soon as the loon was lifted from the water the cause of death was immediately apparent, and even somewhat relieving:  it was clearly killed by another loon, and it was not a banded bird.

A clear cause of death.

A single stab wound right through the sternum is the way one loon kills another - a four-inch spear accurately placed in the abdomen from below.  That's why we'll see multiple loons swimming around each other constantly dipping their heads under water to make sure an attack isn't coming from below.  I'll guess it's also why when one dives, they all dive.  The LPC will perform a necropsy and test for lead poisoning which could have weakened the bird, but I think we know the immediate cause of death.

There have been at least five loons on the lake lately and a lot of loud arguments have been heard.  The local LPC biologist was out on the lake again (before this attack) and she had sent me this observation:

"There was a heated territory dispute near the center of the lake between the two established pairs and an intruding loon. It lasted for nearly an hour, but in the end, the pairs returned to their respective territories and the intruder left the area."

Since the kill I have seen one pair in the north end of the lake, and Keith and Shayne Duggan have seen the Harris Cove pair still working on a nest on the island in that cove.  Of course we'll never know, but I think the facts point towards the dead loon being a rogue that one of the pairs finally got tired of being harassed by, and decided to take it out once and for all.  Knowing it died by natural causes helps a little but it's still difficult to see such a beatiful creature meet its demise.

As I said, it's a harsh world out there.  But there are reasons to be hopeful:  There are still two pairs on the lake and both continue to show signs they intend to nest.  So on a happier note, let's enjoy the beauty of summer in New Hampshire.

Daisies are having a great year.

Spiderwort or Asiatic dayflower (Commelina communis)

I just recently learned that spiderwort is considered an invasive species in some areas, though I didn't find it on any New Hampshire invasive species list.

Belted Kingfisher on Turtle Island - the first I've seen at Wicwas.

And it was peacefully sharing the tree with a dove.

A mourning dove and a kingfisher share a white pine.

Sheep Laurel (Kalmia angustifolia)

Amidst all this beauty I remain optimistic about our loons' nesting efforts and that we'll have father loons to celebrate later this summer.  Until then, happy Father's Day to all fathers!

June 12, 2022: Lupine Time

We did get up to Sugar Hill this week and the lupines are putting on a fine show this year.

Lupine (Lupinus perennis)

So fine in fact that a painting class was taking place in the upper field where Cannon Mountain and the Lafayette Range set the background for the artists.

I think the lower field was the most spectacular I've ever seen it, awash in deep blue and purple with the occasional burst of pink or white sprinkled here and there.

It's always worth the drive up through Franconia Notch in Lupine season, but I also found mountain color closer to home.  On a hike to Mt. Shaw in the Ossipee Range I found several flowers in bloom including lady's slippers around 2000' elevation.  But the most interesting find was a plant that grows in dry, acidic soils as found in rocky granite outcroppings at high elevations.

Cinquefoil

I think this is three-toothed cinqufoil growing in the cracks and crevises in the granite which helps to break down the rock over time.

Granite ledges in the Ossipee Range with Lake Winnipesaukee and the Belknap Mountains in the background.

  Other flowers seen along the trail included bunchberry and bluebead lily.

Bluebead lily (Clintonia borealis)

Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)

Later this summer bunchberry will have many small red berries while bluebead lily will have large - you guessed it - blue berries.

I also came across a towering birch tree right beside the High Range Trail which New Hampshire forester Dan Stepanauskas identified for me as yellow birch and estimated it at over 250 years old. 

An ancient yellow birch in the Ossipee Mountains

The mountains aren't claiming all the beauty though, as there is plenty to be found down at lake level.

Larger blue flag (Iris versicolor)

These wild irises grow in marshes and wet shorelines all around lake.  

One more lake flower I'll share is this wild cranberry viburnum I found growing on Sheep Island:

Cranberry Viburnum (Viburnum trilobum) also called highbush cranberry

I'll end with an update on the loon picture which remains fluid.  As far as I can tell the banded pair is still tending to a nest though I often see both loons together far away from the nest.  Band sightings indicate it is the nesting pair.  But I also believe a second pair of loons is working on a nest in another part of the lake.  I've seen two loons near the island where a pair successfully raised a chick ("Justin Time") in 2018.  One loon observer has seen them bringing nesting materials from the bottom of the lake to the island, and one day when I was near the island a loon popped up right next to my kayak, acting as a decoy to draw me away from the island, which I immediately did, but still managed to get perhaps the closest look at a loon I've ever had.

There have been reports of a possible fifth loon on the lake.  It could be an interesting summer.

June 5, 2022: The Loons have Nested

Amy Wilson had the sharp eye and key knowledge to discover the loons have selected a nesting site and are incubating an egg - hopefully two.  She noted the key sign was a single loon floating in the lake just off a prime nesting island.  And these loons are good - the nest is extremely well hidden, impossible to see behind thick vegetation which also provides shade from the intense June sun.  Because it's in a popular boating lane but can't be seen, paddlers and fishermen are likely to flush the loon off the nest by passing close to it without ever knowing it's there, so markers have been placed to alert boaters to keep a safe distance from the site.

On Thursday Loon Preservation Committee intern Taylor Tewksbury came to the lake to document the nest.

LPC intern Taylor Tewksbury inspects a nesting site from a prior year.

We were able to observe the bands on both loons, confirming their identity:  the male banded on Lake Wicwas in 2019 and the female banded on Lake Pemigewasset in 2018.  We also were given a great show by the male doing his afternoon grooming.  It was so dramatic that we saw it from a far distance and thought there was an altercation taking place.  

From a distance this looked like trouble.

But no, it was just him grooming and spreading oil, and doing some acrobatics in the process.  

Just some very enthusiastic preening.

He was putting on quite a show for us.

I've never seen a loon do the backstroke before.

We also observed a shift change. so both parents are doing their part on the nest.  This is the same pair that successfully raised Coco and Jimmy last summer so we're hoping for another successful breeding season!

The Canada geese, as usual, are far ahead of the loons and at least one family is already out on the water with their goslings and I expect there will be more soon.

Two is an unusably small brood for Canada geese.

We're right in the heart of breeding season for many of our local fauna, and the forest, especially in the morning, is just brimming with the sounds of nature, displaying a plethora of songs stating their presence, whether it's to attract a mate or deter a competitor.  One morning there was a nice chorus of bullfrogs singing so I thought I'd capture a bit of the performance.  I was so focused on the frogs that I didn't realize there were so many birds accompanying the amphibians.  In this recording there are at least five different birds vocalizing, including  a veery, common yellowthroat, eastern wood peewee, great crested flycatcher, and at the very end a loud, piercing, broad-winged hawk:

I think I hear a mourning dove in there too.

The animals aren't alone in making every effort to propagate their species - many plants, terrestrial and aquatic, are in full bloom to attract pollinators to help them along.

Yellow Pond-lilies (Nuphar lutea)

There are often flies inside these flowers pollinating them, but not this one.

Lupine

This is the week to head up to Sugar Hill to see the lupines!   (With maybe a stop at Polly's....)