May 30, 2021: Time for Baby Birds

The weather on this Memorial Day Weekend certainly isn't what we're hoping for, especially after the past couple weeks of hot, summer-like weather had spoiled us terribly.  The flowers, trees, and even animals however are very thankful for the rain and some cooler temperatures, including our little family of mallards.  They continue to dabble in the cove, fly in and out for unknown reasons, and still scour the road for acorns.  They must have the ability to smell those big seeds even after they've been packed down into the ground because every morning there are little funnel holes in the road where they've been excavating.  One morning I watched them in action:

Mr. Mallard zeros in on an invisible target.

He probes down into the ground,

And plucks up a tasty morsel.

Down the hatch!

All that good nutrition combined with a lot of effort to defend their territory has produced results.  This week we saw mom in tow with five little chicks.

Five little ducklings follow mom in tight formation.

They had been so good at concealing their nest, and the chicks so quiet, that we never discovered where the nest was situated, though we knew its approximate location because dad would be stationed right off shore on a regular basis while (we assume) mom was on the nest.

Another bird species is not nearly so careful in keeping their presence secret.  Walking through the woods on Friday I heard a loud, high pitched peep-peep-peep-peep-peep coming from somewhere in the forest.  I stopped to see if I could figure out what it was and where it was coming from, and I found that making noise walking on the leaves and fallen branches only made the peeping more adamant.  This hinted that it was undisciplined baby birds thinking a meal was heading their way via mom or dad, unlike an adult animal that would be quiet when it detected an approaching creature.  The piercing sound was rather easy to track down and I soon found the source of the racket which was emanating from a small hole in an ash tree.

The source of the noise.

I didn't expect to see the parents anytime soon after tramping around the area so I left, but came back late that evening, quietly, and settled in a discreet spot to see if I could learn who's nest it was.  It took only about ten minutes before two loud birds came flying into the trees near the area, landed where I couldn't see them, and started sending out dramatic alert calls which told me they knew something wasn't right (me).  Nonetheless, after a few minutes of this, a downy woodpecker - the female - flew onto the tree below the hole with a good size morsel of food that looked like a large insect, in its beak.

Bringing home dinner for the hungry kids.

She spent a few moments doing the woodpecker jig, jerking her head one way and the other to survey the surroundings before poking her head into the hole, then disappearing inside.

"Hi kids"

Nothing but tail.

She was in the tree for a minute or two before scooting out quickly, immediately landing on a nearby dead tree to begin her search for another insect to bring home.  

Back at the supermarket.

We've entered the peak period of bird hatching, so keep an eye for all flavors of baby birds throughout the forests and lakes.  Ducklings and Canada goose goslings will be some of the most visible, but robin and phoebe chicks are also occasionally seen.  Loons won't be hatching for several more weeks - the only pair that appears to have returned to Lake Wicwas is still searching out nesting sites.  There also continue to be battles over territory and/or mates on Wicwas.  This week I watched a long altercation take place, long enough to decide to get my camera and see if I could catch some it on video - which I did, still getting over two minutes of action before they went out of sight, and I don't know how long the battle continued after that.  The action was far away, and hand-holding a telephoto lens makes for poor video, but you can at least get the idea of what was taking place if you watch it:

And here's a short clip of a wing-rowing event:

Perhaps you saw the announcement that the Meredith Conservation Commission is holding the second of its summer guided walk series at the Hamlin-Eames Conservation Area.  The walk will start with a brief memorial to Peter Miller who passed away last November and a dedication of a plaque in his memory.  Peter was a Meredith conservation commissioner who designed the trails in Hamlin and Eames and led the fund raising effort to purchase the Eames property.  There will be guided walks ranging from one third of mile up to three miles.  If you would like to participate, meet at the Hamlin Trailhead on Chemung Rd at 10:00am on Saturday, June 5th.  

It's also National Trails Day -  I hope to see you there!

If you're interested in honoring those who died in the service of our country, there will be a short memorial service at Oakland Cemetery tomorrow morning at 8:00, at Meredith Village Cemetery at 9:00, and in front of the Meredith Library at 10:00, followed later by a ceremony at Hesky Park.   It's a small way to remember those whom made the ultimate sacrfice for us.

July 21, 2019: The Dogs Come Early

Wow, what a weekend!  The dog days of summer started early this year in the Lakes Region.  Usually this kind of weather doesn't hit until August, but this week we had dew points into the 70s and temps well into the 90s.  The peak temperature was 95.7 on Saturday with a dew point of 72.

Hot summer nights

On a cooler morning at the boat ramp a few weeks ago I had a neat experience which got superseded by all the loon activity the past few weeks:  I got to observe the courting behavior of a pair of downy woodpeckers.

Mr. and Mrs. Downy

The pair was searching for insects on the trees right around the boat launch, probing into all the potential places for insects to hide out.

Where are you ants?

This looks like a good spot.

The male (with the bright red spot on the back of its head) seemed to be leading the way with the female following along a bit behind.

"Where are you going!" she asks.

When the male found a potential spot it worked it for a while until it pulled an insect out.

But rather than eat it, it did something rather kind.

Trying to win her over!

It brought it right to its mate and gave it to her!

This is a known behavior as part of courtship for several species of birds; perhaps the feeding helps to convince the female that he will be a good provider for a future family.  For downy woodpeckers an interesting aspect of mating is that both male and female will search for a nesting site and must agree on a suitable tree.  [Ref:  Stokes, Donald and Lillian, "A Guide to Bird Behavior" Vol II, Little, Brown and Compay, 1983.]  If they can come to terms they will both excavate a nest, but if they can't agree on a tree they most likely will not mate.  I witnessed a few more feedings before they moved beyond my line of sight, but probably not far.

If they have agreed on a nesting tree they tend to stay close by to guard their site.

A quick update on Harley and Davidson - both chicks continue to advance in size and skill.  Although they mostly stick their heads underwater and watch as their parents dive for fish, they do occasionally dive themselves.  They seem to like going in very close to shore at a shallow beach, and the parents watch them very closely there, calling them back out to deeper water at the slightest concern.  It will be interesting to see when they are able to catch their own fish.

Harley and Davidson like to go right up the shore here.  (Some will recognize that canoe!)

We also had a scare this week.  One morning the family came by with only one chick in tow.  They fished for 20 minutes without a sign of the second and they didn't show a hint of distress.  Half an hour later we had a report from someone else that they also had seen only one chick.  But then in another hour the report came in that both chicks were back with the parents.  What are those parents thinking, leaving their kids unsupervised all that time!

As expected, the second pair of loons finally gave up and abandoned their nest.  It looks like Harley and Davidson will have to carry the torch for Wicwas this summer.

The Annual Loon Census took place yesterday and though we didn't have the loon overload of last week, there were eight loons that appeared for the census.  Citizenship questions were not asked.  😉

Mom (?) and the kids during the census

Dad was probably off keeping the other loons far away.

I'll end this week with a pretty butterfly that was sucking nectar out of the black-eyed susans (which are having a banner year).

American Painted Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)

This is an American Painted Lady.  In these next two you can see its proboscis inserted deep into the flower.

The susan's must be loving all the heat this summer.  Keep cool!

December 4, 2017

December is here, and with it came some December-like weather:  cold and blustery with whitecaps being whisked down the lake by a strong northwest wind. 

But every December is different - compare this year to what 2013 brought us:

Ice in December  2013

This was actually taken on November 30, 2013! 

That northwest wind blows needles the white pines dropped during the fall (even the evergreens lose a good number of their leaves in the fall) to the edge of the lake where they can get all wrapped up into a tight bundle and then washed up onto shore.  This looked like a small porcupine curled up by beside the lake. 

A tightly wrapped ball of pine needles imitates a porcupine

Turning it over you can see the dense packing of the needles.

The week also brought some warm and wet weather, so the bird feeders came back in the house, but not before a visit from a pretty downy woodpecker.

Downy Woodpecker

Check out those claws, evolved to hang on to bark as they search for food on trees.

They work pretty well on bird feeders also. 

Did you ever think about the fact that birds have tongues?

Probing with the tongue before committing the beak

Duck season runs until December 17 in our region and the sportsmen are still out on the hunt, complete with an eager and attentive hunting dog.

Just twenty minutes after they went by, two hooded mergansers, having eluded them, arrived in the very same spot.

A couple of lucky ducks

There have been a few more ducks around this week, including this pair of common mergansers resting quietly on a rainy day. 

Resting peacefully in the rain

Time for a good stretch after my nap

A very wet squirrel was also out adding to its winter stores.

A good day for ducks, not so much for squirrels

The earlier snow is gone now.  As we await the arrival of winter to be blown in with that northwest wind, we can at least soak up the last colors of fall before they are buried under a blanket of white.

Wintergreen

June 23, 2013

With the summer solstice occurring this week, Lake Wicwas is now into the heat of summer, when the animal activity moves into the cooler times after dark.  One of the best parts of this time of year is getting to sleep with the windows open, letting the nighttime sounds of nature into the house.  Whether it's a coyote or an owl or a tree frog, it's fun to hear what's going on out there all night long.  And what's more satisfying than being awakened in the middle of the night by the call of a loon or the ga-lumping of a bull frog?  

Most of the birds are quiet during the heat of the day, singing only in the early morning or evening;  one exception being the Red Eyed Vireo which will sing all day long throughout the hottest weather.  
On a morning walk I heard a Downy Woodpecker chirping, but as I came nearer it turned its occasional chirping into a non-stop string of scoldings. 

Downy Woodpecker

It kept a close eye on me and never once stopped for even a second - for several minutes. 

Eventually I went on my way, leaving its racket behind me.

The beaver are also mostly nocturnal, not visible much this time of year, but signs of their presence and activity are found during the day.  These hemlock trees have had their bark removed all the way around which will eventually kill the tree. 

Hemlock Trees De-barked by Beaver Over Night

Their teeth marks are visible here

Beaver rarely cut down hemlock, but they remove the bark so it will die, leaving space and light for tree species more to their liking.  It does appear they consume the bark however, as there are no bark remnants around the base of the trees.

The spring flowers are mostly gone now, having relinquished their reign to summer plants that can handle the heat, such as Daisies and Hawkweek.  The Partridgeberry, which looks quite similar to Arbutus, is blooming, and the Strawberries are fruiting. 

Partridgeberry Blooming

 

Wild Strawberry

 

Sometimes you find visitors enjoying the flowers. 

Last week there were hundreds of tiny grasshoppers springing from the ground as you walked by - they have grown quite a bit in one week.

I did observe one intruiging animal activity this week - a Orb-weaver Spider.  Our dock, like probably every dock on Lake Wicwas, has a nice spider web or two on it.  Swimming one afternoon, I saw a medium-size dragon fly get caught in the web.  Instantly the spider came out from hiding to see what it had caught, and scurried quickly up to its prize. 

Orb-weaver Spider

It went straight to the dragonfly and sunk its jaws into its abdomen to inject a dose of venom. 

Within just a minute or two the dragonfly was dead, or at least paralyzed.  The spider then wasted no time in feasting on its catch, as it started to suck the life juices out of it.  (Which made me realize that a spider must be immune to its own poison.) 

Within a few minutes the dragonfly was noticeably collapsed and reduced in size. 

After its meal, the spider went out and made some quick repairs to its web, and I could see it spreading a new thread radially along its trap. 

It was a small scale version of prey and predator that takes place constantly in nature at every scale.

The heat and rising humidity of the week culminated in some rather strong thunderstorms today, but Wicwas avoiding the worst of the storms that other parts of New Hampshire experienced.  As the storm passed, the sky to the west cleared, leaving eerie colors to a pretty sunset, and announcing the start of summer.