Alaska Inside Passage

I'm running late this week - we just arrived in Juneau Alaska after spending a week living with whales, eagles, and bears in the Alaska Inland Passage. No time for commentary, but I'll share a few of the incredible sights from our trip and when I find the time I'll up the post with some descriptions.

June 8, 2025: Great Crested Flycatcher

The dragon flies came out in full force with the warm temperatures this week which means it's feast time for the birds - no more need to go after tiny mosquitoes and black flies when there's much larger game available.  I mentioned recently the distinctive call of the Great Crested Flycatcher and on a paddle this week there was one calling loudly near me which I was able to locate perched on its branch waiting to attack whatever flew by its outpost.

Great Crested Flycatcher

In addition to the Phoebes which have been here for weeks, the Eastern Kingbirds now have a large presence around water as well.

Eastern Kingbird

All three of these flycatchers are quite noisy birds.  I also saw a couple of Belted Kingfishers this week.  

On the loon front, it appears the southern pair has decided to build a nest on a tiny hummock deep in Harris Cove.  It's well protected from boat traffic but won't have any protection from the sun which could be a problem for them.  At last check they weren't on the nest, so there probably wasn't an egg yet, but by today there might be.  If all goes well, mark your calendar for a chick just after the fourth of July.

One morning this week a pair of float planes landed on Wicwas.  

The two are the same model of pusher-plane with different paints schemes.

Note they have wheels as well as floats for water.

The loons were not pleased with these large noisy birds flying over them.

There are so many birds in the trees now feeding happily on flying insects as well as the crawling ones:  caterpillars.  One native caterpillar that has developed an excellent defense mechanism is the Tent Caterpillar.  

Tent caterpillars create a defense shield against predators.

Tent caterpillar are not a species at risk and since they can defoliate small trees there's generally no harm in removing them if you wish.

The bunchberry is booming now; I saw these up by Arbutus Hill Pond in the Hamlin-Eames property behind Lake Wicwas.

Bunchberry

More white flowers are adorning the False Soloman's Seal plants.

False Soloman's Seal

Later in the summer these will have large bunches of red and white speckled berries which are consumer by birds and rodents.  The Canada Mayflowers didn't quite live up their name this year, but they only missed it by a few days as they are blooming now in early June.

Canada Mayflower

And thank you Canada for giving us some gorgeous red sunsets this week.

That's about the only good that comes from those wildfires, but we might as well appreciate whatever we can!

June 1, 2025: Spiny Water Flea

Hello June!  We're now enjoying the longest daylight hours of the year, and this week we had some beautiful days to soak in all that sunshine.

On one paddle around the lake I noticed how the water lilies had adapted to the high water levels.  

Yellow Pond Lilies with long stems.

They had to grow long stems to keep their leaves above water and gather the sunlight that gives them life, and now with the water dropping they're dangling on long tethers that funnel the food they create down to their roots.  A few days later they had blossomed.

With the water level just about back to normal we can expect the loons to be seeking nesting sites; the territorial battles seem to have settled down, though not stopped.  On Friday I had a pretty good hint that they are in search of nesting sites when a loon popped up right next to my kayak, between me and the shore.

A close encounter with a loon in protective mode.

It then dove and swam right underneath me, surfacing on the other side, luring me away from shore.  

I'll bet its mate was at the shoreline evaluating a potential nest site; I didn't go looking, but rather continued quickly on my way.  It may be a little later than the ideal nesting period but there's still plenty of time to nest and raise chicks.  The biggest concern would be a heat wave in June or early July when they are sitting on their eggs.  

I love the different shades of green in the forest as the leaves on the deciduous trees fully develop the chlorophyll that the gives them their deep green color.  

It makes it easy to differentiate between evergreen and deciduous trees.

The view from above at Crockett's Ledge.

Soon their leaves will match the hue of evergreens that keep their through the winter.

I received a report from people fishing in Winnipesaukee and Squam that the Spiny Water Flea, a small, invasive crustacean, has grown to high population levels in both lakes.  

Spiny Water Flea shown on a pencil eraser.  Photo from NH Fish and Game.

This animal poses no health concerns to humans, but it is a problem for native animals as it alters the food web, and its sharp body parts can damage the internal organs of fish.  By feeding on native zooplankton, it can reduce the amount of plankton that consumes algae, leading to larger algal blooms.  The flea also causes problems with fishing lines.

Clogging up a fishing line.  Photo by Jeff Gunderson.

The spiny water flea is native to Asia and Europe and was brought to America by cargo ships, first found in the Great Lakes in the 1980s and making their way to Vermont by 2013.  It was found in both Winnipesaukee and Winnisquam in 2023.  Although NH laws requiring draining and drying boats between different water bodies will help slow its spread, it will undoubtedly find its way to all the lakes over time.  

One advantage Lake Wicwas has is its smaller size and high nutritive value.  According to NH DES the flea "seems to prefer the open water areas of large, low-nutrient lakes".  [Ref:  NH DES Environmental Fact Sheet NN-68]  Of course, the high nutrient content of Wicwas supports other problems such as increased vegetation growth of both native and invasive aquatic plants.  It also provides a good foundation for cyanobacteria blooms.

In other water quality news, we've already had a minor outbreak of cyanobacteria in Wicwas; I found it in many locations around the lake this week. 

Cyanobacteria along the west shore of Lake Wicwas.

NH DES tested a water sample and found a concentration of 25,900 cells/liter which is below the threshold level of 70,000, but it's still wise to be vigilant when you swim and to not let pets drink the water.  Keep an eye out for bright green flecks suspended in the water column, sometimes described as looking like a snow globe. 

Cyanobacteria suspended in the water.  Pollen doesn't typically do that.

As a cyanobacteria bloom expands it may rise to surface as a green scum, and then sink to the bottom of the lake.

New wildflowers sprouted this week.  Watch for the common four-petaled white Bunchberry and Pointed Blue-eyed Grass.  

Pointed Blue-eyed Grass.

I'll end with the end - the end of a beautiful day on Lake Wicwas.