October 12, 2025: Hoppers and Hawks

Adding to the migrating raptors this week was a Red-tailed Hawk rising up on the thermals over the summit of Bald Knob in the Ossipee Mountains.

Red-tailed Hawk in the Ossipees

I had some nice views of it with the sun shining through its plumage, though it quickly rose up to a small spec in the sky.  It didn't have a very red tail, or perhaps the bright light washed the color out.

Raptors use these thermals in their migration by riding them high in the air, sometimes thousands feet, without using energy flapping their wings.  Then they soar southward for miles, slowly losing altitude, until they find another rising thermal air column.  And if there's a stiff northwest wind, all the better.  

I also heard a red-tail hawk up on the hills behind Lake Wicwas this week but I couldn't see it.  They typically don't stay in the Lakes Region through the winter, migrating just south of us, but perhaps that boundary is moving north now.

I found myself looking skyward for other reasons also.

The foliage doesn't seem as bright this year, perhaps due to the drought conditions, but there are plenty of beautiful trees in localized areas, especially around the lake where they had plenty of water all summer.

Looking down can be fruitful too.  That's where I found this huge American Toad camouflaged among the dry leaves.

American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus)

There are migrating birds on the water too, including this flock of four mallards foraging for food in the shallow water near the dam on Wicwas.

Must be something good down there.

They're losing their iridescent summer colors.  

Paddling the marshy shorelines also reveals bright red American Cranberries ripening amongst the wetland growth.

If you see people tramping through the marshes in tall rubber boots, that's what they're collecting.

One must be prepared to take stowaways on board when paddling through the marshes.

Lots of little bugs hopped on my boat.

These appear to be different than the longer, thinner bugs that hop onto my kayak earlier in the summer.  I think these are a species of Planthopper, likely the Common Pondlily Planthopper.

Common Pondlily Planthopper (Megamelus davisi)

Wikipedia states there are over 12,000 species of planthoppers;  these are in the family Delphacidae, which includes "only" 2000 species.   

Thankfully these insects are purely herbivores.  That protrusion on its head is for sucking plant juices rather than human juices, so these are harmless to us; most had jumped ship before I got back to port.  But on my way home I passed by yet another pretty wetland plant, a variety of St John's Wort growing on a boulder in the lake.

Bog St. John's Wort  (Triadenum fraseri)

There's always something new and interesting to discover on the shores of your favorite lake.

July 21, 2024: Loon Census

The 2024 loon census was held this past weekend and though there were no new chicks to be included there is an interesting development.  Michael Marion and I did the survey on the north half of the lake and at 8:00 when the count started there was a single loon floating near the vicinity of the northern territory nesting site, and very shortly a second loon came to join it.  The two of them appeared quite comfortable as they came together, and even started preening together.

I had initially thought being so close to the nesting island that one of them would be the breeding male so I took several pictures of them preening, and when I expanded them I in fact saw that one was our banded male. 

Northern territory male identified.

So it appears to me that he has already accepted a new mate, or at the least is evaluating a potential mate.  It also further makes we wonder if his prior mate was killed by this female which wanted to take over the male and its territory - after all, that's how the prior female came to be his mate.  Only the strongest genes survive.  After preening, the pair swam southward together further into Marion Cove.

After observing these two loons we moved slowly out of the cove, and at the north end of Sheep Island we saw four more loons swimming together into Marion Cove where the pair was.

Two of these are likely the southern nesting pair.

We watched the four of them swim down the cove and decided to follow along behind to see what would happen.  As soon as the first pair noticed them they turned around and swam directly north to meet them.  As they came together there was no altercation; instead the six of them grouped up and swam together.

We watched for a minute and then continued on to survey the rest of the lake before 9:00 when the survey ended.  We saw no other loons in the northern half of the lake.  At 9:00 we met to share notes with the Thorpes who had surveyed the southern half of the lake.  It turned out the six loons we saw were the only ones observed on the lake.  It seems certain to me at this point that breeding is over on Wicwas and there will be no chicks in 2024.  The two pairs will likely stay on the lake to defend their respective territories; there has been a lot of ongoing loon interactions with circle dances, head bobbing and wing-rowing chases around the lake.  It will be interesting to see what transpires next year and if a new pair will establish a third nesting territory on the lake.  After discussing the events both parties returned home and on the way we saw the six loons still together and now heading south down the main body of the lake.  

At least two non-resident loons being escorted by the locals.

There was a fascinating twist of nature found on the lake last week by Nancy Marion:  a blue-headed frog.

A pickerel frog with a case of Axanthism.  Photo by Nancy Marion.  

She (nor I) had never seen a creature like this and looking into it she learned that it's a rare condition occurring in a very small percentage of frogs caused by the frog's inability to create yellow pigment - a condition called axanthism.  (Researchers Michael Berns and Lowell Uhler from Cornell found that only 0.003% of the 2 million frogs studied had this condition.  [Wild Rhode Island, Summer 2021, Vol 14, Issue 3])  A frog's typical green color is the result of yellow and blue pigments combined to make green, but when yellow pigment is absent you get a blue frog.  I found only a few studies on the subject, the best was referenced in the article by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management [ibid].  Here's an excerpt from the article:

"Green skin in frogs is caused by three types of cells in the skin working together. Melanophores that contain melanin make the skin darker or lighter, just like in humans, iridophores are cells that reflect light, and xanthophores that contain carotenoids produce a yellow pigment.  After Berns and Uhler’s study was published, several other researchers postulated that the blue coloration was the result of lacking one of the three pigment cells located in the skin of the frogs."  

It appears Nancy came across a true rarity that will be reported to our own Department of Fish and Game!

I came a cross another amphibian on a hike on the Tripyramids this week, one that's not rare, but is nonetheless impressive in its size.

This toad was right in the middle of the hiking trail.

Another not-rare find on that hike was this snake sun bathing in the rocks on the north slide.

Garter snake on the north slide of Mt. Tripryamid.

Even though it's only a garter snake it gave me quite a startle because finding a snake in a dry, rocky, sun-exposed habitat, one's mind instantly thinks rattlesnake.  I know there are very few rattlers in New Hampshire, but there are some, and this is the perfect spot for them.

I saw quite a few more pretty dragonflies around the lake this week, but the insect I'll share today is this Primrose Moth I found in Linda's Evening Primrose flowers one morning.

Primrose Moth on ...  a primrose.

Evening Primrose bloom only at night when moths are active.  The sweet smell of the plant attracts the moths they need for pollination.

I'll end today with two more sights from Mt. Tripyramid:  finally a clear, less humid day, and a pretty mountain stream.

The Osceolas on the left with the Franconia Range in the distance.

Slide Brook

August 28, 2022: Quiet Time at the Lake

It's the time of year when things are pretty quiet around the lakes.  Most of the animals are done with searching for and attracting mates and are now carefully raising their young, doing their best to keep them hidden from predators.  Food is plentiful so animals don't need to prowl widely in search of sustenance and so are able to keep to remote areas away from human activity.  Hot, humid days also  keep many animals deep in the forest with most of their activity taking place in early morning, late evening, or after dark when it's cooler, though I do see a doe and her fawn on occasion in the hour after sunrise.  And I know other animals are out there because I find evidence of their travels and successful hunting trips dotting the trails.

Fox scat strategically deposited upon a stone wall.

Yet there's still lots of activity to be found if one sets their sights on smaller, less visible life forms.  This large American toad was squatting at the edge of a trail where there must be a plentiful supply of food.

A fat American Toad waits patiently for a spider or slug to amble by.

Spiders are abundant now and some are large enough to be a hearty meal.

A good size dock spider.

While I was watching this spider I witnessed it catch a meal.  It suddenly sprang off the rock onto the surface of the water and just as quickly leaped right back up on the rock.  In one flash of continuous motion it had picked off some tiny insect.  Spiders are close to the bottom of the food chain, consuming very small life forms, and in turn are eaten by toads, frogs, and snakes, which then are gobbled up by herons and various other birds and mammals.

A great blue heron watching for the motion of a frog, toad, or fish.

I also saw this young painted turtle soaking in the warmth of the afternoon sun.

It's shell was only about 3 inches long.

I may not see much activity in the forest in late August but it is a time when I start to notice changes in the trees themselves.  It's very subtle, yet the differences are noticeable in the colors around the lake.  The green on the trees seems just a little darker as photosynthesis and chlorophyll move into the latter stages of the season.  Likewise the blue in the sky and and contrast of cumulus clouds in the mid day sun have a discernable change as the sun impinges at a slightly lower level.  The days are now two hours shorter than they were back on the solstice and the sun sets across the lake noticeably farther south on Sheep Island.  I do my best to ignore the stray branch on a red maple tree that has turned red and the poplar across the lake that show tinges of yellow - I tell myself those are weak or sick trees and not really a sign of a waning summer.  

There are other signs that are harder to ignore.  This week I heard the first pin ball game being played by the red squirrels as they gnawed cones off the top of the white pines which bounce off the branches as they fall to earth with a thunk that says "game over".  Most of these seeds won't get to become mighty pines as they'll be collected and squirreled away in the harvester's winter stores.  Someone passed on their observation that there aren't a lot of white pine cones in the trees this year, and I agree.  In contrast, the spruce trees do seem to be over achievers this year.

Laden with cones on the east shore of Mark Island, I think this is a Red Spruce.

Our little loon chick isn't quite so little any more, and in fact is now molting the last of her baby feathers and starting to reveal juvenile plumage, as captured by Debby Crowley this week.

At six weeks Maddie is starting to lose her downy baby feathers.  Photos by Debby Crowely.

And her appetite has grown as well.  She's now willing to tackle fish that a couple of weeks ago she would refuse.

Mom or dad brings in a big one.

And somehow she swallows it down.  (Thank you Debby for sharing these fabulouse pictures with us!)

If she keeps eating like that there's no doubt she'll be ready for autumn when it arrives.

September 25, 2016

Thursday it was 82 degrees and we were swimming in the lake.  Today the high temperature was 58;  it was 39 degrees in the morning with mist rising off the water as a few ducks swam by at sunrise.

The ducks are happy to have their feet in water that's warmer than the air

We humans have air conditioners and heaters to help us deal with the rapid changes; wild creatures aren't so fortunate.  Amphibians and reptiles manage fine as they have water to retreat to, or perhaps they will venture down into the first few inches of the earth - the ground is still warm, as is the water (the lake surface was still 72 degrees on Friday). 

This American Toad will find a warm spot under the leaf litter to spend the night

I saw this huge snapping turtle crossing Chemung Road early one morning, traveling from Lake Wicwas to the wetlands in the Chemung State Forest.  She's quite a specimen.

Momma Snapper

Can you see her sharp jaw, her claws, and the spikes on her tail?  She looks like something right out of the Jurassic period.  The large snappers are females;  here she is with the road in the background to provide some size perspective.

I hope you'll understand why I didn't put my foot down next to her to provide a scale!

Fox, chipmunks, and many other mammals can retreat to their dens to keep warm on these first cool nights, but they still have to get out in the cold morning to look for food, as this is critical time for building up winter stores.  Bears have no problem keeping warm overnight in a den, and they are now building up both a layer of fat and a thick fur coat to keep them warm all winter.  They need to store up a lot of fat during the summer and fall, as they lose 20 to 30 percent of their body weight over the winter.  I saw evidence of one of these large animals working on its winter store of fat.

Signs of a Black Bear digging in a tree stump

This black bear had ripped into a rotting tree trunk so it could feast on the insects or eggs or larvae that were inside.  A backpack provides some perspective on the size of this activity.

Chipmunks also will be warm in their underground dens.  They won't put on a lot of winter fat but rather will collect stores of food to consume throughout the winter.

An Eastern Chipmunk on the prowl

But what about squirrels and deer and other animals that spend the night above ground?  It has been so warm this fall - I wonder if their coats have started to thicken up yet. This young White Tail Deer is still wearing its spring coat, and is just now getting its first taste of cool weather.

The still lightly-spotted coat shows this is a 2016 fawn

It's going to be in for a quite a shock when it experiences its first New Hampshire winter - assuming it's a real winter that is, unlike last year. 

The dry, warm summer has perhaps slowed the foliage just a bit, but color is beginning to appear around the lakes, starting first in cool, low-lying wet areas.

Ferns are turning orange and red in the wetlands around the lakes

Perhaps the shock of cool weather will move things along quickly now. 

Summer to fall in three short days - just another typical week in New England.

August 9, 2015

This was a sad week for loon watchers and nature lovers, as we lost one of our new loon chicks.  The details are still to be confirmed by the Loon Preservation Committee, but it appears that a rogue loon on the lake killed the chick.  Here is what we do know based on the observations of the wonderful loon watchers around Lake Wicwas:  There was a wild altercation on Thursday morning between the loon family and a third adult loon.  There was much activity, loud alarm vocalizations, wing rowing, and then the third loon flew off, and only the two adults and one chick were seen.  The family of three however did seem to be acting normally, and were fishing soon thereafter.

A few hours later... a dead chick washed up on the opposite side of the lake;  someone did the difficult job of collecting it and calling the loon committee who came to pick it up.  The initial exam indicated bruising on the upper neck, which is consistent with it being grabbed by an adult loon, but the definitve cause of death won't be known until a necropsy is performed, either at UNH or Tufts University.

This sad story - especially considering how hard so many people work to restore loon populations in New England - is just another reminder of how harsh nature is it.  The instinct to survive and to propagate ones own genes is formidable.  Loons will kill another family's chicks to favor the survival chances for their own offspring, even if they don't have any at the moment.

I think I've mentioned that we've had a third, lone loon on the lake for most of the summer, and it was here this week as well.  The morning after the attack it was right in front of our house, so I went down to speak with it.

Is this the culprit?

I told it to look me in the eye and tell me it wasn't the culprit, but it avoided eye contact, so I just don't know what to think.  I've decided that, unlike Roger Goodell, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and assume it's innocent until proven otherwise.  I'd hate to think we have a killer on the lake!  (But either way, I can't hold it's natural instincts against it....)

So we will watch our one chick and know that its chances for survival are even better now that the parents can give it their undivided attention, but there are still risks aplenty, from eagles to lead fishing tackle to speeding boats.

On a much happier note, the 6th Annual Lake Wicwas Paddle Regatta was held this Saturday, generously hosted by the Caldwell family.

Part of the Wicwas fleet

It was another fabulous day, with perfect weather, delicious food, and great fun by all.

Our host and chef extraordinaire!

The paddle included a short trip to three locations to pick up secret cards with prizes for different combinations of cards.  The attendance was high and included a wide variety of paddle craft, including for the first time, a stand-up-paddle board!

But of course, the barbeque and visiting with friends and neighbors was the highlight of the event.

If you missed it, fear not, next year's event will be just as grand.

I can't end without showing at least one wildlife picture - I saw several of these tiny amphibians this week;  I think they are toads that have just emerged from their watery childhood as tadpoles.  I wonder how many of these little guys will make it past the hundreds of hungry predators on their way to adulthood.

Tiny Toad