September 24, 2023: Nighttime Visitors

Our compost pile has been disturbed regularly the past couple of weeks even though we don't put anything other than plant-based material in it.  I think the attraction is the Moulton Farm corn cobs that have been a constant staple in the pile since mid-summer.  So I set up the trail camera to see who's been visiting.  In the first night I caught three different guests.

A raccoon on a midnight raid to the compost pile.

The guilty party as far as pulling the pile apart to get what's buried deep inside is, as I suspected, a raccoon.  The camera recorded it climbing over and around the pile to locate the best pickings, and digging in to haul them out.  The raccoon seemed to skedaddle out of there right before a larger 'coon arrived, though this one didn't seem to find anything of interest in the pile and quickly went on its way.  There were other visitors as well.  After the raccoons, a skunk stopped by, but it didn't find anything of interest either.  It was raining at the time of the skunk's visit so the picture is poor.  Finally, a coyote arrived, sniffed around to check out all the prior visitors, then went on its way, but only after adding its own scent to the pile.  You can watch the nighttime action here:

Other animals are busy around the lake as well.  The beavers are back out every night, building scent mounds to mark their territory, collecting food for the winter, and securing building materials to reinforce their lodges for the coming cold.  

This beaver lodge appears to have grown higher by another two feet this year.

I've seen an abundance of pickerel frogs this summer, hopping all around the yard.

Either the rain has helped them multiply, or the heron and snakes aren't doing their job to thin the population.  

On a recent walk on Meredith Neck a good friend steered us towards an interesting find he knew of, something I had never seen before but often wondered about.  Have you ever thought about how the early settlers produced those huge, cut granite blocks used in foundations, bridges, culverts, and walls?

Cut granite blocks lining the Leavitt Cemetery on Meredith Neck.

Well, now I know (thanks PD!).  Stone workers would locate a large granite boulder and then drill - by hand - a series of closely spaced holes in a straight line in the rock.  They would then insert a series of tools known as "feathers and wedges" and slowly, one by one, repeatedly down the line, tap the wedges into the boulder.  Eventually the desired section of rock would cleave off from the boulder.  

Remnant of a boulder where stone was harvested.

The drill holes didn't need to go very far into the rock to do the  job,

It required skill and knowledge to know where to place the cut in relation to the grain of the stone, and just how to sever the rock to realize the desired product and not just a pile of rubble.  Good stone cutters were well paid for their work.  The next mystery is how they moved the cut stone to where it was needed, and how they raised it into the desired location.  I would assume the use of oxen, horses, levers, and strong backs were involved.

A quick check on the loon family shows all is well.  

LuLu or Checkers looking sharp on a bright fall day.

I'll be watching for signs of flight training soon.

I'll end with a neat atmospheric phenomenon that I see occasionally at this time of year.  It occurs when the sun is low in the sky and ice crystals in the atmosphere refract sunlight exactly 22 degrees from the sun, creating a rainbow effect. 

The "Sun Dog" appears 22 degrees to the right form the setting sun.

I wrote about sun dogs almost one year ago with some additional information on them here.  

Nighttime, daytime, or evening, there's always something interesting to find in nature.

A September Sun Dog

September 17, 2023: Nature's Hovercraft

Most of nature's flying creatures have evolved with a bias towards fast, efficient flight, but there are a few animals which in addition to being very quick and maneuverable, have the ability to hover in place like a helicopter.  Hummingbirds achieve this feat through unusual shoulders that give their wings a large range of rotation rather than a simple up and down motion with limited rotation.  

A hummingbird rotates its wings in a figure-eight pattern, which provides lift on both the forward and backward wing stroke, a most valuable ability when drinking nectar from a flower who's stalk won't support even the one-tenth of an ounce weight of a ruby-throated hummingbird.  

The dragonfly is even more advanced in its flight surfaces.  Dragonflies have four wings, each of which can move independently of the others.  This gives it the ability to fly forward, backward, up and down, even sideways - important features when hunting down other agile flying insects on the wing.  Though dragonflies have the ability to hover, and use it regularly, they don't hover in one place for long.  I watched a group of them hunting over a marsh this week, devouring insects, and though they would hover for a moment, by the time I pointed the camera, they had zoomed away.  And it's not easy focusing on a small, fast moving object.  I took dozens of pictures to get one decent shot that shows all four wings.

On this same paddle I saw a bird that uses a different technique to remain stationary while hunting for food.

This osprey was perched in a tree often used by an eagle, which is what I thought it was from a distance.  Osprey migrate south starting in September, so maybe they'll head off with the strong northwest winds from hurricane Lee, but they've been very visible and audible the past few weeks.  I've heard them crash into the lake when they've targeted a fish from their high perch, then fly up and away with dinner in its talons.  If you want to see a fantastic video of an osprey diving for a fish, watch this video from Mark Smith Photography.  (I think it's better with the sound turned off.)  Osprey are the only birds I'm aware of that dive well under water to catch their prey.

In June (June 11, "Fern Weather") I noted a Jack-in-the-Pulpit growing along the side of the road.  Now, three months later, the Jack-in-the-Pulpit are showing the world their snappy red berries.  

Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

Birds consume these berries, including turkey and wood thrush.  

Another plant sporting red berries now is the False Soloman's Seal, which was also mentioned in the same June post - they must have the same game plan.

False Soloman's Seal (Maianthemum racemosum)

These not quite as showy berries are food for mice as well as many birds, including grouse.

LuLu and Checkers are really getting independent.  We sometimes see them with no adults anywhere in sight.  It makes me wonder if the parents occasionally head off to force the juveniles to learn to fend for themselves, as well as to get some peace and quiet - the kids constantly whine at them for food when they're together.  One afternoon I took a picture of a parent and a kid, only to find out later I was photobombed once again.

The heron posed a few days later for a private sitting, for which which Linda did the honors.

Great Blue Heron.  Photo by Linda Powell

The fall wildflowers continue to shine.  Asters now call our attention in walks through fields and along roadsides.

Purple-stemmed aster (Symphyotrichum puniceum)

Hurricane Lee was kind to New Hampshire, staying well offshore and sending us only a moderate northwest wind with a bit of rain.  The night before it went by, Lee even gave us a brilliant sunset.  

Pre-Lee Sunset

Fall officially arrives next Saturday.

September 10, 2023: Summer in September

The best week of summer 2023 came in September when New Hampshire had a quintessential summer week with hot, hazy, humid weather every day.  With nary a breeze to stir up the lake, the water temperature was more like July without the chilly, early September feel that makes one think twice before jumping in the lake this time of year.  It was the perfect way end to the summer season, ideal for all the Labor Weekend activities.  Well, maybe except for one activity.  Our visitor from Colorado took me on a hike in the northern Presidential Mountains, and even way up there, on the summit of 5774' Mt. Adams (second in elevation only to Mt. Washington) it was hot, hot, hot with barely a breeze blowing on the summit.  

Mt. Madison, seen from a hot Adams summit.

An updraft in the morning was bringing warm air from the valleys up the mountain slopes and we feared we'd be socked into the clouds by the time we reached the first summit, Mt. Madison.

Cloud building on the hike up.

And in fact, the clouds had reached up to Mt. Adams by the time we summited Madison.  

Clouds flowing up the north flank of Mt. Adams.

But when we got down to the saddle between the two peaks, Adams had cleared.  We hiked past Star Lake and had a steamy trip up to Adams, and though hot, there were no complaints about the weather - or the views.

Star Lake.

We picked a good section of the range to hike, as Mt. Washington and the peaks just to the south of us remained under clouds all day while we experienced a sunny hike on the entire trek across the talus fields above treeline.

We had a few glimpses of Washington when the clouds lifted.

It was a grueling day, but we were prepared for the conditions with plenty of water and salty snacks.  It was my best hike of the summer - thanks for the excursion VP!

Just as we arrived at the Madison AMC hut we heard a helicopter come out of nowhere and land right at the hut.

It dropped off a crew of workers in hard hats and left as quickly as it arrived.  But it was back in just a few minutes with a grapple hook hanging below.  The crew had gathered up four empty propane tanks while it was away, which they connected to grapple hook, and off it went.  

A resupply mission to the hut.

It came back twice more, once to remove more material, and again to bring in new supplies.  On the final trip it had dropped off the grapple and landed to pick up the crew.  Madison Hut is now stocked for the last two weeks of its season.  

It's worth noting that foliage season comes early in the northern White Mountains.  There was already a warm yellow glow in the mid-elevation forest with quite a few leaves on the ground.  

Salmicus Falls

The huts will be open for leaf-peeping season, but then close down for the year.  Foliage viewing in the North County will be here soon.

Back at Lake Wicwas I was relieved that the hot weather hadn't brought on a cyanobacteria bloom.  There was obvious cyanobacteria in the lake with many suspended green specks smaller than a grain of sand, but it had the look of what DES calls a "starry night" rather than a "galaxy", so it was at a safe level.  We were fortunate this year.  Even Lake Winnipesaukee has four cyanobacteria alerts right now.  The large amount of shoreline covered by vegetation is a big factor in Lake Wicwas remaining healthy - lots of blueberry and huckleberry, buttonbush, even dogwood line the shore.

Silky dogwood (Cornus amomum)

This silky dogwood is a great species to plant on a shoreline to help with water quality.  It thrives in damp soils, has pretty flowers and light blue berries that are favored by birds because of their high fat content.  It also turns a beautiful deep red or purple color in fall.  

And this shrub won't grow high to block your view of the lake.  

If you're lucky (or if you planted them) you might find pretty turtlehead flowers blooming on the shoreline right now.

Turtlehead (Chelone obliqua), a common shoreline flower.

There was also a dragon at the lake this week, actually a dragonhunter.

Dragonhunter (Hagenius brevistylus)

This is a member of the aptly-named clubtail family.  It's the largest clubtail dragonfly in the northeast, and one of the most handsome with its contrasting yellow, black, and green coloring.  

I think the dragonhunter, the bear, and all the other lake and forest animals are enjoying Summer in September as much as I am.

September 3, 2023: A Glimpse of Fall

Friday gave us our first glimpse of fall, one day before the start of meteorological autumn arrived.  It was bright, breezy and cool, with a brisk NW wind blowing away the humidity from early in the week.  As temperatures drop, the forest starts to become more active, as do the lakes.  I saw this white-tailed deer swimming between two islands in the middle of the afternoon on Tuesday.

A deer out for an afternoon dip.

It would swim where the water was deep, and walk along the bottom of the lake where it was shallow.

It climbed up onto one small firm spot,

which it crossed before jumping back into the lake.

Eventually it made its way onto one of the larger islands where it disappeared into the trees in search of fresh browsing spots.

Earlier in the week I met a deer standing in the clearing just past the trailhead of the Hamlin Town Forest.  

This one wasn't fazed at all; it just watched me as I went by and on my way.

No bear encounters this week so I was able to study the beechnuts on the ground.  They are plentiful, and were falling all around me like rain.

A good crop of beechnuts.

Though I do believe they are smaller than usual this year.

These were under a big beech tree, but I could find no signs of bear claws on this trunk.

No claw marks on this big old beech.

No up-close bear encounters, but I did find this nice pile of fresh bear scat one morning:

Very fresh bear scat full of black cherry fruit and seeds.

It was still glistening so it wasn't more than a couple of hours old, though it wasn't still warm.  A few minutes later I walked through a storm of bees hovering around a ground nest that the bear had just recently ripped up to eat the bees and the eggs.  I wasn't far behind it!

The current star of the wildflowers right now are the asters, of several types and colors. 

Yellow and purple centers in Calico Asters.

These were being appreciated by multiple species of insects seeking their pollen and ensuring a good seed crop for next year as well as seeds for the birds that will feed on them in the coming days.

There's nothing new to report on the loon chicks; LuLu and Checkers spend a lot of time watching their parents dive, maybe observing how it's done, but certainly wanting to be first in line when someone brings up a tasty morsel for them.

On this bright blue day it was dad they were haunting for food.

You can see a bit of white on dad's band.

I started seeing signs of trees turning color a couple of weeks of weeks ago but haven't wanted to admit it.  Now that September is here, there's no more denying it.

And Mt. Washington had its first snow of the season.  Fall is coming.