February 27, 2022: Snowshoe Hares in the Notch

Winter returned this week - after a brief glimpse of Spring on Monday when the temperatures rose to the mid 50s, climbing up to 58 on our thermometer.  So that was the day I took a hike up Cannon Mountain in Franconia Notch, and while it was a beautiful day, sunny and calm, it still certainly looked like winter above 3500'.

Kinsman Ridge Trail on Cannon Mountain.

Even in that harsh environment there are a few hardy critters that eke out a living high above the notch.  I found lots of tracks of snowshoe hares all along, even in the trail.  

Snowshoe Hare tracks dotted the landscape above 3700'.

The snowshoe hare is a wonderfully adapted animal with large hind feet which let it hop along the snow giving it an advantage in escaping its pursuers which include fox, coyote, bobcat, and lynx.  (I did see predator tracks near the hare tracks but I couldn't identify them.)  These hares also have fur on the bottom of their feet to protect them from the cold.  In the winter they sustain themselves by eating bark and twigs of trees.  Another valuable trait, shared by other hares and rabbits, is having multiple litters per year, producing lots of offspring which balances their high attrition rate.  Snowshoe hares are nocturnal, giving them an additional level of protection, though owls, another significant predator of hares, have also adapted to hunting in low light.  And then there's the hare's heavy fur which changes color twice a year:  white fur in the winter, mottled brown in the summer, both to blend in with their surroundings.

For all these reasons, I've never seen a snowshoe hare itself but have seen their tracks in many places, often near the summits of mountains including Cannon, Welch, Roberts, Whiteface, and Morgan.  But they are present at lower elevations too, including around the lakes.  I've seen their tracks in the Hamlin Forest on the Red and White Trails as well as right near downtown Meredith in Community Forest.

Recent snowshoe hare tracks in Hamlin, February 5th.

I also saw two bird species high up on the summit of Cannon:  Common Redpolls, and a single Pine Grossbeak.  I heard the redpolls before I saw them, just below the summit at an elevation of 3850'.  I stopped to see what was chattering and soon saw a few redpolls in the stunted spruce trees.  Then another group flew in.  Then another dozen or so, starting to make quite a racket.  They all took off together and circled around over me, and then another group joined in, and then another, and another joined the swirling flock, until there were at least 50 of them flying in ragged circles just above the tree tops before the entire flock spun off out of sight.  I'm confident in my estimate of well over 50 based on my recent counting of goldfinches in the trees around our birdfeeders.  I've counted up to 30, and when they took off, their flock was considerably smaller than this gang of redpolls.

Just a portion of our goldfinch flock, about 20 right there.  Many more were perched in the branches of the oak trees.  (Plus one dark-eyed junco waiting its turn on the feeder.)

The single Pine Grossbeak I saw was even closer to the summit of the mountain, and acting so nonchalantly beside the trail that I first thought it was a Canada Jay looking for a handout.  (Canada Jays are so bold they will come to land on your hand if you offer it with some trail mix.)  But when I got a better look - and listen - I determined it was a pine grossbeak.  I only had my phone with me, so this is the best picture I got (and no pictures of the fast moving redpolls).

A pine grossbeak at 4000' on the summit of Cannon Mountain.

It didn't have the rose or yellow coloring I would expect (leading me to the initial jay thought) but their coloration is quite variable and its distinctive song told me it was a grossbeak.  I was also in the right habitat:  subalpine spruce-fir forest.

We also had a different finch at our feeder this week, a house finch, our first of the year, but again, no pictures for you - it was here and gone in a minute.  I have Linda's quick eye to thank for catching it.

On Superbowl Sunday I mentioned that owls were starting to mate, and the woodpeckers aren't far behind.  I heard the back and forth rat-a-rat of two downy woodpeckers staking out their mating territory in the woods last week.  One would bang away on a hard, dead, resonant snag to let all know he has claimed that piece of the woods, and as as soon as it stopped another bird far away answered back with its reply from his home turf.  As long as the two birds keep their distance and each hears only a faint hammering, all will be well.  But if one moves in too close to the other, there will be trouble.   

This downy woodpecker must be looking for food - I think he knows this is too small for a nest!

With eight inches of sparkling light snow on Friday, winter is back.  It's hard to remember that on Monday was 50 degrees with the streams flowing like spring.

Spring melt runs into the Mill Brook on February 18th.

And then yesterday:

February 26th.  Photo by Linda Powell.

Scenery sure changes rapidly in a New Hampshire winter.

April 4, 2021: March Madness

So much for "Out like a Lamb".  March ended with a vengeance, hitting us with some of the strongest winds we see around the lakes.  And it came at a time when the frost is leaving the ground and the soil is wet and soft, allowing for toppling trees over by the roots.   Fortunately we were far enough north that shaded forests still had a decent frost base and most of the trees I saw blown over were snapped off above the ground at a weak point in the trunk.  This particular tree was inconsiderate enough to fall right along a trail, which makes a lot more clean up work than if it fell straight across the path.  

A white pine snapped off by wind.

A much more thoughtful tree was kind enough to fall away from the house by which it stood for the past 80 or so years, and then, in an extreme case of good fortune, it lined itself up precisely between two other pines that were narrowly spaced and joined forces to grab hold of it right before it completely demolished all of the boats so carefully lined up between them.

Sometimes all the stars just line up right!

Another boat on the land wasn't quite as fortunate.  This aluminum rowboat was picked up by that northwest wind and blown, Dorothy-style, over the land and into the lake.

I didn't see it happen so it's possible it landed on the ice and then was blown into this stretch of open water where it got trapped.  After the storm I was able to secure it on land and later paddle it back to its home when after the wind died down.  So here we are, days before ice-out and the first boat has already been launched.  

The animals are taking advantage of bits of open water as well, as I heard my first beaver-tail crash onto the water when I walked along the lake just after sunset.  We also have a pair of mallards that appear to have made this small stretch of open water their new home.

"How does this spot look dear?"

Sailing among the icebergs.

They spend all day cruising in these tiny areas, paddling back and forth in the narrow channels, sometimes walking over the icebergs, sometimes using them for a napping spot.  

"Ouch that's cold."

Goose and duck down is still the best insulation.

Whenever another pair of mallards shows up these guys waste no time in shooing them away.  I didn't realize mallards were that territorial; we've had fun watching them all week.  They've also found a good source of food under our bird feeders and are doing a great  job of cleaning up all the mess the birds created all winter.

Nature's vacuum cleaner

Those open spots have been freezing over at night so I'm not sure where they go - probably onto land or down to the outlet by the dam which remains open all night.

Cold nights are slowing the ice-out process.

Sadly, with the arrival of April in bear-country, it's the end of bird feeders.  We've had a few new appearances this week including the first robin, the first song sparrows, the return of the redpolls, and even a few juncos which we haven't seen all winter.

A common redpoll cracks one of the last seeds from the feeder.

Birds have tremendous memories when it comes to remembering where they've stored individual seeds as well as where they've found food sources.  I wonder if these are the same redpolls that were at our feeder in February, coming back to where they previously found a meal on their way south.  Redpolls are now migrating all the way up to Greenland and the farthest northern parts of Canada for their breeding season.

As far as the ice goes, Meredith Bay is clear of ice as are many other parts of the big lake.  But that wind blew a lot of ice into Wolfeboro, the Weirs and other southern bays so Winnipesaukee hasn't declared ice-out as of today - maybe it will happen early next week.   Lake Waukewan shows a lot of blue water with all its ice blown onto the shore of the town beach.

Lots of blue water on Waukewan with all the ice blown down toward the town beach.

But Wicwas still has a ways to go.

A few more warm sunny days will get us blue water too!

I'll end with one last bird feeder moment for the year.

A downy woodpecker and a red-breasted nuthatch help empty the feeder for the last time.

I'm glad there are plenty of natural food sources available for them now.  And look - the crocuses bloomed for Easter!

Happy Easter!

February 7, 2021: Common Redpolls visit the Lakes Region

Hello February, what a great winter month!  The days are already longer; the sun a little brighter, a little warmer.  New snow comes frequently to freshen the world and cold weather is consistent enough to allow a host of winter activities.  Lake Winnipesaukee is now iced-in so the Pond Hockey Classic on Meredith Bay was a go for this weekend, as is the fishing derby next weekend.

As the winter progresses and cold temperatures take over the northern hemisphere, the Lakes Region sometimes hosts transient birds visiting all the way from the artic in search of food - and maybe warmer weather.  It's the only time of year we are able to see the beautiful snowy owl, for example.  Another visitor from the north stopped by our bird feeder this week, a whole flock of them in fact.

Common Redpolls

Common redpolls spend the summer far up in Canada, breeding in pine, spruce and birch forests as far north as Greenland.  In winter they head south, sometimes all the way down to the southern Massachusetts border depending on the available food supply, often in large flocks, and this is when we might see them.  Redpolls prefer small seeds like thistle and millet that fit in their beak, both of which we have in at least one of our feeders.  

Those tiny seeds are perfect for crunching in their small beaks.

Traveling in large flocks, they can be aggressive toward other birds, even those in their own flock when feeding.

The flock commandeered the feeder.

I watched them fluff their feathers and thrust their open beaks at other birds to shoo them away; even the usual bully white-breasted nuthatch was put off.  But sometimes a nuthatch or a brave chick-a-dee would flit in quickly to steal a seed from an open perch.

A chick-a-dee braves the rebuff of the redpolls (note upper left) to steal a seed.

When I saw the first bird I didn't know what it was and had to look it up.  The black face is good identifying feature if you can get one to look at you.

Note the black face.

It's always a treat when you get to see a bird that doesn't regularly visit the area.  

A fellow birder just north of the Lakes Region shared a picture (thanks EKJ and RH!) of a pine grosbeak in they saw in Campton.  

Edie Kressy caught this pine grosbeak in Campton.

This is another northern bird; the Cornell Ornithology range map shows it just sneaking down into the northern half of New Hampshire, a part of its range listed as "scarce".  Like the red-bellied woodpecker that's moved north into our region, the pine grosbeak may soon move farther north and out of New Hampshire altogether to find the climate it needs, so that was a nice sighting.

I mentioned that the ice on Meredith Bay is sound enough for the winter activities this year. 

The Pond Hockey Tournament was on, but at reduced size and without spectators in the rink area.

But one should still be careful travelling on the ice as many areas on the larger lakes are still not safe for travel.  Even Lake Wicwas which has been iced-in for over a month still has dangerous spots, as we discovered this week poking around in some shallow areas near shore.  

Unsafe ice still exists in spots on Lake Wicwas

I'll finish out the week with a few pictures of February in the Lakes Region.

Nature never disappoints.