June 23, 2024: Bambi Comes to Visit

A healthy looking White-tailed Deer paid a visit to the yard this week and we enjoyed watching it while it browsed because it was mostly nibbling on plants we didn't mind it gobbling up.  Even though we were standing very still inside the house the deer was able to detect our motion and be on high alert.  

Deer are incredibly sensitive animals.

I know their namesake fly, the Deer Fly, torments them as much as they do us, as the deer's constant tail swishing and ear twitching shows, but deer apparently are more tolerant than I am to these painful pests.

A couple of deer flies attached right to its forehead.

At one point the deer was munching on Sheep Laurel.

"This looks tasty."

Then it went after the Whorled Loosestrife.

Does it taste as good as it looks?

Even better was when it started working on various weeds.

The reach,

the snap,

and the munch.  Note the ragged broken off stem above its nose.  

A rough broken stem rather than a clean cut is a sign of deer damage because lacking front incisors, deer tear off vegetation rather than cut it with sharp front teeth like a rabbit.  We don't mind finding these on the weeds, but there are plenty of garden casualties that result from deer and other wildlife when we're not around to shoo them away.  Living amidst nature is definitely a give and take experience.

Did you happen to notice all the Rice Krispies in the lake this week?

These are the male cones of the White Pine tree and there was a good batch of them this year.

A friend gave them this name and it's perfect - that's exactly what they look like, just floating in the lake rather than your cereal bowl.

These are the factories that produced all that green pollen that fell a couple of weeks ago.

Another plant that is prolific this year is the Rose Pogonia.  

Rose Pogonia (Pogonia ophioglossoides)

I mention these every summer simply because they are so fabulous.  If you haven't seen them you really should grab a kayak and head into one of the many marshes around Wicwas or any of the other local lakes.  They really are special - a native, miniature orchid.

Note the two legs of a spider hiding behind one of the flowers.

There is good news from the loons:  last week's mating efforts were productive and the northern pair has built a second nest and is now incubating at least one egg.  I went out with the LPC intern Jayden on Wednesday and it must have been right after the first egg was laid as both loons were away from the nest long before we came anywhere near it.  With them off the nest, Jayden was able to see a single egg through binoculars.  As we got nearer to the nest both loons came right up beside us, ready to defend their nest if needed.  

We quickly moved away.  Jayden thinks it's likely they were not incubating the egg yet because a second egg will be added to the nest.  Waiting until both eggs are laid before incubation allows the two eggs to hatch close together, usually about 24 hours apart.  The next day there was a loon on the nest, so the incubation timer likely started on June 20th.  Now we wait anxiously, with two loon nests on the lake.  Check here on July 21st for an update, and on July 15th for the south nest.  

Finally, I want to thank the intrepid group of hikers that braved the heat and humidity to participate in the Lakes Region Conservation Trust guided hike to the Smyth Easement.  We started from the Hamlin Town Forest trailhead and were able to get nice but very hazy views from both Crockett's Ledge and the White Mountain Ledge.

A hazy day in the mountains.

It was the hottest day of the year, 94 degrees when we finished with 99% relative humidity, but we took it slow and had a great trip.  Even on a hot day there were lots of birds singing - we heard Hermit Thrushes, Scarlet Tanagers, Ovenbirds, and several different warblers, among many others.  At one of the stream crossings we stopped to see what we would find.  There were small fish in the brook, and we  discovered some beautiful bright green damselflies with black wings.  I think they were Ebony Jewelwings.  

Sometimes the best part of a hike is when you just stop, look, and listen.

June 10, 2012

I have seen very little mammal activity around Lake Wicwas this week;  a couple of beavers swimming by at dusk, some signs of deer browsing, and early one morning I heard a deer snorting at me from Sheep Island.  Perhaps they are all hiding away, taking care of young and vulnerable offspring. 

But the birds are very active - sometimes too active.  One day, driving home across the dam, we saw a mother duck with five or six of the tiniest ducklings I've seen trying to cross the road from the lake to stream.  Mom scurried them back to the lake and down safely into the tall grass.  We stopped and went back to look, and they had just disappeared! 

While we were there we noticed some eye-catching dragon flies flitting around the stream leaving the lake:  they were Ebony Jewelwings. Jet black, with black wings, the male has a bright, iridescent green body that looks like its glowing compared to its black body.  The female's wings, though also black, are somewhat transparent and have white spots near the rear of the wing. 

Ebony Jewelwing

Their segmented bodies are amazingly flexible;  when they mate the female bends its body forward 180 degrees so the male can hold onto it during mating. 

The pictures don't do them justice - they are really quite stunning, and being so numerous you'd have good chance of seeing them if you were too look soon on a warm day.

The Canada Geese are much farther along in their development, with some of the new birds starting to look like immature adults.   We saw this mother and father working to round up their brood to get them moving after a short respite.  First mom and dad whispered their secret plan to each other.

The Plan

Then they stretched out to surround the gang.

The Round-Up

With one parent taking the lead and the other playing sweeper and rounding up the stragglers. 

The Stragglers

Finally they were all in a row and off to their next dining spot!

Off to the Races

We also had a lone make Wood Duck make a visit right to our dock. 

Wood Duck

It was rather bold, not flying off until we approached to within 20 feet, but it was clearly aware of us and watching every move.

When it did take flight it went just a few yards and just swam along slowly.

We have had a lot of Grackles around the lake this year.  Though not uncommon, we haven't seen this many for such long periods of time.  They are quite visible with their large size and shiny green head, and also make a loud sharp call that gets one's attention.

The transition to summer is revealed by the summer flowers capturing the lead role from the spring wild flowers in coloring the shores of the lake.  The only spring flower I found this week is the Bunchberry, while the wild daisies are blooming, and the Hawkweed are about to burst out. 

The Lupine are also in full bloom, and so we took a drive up to Sugar Hill to enjoy the fields of Lupine with Cannon and the Lafayette Range in the background during the Lupine Festival.  And of course, the trip required a visit to Polly's Pancake Parlor!

Get ready next weekend for the two-wheeled thunder - let's hope they get a repeat of this weekend's fabulous weather.!