December 4, 2022: Early Winter Artistry

The battle between the seasons continues to be waged.  First a warm front pushed up from the south bringing warm gale-force winds and rain which saturated the ground and filled up the ponds.  Then a cold front made an attack, with its strong, cold, dry northwest winds driving back the wet weather.  Cold air following rain commissioned more interesting ice-art to be sculpted by nature.  Vernal pools along the Red Trail leading up to the White Mountain Ledge in the Hamlin Town Forest, which had been filled up again, were slowly draining into the soil when the cold temperatures hit.

A vernal pool beside the trail to the White Mountain Ledge.

Vernal pools typically don't have an outflow, but with the ground not yet frozen, water was seeping slowly in the soil, gradually lowering the water level as the surface of the pond froze.

Ice surrounds a blueberry bush in a vernal pool.

The artistic talent of nature is exquisite:

This ice formed some time after the cold front passed as the water needed time to cool down, but other ice formed just as the two fronts clashed, generating an interesting form of precipitation known as graupel.

Graupel

Graupel starts high in a cloud as snowflakes, but as the flakes pass through an atmospheric layer containing super-cooled water droplets, those droplets freeze onto the snowflakes, creating tiny, hard snowballs.

Being hard and round they tend to bounce and roll around, collecting in low spots.

Graupel reminds me of King Derwin of the Kingdom of Didd and his quest for a new kind of precipitation which led to Oobleck - and the rescue of the kingdom by young Bartholomew Cubbins.  Right now I'd be happy with some good old fashioned snow!

Also along the Red Lakes to Ledges Trail in Hamlin, down by the lake, I saw that the beavers have been busy.

Hemlocks girdled by beavers.

In addition to the  gnawed trees are several large scent mounds where the beavers are claiming their territory. 

Scent mounds on the shoreline tell other beavers this part of the lake has been claimed.

I won't be surprised to see a new beaver lodge being constructed in this cove over the next few years.

There was a group of common mergansers visiting Lake Wicwas this week, nine of them, apparently all males out on a guys-only trip.

A flock of male common mergansers.  Photo by Neil Crimmins.

They were traveling together and spent most of the day fishing and exploring the lake, being seen at both ends of the lake over the course of the day.

Earlier in the day, at the opposite end of the lake.  Photo by Linda Powell.

These are likely this year's juveniles which haven't yet found a mate; common mergansers pair up in late winter or early spring.

All the animals - ducks, beavers, loons - have at least a couple more weeks to enjoy open water since ice is still forming only in the smallest coves and streams.  

A topographical display of ice on a small stream.

With more warm and wet weather yesterday, we may have more opportunities for nature's ice-art.