August 27, 2023: Cyanobacteria Hits Hard

This was supposed to be a cheery post about mountain hikes and close encounters with deer, bears, and wildfire smoke, as well as a beautiful paddle on one of our local lakes.  On the way home from one of these hikes, in the Ossipee Mountains, we drove by Lake Kanasatka which I've driven by a hundred times but have never paddled, and it looked so inviting that the very next day I went back with my kayak to explore the lake.  That's when things changed.  Unloading my kayak the lake looked simply beautiful - it was sunny and calm with the lake reflecting a bright blue sky.

Lake Kanasatka looks beautiful reflecting the blue sky from a distance.

But as I put my boat in the water, something wasn't right - the water at the launch was green.

It looked like a cyanobacteria bloom, but I thought it would be limited to right there where route 25 goes close by the lake.  As I paddled up the shore line it didn't get better, in fact it got worse.  

All the way up the west shore there were thick streams of cyanobacteria on the surface with more densely suspended throughout the water column, limiting visibility to about three feet.  

As I approached the north end of the lake the wind had come up a bit, creating small ripples that were stirring things up somewhat but the bloom was present even there at the inlet fed by Wakondah Pond.  I continued around and back down the east shore and as the lake became more sheltered from the breeze the bloom thickened again.  The entire shore of Kanasatka is populated with houses, docks, and beaches, but not a single person was in the water on this gorgeous day except for a few teenagers over on the east side by Camp Quinebarge.  The last camp session has ended so the swimmers were probably local residents.

Lake Kanasatka isn't a small pond where you might expect poor water quality:  At 371 acres, it's bigger than Wicwas, as well as Pemigewasset, Winona, White Pond, and many other good size lakes in New Hampshire.  If this can happen at Kanasatka, it can happen to all those water bodies and even larger lakes as water and air temperatures climb and runoff from development increases.  

This bloom was reported by NH DES on August 7th on their healthy swimming map, so it has been present for three weeks and counting.  It's a stark reminder that we must all be vigilant in protecting our natural resources.  If you want to help, get in touch with NHLakes, or a land trust such as the Lakes Region Conservation Trust, or your town's Conservation Commission, or your local lake association.  Whatever level of involvement you are comfortable with, you can help our lakes.  You can learn more about cyanobacteria at the NH DES website here.

Enough doom and gloom, lets move on to something more pleasant.  On that day hiking in the Ossipee Mountains we had clear skies with visibility over 75 miles.

Looking out over Castle in the Clouds from the Oak Ridge Trail.

We could see all the way to Mount Monadnock from the outlook on the Oak Ridge Trail.  

Lake Winnipesaukee and the Belknap Range.  Mt. Monadnock is barely visible in the photo.

Hiking up along the quiet trail we suddenly heard loud rustling in the trees above us.  Linda said right away, "that's not a squirrel".  Looking towards the sound I saw a large beech tree and we both knew what it was.  Up through the thick leaves we could see a large dark blob.  Yup, a black bear, staring right down at us.  

A black bear, displeased to be disturbed from either its slumber or its lunch.

One picture, and we were quickly on our way - I didn't even take the time to see if the beechnuts on the ground were as small as the ones I noted last week.  The bear was unlikely to abandon its comfortable perch in the branches surrounded by a feast of beechnuts, but still, no reason to test that theory.  I tagged the location - next time I'm on that trail in winter when the branches are bare (no pun intended) I'll try to remember to look for a bear nest.

The season for goldenrod has arrived.  

A sea of goldenrod blooms along Eastman Road heading up to Steele Hill.

Huge yellow fields can be seen wherever fields are allowed to grow without mowing.  Goldenrod must thrive in this wet year we've had.

Thanks to the good camera work of a loon watcher (thank you LM!) we know that the parents of LuLu and Checkers are travelling far now to keep intruding loons away from the chicks.  The banded female was seen way over in Harris Cove as part of an asylum of seven loons, where she, and probably her mate, were letting the visitors know they need to keep moving - this lake is occupied.  The chicks meanwhile have been keeping close to the north end of the lake, and even when their parents aren't close by they're now swimming and diving out in open water.

From a distance it's hard to tell the juveniles from the adults now.

Though when the parents do arrive, the young still whine terribly, nagging them for food.  

One of the chicks hangs onto a parent's leg as it starts a dive.

I'll apologized for closing with a return to less a less cheery topic, but air can be as unhealthy as the water when the horrific wildfires blazing in Canada send smoke our way as happened again early in the week, though it did make for some unusually colored skies and dramatic sunsets.

A dusky orange sky at mid-morning sky seen from the Belknap Range.

A smoky sunset over Lake Wicwas.

You just have to enjoy whatever life sends you.

July 3, 2022: High Altitude Wildflowers

A beautiful stretch of fine weather graced a visit north of the notches this week.  Though it was cool at night the days were bright and clear with a rare cloud-free four days in a row at the summit of Mount Washington.

Looking north down Great Gulf with Mts. Jefferson, Adams, and Madison towering above.

On a hike in the northern Presidentials I spent a fair amount of time relishing the unique wildflowers growing in that harsh alpine ecosystem, and then even more time with the field guide trying to identify them.  Some, such as Diapensia I should have known.

Diapensia (Diapensia lapponica) at 5600' on Mt. Washington.

This alpine plant grows only a few inches high and was just starting to boom.  

Another alpine flower I saw was the mountain avens.  

Mountain avens (Geum peckii) at 5400' on Mt. Clay.  (Accompanied by bunchberry.)

This plant is found only in the White Mountains in New Hampshire and on a single tiny island off the cost of Nova Scotia, Brier Island.    Although the leaves remain close to the ground, the flowers are on stems a couple of inches high which allows them to track the sun as it traverses the summer sky.  There are eight other species of avens in North America but this is the only one that grows above the tree line.  [Ref:  US Forest Service]

Next is the Labrador tea, a member of the rhododendron family.

Labrador tea (Rhododendron tomentosum) at 5100' on Mt. Clay.

This low-growing shrub is found in many areas above and below tree line in the white mountains, and as its name suggests, it has been used by native Americans for centuries to make tea as well as medicines to treat a number of ailments.  [Ref:  Adirondacks Forever Wild]  According to Adirondacks Forever Wild:

Native Americans made extensive use of Labrador Tea to treat a wide variety of ailments, including asthma, rheumatism, burns, and diseases of the liver and kidney. For instance, the Algonquin reportedly used an infusion of the plant for headaches and colds. The Chippewa used a powder containing powdered root to apply to burns and ulcers. The Cree used an infusion of the flowers for insect sting pain and rheumatism; they used a poultice of leaves to apply to wounds. The Oweekeno used an infusion of leaves as a remedy for a sore throat.

There were also many bluets lining the path along the Gulfside Trail.

Bluets on the left and the much larger false hellebore on the right side of the Gulfside Trail.

Another excursion in the Mount Washington area took us along the Presidential Rail trail to Cherry Pond where we found, believe it or not, loons!   And this pair of loons is well ahead of our Wicwas pairs, already having a chick hatched which is old enough to have molted at least once, replacing its dark brown baby feathers with lighter-colored plumage.

The loon pair on Cherry Pond in Jefferson.

They apparently have only one chick so it's getting all the food the parents collect, fueling its rapid growth.

  

Back on Wicwas there's not much to report on our loons as they patiently wait for their eggs to hatch, sharing duty on the nest.  I did see the male of the northern nest off-duty at one point, and he kindly exposed his leg band to prove his identity.

"Yes, it's me."

I had to spend more time with the field books looking up plants I saw in the marshes around the lake, one of which I recognized as having the characteristics of a carnivorous plant;  I need to read more about this one for a future journal entry.  

Round-leaved Sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) -  a carnivorous plant worthy of further study.

While we were away I set my trail camera along the road to see who visited while we were gone and there were a couple of large creatures that passed by.

Papa bear in full daylight.  (Especially for you, Stephanie!)

And mama deer cruising the road at night.

Based on the appearance of this doe I wouldn't be surprised if there were a fawn following along behind her.  She had better keep a close eye out for last week's bobcat!

It's also turtle season - keep a watch out for mother turtles crossing the road to find a sandy spot to bury her eggs.

Mrs. Painted Turtle laying her eggs.

Loon chicks, fawns, turtle eggs - early summer is a time of birth.  I'll end with one more look at the Rock Pile on the birth of a new day.

Mount Washington greets a new day on July first.

Happy Fourth of July - I hope you enjoy a warm and safe weekend!

May 29, 2022: Paddling with the Bears

While out on an evening paddle on the lake last week I saw a brown blob swimming along the water - it looked like a duck, but it was too brown for duck.  It couldn't be a beaver because there was too much of it above the water.  Same thing for a mink or an otter.  Suddenly it dawned on me when I saw a bit of orange on the forward end of the blob:  it was a bear.  It was moving fast - I don't know whether that's its normal cruising speed or whether it didn't like the sight of me heading towards it.  At any rate, it made a beeline for its point of access and climbed right up onto shore.

Mr. Bear leaves quite a wake.

It was crossing from the north side of the lake near the outlet, making landfall on the Marion Conservation land near the powerlines.  When it was on dry land it certainly wasn't being discreet as it crashed along through the underbrush.   

He looks a little thinner soaking wet.

Just another typical day on Lake Wicwas.  

But that's not all.  Driving over a rise in the road two days later I found this.

There he is again.

I stopped and he just kept ambling down the road towards me until he decided he really better not get any closer.

And just like that, he was gone.  

Our loons haven't nested yet as far as I can tell - the two of them are still out swimming and fishing together except when there are altercations with a third, rogue loon.  At one point two loons were having a loud, flapping battle right next to me on the shoreline.  It was the sound that caught my attention - I thought there was a bear or a moose climbing up on shore, but couldn't see anything.  Then I saw the two loons thrashing at each other and suddenly diving and disappearing.  Tom and Pat B. caught another example of the situation when three loons popped up near their boat, apparently oblivious to the boat as they noted the loons "barely noticed us as they were so involved in themselves."  They took this video:

As long as there is a loon harassing the pair they may not nest, and the time is here for them to do so.

There have been a few other birds I don't see very often around the lake, all seen while on various paddles.  On one warm, moderately windy day I saw two birds soaring over the lake enjoying the thermals.  One is a common sight:

Turkey vultures are often seen soaring over fields and roadways.

The other I have only seen a couple of times, hunting in winter at the bird feeders:

Cooper's hawks are not rare, but rather secretive.

I'll remind you that I'm not expert in these matters and it's possible this is a sharp-shinned hawk as the two are very similar, so I'd be happy to hear any thoughts on the identification.  The shape of the tail and the size of the head pointed me to the Cooper's hawk.  Both the Cooper's and the sharp-shinned dine primarily on smaller birds, keeping out of sight until attacking at high speed.  Being smaller than broad-winged and red-tailed hawks gives them the ability to catch their prey in flight with their great speed and agility even in dense forests where a fleeing bird will attempt to evade them.  

One last bird, considered more an ocean bird than a lake bird is the spotted sandpiper which was flitting along the shoreline, stopping here and there in search of something to eat - insects on the rocks or larvae in the water.

Spotted Sandpiper

And finally, as the spring/early summer wildflower season reaches its climax, the pink lady's slippers have joined the parade.  I was able to find one in its early stage of blooming:

A pink lady's slipper just before blooming.

And many in their full glory.

Everyone's favorite!

Lady's slippers, trillium, fringed polygala, bluets are all in bloom.  This long weekend is the perfect time to see what you will find in the forest - just wear your bear bell in case you also see a bear!  Happy Memorial Day!

Note:  If you're interested in a local walk this weekend to look for wildflowers here are some suggestions:

• The Beaver Pond Trail at Page Pond (Trail head on Blueberry Hill Rd)
• The Quarry Loop Trail at Page Pond
• The White Trail at Waukewan Highlands
• The Yellow Trail at Hamlin-Eames-Smyth  

November 28, 2021: Honey Mushrooms

A few weeks ago (See October 24 post) I noted a huge growth of mushrooms surrounding an oak tree on the trail up to Crockett's Ledge in the Hamlin town forest.  I looked into what kind of mushroom it was and I believe it's a Honey Mushroom.  I've been fascinated with mushrooms and fungi in general since I learned about the essential role they play in life on earth - without fungus living in the soil and feeding plants including the tallest trees in the forest, there would be no plant life as we know it.  Now when I see the fruit of some fungus reaching up above the soil I think about what's going on down below where the vast majority of the organism is working to break down materials into nutrients they feed to the roots of plants.  But looking up information about the honey mushroom I learned there is also a dark side to fungi, and the honey mushroom is one of the evil ones.  

A small growth of honey mushrooms wreaking havoc on this hemlock.

Rather than decomposing residual material in the soil, the honey mushroom attacks the living roots of the host tree - thus they are often found ringing the trunk of tree, commonly oak.

This is the crop of honey mushrooms that got my attention earlier this fall.

As the fungus eats away at the roots it may kill them completely or weaken them to the point that they can no long support the tree and it's uprooted by the wind.  Even worse, like most fungi the honey mushroom sends out threads underground for several meters which allow it to spread to other trees.  This is one mushroom worth watching for; it can be controlled by an arborist using a fungicide.

Another danger to watch for - particularly this time of year while they are hungrily on the prowl to fatten up their winter stores - are bears.  The current issue of NH Fish and Game Wildlife Journal has a good article about the danger of feeding animals both intentionally and unintentionally and how it leads to their demise.  The focus is on deer and explains how feeding them interrupts their digestive system because it takes ungulates two weeks for their multiple-stomach system to adapt to new food.  This resulted in the death of 12 deer in South Hampton when they ate corn and other grains that their system wasn't prepared for.  

Another well known animal impacted by human food is the black bear.  Being omnivores, bears can digest most human food (but not chocolate!) so the issue isn't the food itself but rather the interaction with humans.  And it's not safe to put those bird feeders out yet - Harry Clymer sent me these photos of three black bears foraging through his yard for apples:

A black bear harvesting apples.  Photos by Harry Clymer.

Great pictures Harry - thanks for sharing!

The bears will be out until we get a good cold stretch, which at the moment is nowhere in sight.  The article discusses both of these animals' plight from human interaction; if Fish and Game posts the article on their website I'll share it.  

On the water, we haven't seen many of the interesting migrating ducks yet but a lot of mallards have been stopping by the lake.  On Thanksgiving we had a flock of about a dozen mallards swimming around and dredging up acorns from the bottom of the lake where overhanging oak trees dropped their seeds in preparation for the ducks' Thanksgiving Day feast.

Part of the fleet on Thanksgiving Day.

Three drakes court a single hen.

Dabbling for acorns along the shoreline.

We also had a couple of visits by what appears to be a juvenile loon.

Could this be one of our loon chicks?

I wish there were a way to tell whether this is one of our chicks or a visitor from another lake.

One last nature note:  On Thursday we watched a pretty bobcat prowling all the way down along the far side of the road - I'm sure it was in search of a turkey dinner.  I hope you had a great Thanksgiving Day - without having to scour the forest or dive in the lake for your meal!

November 24, 2019: Are the Bears in Bed?

Several people have asked whether it's safe to put out bird feeders at this point due to the unusually cold weather we've had.  NH Fish and Game recommends not putting feeders up until December first, or "the onset of prolonged winter weather."  The definition of prolonged and winter weather is open to interpretation, but I lean towards it meaning lasting snow on the ground.  Bears do not go into hibernation because it's cold, but rather because their food supply is dwindling, and this year there are lot of acorns still available.  And even with snow on the ground bears can be on the prowl, and I've seen plenty of tracks in the snow.

These tracks are from last year on November 25 -  I have seen bear tracks as late as December 1st.

So use your best judgement regarding the feeders, and know that if you wait, the birds will be fine.

You don't want to see this at your bird feeder.

I used the term "hibernation", which though accepted by biologists, is not technically correct.  True hibernation is a state of such deep sleep that an animal cannot be woken, and as some people have been surprised to discovered, this is not the case of bears.

I recently heard an "Ask Sam" report on our black bears which provided some fascinating information.  For one, our bears will lose 25% of their body mass over the winter, burning some 4000 calories a day during hibernation.  They also have a remarkable ability to recycle their urine and their bones - if humans rested like that they would lose an incredible amount of bone density - except they would first die in just a few days from urea poisoning.

Scientists are studying these abilities to look for new ways to treat osteoporosis and kidney disease in humans.  You can read about the bear's unique ability to survive hibernation here:  Hibernating Bears Emerge with Hints about Human Ills, Elisabeth Rosenthal, April 21, 1992.  Oh, and don't forget, while female bears are fasting for months at a time, they are also gestating their young, which were impregnated way back in the spring and have been held at bay waiting for winter.  Multiple eggs may have been fertilized, but the number that are allowed to become implanted and develop into embryos depends on how much fat the mother was able to put on during the fall months.  Simply amazing stuff going on in that animal.

It has been over two weeks since I've seen the remaining loon parent and the juvenile (Davidson) that has been with her all summer;  this was my last sighting on November 5th:

Davidson and mom on November 5th.

I shouldn't do this because it's only speculation, but I'm going to say that Davidson and the parent left the lake together.  This is based on the fact that they were always together, and suddenly they were both gone.  Of course it's possible that the parent left Davidson, and in short succession Harley left as well, leaving Davidson alone on the lake - this just seems less likely.  Also, I've seen the remaining juvenile behaving very much like Harley has during the late summer.  So that's my best guess, and pending any additional data I'm going to record Davidson as having fledged on November 5th and we'll see about Harley.  I haven't seen him/her since November 17th but I'll wait another week to see what happens.  Marge Thorpe did see what was probably Harley practicing take-offs and landings on the southern end of the lake on November 18th, so he's getting ready.

Even if all the loons are gone at this point there are still plenty of birds on the lake.  We had the northeast conference of Mallards United spending a few days on the lake.

Meet and greet social hour.

The welcoming committee.

At one point I counted 63 ducks, and I'm sure I didn't get them all.

54 mallards in this picture,

and more coming in to join the party.

They would tuck right up against the edge of the ice that formed along the shore to search for food on the bottom.

"Bottoms Up" has a different connotation for ducks.

Back on August 19th I noted the acorn pip gall wasps that were attached to the many acorns landing on the dock as well as in the water.  This large collection of acorns is now on the bottom of the lake and appears to be a major draw for the ducks.

Acorns are highly nutritious and sought after by animals of all shapes and sizes, from mice to bears.

One study of 40 mallards performed in a bottomland hardwood forest in Texas [Ref:  Miller et.al via USDA Forest Service] found that over 89% of their diet was acorns, so they seem to take good advantage of this food source when it's available.

I'll close with evidence of one more bird active last week, one which also partakes of acorns, though only the land-based ones.

Tracks from a turkey trotting through the early snow.

The tracks of turkey are pretty easily identified based on their shape and size.  Hmmm, that makes me think of Thanksgiving.  I hope you all have a great holiday with family and friends!  Happy Thanksgiving!