December 21, 2025: Eagles Over the Bay

But first, more turkeys.  It was a week of big birds in Meredith.  Over the years I've seen turkeys in fields, backyards, in the forest, and along roadsides, but I'd never seen them out in the middle of a lake before now.

A turkey trek across Lake Wicwas.

This group of three female (I think) turkeys appeared to be taking a short cut across the frozen lake.  

Their sensory abilities are incredible.  As far away as I was, and being as quiet and still as possible, the slightest motion triggered their senses and they immediately went from a slow walk into a moderate trot to speed their way across the open expanse. 
Of course, they could take flight to avoid a terrestrial predator such as a bobcat or coyote, but what about an aerial attack?  I expect a mature bald eagle would be able to take down a fleeing turkey.  And that's a distinct possibility now that Bald Eagles have returned to the Lake Region.  Excellent photographer and good friend Eytan Wulfsohn noticed three bald eagles on the thin ice forming off Bay Point Inn at the end of Meredith Bay.

Photos by Eytan Wulfsohn

There were three of them, two mature and one juvenile, and he was able to run home to get his camera to take some great pictures, including the juvenile in flight.

The dark, mottled plumage of juvenile bald eagle.

This is likely a resident pair and their offspring, as there is enough open water throughout the winter for fishing.  (They use the rivers after the lakes freeze.)  Eagles also augment their primarily-fish diet with mammals and birds - maybe even a turkey or two?  

Perusing the ice edge for lunch.

By late summer or early fall, a newly hatched eagle is completely independent and the parents no longer provide food for it.  Often a juvenile will move away, but sometimes they stay in the same nesting area for a period of time.  A juvenile eagle will spend several years wandering, investigating territories based primarily on food availability.  By four or five years old they are mature, have their adult plumage and are ready to breed.  Only then do they select a nesting site and look for a mate.  Or perhaps, take over an existing mate by driving off a weaker member of an established pair.  It's actually similar to that of the Common Loon.

The return of turkeys and eagles to North America are success stories in restoring extirpated species to their native territories.  Both populations were first thinned out by overhunting (some states had bounties for killing eagles), further hurt by habitat loss, and then completely done in by the pesticide DDT.  But with new regulations and, in the case of the turkey, reintroduction of birds from the Alleghany Mountain area in New York, both species are now flourishing - and adding greatly to the excitement and quality of life in New Hampshire.

An impressive bird to see return to New Hampshire.

Back closer to Lake Wicwas, the lake and shores were crisscrossed with tracks beyond turkeys - lot of members of the mustelid (weasel) family:  mink, otter, and ermine (the winter name for the short-tailed weasel in its white coat).  The tracks of latter were the hardest for me to determine, but following the tracks for a while led me to conclude it was an ermine by its behavior.  It spent a lot time hopping from tree to tree like a squirrel does. 

But the tracks were too large for a squirrel.   

Too large for a squirrel, too small for a fisher.

The ermine was hunting for mice and other small rodents under the snow, using its hearing to detect its prey chewing on something down in the subnivean zone.  When it pounces down on it, if it misses, it will relentlessly pursue its prey until it secures it.

They also locate prey with their excellent sense of smell.  Ermine are extremely reclusive - I have only seen an ermine once, and it was in early winter, after it had donned its white coat but before snow was on the ground so it was highly visible.

In snow, with that camouflage, I could step on one and not even see it!

One more bit of news:  The winter solstice occurs today at 10:03 am.  The days are already getting longer!

October 5, 2025: Summer Continues

It's hard to remember it's October with seemingly endless summer weather coming day after day.   The forecast for Meredith is for three more days with the temperature hitting 80 degrees before rain arrives on Wednesday.  On one of those gorgeous days this week I took a long, peaceful paddle around the lake and was treated to several large bird sightings.  First was this mature eagle perched in a prime spot to watch over the world.

Farther along I saw an eagle fly high over the lake, and later a third one, immature, swoop down low, right at the loons.

An eagle on the hunt for fish - or loons.

The loons were aware of both of these. They sent out a general alert about the high-flier, but when the immature eagle came on its strafing run, they let out some pretty impressive shrieks that resounded across the lake.  Fortunately, all the loons evaded the attack.  There were three that I saw on this paddle, two together which swam amicably towards a third.   All were adults in various stages of losing their sharp summer plumage.  I didn't come across Spangle.

The northern territory male loon is still on the lake as well.  Perhaps he's sticking around to keep other loons out of his territory, or perhaps he's making sure he's visible to any eligible females that might fly over Wicwas on their way to the ocean.  (I don't know about this, I just like to consider various hypotheses - which sounds better than just making stuff up.)

The rest of my trip was spent just savoring a quiet, late summer day - and I wasn't the only one doing so.

A couple of painted turtles soak up some warm summer rays.

Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris)

Groundnut (Apios americana)

Groundnut, also know as wild potato, has edible tubers and legumes.  The tubers were an important food source for the native Americans, and were boiled like potatoes.  Europeans also relied on them during their early years in Massachusetts.  [Ref: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center]  I've seen groundnut growing in multiple locations around Lake Wicwas.

As leaves turn and start to drop from their branches, the sightlines through the forest are returning.  I had walked this section of trail a few times this summer but never saw this huge hornets nest until now.

It's a beauty - and so big it's bent the branch it's attached to almost 180 degrees - they must manufacture some pretty strong glue.  Bald-faced hornets are aggressive and pack a powerful sting, so I was careful in walking behind the nest to take a video of the residents coming and going as they performed their duties.  Click below to see the video:

They know to create the opening facing away from the prevailing winds.  I wonder how many hornets call that nest home.

 

Soon all the leaves will be gone, and the hornets too.  But as long as they last, let's relish in these last glorious days of summer.

September 7, 2025: Quieter Days on the Lakes

Welcome to September, a time when things graciously slow down around all the lakes.  I took advantage of a calm day to paddle the big lake; it's a peaceful place on a September morning.

Lake Winnipesaukee in September.

I paddled around several of Meredith's Islands to the east of Meredith Neck: Beaver, Hawk's Nest, Three Mile, and Pine.  I had the lake to myself until almost 11:00, affording opportunities to see several birds including this eagle having its breakfast on Three Mile Island.

I will surmise this is an immature Bald Eagle that has not yet earned its white head and tail feathers.

A little farther along, a Double-crested Cormorant was biding its time off the eastern point of Hawk's Nest Island.

A cormorant surveys the big lake.

I discovered an interesting find deep in a secluded cove in the cut between the Beaver Islands:  a stand of Black Gum (aka Black Tupelo) trees which were starting to turn red.

There used to be several large black gum trees on Wicwas too, but most of them have been taken down by beavers, though there are still a few smaller trees around.  You can find them most easily in the fall when their thick, glossy leaves turn a deep crimson color.

Look for these dark-red black gum leaves in early to mid October.

After paddling past Pine Island I followed the shoreline of Meredith Neck north back to Leavitt Beach, and along the way I rounded a point and flushed a Great Blue Heron off its resting point on a shoreline bounder.

Here are few manmade sights you might recognize from this part of the lake.

Stone marker at the north entrance to the channel behind Pine Island

That's Red Hill directly behind, with 4043' Mt. Passaconaway the high peak off in the distance.

AMC Camp on Three Mile Island

Y-Landing on Meredith Neck

Back on Lake Wicwas, our most famous residents, the loons and our juvenile Spangle, continue to do well even while constantly fending off intruders.  I found mom and spangle fishing in the middle of the lake one bright day.

Stopping to watch - at a safe distance of course - after one dive Spangle came up right next to me!  She did her best to hide, keeping a low profile before she dove again.

Heading north after this I found what I presume to be Spangle's father right at the line defining the north and south nesting territories guarding his domain against four other loons.  Even as a nearly full-size juvenile, spangle is still vulnerable to attack by other loons and protected fiercely by her parents.  

Spangle has shed all her baby feathers and is now fully clothed in juvenile plumage.

The feeble amount of rain we received this week did little to help the drought situation.  The lake is now down about seven inches, and almost all the streams are bone-dry (this was prior to yesterday when we did get some first appreciable rain, the first since July 13th, with more on tap for today).

Not a drop of water in these streams.

The only exception are ones that have beaver dams upstream which store enough water to keep the stream running slowly all summer as water leaks through the dam.  

This stream is supplied with water from the upstream beaver pond shown below.

The pond level is down, but that's what's keeping the stream alive.

The dry summer has been great for tourism and outside activities, but hard on plants and wildlife.  Water in both beaver ponds and flowing streams are incredibly valuable resources to animals in drought years.

I'm hearing lots of reports of ground hornet nests this fall - perhaps due to the dry summer?  I have personal experience with two already.  One I found in the Hamlin forest at the intersection of the Blue and Yellow trails heading up to Crockett's Ledge.  There was a large boulder turned over beside the trail and I wondered why.  Looking around I found the hole where it came from and realized a bear had excavated a bee nest to access the eggs and larvae.  

An excavated yellow-jacket nest.

Hornets that had survived the attack, perhaps because they were away from the nest at the time, were working like a construction crew after a tornado to recover what they could from the remains.  

I still can't image how a bear can endure the dozens, maybe hundreds, of stings it sustains while it feeds on a nest.  My advice to hikers is to simply keep a steady pace as you hike.  As long as you keep moving, even if you stomp right on top of a nest, by the time the hornets come out to investigate, they won't bother you if you've gone past them.  They're only likely to be a problem if you happen sit down right next to one - so be aware of where you stop for a break on your hikes.  If you see bees, move on quickly.

I wanted to mention all the wild fruit that's ripening now but that will have to wait.  I'll share just this fun moment of watching a young robin collecting cherries from a Black Cherry tree.

It's an important time of  year for animals to start stocking up on calories for winter, whether for hibernation or migration.

September 8, 2024: Overseer of the Lake

Wednesday evening was a gorgeous moment on the lake.  The sun was warm, the wind was calm, and lots of people were out enjoying a late summer cruise on the lake.  And those with an eye towards the sky were afforded a fabulous look at an apex predator enjoying the moment as much as we were.  

Perched there at the top of the tree, this Bald Eagle was perfectly happy to sit for over an hour, surveying its domain in the late-day sun. 

Several boats stopped on their travels to take in the site - and the eagle paid them no notice.  

I started seeing the occasional Bald Eagle on Lake Wicwas in 2014 and in the past ten years they've become a regular sight on the lake.  It's another success story of saving a species that had been decimated by DDT use.  Even though I see several each year, I'm still spellbound by how impressive they are when I get a good look at one.

There were a few somewhat smaller animals also basking in the warm September sun.  

Autumn Meadowhawk.

This Autumn Meadowhawk (I think) found a nice observation tower in the middle of a field surveying its domain for insects in the area to attack.  It's one of the late-season dragonflies which is how it got it name.  

There are also damselflies still common around the lake, and apparently, still mating.

One of the many species of Bluet damselflies.

Female damselflies deposit their eggs by inserting them into the leaves or stalks of plants, usually underwater, and they can submerge themselves completely while laying eggs.  It's not clear to me what phase of the mating process this pair is in, but the male may stay attached to the female to ensure his offspring aren't affected by another male before she lays her eggs, so maybe they're not quite ready yet.

Another smaller animal enjoying the warm day was this Cabbage Moth.

Unrolling it proboscis to probe deep into the the blossom.

It was taking nectar from purple clover, one of its primary food plants as an adult. 

The caterpillars of this moth are the phase that eats and damages cabbage and related plants.

🦋

A frequent kayaker sent me these pictures of grapes she found growing along the shore of the lake (thanks SD!).

I didn't know we had grapes on the lake.  These are either wild Fox Grapes, or, just as likely considering they are growing on a property that's been used for agriculture for well over a hundred years, Concord grapes.  Concord grapes are a cultivar of the Fox grape that was developed in 1849 by Ephriam Bull in Concord Massachusetts, and the original plant still grows there.  [REF:  The Concord Grape Association]  I went out to see if I could collect a few.  

After eating them I'm still not sure, but based on their palatable taste and location on a homestead property, I'll place my bet on Concord Grapes.

Nice summer weather notwithstanding, there are more and more tinges of color appearing around the lake.

These late summer days sure are nice.