February 16, 2025: Winter Bluebirds

 It's certainly mid-winter here at the lake, but are bluebirds a sign of spring?

Well, not really.  Seeing an Eastern Bluebird in New Hampshire in winter was unusual prior to 1990, but since then this pretty songbird has been steadily increasing its winter presence in the state.  First it was only in the southern part of the state, but now they have been observed in winter as far north as Coos County.  This chart from NH Audubon bird surveys shows the dramatic increase in winter bluebird observations in New Hampshire.

The reasons for this are not fully understood but probably stem from a combination of warming temperatures and increased human planting of ornamental fruit trees (fruit is an important part of the bluebird's diet).  You can read more about changes in bluebird behavior in this post by Pam Hunt at the NH Audubon website.

We saw winter bluebirds when we lived in Londonderry as far back as 2006; our first sighting in Meredith was three years ago. (A Bluebird invasion, February 2022)  This past week they've been visiting the feeders every day even though we don't have much fruit in them, just a few raisins and cherries in the mix.  But they'll eat other food as well when fruit and insects are scarce.  They like to sit under the feeders and pluck out small morsels that other birds have dropped, especially the suet as they spend a lot of time hanging out right under the suet feeder, and sometimes perch on it to eat.

They are such a pretty bird.

The males have the beautiful bright blue feathers, but I also like the more interesting color pattern on the back of the females.

The morning I took these pictures there were four of them commandeering the feeders until a big Red-bellied Woodpecker flew in and scattered them all away.  

The woodpecker didn't even go the feeders.

So bluebirds aren't a sign of spring these days, but here's something that is:  Sunrise here at the lake is getting close to 7:00, and sunset is now after 5:15pm.  Sunrise is also the best time to enjoy the full moon on a clear morning. 

The aptly-named February Snow Moon sets over Wicwas on another clear and cold morning.

And the February Snow Moon continues to bring us snow, with another 10" accumulating today.  All this snow means the World Championship Sled Dog Derby in Laconia is a go for the upcoming weekend.  It's a great spectator event with races going on all weekend, starting at 10:00am on Friday and continuing through Sunday afternoon.  You can find information on the different races and the best places to watch and park here.  I like to watch the start - the excitement of the start with each team anxious to run is something to experience if you've never seen it.  And with staggered starts, the action goes on and on, and then soon the first teams are returning to the finish line.  

It really is a unique winter experience that few people have an opportunity to witness in person!

April 7, 2024: Temperature Shock

From 80 degrees to snow - this week's journal was supposed to be all about wildlife in South Carolina, but upon returning home Thursday night the local picture became the story.

Marion Lane on our arrival home from South Carolina.

Once we got north of Concord NH the scene looked like an Alaskan tundra with everything white and trees down beside the road for miles.  

We arrived to find over a foot of heavy snow plastered to everything, branches and trees down everywhere, and about half the people in Meredith without power including most homes around Lake Wicwas.  But that's better than some towns in the Lakes Regions which had 100% of their customers without electricity.  And many of us around the lake are still without power as of 9:00 this morning.

The heavy snow and wind brought trees down into the lake in multiple locations - I expect there will be more to be found as we get on the lake to explore.  This huge white pine and several hardwood trees were some of the casualties. 

There will be a lot of trail maintenance to do over the next few weeks.

Trail crews in Meredith will be busy this spring.

On the bright side, there were some signs of spring including my first loon sighting on Friday.  I also received a report of a pair of loons on the lake, so we're heading in the right direction. 

Enough of winter in April; now down south to South Carolina where we had another fabulous time in the low country with our great host, tour guide, and entertainment director.  We took walks along creeks, through swamps and old plantations, and of course along the Atlantic Ocean. These gave us the opportunity to enjoy wildlife much different from that in New England including dolphins, alligators, and anoles.  The most fascinating of these are the pelicans, truly bizarre birds with some amazing abilities.  Just floating on the water their unique physical attributes are immediately apparent with exception of not being able to see just how large their gular pouch is because it's all folded up under their beak.  

A pretty bird in its special way.

This photo, taken in Alabama and sent to me by a good friend (thank you PL!) shows the gular pouch in its full glory:

Soaring along in formation, often close to the water to take advantage of air pressure off the water, is when they are most elegant.

Flying in close formation over Shem Creek.

Other times they will use the currents and updrafts from the onshore breeze when it hits the dune line to facilitate their flight.  Wherever they are, they are an oxymoron of awkward beauty.

At feeding time they use powerful wings to gain altitude where they are able to see fish under water even with waves and reflections on the surface.  When they identify a school of fish they just fold their wings and let themselves plunge head first down into the sea.  

Target in sight.

Contact

Splash down

If they're on target that pouch swells with water and a number of fish which they swallow whole after letting the salt water drain out.  When the tide changes they know to congregate around the breach between Sullivan Island and the Isle of Palms (that's also where we saw dolphins) and when there's a big school of fish it's quite a spectacle to see.

The other bird I'll mention is the Anhiga, another ungainly bird with a long neck that it uses in a most unusual manner, stretching it out for no apparent reason.

I often see this behavior - is it a threatening position to scare me away?  Twisting its neck into a pretzel is just as interesting, but that makes sense for grooming or situational awareness.

The Anhniga, like a cormorant, will spread its wings out to dry them after diving for fish.

Sunbathing by a lagoon in the early morning light.

Other birds we saw were ones we'll soon find here in New Hampshire including yellow-rumped warblers, palm warblers, and bluebirds already feeding their chicks.

Papa Bluebird.

And Mama Bluebird.  That might be a tick!

Back in New Hampshire, April is always a time of change, and this year, everyone and everything will need to be resilient to make it through to May.

The crocuses didn't succumb to an April snowstorm, and neither will we!

Some other good news:  The forecast is for clear skies for tomorrow's eclipse.  Fingers crossed for this rare astrological experience!  

🌒

February 12, 2023: More Fun with Ice

Last week it was hockey, this week it's the Great Meredith Fishing Derby run by the Meredith Rotary Club.  But first, some other fun with ice this week:

Profile Falls

We took the short hike up to Profile Falls in Bristol, expecting that the fluctuations between warm weather to get the Smith River flowing, and cold weather to form ice might have created some interesting sights, and we weren't disappointed.

The river was flowing strongly and there were lots of ice formations above, along, and below the falls.

Closer to home, on a walk out to some local ledges to see what the porcupines are doing this winter (more on that in a future post), some icicles that formed on a rock outcropping caught my eye.

As I approached to get a closer look I saw these incredibly resilient ferns growing among the icicles.

Rock Polypody (Polypodium virginianum)

Not only are they still green here in the middle of winter, but they have found a way to eke out a living on the exposed face of a granite ledge.

I believe this is rock polypody which is found in several natural communities in New Hampshire.  It somehow thrives on rocky exposed surfaces, and growing throughout the year, is a winter food source for animals including deer, turkey, and grouse.  [Ref:  Sandra Mitchell, Evergreen Ferns can be Enjoyed Year Round, Northern Woodlands]  I expect the ferns take advantage of moisture and nutrients collected and stored by the moss and lichen that share the ledge.

As for the ice on the lakes, there was a lot of activity on Wicwas and Waukewan for the fishing derby because the larger lakes aren't safe.  We took a walk out to see the action on Lake Waukewan - it was breezy, but nothing like last weekend, and a lot warmer!  

Ice fishing action on Waukewan

And a quieter scene on Wicwas.

The NH Audobon Backyard Bird Count took place this weekend.  My inventory included:  chick-a-dee, goldfinch, downy woodpecker, red-bellied woodpecker, bluebird, mourning dove, titmouse, house finch, and red and gray squirrels.  I didn't see any blue jays, hairy woodpeckers, or even crows.

Eastern Bluebird

House Finch

Red-bellied woodpecker

The bluebird and house finch were seen near Lake Waukewan; all the others at Wicwas.  I also received a report of a pair of bald eagles on Waukewan (thank you BG!) , but they don't go on my bird count list.

I also saw one other bird during our visit to Profile Falls Park where there's a nice walk (or snowshoe or ski - they groom a short trail there) to the Pemigewasset River.  There we found the only wildlife on that excursion, three American black ducks out on the ice.

American Black Duck

It's not only humans that enjoy the ice in New Hampshire.

The Pemigewasset River in February.

February 6, 2022: A Bluebird Invasion

Forget Ukraine, the invasion is happening right here!  This week a flock of over 20 bluebirds has stormed into the area, being observed by many people around the lake and it's quite a treat to see them with their bright blue color in winter when most other birds have replaced their summer plumage with more practical, safe, muted plumage.

Eastern Bluebird

This is the first time we've had bluebirds at our feeders though I know others in the area have seen them.  Some range maps (e.g. Cornell) still show their year-round range south of Massachusetts, but we had seen them in southern New Hampshire for years.  Other maps (e.g. Audubon) do show their year-round range extending up to central New Hampshire.  

Eastern Bluebirds feed primarily on insects but in winter their diet consists of fruit and a very diverse set of berries; it seems only in recent decades that they've started to partake in the seeds of birdfeeders.  

Bluebirds aren't picky at the feeder - large or small, seeds are now readily consumed.

It was a cold morning when we first saw them, near zero, and after filling their bellies some of them found a most endearing way to keep warm.

Keeping warm - and keeping watch in all directions.

Bluebirds, like all birds, have no blue pigment in their feathers.  To present their blue color their feathers take advantage of the wave properties of light.  There are tiny air pockets in the cells of the their feathers that have the right dimensions to reflect light such that blue light reflected from each pocket all lines up "in-phase" while other wavelengths are reflected randomly.  Thus the blue wavelengths are reinforced while other colors are diminished, resulting in the bright blue color that our eyes perceive.  [Ref:  Sibley, 2020, What it's like to be a Bird, Knopf, pg. 133]

Blue light is reinforced by a unique feather characteristic.

Blue light is at the short-wavelength end of human's visible spectrum, right up against ultraviolet light, which got me wondering if bluebird feathers might also reflect some UV wavelengths.  Looking into this I found that many birds do see in the ultraviolet spectrum, and in fact use that trait in interesting ways including some that explain avian abilities that had stymied scientists until this was studied.  That's a topic for the future; I have much more I need to learn on that subject, and there was a lot more going on this week to be shared.

We have a spring that flows year round which we let collect in a small pool well protected by hemlock trees and we often see birds and squirrels drinking from it all winter.  But this winter there have been holes in the ice that have opened up - the reason is unknown to me - but they are in fact open all the way through the 14" of ice on Lake Wicwas at this point.  And the bluebirds seemed to prefer this water source, right out in the open.

Three bluebirds take a drink.

That seems like an unnecessary risk considering the known presence of many predators such as bobcats, hawks, and the kestrel we saw a few weeks ago which is especially adept at catching birds.  And there was proof this week of the danger.  On a cross country ski excursion this week I came across a fresh bloody mess beside the trail which had all the indications of gray squirrel meeting its demise at the talons of a raptor.  

Sign of a very recent kill.

Bits of gray fur make me think it was squirrel.

I expected to see more remains of the animal on the ground, but then looking up I saw a big branch hanging right over the spot, a perfect perch for a raptor to feast upon its prey.  Perhaps the rest of the animal was taken off to share with its mate, or maybe I disturbed it and it flew off unnoticed to another dining location.  

Assuming the victim was a squirrel, it's not the last one; the second invasion this week was a ground assault.   The gray squirrels have stormed the yard in force - at one point there were eleven of them out under the feeders even after that one had departed from the land.  

Plenty of squirrels still abound.

And then, another new bird appeared at our feeder during Friday's snow - a pine siskin.

Pine Siskin

This was the third wave of the invasion; I only saw a few but another bird watcher (thanks MT!) reported a huge flock of them at their feeder, so many in fact that they emptied their bird feeder three times in one day.  

If I have seen a pine siskin here before I didn't identify it.  Unlike the easily recognized bluebird, the pine siskin is rather non-descript and I first thought it was a sparrow, but a key identifying feature is the slight yellow band along the edge of its flight feathers and its tail.

You can just make out the yellow bands on the edges of its wings.

The yellow bands are seen in flight but are barely visible when perched.  The pine siskin's beak is also thinner and sharper than a finch's beak.

A sharp, pointy beak.

Also in contrast to the southern-ranged bluebird, the pine siskin is a northern bird, living year-round in Canada and very northern New England, and breeding even farther north from Newfoundland in the east all the way across the continent to Alaska.  According to my new Audubon book (thanks VP!) they move southward when seed crops in the boreal forests are poor.  One of their favorite seeds is that of the hemlock tree so maybe the bumper crop of hemlock cones around the lakes this year will keep them in the area.

Even though I've gone on too long with all the nature sights, I can't let the week go by without a note on the disappointing effect of the weather on the Pond Hockey tournament.  Friday's games were cancelled due to unplayable ice conditions, and then on Saturday the entire tournament was cancelled due to unsafe ice.  According to their report, the weight of pushing the heavy snow from Friday's storm into piles to clear the rinks was so great it was causing the ice to sink and crack and lake water was coming up onto the ice.  They removed all their equipment and gear and had to cancel the entire tournament.  The coming week is forecast to be mild but hopefully it will be cold enough for everything to freeze up for the fishing derby next weekend.  

So on a happier note, I'll close with one more look at those beautiful bluebirds!