January 28, 2024: Ice can be Nice

More crazy New England weather brought us just about every kind of precipitation this week including the dreaded freezing rain.  Fortunately it came after a nice snowfall which gave us a couple of days of perfect dry snow to ski on.  And the ice we got was just a thin layer, not enough to be much of a problem with power outages, but enough to make things really pretty for a snowshoe trip in the sparkling forest when the sun came out.

The view from Crockett's Ledge on Wednesday.

There was a thin coating of crystal-clear frozen water on the all tree branches.

Trees without leaves handled the weight fine, but the pine and hemlock with their leaves still on had more of a problem.

Bowed hemlock turned the trail into a limbo course.

I continued past Crockett's to the White Mountain Ledge, and then heading back to the trailhead I took a chance at exploring the beaver ponds that are encircled by the Blue Trail, knowing full well that high water flowing in streams that run through them would make travel on the ponds treacherous.  

Lots of water flowing in the streams.

Some of the ponds are long and narrow with the current flowing right through them.

But by following the animal tracks - they know where to walk to avoid getting their feet wet - I was able to get across all four ponds without falling through, though there were a couple of close calls.  

The fox and coyote tracks helped locate the firmest footing.

The largest pond was easier to cross, but there were still plenty of weak spots to deal with.

I was extra careful where streams flow into the ponds as well as out again at the dams that hold the water in.

Water coming in

And then flowing out at the dam.

It all made for a fun trip on a nice warm day.  

It was on a different snowshoe trip that I came across more bobcat tracks.  

A nice set of bobcat prints in the snow.

I followed the tracks along through thick woods and open clearings.

And eventually came upon a spot where it bedded down for a while beside a tree, either to watch for prey or just to take a short cat nap.

It left some very nice prints in the soft snow that really help discern the difference between bobcat and fox tracks, which being the same size can be hard to tell apart.  But bobcats have retractable claws, so claw marks are almost always absent in bobcat prints, while they usually register in fox prints.  Bobcat prints are also very round; fox prints are longer than they are wide.

Note the nearly perfectly round print with no claws marks.

One more animal note:  We sure are having fun with all the juncos this winter.  There's been a flock of at least 20 of them here every day ever since the snow arrived.

They are everywhere, on the ground, the feeders, the suet.

Even the front door step.

Junco prints on the door mat.

So it was another roller-coaster weather week where a little fresh snow, a little freezing rain, and a little bright sun conspired to make some memorable outings around Lake Wicwas.  Even with freezing rain it's a beautiful place.

North from the White Mountain Ledge.

Mts. Lincoln (left) and  Lafayette (tallest), seen from the White Mountain Ledge.

January 21, 2024: Pine Siskin

Light fresh snow and cold temperatures have provided the first good tracking conditions of the season - along with some really nice skiing. 

A late afternoon ski on Lake Wicwas.

On my first ski trip on the lake this winter I came across more signs of my new best friends, the otters. This time there must have been three of them out having a blast on top of the ice rather than under it. For a long stretch along the shore near Sheep Island I followed their hop-slide-hop game of follow the leader. 

A trio of river otters out sliding on the ice.

On a different trip in the woods behind the lake I found this animal sign right in the middle of the trail for all the animals of the forest to take note.

Based on the small, twisted form of the scat, it looks the calling card of a weasel.

On another beautiful, bright day Linda and I took a snowshoe out to the new viewing platform at the Page Pond Town Forest over looking the pond on the Quarry Loop Trail. 

The new viewing platform at the Quarry Loop at Page Pond.

There were plenty of animal tracks to be seen there including white-tailed deer tracks right at viewing platform. 

White-tailed deer were exploring the edge of the pond.

A hoof print that also shows the deer's dew claws (on the left).

At the other end of the size spectrum:  mouse tracks on the pond.

Standing quietly beside the pond we heard a rambunctious bird song that I thought was a bunch of goldfinches in the trees, but every now and then there was a distinct upward spiraling raspy call that wasn't anything I'd heard before.  I recorded his song and ran it through the Cornell BirdNET app  which identified it as pine siskin -  a new bird for me.  I looked for the rambunctious singer there at the pond as well as three other times when I heard one singing, but I could never find it high up in the branches.  Here's a picture of a pine siskin from the Cornell ornithology website that shows how it blends in so well, making it impossible for me to locate.

Pine siskin; photo from Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

If you participate in the NH Audubon Backyard Winter Bird Survey you should have received their recent newsletter about the upcoming survey.  It predicts the pine siskin will be "the finch of the season" so maybe we'll see (hear?) more of them.  If you're interested in the backyard survey you can find out how to participate at the NH Audubon Backyard Winter Bird Survey - it's very easy to participate, you can spend as much or as little time as you'd like, and you don't even have to leave your warm home!

🐦

Before the most recent snow fell there were a few interesting items visible on the top of the old crusty snow.

White pine cone scales shredded by red squirrels.

This particular patch of forest was covered with scales from white pine cones scattered uniformly over the snow.  I'm guessing here, the squirrel was up in a tree shredding pincecones and the scales fluttered down, spreading out over the ground.  Compare it to this situation where a squirrel sat on the ground having its meal:

Pinecone scales and the stem from which they were removed.

In another part of the forest the snow was littered with maple seeds. 

Maple seeds all over the snow.

Maple seeds in January?  I've always seen these released in the spring; it makes no sense to me why trees would produce seeds now when there's no hope of them finding warm soil on which to germinate. Could the tree have been confused by all the warm weather in December?

One more bit of good news from the cold weather (it got as cold as -5 this week):  People were fishing on Meredith Bay on Friday!  And the Pond Hockey rink area has been staked out on Lake Waukewan.  If it remains cold they should be able to hold the tournament on Winnipesaukee, but Waukewan will be a backup if needed.

It sure is nice to have real winter arrive.

January 14, 2024: Snowing, Skiing, and Skating

Last weekend's storm ended up delivering just over a foot of light powdery snow which set us up for some really nice skiing.  I was able to ski from the Hamlin trailhead all the way around the Four Ponds loop and up the Yellow and Red trails to the White Mountain Ledge with plenty of snow cover.

On Monday we received another four or five inches of snow, but that storm ended on a wet note with a lot of rain, but there was enough base that the snow survived it well and good ski conditions continued.  

But wherever the rain water had flowed it took all the snow with it, making some of the stream crossings a challenge. 

Drainages and low area were saturated.

I came across a few animal tracks on my ski trips including those of a bobcat that crossed the trail.

We've had a few more birds at the feeder since the snow, but still not as many as usual except for the juncos.  They have been out in force again.  Juncos usually hop around on the ground under the feeders gleaning what's spilled  by the other birds.  But right after the snow there wasn't enough spillage and some of them were doing their best to perch on the feeder.  Their bodies certainly aren't adapted for perching!

But then a large flock of white-breasted nuthatches arrived, and nuthatches intentionally shovel loads of seeds out in search of the largest nut in the whole feeder.

The white-breasted nuthatch is the junco's best friend.

Soon the juncos were plenty happy back down on the ground.  Their tracks show that, unlike doves and turkeys which walk as a human does, juncos hop along on both feet.

Junco Junction

The week was cold enough that the ice in the lake grew thicker.  By Wednesday there were about four inches in Marion Cove with a couple more inches of water and slush on top.  By Friday enough of the top layer had frozen with a nice smooth surface to allow a bit of skating.

But just a bit.  Though the ice at six inches was safe (where I skated) that three-layered cake made things interesting.  In places where the top layer was soft, my skate would break through into the wet intermediate layer and drop to the top of the hard black ice layer.  It was an entertaining skate.  We're about to head into our first deep freeze of the winter, so skating conditions may get really good next week.

On the subject of ice, Simon Pendleton, a professor in Environmental Science and Policy at Plymouth State University, is continuing his research on ice and snow in the Lakes Region and has once again selected Lake Wicwas as one of the water bodies on which to collect data.  He has installed a small kiosk at the Wicwas boat ramp with instructions on how we citizen scientists can collect and submit data for the research project.  

People may also submit data for other locations around the lake, though reporting at regular intervals is most valuable.  His research will help us understand the changing planet and its impact on all aspects of life, especially its impact on winter sports such as skiing, snowmobiling, and ice fishing.  Here's a link to information on his project which includes the link to report your observations.

Let's hope the coming cold snap will get the larger lakes frozen in time for the Meredith Fishing Derby, Pond Hockey Tournament, and all our other winter-related events.

Meredith Bay, February, 2019

P.S.  I want to give you advance notice that the Meredith Conservation Commission is hosting a guided snowshoe trip to Arbutus Hill Pond in the Hamlin Town Forest on February 17th.  Registration is required and limited to ten people.  You can find details on the trip and how to register at the Commission's Website. 

January 7, 2024: Otters Under the Ice

We finally have ice-in on Lake Wicwas.  It was called yesterday, January 6th, after a few cold nights.  It's the latest ice-in date on record, matching the prior record set on January 6, 2015, and the third time we haven't had full ice cover by the end of December.  Here's the ice-in trend over the past 22 years along with the linear best-fit trend line.

The historical data for ice-out and the number of days of ice cover are just as disturbing.  

Two days before ice-in we had a quiet, perfectly calm morning, and I was standing at the edge of the lake enjoying the view of thin ice that covered about 80% of the lake at that time.  

Being calm, I was surprised when I heard water sloshing at my feet - there was no wind to make waves and certainly no boats.  Next I heard air moving - again, strange.  Water and air bubbles visible under the clear ice were suddenly moving and I heard increased air noise like blowing.  It started to dawn on me that there was an animal under the ice near a small opening at the shoreline.  Was it a beaver?  A muskrat?  Maybe a mink?  Suddenly there was streak of brown visible through the ice, and a fast, slender animal flashed away underneath the clear black ice.  It was undoubtedly an otter!  I waited quietly and soon it came back, followed by a second right on its tail.  The two zipped back and forth a bit before one of them returned to the breathing hole.  It stuck its nose up through the tiny hole, and this time I was ready - I knew where to aim my camera.

I couldn't see anything, but I was pretty sure I had the right spot, so while I heard breathing and cracking ice, I just kept taking pictures; it wasn't until I got home and blew them up that I found the little critter.

Look in the circle.

There he is.

It was panting hard, like a swimmer that had just come up from a long dive and was restoring the oxygen level in its blood in preparation for another.  In a minute it was gone again, zipping away under the ice.  I didn't move.  Another minute or two - both otters came back.  This time one was on my left at a different hole, the other back on my right.  The one on the right decided it wanted a bigger hole and I heard the ice break as it pushed its nose further up through the ice, enough to expose its whiskers.

It pushed up yet further, opening its mouth, perhaps to suck in more air.

Otters have tongues!

Finally, it opened wide and showed off its fish-chomping teeth.

When I first heard the breathing, before I located the hole, I took a couple of videos.  In this first video you can hear a couple of breaths while I was trying to find the source.

In the second video you hear water splashing from the otter to my left.

Two otter reports in two weeks - this one was a lot more enjoyable than last week's.  There I was, standing four feet away from a river otter, close enough to hear it breathing - does it get any better than that?  And now, having woken up this morning to a world of white, I'll be on the hunt for otter slides as they toboggan on their bellies down onto the lake!

Winter at Wicwas.