October 15, 2023: Now There are Two

Last week I saw an eagle over by Bryant Island - this week there were two eagles on the Rawson Wood Island right next to Bryant.  I saw the first one far across the lake, sitting way up high at the very top of a dead pine tree.

You have to scan well above the horizon if you're looking for eagles.

I stopped and watched for a while as it just perused its surroundings, acting as though it was at the top of the food chain - which it is.  When I saw it start to raise its tail up in the air,

I knew what was about to happen.

Right after it had reduced its ballast, it took flight and I watched it fly over to a neighboring pine. 

That's when I saw the second eagle, this one perched at the top of that tree, up with all those pine cones.

There's only room for one at top.

I figure they must be a pair.  It makes we wonder if eagles don't excrete their waste where they live.

On the same trip that I saw the eagles I also found both juvenile loons together with one parent.  

I'll keep reporting on them as long as they stay on the lake, which last year was all the way until Christmas.

I've seen a few wooly bear caterpillars this year, the species that some people say predict the winter weather, but I also saw a new caterpillar which I think is a Virginian tiger moth.  

Virginian Tiger Moth caterpillar (Spilosoma virginica)

The well-known black and brown wooly bear caterpillar is also a member of the tiger moth family; it's formal name is the Isabella tiger moth (Pyrrharctia isabella).  The Virginian tiger moth caterpillar I saw is a solid, rich golden color and not something I recall seeing before.  Looking up what the adult moth looks like, there's a good chance I've seen one around but never noted it, as they are a plain, non-descript white moth, sometimes with black spots on its wings.  

Virginian Tiger Moth.  Photo by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren

Someone asked recently how many beaver lodges are on Lake Wicwas.  I have found 12 on the lake plus three more on streams right above or below the lake, though some appear to have been abandoned.  Here's a map showing the locations of lodges I've found, but there are certainly others I haven't discovered.  Each lodge may have 6 residents in the summer:  two parents, a couple of last years kits as well as the new years kits. If eight lodges are occupied that would mean 48 beavers on the lake.

It sure was nice to have some classic fall weather this week to allow pleasant walks in the woods and paddles on the water - with no bugs!  The foliage might not be as brilliant as in some years, and as mentioned last week, one theory is that there was too much rain for deep colors to form.  And here's another observation:  Maple trees right on the shoreline, which have had even more water than usual with the high water levels flooding their roots all summer, have the best color I've seen anywhere.  Maybe they have adapted to wet conditions over time so the wet summer didn't affect them.  My grandfather did call them swamp maples after all.

To find the best color this year you may need to go no farther than a local wetland.