February 2, 2025: Pond Hockey is Back on the Bay

Last weekend it was airplanes on the lake; this weekend it's hockey.  And after being moved to Lake Waukewan the past two years due to lack of ice on the big lake, it's back on Meredith Bay.  26 simultaneous rinks of hockey games means you have be on constant lookout for pucks flying from every direction - it's an exciting event.  We went by twice on Saturday and it was a quite scene with activity taking over the entire downtown area.  We didn't stop to check out the action, so I have no current pictures but these photos from a prior give you the idea.

It's great entertainment for a winter weekend, and it's nice to be able to grab a hot coffee or a snack out on the ice.  The games continue through 1:00 today, so it's not too late to check it out.

Now let's check on creatures even more wild than hockey players.  The fresh snow this week provided good opportunity for tracking; I had a fun time following this bobcat trail through the forest.

Where the snow was thin the bobcat left nice clear footprints.

The delicate round shape of bobcat print - no nails, and a puff where the cat's thick fur brushed the snow.

Tracking can be a challenge though when a two foot tall cat passes easily beneath the branches of thick stands of young hemlock that are nearly impenetrable by a human.  If you follow a bobcat trail long enough you'll almost certainly come to a spot where the hunter stopped for a rest, usually at a prime viewing point with a wide perspective to watch for something to come along and ambush.

A nicely protected, sunny spot for a cat nap,

With a wide view, yet hidden from its prey by a blind of branches and a fallen tree.

This bobcat brought me near one of my favorite porcupine ledges so I took a trip over to see if they've been active.  Porcupine tracks in deep snow are easily distinguishable because their short legs mean the animal just plows its way along through the snow leaving a trench.  Right now it's not very deep, so you can make out individual footfalls in the trench.

A porcupine track leading up into the ledge.

Porcupines prefer a habitat of steep ledges - with lots of caves and crevasses which they use for hideouts and dens - and well populated with Hemlock trees, a reliable food source all year.

Another porcupine trail at the base of the ledge.

There's a spot on the trunk of the tree at the right side of the above photo where all the bark has been stripped off (though this obviously isn't a hemlock).  Mr. Porky probably clung to that trunk and happily gnawed its way around, eating the bark and the cambium underneath.

A tree girdled by a porcupine.

It's easy to follow their path to see where they went for the night - or just a nap.

Down into a small cave in the ledge.

It's always a revelation when you think you are far away from civilization following an animal track, yet you come across this:

Barb wire sprouts from the center of a Red Oak.

It's a reminder that humans had domesticated almost every acre of central New Hampshire in days past.  And the growth of the tree since the barb wire was fastened to it gives you an idea of just how long ago that was.

Cold air, fresh snow, thick ice, sunny days - it all makes for great weather for all types of winter activity.

Fresh snow on a trail waiting for a pair of skis or snowshoes.

If you're looking for a snowshoe trip with a guide to lead the way, sign up for the Meredith Conservation Commission's guided tour of Page Pond Town Forest on February 22nd.  You can find details here.  But next on the winter schedule is the Great Meredith Fishing Derby on February 8th and 9th!

January 26, 2025: Fire & Ice - and Airplanes!

While Los Angeles is burning, the rest of the country is freezing all the way down to Texas and Louisiana where New Orleans saw 10" of snow.  Even central Florida saw temperatures in the 20's yesterday.  In Meredith we had subzero lows for five days in a row with a low temperature of -21.5 degrees on Tuesday.  

Temperature at Lake Wicwas

The cold put a chill on some outdoor activities but we did take a couple of short excursions, including a quick and windy walk in the Thompson Wildlife Sanctuary in Sandwich.  We didn't see any birds, but the mountains were beautiful.

Mt. Chocorua looms over the wetlands at the Thompson Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary

Some animals hide out in protected areas during cold temperatures.  For example, deer will stay in their dense deer yards protected from the wind and radiational cooling by thick hemlock trees.  Others will spend more time in underground dens where the earth stays tens of degrees warmer than the air.  But the poor birds have to go out at first light, the coldest part of the day, to start their search for the calories they burned just to keep warm over night - a small bird can lose ten percent of its body weight on a single cold night.  Small rodents like mice can store food in their dens, but apparently they still head out in frigid weather as evidenced by the many tracks I've seen on my short walks.

Grand Central Station of the mouse world.

Their tiny feet leave clear imprints in the cold dry snow.

Even their light tail makes a mark as it plops on the snow with each hop.

There's been a small flock of six to eight mourning doves here lately, perching in the branches of the oak trees and gleaning seeds from under the bird feeders.  

A pair of mourning doves perches on a cold winter day.

Despite the cold temperatures there are sounds of spring in the air.  Almost every time I'm out on a sunny day (which has been every day) I hear the drumming of woodpeckers resonating through the forest.  They are already staking out their claim on territory and calling in a mate.  Both Hairy and Downy woodpeckers have long courtship periods.  They start courting and nest hunting and construction in January, but won't actually lay eggs until April.  But that drumming in January is always a welcome sign of longer and warmer days ahead.

Gathering its winter calories.

The cold weather did in fact allow the Alton Bay Ice Runway to open this week and we stopped by yesterday to see if there was any action. 

It was a cold morning, but there was a constant stream of planes coming and going.  I counted about 40 planes parked on the ice.

At one point there were five lined up on the taxiway waiting to cross the runway to the parking area. 

Stacked up like Chicago O'Hare in winter.

Other than Alaska, this is only FAA approved ice runway in the country, so it's a big draw for pilots to check off on their bucket list.  Here's a sample of some of the wide array of aircraft taking advantage of this rare  opportunity.  

This was a neat pusher biplane.

Landing gear equipped for snow, ice, or tarmac.

This one must be cold to fly.

Even a helicopter.

They even had ground control to manage all the traffic.

I'll share a couple of videos of the action too:

With this weather, the runway should remain open for the foreseeable future if you want to check it out.

So the big winter ice events of 2025 have begun!  Don't forget to get to Meredith Village for the Pond Hockey event this coming weekend.  It will be back on Meredith Bay with all the fixings:  food trucks, vendors, even a music stage!  And though we are short on snow, what we have received has stayed fresh due so it's pretty and wintery even if skiing is limited and there's been no snowmobiling other than on the lakes.  

But thick ice and even a little snow is good; we'll take whatever winter weather we can get - it's all better than being on fire!

January 19, 2025: Tracks are Back

Cold weather and a touch of snow has all the creatures of the north out and active this week - including humans.

Ice fishermen and bob houses appeared on Lake Wicwas during this beautiful winter week, and the skaters were enjoying the ice, skating right through the thin layer of snow.  It was busy at the boat ramp!

Lots of people out enjoying winter fun on Lake Wicwas.

The local motorcycle gang was out in force too.

With metal studs screwed into their tires they were ripping up and down the beautifully smooth ice hidden by the sheer layer of fluffy snow.  

A lot of effort is put into homemade studded tires.

A thin layer of fresh snow provides a perfect substrate for animals tracks.  On a run along the trails at Whitten Woods in Ashland I found tracks of many animals, including one I always enjoy finding:  Snowshoe Hare.

The unmistakable track of a rabbit or hare.

There were a lot of these tracks all around the more remote section of the North Peak Trail where there had been few human visitors.  Lagomorphs (hares and rabbits) have very distinctive tracks that makes them easy to identify from other animals, but determining hare versus rabbit is more difficult.  Based on the size of the prints and length and width of the track, I believe these are Snowshoe Hare tracks.

This hare was travelling from right to left.

The side-by-side prints on the left are from the larger hind feet, while the smaller prints, one in front of the other, are the front feet.  Lagomorphs land on their front feet, then pull their hind legs forward, planting them ahead of their front feet, pushing off with their powerful hind legs.  Here's a slow motion video of the process.

Birds tracks are also not easily differentiated.  

About nine inches between tracks.

I don't know what bird made these tracks.  The print is small, but there's a long distance between them which hints that it's a long-legged bird rather than my first thought of a grouse.   The prints are too small for a turkey.  Maybe a pheasant?

Those are two gloved fingers.

These tracks wound all around the trails, again at the northern reaches of Whitten Woods, and there's a lot of toe-drag in the snow.  Any ideas?  

Whitten Woods is a nearby place to visit for a two to five mile hike on well maintained trails, and the best view is from the short walk to the South Peak.

Squam Lake and the Ossipee Mountains from South Peak.

I'll bet it's a great spot to watch the sun rise.  

All the upcoming ice events are still looking good.  We're also following the Alton Bay Ice Runway.  The runway has over 10 inches of ice now and with cold weather in the forecast, the runway may be FAA certified next weekend - I'll keep you posted.

Did you happen to see the full moon on Monday?

The Wolf Moon sets over Wicwas.

It was spectacular!

January 12, 2025: Shannon Brook In Winter

Remembering that we had 50 degrees and an inch of rain just before this cold spell made me think the rivers would be flowing well enough to create some good ice formations, so I took a trip over to Shannon Brook which drains the Ossipee Mountains at Castle in the Clouds.  I wasn't disappointed - Shannon Brook was flowing well and had sculpted some impressive ice formations.  

Shannon Brook in the Ossipee Mountains.

Where the river flowed over gentle terrain the ice had completely hidden the rushing water below. 

Openings in the ice showed where multiple layers had frozen; first at one level, then as the stream dropped, it froze again a couple of inches below the prior layer.

Note how over time, the edges of the top layer have softened
relative to the lower layer of the cake.

The largest of the waterfalls was completely hidden by thick ice with only glimpses of water through some gaps.

One can hike the Brook Walk from either the top or the bottom of the trail, but I like to start at the top, saving the tallest waterfall, the "Fall of Song", for last. 

The Fall of Song.

The Fall of Song is too tall to capture in one photo; here's a video from top to bottom:

After walking the Brook Trail I took a hike up the Turtleback Mountain Trail to the Faraway Mountain Trail and was dismayed that even at that elevation there was no snow on the mountain.  I did come across an artistically rendered frozen puddle beside the Turtleback Mountain Trail though.

With no snow on the ground there hasn't been any tracking of animals to see who's been roaming over the lake.  But we have had frequent visits from the Red-bellied Woodpecker, including a pair at one point, the first time I've seen two Red-bellieds together.

A Red-bellied Woodpecker extracts a chunk of suet from the feeder.

The lack of snow did allow a long stretch of some fabulous skating on the lake.

Then yesterday we received an inch of snow, which wasn't enough to ski on but it will be enough to hunt for animal tracks, and it did make the world look like winter again.  People out enjoying their winter activities this weekend will feel right at home.

An ice fisherman plies his trade during the snowstorm.

It looks like the cold weather will hang around long enough that we'll be able hold the big winter events on Meredith Bay this year.  Pond Hockey is first, coming up in just three weeks!