July 20, 2025: The First Egg Hatches

Last week I came across a Veery nest on the ground.  The incubation period for Veeries is about 12 days, so I went back on Thursday to check on its status. Last year a ground nest was destroyed so I wasn't sure what I would find, but was pleased to see the nest intact and the first egg had hatched.

One of the four eggs has hatched.

By the appearance of the tiny chick it must have just hatched; there was no sign of the other three eggs starting to crack.  Mother veery keeps a neat house as she had already removed the egg shells.  I'd love to go back in two or three days to see if the other eggs have hatched, but I'll resist the urge in order to minimize disturbance.  The veery nesting period is 10-12 days so I'll check next week to learn whatthe status of all the eggs.    

The blueberries ripened up nicely in the hot weather this week and should remain plentiful for at least another week.  With a little luck you'll gather some before the birds and chipmunks get them all.  A large flock of Common Grackles was raiding this blueberry bush and feeding them to their young, sometimes two at a time.

Common Grackle with a mouthful of blueberries; its offspring waits beside.

The Annual Loon Census sponsored by the Loon Preservation Committee occurred yesterday.  Volunteers and professionals alike went out on many of New Hampshire's lakes between 8:00 and 9:00 am to determine how many loons are in the state.  Five loons were counted on Wicwas this year:  The single banded male in the northern territory and the family of four in the southern territory.  The two chicks, Spangle and Star are doing well, and Spangle is starting to dive.  They might not catch their own food for quite a while, but it might help them avoid predators from above such as eagles.  

There is a dramatic difference in the size of the two chicks - Spangle looks to be almost twice the size of Star.

This photo taken by Dave Thorpe during the loon census hints at why, and indicates that it may take Star some time to catch up.  

The stronger, faster bird gets to the dinner table first.

The mid-summer wildflowers are starting to take over the flower show now.  Daisies are going by but Black-eyed Susans are coming on strong and the evening primrose are starting to bloom.  

Evening Primrose

I try to remember to check these in the morning, looking for the Primrose Moth.  If I see one I'll share it here.

I was treated to a rare sighting of a Scarlet Tanager yesterday when it flew down from the high tree tops and into my sight.  I've been hearing it for weeks, always looking for it, but he is way up high, hidden amongst the leaves.  I had been listening to him sing for a long time, unable to find him when suddenly something attracted him down to a Red Maple tree right in my sight where he perched for several minutes.

The bright red and yellow plumage of a scarlet tanager.

He even sang for me.

Another special summer moment provide by mother nature!

Let's end with a dragon - one of the most brilliantly colored of all the dragonflies.

Eastern Pondhawk

Bright scarlet birds and emerald green dragonflies - the variety of nature's creations is endless.

Correction:  Jen Esten and Jon Waage, authors of the The Nature of Pleasant Lake blog, observed that the mustelids in last week's video were likely River Otters.  Checking with the photographer about the location of the video supports otter as the correct identification.  Thank you Jen and Jon!

July 10, 2022: Round-leaved Sundew

Last week I noted this really neat plant growing on a log that many years ago came to rest along the shoreline in a marsh.

Round-leaved Sundew (Drosera rotundifolia)

There are other plants growing on this old decaying tree including moss and some grasses.

A few other plants are taking up residence on this floating home.

But the round-leaved sundew is by far the most interesting in my opinion.  

I recognized the long thin hairs with drops of sticky liquid on them from plants such as the venus fly trap, which indicates it's a carnivorous plant.  It's an example of a plant that has adapted in unique ways to live in places where most plants can't survive.  It grows in highly acidic areas such as bogs and fens where the acidity precludes the growth of organisms (e.g. fungi) that usually generate the nitrogen plants need to survive.  So to live in this low-nitrogen environment, the round-leaved sundew adds animals to its diet - that is insects, mostly small flys and midges.  

The plant's prey is attracted to the round leaves and those eyelashes with thick tacky droplets on each one.

Does this look inviting to an insect?

When an insect lands and gets trapped the plant slowly closes up around it - though if the insect is struggling vigorously the plant speeds up its action.  Once it has enclosed its prey it secretes enzymes which digest the animal; it can even deliver an anesthetic that demobilizes its meal so it can't escape.  The plant uses the nitrogen in the animal to supplement the nitrogen that is lacking in the poor soil - or log - on which it lives.  Depending on the nitrogen level in the soil, nitrogen from animals makes up 25 to 50% of the sundew's nitrogen needs.  

These plants have tiny white blossoms that appear in July and August so I'll see if I can find their flowers later this summer.  Most of the information provided here came from an organization called Adirondacks Forever Wild; you can read their full report here.

In other news, both loon nests are still occupied, presumably getting closer to hatching out new chicks.  And I haven't seen any fawns yet, but this cute moment with a fawn and its mother was captured just south of the Lakes Region in Canterbury:

As soon as mom stops, junior goes looking for something to eat but mom seems to say, "not now, we have things to do."  Thank  you GP for sharing!

I've heard quite a few scarlet tanagers around the lake but haven't been able to see any - they sing loudly from high up in the tops of dense trees.  But I did catch a cedar waxwing on a morning paddle.

Cedar waxwing

It's a bird I don't see often.  

Lastly, it's time for the Evening Primrose to bloom.  

Evening Primrose

I wrote about this interesting biannual plant in my July 19th, 2020 post, including the many insects that live on it.  (As an interesting coincidence, that post also included a different carnivorous plant, the greater bladderwort.)  The only animal I found on this primrose was the aptly named Primrose Moth, a pretty, soft, pink and white insect.

Primrose Moth

The wonders and beauty of nature are endless.

July 19, 2020: Who Lives on a Primrose?

This spring an interesting weed sprouted right by the house, growing fast and interesting enough that it was tolerated by the resident gardener in order to see what developed.  As it grew taller and taller with no sign of being anything other than a weed, there were numerous temptations to yank it, but still, we waited.  Then one morning, a small yellow flower appeared.  The next morning, a couple more, and after a few days, there were numerous bright flowers, enough to be able to identify this now three and a half-foot tall weed towering over the black-eyed susans.

Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis)

It is an Evening Primrose, so named because it blooms in the evening, greeting the owner with a bright good morning welcome.  The flowers are supposed to close up by noon, but ours seems to want to enjoy much of the afternoon as well.  

This primrose is biennal, meaning it has a two year cycle, producing flowers only in the second year, which is interesting because although we remember seeing a plant like this last year, it seems unlikely it would have survived the summer appearing to be only a weed.  But perhaps we watched it long enough to mature sufficiently, and only cut if off rather than pulling it up.  Anyway, it's a pretty plant, and being biennial, I'm saddened it won't come back next year.  But if any of its seeds take root, we'll know to let them grow for a couple of years.

Looking closely at the plant to identify it, I noticed it was home to several different forms of life.  Did you notice the little green bug sneaking over the blossom in the the previous pictures?

A katydid?

I think it's a katydid.  It doesn't have wings, but the nymphs hatch without wings;  thier wings appear only after their final molt.  

There was also a small brown beetle crawling around on the stem.

An unknown beetle

But the best find was this pretty primrose moth.

Primrose moth (genus Schinia)

At first I thought it was a rosy maple moth, but learned otherwise after looking closely at the color pattern.  It's another new species for me, and its name certainly makes sense considering the plant it was calling home.

It's always fun to find cool insects and spiders hanging out in Linda's flowers!

I did some boundary monitoring on the Harris Conservation Easements with Leah from the Lakes Region Conservation Trust this week which included monitoring from both land and sea.  In shallow water along the protected shorelines we found these pretty yellow flowers blooming (I guess yellow is the color of the week):

Floating Bladderwort (Utricularia radiata)

This is the flower of the Floating Bladderwort, I think.  I'll repeat that I'm not an expert on these matters.

Bladderworts don't have a root, they just float along in the water with a stem that drags down on the bottom of the lake.  The coolest aspect of bladderworts is that they are carnivorous.  Their underwater bladders are their "mouths".  The plant creates a vacuum in its bladders by pumping water out of them.  When the hairs on a bladder detect its prey, the plant opens the bladder, sucking in water, and its victim along with it.  Here's a description of the process from The Native Plant Trust: 

"Like other bladderworts, greater bladderwort is carnivorous, trapping small organisms in its tiny bladders. The trap door operates at speeds that rank among the fastest plant  movements known. Triggered by protruding hairs on the door, trap bladders open in about 0.5 milliseconds, sucking the animal in, and closing in about 2.5 milliseconds. This comes to about three thousand feet per second, almost three times the speed of sound."

And yes, bladderworts eat mosquito larvae, so they are our friends!  Easement monitoring can be quite educational - thanks for the trip Leah, and for this picture:

Monitoring Conservation Easements is a highly strenuous job.

Speaking of the Harris Conservation Easement, that's where our successful loon nest was this year, and both of their chicks are fine, being well attended to by their parents, and learning to fish by watching them.  Here's a link to a video Ron Naso captured of the chicks and the parents fishing.  Look carefully - the best part is when you can see one of parents flashing by under the water chasing a fish - it happens at 43 seconds into the video.  It's amazing how fast they can swim under water.  

There has been a lot of loon drama in Marion Cove this week, with three loons in regular confrontation - lots of circle dancing and lots of wing-rowing and vocalizing as they chase each other around.

"Get out of my cove!"

It may be the rogue loon we've had the past several years ("Solo") claiming ownership of the cove, while the long-resident (banded) pair still feels they have fishing rights to the waters.  At any rate, it seems to be keeping them all occupied and staying away from the new family, which is a good thing.

I'll end this entry with a great storm cloud building up before one of the late afternoon showers this week.

Just another beautiful moment on New Hampshire's lakes.