May 12, 2024: Iron Mines

There's an old iron mine on the western flank of Gunstock Mountain which I'd never been to, but the Town of Gilford and the Lakes Region Conservation Trust recently improved the trail to the mines so I decided I would check it out.  It's a short, half-mile hike up the the site, and along the way there is a very nice viewpoint looking out over Gilford.

Viewpoint on the Iron Mines Trail

The mines themselves - there are two sites - are small and not very impressive to look at, but the story is interesting.  

One of two sites where iron ore was mined from the Belknap Mountains

The mines contained very-high quality iron ore, so high in fact that some was used directly without being smelted.  But the deposits were small, and the mine didn't last long.  There's a short history posted on the kiosk at the trailhead.

What I find most interesting is that someone discovered the iron deposit in the first place, just two small veins located on a large mountain range.  Were there specific topological or geological aspects that attracted their attention?   Did the magnetite in the rock make their compass act erratically? Something led them to discover the deposit, and if known, that would be a interesting part of the story.

The Iron Mines Trail connects to the large trail network in the Belknap Range that runs all the way to Mt. Major in Alton.  I continued on, completing a loop over Gunstock and Belknap, taking advantage of the nice late-spring day with no bugs and clear sightlines through empty branches.

There is still snow in the White Mountains.

Snow on Mt. Washington, seen from the summit of Gunstock.

And on the ski trails.

Flintlock Trail at Gunstock.  This is the trail one can see from Clough Park in Meredith Village

The waters of Winnipesaukee were shining blue from the ledges on Belknap. 

Of course, I had to climb the fire tower.

Back on Lake Wicwas, the wakening forest is entering the mellow-yellow, lemon-lime phase.

Blue water on Wicwas too.

Paddling on that blue water this week I had an exciting moment when I came across a single loon that was banded - with a color scheme I'd never seen before!

Orange with black dot over yellow with black stripe.

I sent the information off to the Loon Preservation Committee, but they were only able to narrow it down to three loons based just left leg bands.  The next day the same loon was here again and I waited patiently hoping to get a right foot wag, but the bird wasn't cooperating.  I did get one fuzzy photo of its right leg under water, but that was enough for the LPC biologists to determine its identity:  It's a loon that was rescued on January 18th of this year on Paugus Bay in Winnipesaukee.  The warm weather this winter had let it stay so long that it had molted its flight feathers and couldn't leave when the bay finally froze over.  The team at LPC are thrilled to know their rescue effort was successful.  Now we'll watch to see if this loon sticks around at Wicwas, and if so, what kind or turmoil develops during nesting season.  You can read the Loon Preservation Committee's report on the rescue here.

While the loons may not have even selected a nesting site yet, the geese have already hatched goslings as seen in this picture from Jim DeMott.

Six little goslings.  Photo by Jim DeMott.

If all the geese on the lake this year have this many chicks, it's going to be a big year for geese.

Paddling down near the outlet I saw this creature swimming across the lake straight towards a beaver lodge, so I thought is was a beaver - though strange to be out in the middle of the day.  But it turned out to be a muskrat.  

A muskrat - note the thin rat-like tail.

It's always fun to see something different on the lake.  

I'll end by noting that the Serviceberry (aka Shadbush) are blooming, and it's about time to look for native cherry trees in bloom.  Here's one more picture from my hike in the Belknaps - a pretty Roundleaf Yellow Violet.

Roundleaf  Yellow Violet (Viola rotundifolia)

Now there's a nice Oxymoron.

May 5, 2024: Boats and Birds are back on the Lake

Docks are going in and boats are appearing on the lake - sure signs that summer is approaching.  The April showers have come and gone and the lake is down to its proper summer level - just in time as both pairs of our nesting loons have returned and started scouting for nesting sites.  I got on the lake a couple of times, and on one of my kayak trips I watched a hawk fly over the lake right towards me and land high on an island I was paddling beside.    

Broad-winged Hawk.  (Buteo platypterus)

The broad-winged Hawks have returned.  These are hawks I often see and hear soaring over the lakes and trees in summer.  Their strongly banded tail is visible as they fly, and their high-pitched whistle is easily heard piercing the summer sky. 

Photo credit:  David Brown

New Hampshire's broad-winged hawks migrate 4000 miles twice a year, back and forth from Central America, and these birds are survivors.  Fossil records show they have been on the planet for 400,000 years.  [Ref:  Cornell Lab of Ornithology]  Cornell also states they usually nest "far from areas of human disturbance," another indicator that the conserved areas around Wicwas are supportive of wildlife species that need large unfragmented lands.

Later on the paddle I saw motion far across the lake in a marsh.  I couldn't see what it was but took a picture to blow up later, and saw that it was a Great Blue Heron.  And it had some huge object in its beak.

Is that a fish?  It doesn't look like a snake.  The photo is too poor to tell.

The herons have been back for a while now but many warblers arrived just this week.  I saw or heard Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green, and Blackburnian warblers as well as Oven Birds.  

Lots of animals are taking advantage of the trees that got blown into the lake, not just the beavers.  I've seen painted turtles sun bathing on them as well as this heron which was using one felled tree as a fishing platform.

Amy and Russ found the Harris Cove loons preening one afternoon and were able to identify both of them by their bands.  This provided the confirmation that both nesting pairs are back.

The Harris Cove male.  Photo by Amy Wilson.

The two pairs seem to be sharing the lake well so it looks like we're set for another successful breeding season.  Between these two pairs, Lake Wicwas has fledged nine new loons over the past five years.

I also caught a glimpse of two deer strolling the woods.

I think they might have been yearlings still traveling together as both appeared rather small.  White-tailed deer are curious animals and they watched me for a while, eventually deciding I wasn't a threat, but they walked slowly up into thicker woods just to be safe.

The spring flora is also starting to rev up now.  This week I saw my first Trillium, a purple one.

Purple Trillium (Trillium erectum) in Hamlin.

Fiddleheads are poking up in and around wetlands.

Also Violets, the Sweet White and Common Blue, as well as Trailing Arbutus, are in bloom.

Trailing Arbutus (Epigaea repens)

There's a lot going on around the lake in spring, and there's only a short time left to enjoy it all without dealing with the bugs.  All those Phoebes and warblers fliting through the bare branches show that bugs are back on the lake too.