August 27, 2023: Cyanobacteria Hits Hard

This was supposed to be a cheery post about mountain hikes and close encounters with deer, bears, and wildfire smoke, as well as a beautiful paddle on one of our local lakes.  On the way home from one of these hikes, in the Ossipee Mountains, we drove by Lake Kanasatka which I've driven by a hundred times but have never paddled, and it looked so inviting that the very next day I went back with my kayak to explore the lake.  That's when things changed.  Unloading my kayak the lake looked simply beautiful - it was sunny and calm with the lake reflecting a bright blue sky.

Lake Kanasatka looks beautiful reflecting the blue sky from a distance.

But as I put my boat in the water, something wasn't right - the water at the launch was green.

It looked like a cyanobacteria bloom, but I thought it would be limited to right there where route 25 goes close by the lake.  As I paddled up the shore line it didn't get better, in fact it got worse.  

All the way up the west shore there were thick streams of cyanobacteria on the surface with more densely suspended throughout the water column, limiting visibility to about three feet.  

As I approached the north end of the lake the wind had come up a bit, creating small ripples that were stirring things up somewhat but the bloom was present even there at the inlet fed by Wakondah Pond.  I continued around and back down the east shore and as the lake became more sheltered from the breeze the bloom thickened again.  The entire shore of Kanasatka is populated with houses, docks, and beaches, but not a single person was in the water on this gorgeous day except for a few teenagers over on the east side by Camp Quinebarge.  The last camp session has ended so the swimmers were probably local residents.

Lake Kanasatka isn't a small pond where you might expect poor water quality:  At 371 acres, it's bigger than Wicwas, as well as Pemigewasset, Winona, White Pond, and many other good size lakes in New Hampshire.  If this can happen at Kanasatka, it can happen to all those water bodies and even larger lakes as water and air temperatures climb and runoff from development increases.  

This bloom was reported by NH DES on August 7th on their healthy swimming map, so it has been present for three weeks and counting.  It's a stark reminder that we must all be vigilant in protecting our natural resources.  If you want to help, get in touch with NHLakes, or a land trust such as the Lakes Region Conservation Trust, or your town's Conservation Commission, or your local lake association.  Whatever level of involvement you are comfortable with, you can help our lakes.  You can learn more about cyanobacteria at the NH DES website here.

Enough doom and gloom, lets move on to something more pleasant.  On that day hiking in the Ossipee Mountains we had clear skies with visibility over 75 miles.

Looking out over Castle in the Clouds from the Oak Ridge Trail.

We could see all the way to Mount Monadnock from the outlook on the Oak Ridge Trail.  

Lake Winnipesaukee and the Belknap Range.  Mt. Monadnock is barely visible in the photo.

Hiking up along the quiet trail we suddenly heard loud rustling in the trees above us.  Linda said right away, "that's not a squirrel".  Looking towards the sound I saw a large beech tree and we both knew what it was.  Up through the thick leaves we could see a large dark blob.  Yup, a black bear, staring right down at us.  

A black bear, displeased to be disturbed from either its slumber or its lunch.

One picture, and we were quickly on our way - I didn't even take the time to see if the beechnuts on the ground were as small as the ones I noted last week.  The bear was unlikely to abandon its comfortable perch in the branches surrounded by a feast of beechnuts, but still, no reason to test that theory.  I tagged the location - next time I'm on that trail in winter when the branches are bare (no pun intended) I'll try to remember to look for a bear nest.

The season for goldenrod has arrived.  

A sea of goldenrod blooms along Eastman Road heading up to Steele Hill.

Huge yellow fields can be seen wherever fields are allowed to grow without mowing.  Goldenrod must thrive in this wet year we've had.

Thanks to the good camera work of a loon watcher (thank you LM!) we know that the parents of LuLu and Checkers are travelling far now to keep intruding loons away from the chicks.  The banded female was seen way over in Harris Cove as part of an asylum of seven loons, where she, and probably her mate, were letting the visitors know they need to keep moving - this lake is occupied.  The chicks meanwhile have been keeping close to the north end of the lake, and even when their parents aren't close by they're now swimming and diving out in open water.

From a distance it's hard to tell the juveniles from the adults now.

Though when the parents do arrive, the young still whine terribly, nagging them for food.  

One of the chicks hangs onto a parent's leg as it starts a dive.

I'll apologized for closing with a return to less a less cheery topic, but air can be as unhealthy as the water when the horrific wildfires blazing in Canada send smoke our way as happened again early in the week, though it did make for some unusually colored skies and dramatic sunsets.

A dusky orange sky at mid-morning sky seen from the Belknap Range.

A smoky sunset over Lake Wicwas.

You just have to enjoy whatever life sends you.

August 20, 2023: Little Red Eft

I sure have seen a lot of these little guys lately with all the rain we've had - it brings them onto the trails in droves.  One day mountain biking there were so many that they were the biggest obstacle to avoid on the trails.

Eastern Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens), Red Eft phase

The red eft is the intermediate stage of the Eastern Newt.  These amphibians start their life in the water as green-colored aquatic larvae with gills, then move onto land after a few months when they become this red eft form.  During this time they can travel "great distances" [Ref:  Smithsonian National Zoo] moving to a different water body in the process.  They live in this form for two or three years before a metamorphosis back to an aquatic animal, and their return to water as adults.  They mate in early spring with a single female depositing between 200 and 400 eggs onto various aquatic plants.  According to the above reference however, some populations remain in the red eft stage permanently and only return to water long enough to breed.  The life span of these small amphibians is 12 to 15 years, their long life perhaps helped by their production of a toxin that discourages predation by other animals.

Mid August is a good time to look for caterpillars.

Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillar (Lophocampa caryae)

This Hickory Tussock Moth caterpillar was on the ground looking for a safe place to spin its cocoon, and nowhere near a hickory tree.  But oak is also a favorite food for these caterpillars and there are plenty of those around.  It's best not to touch any of the various types of tussock moth caterpillars, especially the hickory species as it can cause a severe allergic reaction if its sharp hairs pierce your skin.  

It's also a good time to look for caterpillars on milkweed plants, and not just for monarch butterfly caterpillars.  I found this small army of Milkweed Tussock Moth caterpillars on the underside of a milkweed leaf on the shoulder of Chemung Road.

Another tussock moth caterpillar, the Milkweed Tussock Moth (Euchaetes egle)

The whole tussock moth caterpillar started when a friend (thanks Tutu!) found this guy on a run down in New Jersey!

There are just a few milkweed plants around the lake as they grow mostly in fields that aren't mowed during the summer.  Around the lake we have mostly Swamp Milkweed.

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) on the shore of one of the Rawson Wood Islands.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago the good pinecone crop this year.  They are really visible now in the tops of the trees, and the squirrels have begun to chew them off the trees to collect them before they release their seeds so they can store them away for winter.

I've also seen beech nuts underneath large beech trees, so the beech are starting to produce mast also.

Beechnuts on a trail in a hardwood forest.

The beechnuts are quite small this year, about half the size of what I expect to see.

There is a new development with the loons this week:  One of the chicks is starting show its independence.  Previously the two have always been close together, but now one of them is moving away from the family, starting to head out on its own.  

They sure have grown in two short months.

I can't tell them apart anymore.

There are still other loons visiting the lake, having daily interactions with the family.  One morning we watched two loons frantically wing-rowing back and forth and around the lake for long time, probably the chicks' father defending their territory.  When the chasing loon got close to the pursued, the later would thrust its head and one wing into the water making an abrupt stop and turn to throw off its pursuer - just like Starsky and Hutch's J-turn with the parking brake in their '76 Ford Gran Torino.  I wish I had some video of the chase for you.

I don't know how much stress eagles add to the loons' lives right now, but they are here, as this fabulous picture taken by Debby Crowley shows.

A bald eagle watches over all activity on Lake Wicwas.

I'll end today with a non-nature picture, but it's a really neat sight.  There are a lot of pretty boats on New Hampshire's lakes, but few as beautiful as this classic.

"N. H. Dreamin' " cruises the waters of Lake Wicwas.

Keep watching for those fuzzy caterpillars!

August 13, 2023: Lake Darner

I can't think of a more appropriate name for this large dragonfly, one of the most conspicuous around the lakes with it's large wingspan and colorful body.  

It's certainly a member of the Mosaic Darner family which contains 41 North American species including the largest dragonfly we have here; I think this is a Lake Darner (Aeshna eremita).  If you remember from a recent post, the blue coloring shows it's a male; the females are green.  Note the large clasper on its tail.

The clasper is used to hold onto its partner during mating.

Darners are active during the day, especially in late afternoon as they patrol the sky, snatching small insects on the fly.  

Here's an interesting creepy crawler I see every now and then.

It's called a millipede even though it doesn't have a thousand legs.  It does however, have four legs on each of its segments.

That's because each segment actually consists of two segments fused together, which is why each has four legs.  I counted 53 segments so this millipede has about 212 legs on its three inch long body.  

This must be the time of year when white-tail deer mothers decide it's time to let their new fawns head out into more exposed areas to learn about the world.  I saw one spotted fawn with its mother at Ramblin' Vewe Farm while I was mountain biking, and another the next day along Chemung Road.  And then a friend sent me this great video of a fawn right in his yard.  (Thanks JW!)

He noted that he hasn't seen its mother yet, but he did see a fox watching it.

And finally, there's a story regarding the southern pair of loons, but I don't know what it is.  There's an injured loon on the lake that may be the result of the battles that took place when the southern loon chicks Chip and Dale were killed. 

Who is this injured bird?

However, no one has seen any bands to indicate this bird is one of that pair, including the LPC biologist who came this week to do his end of the year survey before heading back to school.  (Thank you Will for all you did for the loons this summer!)  It's been so long - since July 15th - that the pair may have left after their chicks were killed.  But as we know, lack of evidence doesn't prove anything.  So we'll wait and see what we can determine.  Because all four legs of the southern pair have bands, even a good sighting of a bare leg will prove it's not one of the nesting pair.

Whoever it may be, the wound on this birds head hasn't affected its fishing ability, as I watched it dive and within seconds it came up with a nice size yellow perch.

Now that's a good breakfast.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the lake, the parents of LuLu and Checkers continue to fend off challengers every day.  Yesterday there were four adult loons interacting, and not in a friendly way. 

Two pairs, or three against one?

It could have been three rogues which the male was keeping away from the chicks, or it could have been both the male and the female taking on another pair while the chicks were away in some secret cove.  I did receive a report of three loons flying in on the same day I saw this interaction, so that may be the answer.   (Thanks AW!)

A standoff.

And then the watch for an underwater attack.

Knowing that even a full grown loon can be killed by another loon means the chicks aren't safe yet, but with their parents strength and experience, they are doing great.

LuLu, now in juvenile plumage.

Checkers is still sporting a little fluff on his tail and neck.

LuLu and mom snuggling?

No, both chicks still constantly nag their parents for food, and make this awful, whining sound when they're hungry - which seems to be always!  They'll learn to be self sufficient eventually.

We'll provide updates on the story of the southern pair if we learn more.

August 6, 2023: Bears, High and Low

I hadn't been to the newly conserved Moultonborough Falls Conservation Area which protected 3000 feet of shoreline along the Red Hill River and Lees Pond in Moultonborough.  So this week, accompanied by a good friend, we took a walk to explore the area.  (Thanks MM!)  We found a freshly cut trail that runs up over a hill then down to the Red Hill River where it crosses under Route 25 after leaving Garland Pond.  The trail follows the river down to Lees Pond, and then along the northern edge of the Pond.  That's where we found the bear evidence.

Bears up high.

The scars in the bark of this American Beech went all the way up the trunk as far as we could see.  The foliage was pretty dense so we couldn't see if there were any signs of a bear having built a nest up in the canopy where it might nap in between munching on the beechnuts that will soon be ripening.  I try to remember to look for claw marks on large beech trees, as it's always a fun find in the woods, as well as a reminder that we share the forest with others, especially in riparian areas with lots of water and diverse habitats.

Red Hill River downstream from Garland Pond.

Lees Pond, upstream from Lees Falls where the river empties into Lake Winnipesaukee.

You can find a trail map and information about Moultonborough Falls Conservation Area here.

On another excursion, this time behind Lake Wicwas in the Hamlin Conservation Area, I came across another sign of bear activity, this one down below ground level.

Bears down low.

Here a bear had dug down underneath an old rotten log right beside the trail, most likely in search of a nest of carpenter ants full of high-protein ants, larvae, and eggs.  You can find this along the Blue Trail north of the beaver ponds, about half way to where it ends at the Yellow Trail heading up to Crockett's Ledge.  It's (mostly) comforting to know that we have only black bears in New England, which are skittish and almost always run from human activity.  The rare exception being when they have become acclimated to humans due to being fed either intentionally or unintentionally, usually from bird feeders or poorly managed trash.  Then it often means the bear must be killed.

Next was an example of the other end of the food chain, where ants are the consumer.

A rosy maple moth being devoured by other insects.

It was the rosy maple moth on this fern that caught my eye, but when I looked closely I saw the other insects on it and I realized the moth was dead.  The ants were all over the tail, and there was a scorpionfly on it as well, though the the scorpionfly moved away when I approached.  

Scorpionfly

Scorpionflies look menacing, but that isn't a stinger on its tail; it's a clasper used in mating. 

Nor is that beak used for biting.  Scorpionflies scavenge on dead insects just as it was doing here, sharing the moth with the ants.

I don't know if the bears are going to be treated to a good beechnut crop this fall, but it sure looks like there will be plenty of pine cones for the squirrels and the birds.  If you spend any time glancing up at the tops of trees you've probably noticed the great clumps of white pine cones hanging up there like bunches of bananas.  When they ripen they'll provide a feast for the forest animals, and hopefully some that will regenerate forests with new pine trees in open areas.  At least those that don't get torn off by all these thunderstorms before they can mature.

There are plenty more still up in the tree tops - it's a good year for white pine.

The weekly status on the loons hasn't changed, other than LuLu and Checkers are looking more grown up every day.

Though I have looked, I still can't find evidence of the second pair of loons on the lake.

The Lake Wicwas Association held its annual meeting yesterday at the Wicwas Grange.  It was well attended and we heard an engaging presentation by Eric D'Aleo, biologist at the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, about beavers in New Hampshire, learning more interesting information about the value of these ingenious animals to our environment, especially how they improve water quality and reduce the impact of the heavier rain events we are now receiving.

A beaver sounds the alarm early one morning.

Many thanks to Eric and all who attended and helped plan and organize another great meeting.

Did you see the full moonrise on Tuesday?  

Moonrise over Winnipesauke on  August 1st.

It was the start of a once-in-a-blue-moon event, as there will be a second full moon on August 31st, which will be the "blue moon", meaning two full moons in the same month.  We'll be lucky if that day is as clear as the first one.

Thanks R&KP for the moonlight ride!