April 26, 2026: Graupel to Gulls

This week began with a cold front passing through which kindled some nice winter squalls and produced another round of graupel for us.

Grauple

I've written before about the atmospheric conditions that cause this unusual form of precipitation (see December 4, 2022).  The conditions rarely last more than a few minutes but it's fascinating to see - and hear! - whenever it occurs.

But shortly after the graupel squall, we were far from New Hampshire, having left graupel weather for gull weather.

Laughing Gulls in South Carolina

We might see laughing gulls along the New Hampshire coast in another month, but these were on the Isle of Palms in South Carolina where we were on a visit to family and friends in Mount Pleasant.  Other birds at the shore in South Carolina, we'll never see on the New England Coast.

Brown Pelicans

Pelicans are graceful, beatiful in their own way, yet somehow rather ungainly all at the same time.  

Pelicans use a plunge dive technique to catch their prey, dropping down head first into water where they've spotted a school of fish, hitting the water with their large beak open wide.  The impact is so powerful it can actually stun the fish which makes them easier to capture.  

A Pelican Plunge Dive

The bird then scoops up three gallons of seawater with as many fish as it can corral, raises its head to let the water drain out through the corners of it beak, and swallows its catch of fresh seafood.  

We walked the shore of Isle of Palms to "The Breach" where a storm broke a hole through the barrier island and now separates Isle of Palms and Sullivan's Island.  Here we watched a couple of bottlenose dolphins fishing.

Tamanend's Bottlenose Dophin

The dolphin dive technique

I had one of my better experiences observing these intelligent mammals.

Only recently have biologists learned there are two distinct species of dolphins.  The animals that are seen near the shoreline spend their entire lives in coastal waters; these are now called "Tamanend's Bottlenose Dolphins."  Members of the species that kept the name Common Bottlenose Dolphin spend their lives in deeper water offshore, though they may come close to land during migration.  You can read about the research by NOAA that led to this determination here:  Bottlenose Dolphins Along the East Coast Proposed to be a Different Species

I'll close with an interesting animal from yet another class of animals, a reptile called the Green Anole.

The most amazing aspect of the anole is it's ability to change color almost instantly from green to brown and back to blend in with what it's sitting on.  This particular anole was not focused at all on blending in:  It crawled along a narrow ledge and then stopped on this white drain pipe for several minutes.  It was very exposed, and it put on quite a display.  It would nod its head up and down a few times, then inflate and display its bright prink dewlap.

You can probably guess the two primary reasons it does this.  One is a male (it's most likely a male as females sometimes have a dewlap but it's not so dramatic)  showing domain over territory as anoles are highly territorial.  The other is a practice common to males of many animals:  to look strong, healthy, and beautiful to potential mates.

Isn't he handsome!

P.S.  Here's early notice of a guided bird walk that will be hosted by the Meredith Conservation Commission on May 9th.  You can find more information here.