July 20, 2025: The First Egg Hatches

Last week I came across a Veery nest on the ground.  The incubation period for Veeries is about 12 days, so I went back on Thursday to check on its status. Last year a ground nest was destroyed so I wasn't sure what I would find, but was pleased to see the nest intact and the first egg had hatched.

One of the four eggs has hatched.

By the appearance of the tiny chick it must have just hatched; there was no sign of the other three eggs starting to crack.  Mother veery keeps a neat house as she had already removed the egg shells.  I'd love to go back in two or three days to see if the other eggs have hatched, but I'll resist the urge in order to minimize disturbance.  The veery nesting period is 10-12 days so I'll check next week to learn whatthe status of all the eggs.    

The blueberries ripened up nicely in the hot weather this week and should remain plentiful for at least another week.  With a little luck you'll gather some before the birds and chipmunks get them all.  A large flock of Common Grackles was raiding this blueberry bush and feeding them to their young, sometimes two at a time.

Common Grackle with a mouthful of blueberries; its offspring waits beside.

The Annual Loon Census sponsored by the Loon Preservation Committee occurred yesterday.  Volunteers and professionals alike went out on many of New Hampshire's lakes between 8:00 and 9:00 am to determine how many loons are in the state.  Five loons were counted on Wicwas this year:  The single banded male in the northern territory and the family of four in the southern territory.  The two chicks, Spangle and Star are doing well, and Spangle is starting to dive.  They might not catch their own food for quite a while, but it might help them avoid predators from above such as eagles.  

There is a dramatic difference in the size of the two chicks - Spangle looks to be almost twice the size of Star.

This photo taken by Dave Thorpe during the loon census hints at why, and indicates that it may take Star some time to catch up.  

The stronger, faster bird gets to the dinner table first.

The mid-summer wildflowers are starting to take over the flower show now.  Daisies are going by but Black-eyed Susans are coming on strong and the evening primrose are starting to bloom.  

Evening Primrose

I try to remember to check these in the morning, looking for the Primrose Moth.  If I see one I'll share it here.

I was treated to a rare sighting of a Scarlet Tanager yesterday when it flew down from the high tree tops and into my sight.  I've been hearing it for weeks, always looking for it, but he is way up high, hidden amongst the leaves.  I had been listening to him sing for a long time, unable to find him when suddenly something attracted him down to a Red Maple tree right in my sight where he perched for several minutes.

The bright red and yellow plumage of a scarlet tanager.

He even sang for me.

Another special summer moment provide by mother nature!

Let's end with a dragon - one of the most brilliantly colored of all the dragonflies.

Eastern Pondhawk

Bright scarlet birds and emerald green dragonflies - the variety of nature's creations is endless.

Correction:  Jen Esten and Jon Waage, authors of the The Nature of Pleasant Lake blog, observed that the mustelids in last week's video were likely River Otters.  Checking with the photographer about the location of the video supports otter as the correct identification.  Thank you Jen and Jon!

July 13, 2025: Weed School

No, not the kind of weed school we had in the 60's.  This one was about aquatic plants, led by our own Russ Brummer, Science Department head at the New Hampton School.  

Our fearless leader describes the Floating Bladderwort.

A group of Wicwas Weedwatchers met on boats at the Wicwas launch where we first learned how to differential between native aquatic plants and the often similar looking non-native plants that can ruin a lake.  Because non-native plants haven't been here for thousands of years they have no natural predators so they grow unrestrained and can completely overtake a waterbody.  

The Lake Host program attempts to keep these invaders from moving from lake to lake, but we can't inspect every boat that comes in (more volunteers are always needed!) so the weed watcher team patrols the entire lake looking for dangerous weeds; if an outbreak does start we hope to catch it quickly.  

We first looked at the notorious Eurasian Milfoil which is the bane of many lakes in New Hampshire.

Eurasian Milfoil

We compared it to Coontail, a native plant often confused with milfoil.

Native Coontail

It's hard to tell the difference, but milfoil has feathery-like leaves, while the coontail mostly has leaves with a single strand, looking like a pine needle.  But if you're ever on a lake and see a plant that you think might be milfoil it's always better to report it - we're happy to determine it's not a problem, and it's great to have people watching for it.

After a short classroom session we hit the water for the real fun.  With no known invasives in Wicwas - and none were found - we spent our time studying our native aquatic plants, many of which are both fascinating and beautiful.  Last week I noted the Floating Bladderwort.  This carnivorous plant floats freely in the lake, untethered to the bottom.  The plant's bladders suck in water and tiny organisms such as insect larvae and water fleas, which the plant digests for sustenance.  (Maybe they'll eat Spiny Water Fleas in lakes where that invasive species has arrived.)  There are at least two other bladderwort species in Wicwas including the Common Bladderwort which can grow into huge floating mats and often concerns boaters due to its large size, but it is not a problem to the lake.  

Large mats of Bladderwort can capture a lot of insect larvae and make great habit for small fish.

As it grows and matures it can have huge submerged parts with hundreds of bladders that turn from pink to red to black as they consume their meals.

New pink growth on the left, more mature, black bladders on the right.

Another native plant is the Floating Heart - a small lily pad with heart shaped leaves and a flower so tiny you really have to get close to appreciate its beauty.

Floating Heart

We learned that the floating, grass-like plants also seen in the picture above is called Bur-reed.  It grows in many shallow, sheltered areas in New Hampshire lakes and also has an interesting flower which doesn't appear to be attached to the grassy leaves, but it is.

The Bur-reed flower can look like it's associated with the surrounding lily pads.

Here's another pretty one we examined:

The blossom of the Watershield, a common native aquatic plant.

We had a fun morning and we added to our lake knowledge - thank you Russ!  If you're interested in becoming a Weed Watcher, here or on any other lake, check in with your lake association.  They probably have a weed watching team, and if not, you can start one!

Back on dry land around the lake this week I came across a ground-nesting bird, the Veery.  I flushed it from its nest on what is obviously a very little used trail, otherwise it wouldn't have built its nest just a few feet off the trail.  I figured it was either a Veery or a Hermit Thrush.  It wasn't hard to find the nest having seen where the bird came from - otherwise no one would ever know there was a nest hidden here.

A well hidden bird nest.

But under that Bracken Fern was a tightly woven nest and four beautiful blue eggs. 

The bright blue color tells me it's a Veery nest.  Hermit thrush eggs have a lighter color and sometimes have brown spots.  I quickly took a picture and left so mother veery could get right back to her eggs.  I'll avoid that trail for a while.

Next I'll share a video sent to me by Conservation Commission volunteer Bob Hunt.  His son took this video of what is mostly likely a litter of River Otters running across a driveway near Lake Winona.  First at actual speed, then in slow motion.  

The littlest sibling appears to be struggling to keep up!  What a cool thing to have seen!

I would be remiss not to report on Spangle and Star, and happily, the reporter is that both are doing fine.

Mom or dad towers over the chicks, telling us to stay away.

The next two pictures were taken just yesterday by Dave Thorpe:

Star is still happy to hitch a ride on a parent's back.

They seem to be growing quickly and getting along well, so at just over a week they're off to a good start.  

There's still loon turmoil taking place in the northern nesting territory with regular encounters between three loons, a likely reason why there's no nest there this year.  You know what they say about three's a crowd....

Birds, mammals, flowers, pretty lily pads - there's a lot to see around the lakes at this time of year.  I hope you can get out to one the region's beautiful lakes to see some of nature's glory.

July 6, 2025: Introducing Spangle and Star

Let's welcome the two newest additions to Lake Wicwas, Spangle and Star, hatched on or about July 1st and 2nd, probably one day apart.

Spangle and Star, about three days old.

We don't know the sex of either, but I'm going to say Spangle is the big sister and Star is the little brother.  The first time I saw them, Spangle was riding up atop one of the parents while Star, very shy, was hiding out under a wing - or least trying to.

Star is half hidden under mom's (?) left wing.

Star was kicking hard with surprisingly large feet, trying to get far enough up to climb aboard.

Can you see his not-so-little foot kicking up the water?

The parents are very attentive.  Whenever something gets anywhere near the parent with the chicks, the other parent starts hollering loudly.  Thus I stayed far away and got only blurry pictures.  When I received a report that the family was out of Harris Cove and around Loon Point into the main part of the lake, I went to the nest to collect any shell fragments for the Loon Preservation Committee to analyze. 

You may have seen the nest from Chemung Road.

Analyzing the egg shells will help us understand the health of the loons as well as the lake itself.  The nest is surprisingly small, perhaps 18" in diameter.  They did a good job of getting on and off the nest and turning the eggs over without them rolling into the lake.

There were quite a few shell fragments and one piece of egg membrane still in the nest.  

We were fortunate to be able to collect them before some other animal consumed them for their calcium content.

As of yesterday the family was travelling all the way down to the southern tip of the lake and back up the western shoreline.  Dean Cascadden was able to take some video of the parents feeding the chicks near his dock.  You can find the video on the Lake Wicwas Community Forum page on Facebook.  If you're a Facebook user you should follow this page!

When you're on the lake observing the loons (carefully from a safe distance of course!) don't forget to take note of all the other beauty that's on the lake in summer - the aquatic plants are spectacular.  Larger plants like Yellow and White water lilies and Pickerel Weed are easily seen, but you'll have to tuck in close and slow to see some of the more delicate water-based flowers including Floating Bladderwort and American Cranberry.

Large (American) Cranberry

Floating Bladderwort

The natural adaptations of plants is incredible.  Take the floating bladderwort for example.  It has six appendages filled with air to give the plant the ability to float stably on the surface of the lake to support its bright yellow flower which attracts pollinators.  Trailing below in the water is a long stem that acts as a weighted keel to keep it from capsizing.  

If we're lucky, come August we'll get to see Purple Bladderwort blooming too.  By then Spangle and Star should be past their most vulnerable days, but for the next month, let's hope they and their parents can defy all the challenges they will surely face!

July 3, 2025: We have Loon Chicks!

Sending out a quick notice that there are two new loons on the lake, first spotted by Ron Naso who has named them Star and Spangle.  This is great news, but everyone will need to be careful on this busy holiday weekend - they are very small and hard to see.  More on Sunday.

Photo by Deb Crowley.