October 23, 2022: Maddie and Mom

I said last week that it looked like both of our loon chick's parents had left the lake, but in fact mom is still here.  I saw two loons far apart during a paddle this week and I could tell one was a juvenile and one was an adult by the plumage and I was confident the juvenile was our chick Maddie.

The chevron pattern on her back is the plumage of a juvenile loon.

It's difficult to tell an adult loon apart from a first year chick at this time of year due to the adults losing their distinguished black and white plumage, but the second bird I saw had remnants of spots on its back indicating it was an adult.

From a distance I couldn't tell this wasn't a juvenile.

But blowing up the pictures revealed a few faint white dots.

I watched to see if I could catch a glimpse of a band but the loon wasn't cooperative so there was no indication it was connected to Maddie.  Until, that is, Amy Wilson was able to collect the proof that in fact, Maddie and her mother are still here and together.  

Maddie and her mom enjoy a peaceful early morning moment.  Photo by Amy Wilson.

I say peaceful, but based on others' reports, Maddie was probably nagging her mother for breakfast.  Though she is perfectly capable of fishing on her own, when mom's around she's more than willing to let her do the meal prep.

It was this moment however, that provided proof of identity:

Photo by Amy Wilson

Our female loon had two feathers clipped during its banding process this summer, and the absence of those feathers is conclusive.  

Now I'm not complaining about the great weather we're having, but we will need some cold to arrive in time to send the loons on their way before they molt their flight feathers and can't leave the lakes.  It probably won't be a problem on the small lakes which freeze early, but the larger lakes sometimes freeze over so late now that loons can get stranded without the ability to fly.

In spite of the warm weather the season is progressing, though it's easy to convince myself it isn't when we have gorgeous days like the past two have been.  They started out cold with a touch of frost forming in areas exposed to the sky and radiational cooling.

Oak leaves tinged with morning frost.

Then the days quickly warmed as the sun rose, and by noon the forest was warm and bright, glowing with October sunlight illuminating vibrant yellow and orange leaves.

Beech trees in their fall glory.

The red maples have dropped much of their foliage, letting the oaks, beech, and aspen have their moment in the spotlight.  On a bike ride in Dorchester on Friday the aspen were the stars of one section of trail even as many of their leaves lay freshly fallen on the trail.

A trail passing through a stand of aspen trees.

A pastel pallet of aspen leaves.

Even the beavers appreciate the fall colors, using them to decorate their homes for the season.

Beaver lodge dressed up for fall.

Frosty, foggy mornings, warm afternoons - I'll take as many of these fall days as mother nature will give us.

We still have two more weeks of daylight savings time!

October 22, 2017 - Wood Ducks

The gorgeous, warm weather just keeps coming our way, and people are taking every advantage of it while it lasts.

Fishermen in the mornings

Boaters enjoying their last few outings before the boats come out for the winter

Here it is in late October and we haven't even had a hard frost yet around lake, though on the coldest morning (Tuesday) there was a touch of frost in areas most exposed to radiational cooling, evident on the smallest leaves suspended above the warm earth.

First hint of frost for the year

Even with warm nights, they have been cool enough for mist to form over the still-warm water on most mornings.

And nothing can stop what must happen;  even though the foliage is still beautiful, leaves are starting to pile up on the forest floor, still bedecked in  their autumn finery.

As someone said this week, "we're going to pay for this!"

I noted last week the increased animal activity as they prepare for winter, and this week I had a couple of fun and exciting moments.  The first was seeing a mink running along the shoreline in the morning, poking in every nook and cranny in the bank looking for breakfast.  It was too quick to catch a picture, but here's one from last fall.

The second was a little more alarming.  I was running in the woods on a trail with soft pine needles under foot, making little noise as soon became apparent.  Suddenly, right over me was a huge object, flapping silently as it flew from behind me, right over my head, and down the trail in front of me.  I've never ducked so fast.  It was a huge barred owl that must have been sitting on a branch over the trail looking away from me as I approached.  As I ran underneath, it was startled and took flight right over my head.  It only flew a short way down the trail and perched in a tree just off the path so I had a great look at this magnificent bird.  But it didn't stay long and took off again on its silent flight into the forest.  Quite a heart stopping moment.  Here's a picture of a barred owl taken in the same area last year.

It's likely the same bird, as barred owls are very much home-bodies.  Barred owls have been banded, and one has never been found more than six miles from where it was banded.

We continue to have lots of Wood Ducks coming by Lake Wicwas this fall; every day there are flocks ranging from two or three up to well over a dozen.

Someone asked where they are coming from and where they are going, so I looked up wood ducks and here's what I found, most of it from Stokes' "A Guide to Bird Behavior" (Volume III, by Donald and Lillian Stokes, Little, Brown and Company, 1989).

Wood ducks are the only perching duck in the northeast, having well-developed claws for perching on branches and nesting in tree cavities.

This picture is from 2016

Much like the beaver, they were nearly exterminated in the early 1800s as the European settlers cleared away their nesting habitat and hunted them extensively.  Conservation efforts started to bring them back, but then the hurricane of 1938 brought another blow (no pun intended) by destroying many of the large trees needed for nesting.  The Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Concord Massachusetts started a program of constructing nesting boxes for them, which was successful and soon copied in other areas, and there is now a healthy population of these pretty birds.

Hunting of them is once again permitted, which accounts for the shotgun blasts heard around the lake at exactly 30 minutes before sunrise this time of year.  Early morning and late evening is when they are most visible, which unfortunately means poor lighting for pictures, but every now and then one stops by in the sunshine.

Mr. and Mrs. Wood Duck

Stokes reports that New England wood ducks (and I presume birds from Canada as well) migrate down to the Maryland area and then spread out along the mid-Atlantic coast, so I expect New Hampshire's lakes are a good stopping point to rest and stretch their wings along their way.

Finally, perhaps traveling through Meredith Center this week you saw that the church is having its steeple renovated, the tall white spire contrasting sharply against the autumn sky.

Not a job for acrophobiacs

It is one of the most beautiful times of year in New England, and I'll take this weather for as long as mother nature can fend off old man winter.

Crockett's ledge, shortly after sunrise

October 12, 2014

It's Columbus Day weekend and the fall colors are peaking right on schedule around Lake Wicwas.  The maples are deep red and orange, and the beech are starting to turn bright yellow.  The small deciduous trees right along the shore provide a brilliant contrast to the dark green of the pines behind them.

A couple of rare Black Gum trees add to the variety of hues.

Black Gum (Tupelo)

I have heard the loud report of shot guns just before dawn this past week, as duck season is now open.  The hunters are on shore and on boats, getting positioned before day-break to get the first shot of the day.  I know they've been on land when they leave an unfortunate calling card.

It's too bad one careless hunter can hurt the reputation of what are usually careful users of property.

But they haven't found all the birds, as I often flush out a group of ducks when I walk along the shore, and I caught this group out for a fall foliage tour.

The water is getting cold, but it is still warm enough to put off mist on a cold morning.

One day there were unusually tall, thin columns of mist reaching up to the sky.

The cause of this phenomenon is unknown to me.

In what is yet another warm fall, Lake Wicwas had its first frost just last night, and then only in open areas with no trees overhead where radiational cooling allowed the temperature to drop just below freezing.  Only the smallest of leaves raised just enough off the warm ground showed any frost.

There has been an abundance of acorns this year, with large, heavy nuts covering the ground under the oak trees. 

Acorns from Red Oak

I heard a science report explaining why two or three years of low acorn production is followed by a heavy crop (called a mast year).  If the oaks generated the same number of acorns every year, the animals that eat them - squirrels, mice, deer, turkey - would reach equilibrium with the crop, where there would be just enough animals to eat all the nuts.  But this would mean very few seeds survive to germinate.  So the trees have evolved to limit acorn production for a few years to reduce the population of the consumers.  Then they produce a bumper crop, with far more nuts than the population can possibly consume, leaving plenty to survive into spring.  Of course, the high food year produces lots of offspring for those animals the following year, which is then followed by an increase in the next level of animals in the food chain: owls, hawks, fox, fisher, and other predators.  But all these acorns should provide sustenance for healthy deer and turkey populations this winter.

But let's not rush winter.  The fall colors should last another week, so next weekend should provide one more opportunity for leaf peeping.  At least one loon is still on the lake, enjoying the beauty of autumn at Lake Wicwas.

October 14, 2012

Frost on the pumpkin!  Lake Wicwas had its first freeze on Saturday morning, though only in open areas that were exposed to the cold sky and the effects radiational cooling - anyplace protected by a cover of trees remained frost-free.  I didn't see any pumpkins around the lake, but there was frost on the leaves that had fallen into open fields.

With a clear day upon us, we had a beautiful walk up to the White Mountain Ledge on the Hamlin trails, and found some nice views to the north.  We got one glimpse of a snow covered Mount Lafayette when it cleared from its cloud blanket, but all the other mountains are still green.

From the White Mountain Ledge

Mt. Chocorua

There were beautiful views around the lake as well, with the dark blue water sparkling in the brisk north wind.  Here is the scene looking northeast towards the Lakeland School.  Old timers around the lake will remember when this was the Wicwas Lodge - maybe even some who remember the Lake Wicwas House?  There is a great history of the site on Dean Dexter's New Hampshire Commentary, "Smith Corner, Lake Wicwas, Meredith NH"   (Click Here).

Lakeland School

We also visited Crockett's Ledge, where there are still many yellow trees looking looking over towards Lake Winnisquam.  

Lake Winnisquam

This large structure - visible with binoculars - on the hilltop looking east towards Winnipesaukee was built in the last few years.  Could it be just a private residence?  

On our hike we saw lots of old tree stumps that are decomposing, and becoming hosts for moss, lichen, fungus, and now even small trees.  These new residents will accelerate the rate of the stump's decay.  Some of them have the appearance of tiny fairy yards. 

Lichen:  Reindeer and British Soldier

There were lots of animals out enjoying the pleasant day, collecting food for the winter.  Perhaps the first frost got them thinking about the long season ahead.  Or, more likely, it is just that we put the bird feeders back out.  (Risking the bears as well!)  In addition to the usual visitors, we saw the first Snow Bird, and a Purple Finch.

Purple Finch

There is still plenty of color around the lake to enjoy!

From Crockett's Ledge