June 7, 2026: Turtle Time

Like many animals at this time of year, the turtles are active and are getting busy reproducing.  I saw this Painted Turtle sunning on a log in a quiet corner of Lake Wicwas. 

Turtles don't soak in the sun just to feel good; there is important physiological value to their sessions in the sun.  Jen Esten and Jon Waage, authors of  The Nature of Pleasant Lake newsletter, wrote about turtles recently:

Being cold blooded, turtles need to sunbathe to elevate body temperature which in turn raises metabolic rate.  Sunbathing also periodically dries their shells, helping control mold. Rocks and logs are safe places to get some sun.  In addition to the sun’s warmth, they need the UVB rays to produce Vitamin D3 for processing calcium required for shell and bone growth.  UVA rays help with several body functions.  Sunning spots can get crowded!  Allowing fallen trees to stay in the lake helps.  These turtles feed on aquatic plants, algae and small aquatic invertebrates and fish. Young turtles are mostly meat eaters but become more vegetarian as they age.  They can live for 30 years or more!

We have a healthy painted turtle population in Wicwas even though a lot of their eggs are dug up and eaten by various predators before they hatch.  This excavated turtle nest was beside a trail in the Hamlin Town Forest this week.

Leathery egg shells left by a predator that consumed their contents.

Every year I find one of two of these dug up nests, often right on the shoulder of roads near water bodies.  Sometimes I even come across a mom laying her eggs.  This good size snapper was right on the side of Chemung Road at the Chemung State Forest.  

A female snapping turtle laying her eggs a few years ago.

This baby painted turtle was found this week by Lindsey Duggan:

Photo by Lindsey Duggan

If turtles are just laying eggs now, how can we see baby turtles already?  Well, painted turtles that are laid in late summer can overwinter underground after hatching, and emerge in the spring when the ground warms up.  

What's even more unusual is that she also found a baby snapping turtle.

Snapping turtles don't usually have the same wintering trait as their painted cousins - even if eggs are laid in late summer, snapper eggs usually hatch the same year.  But according to MassWildlife, they sometimes do overwinter in the nest, and that is likely how that baby turtle emerged in early June.  Another possibility is that it did leave the nest late last fall and immediately dug into the bottom of the lake for the winter.

-----🐢🐢🐢-----

One morning this week I saw a lot of commotion in the leaves of a maple tree just after sunrise, so I took a moment to see what was in there - it was a Gray Squirrel. 

A gray squirrel amidst the maple leaves.

It was very focused on some activity, running up and down the branches, stopping here and there to chew on something.  I waited for it to come to the end of branch so I could get a good look to see what it was up to - it was munching on maple seeds!

It would pull all little helicopter samaras from a clump, gobble up the seeds, and let the wings flutter down to the ground.  Then it would move on to the next clump. (Sorry about the focus, the moving branch made focus difficult.)

Just one tree seems like it must have an inexhaustible supply of these seeds!

The double winged "helicopter" seeds of a maple tree are called samaras - a latin name for a seed.

This week's off-lake exploration was to Mt. Liberty in Franconia Notch, from which the recent snow was still visible on Mount Washington.

Down at the snowless base of Franconia Notch, both sides of the Appalachian Trail were carpeted with large patches of Bluebead Lily.  

These are often inconspicuous plants, scattered here and there, hidden under other small plants, and with their blossoms hanging downward.  But in large patches along the trail edge, they were hard to miss.

Close up, they have their own hidden beauty. 

Later in the summer each blossom will produce a large, hard blue fruit - that is, assuming a friendly pollinator does its part!  

The fruit is inedible by people though many animals can and do eat them.

I'll  close with the loon update.  The LPC summer biologist came to survey the lake this week. 

Nicole, our summer loon biologist.

We observed the northern loon nest - it's a well hidden nest. 

Can you see the loon in there?

As of today, we still don't know if the southern pair has nested.  We'll keep you abreast of the latest developments!

March 1, 2026: Warm Winter Homes

During our snowshoe trip through Page Pond last week we found a squirrel nest high in a Black Cherry tree, which caught my attention because I usually see Gray Squirrel nests in oak trees.  A gray squirrel nest can be identified by its location high in a sturdy tree, and almost always constructed with an outer layer of oak leaves.  They usually build their nest in an oak, probably for easy access to their preferred building material, but that isn't always the case as seen in that cherry tree and this pine tree:

A gray squirrel nest in a sturdy White Pine.

I've often wondered how a nest made of leaves placed high in the bare branches of an oak can survive through winter with the wind tearing at it for months - let alone how a squirrel can keep warm in there when it's 10 degrees below zero with a northwest wind howling.  And doesn't the resident get wet when it rains?  I found the answers to my questions in a book titled "Winter World" by Bernd Heinrich. [HarperCollins, 2003]  Heinrich explains that the gray squirrel builds its nest in the summer when the oak leaves are still green. 

In this nest - which is in an oak tree - some leaves still show some green color.

It chews off branches with the leaves still on them, brings them to the construction site, and then weaves them together to form the frame of the nest.  Thus the leaves are securely attached to the branch because without completing the fall leaf progression, the chemical process that released leaves from a tree doesn't take place.  They turn brown, but they stay secured to the branch, and that's how the nest survives the wind.

Here we can see branches woven together.

Next the squirrel will chew off green leaves which it layers and knits together inside the frame in a shingle-like manner to shed rain and snow melt, explaining how it keeps dry.  Finally, it will chew up soft woody material, bring it to the nest, and attach it to the green leaves all around to create a thick internal layer of insulation.  Heinrich doesn't say where the entrance hole is, but I expect it's near the bottom on the side away from the prevailing wind.  So inside that apparent random collection of oak leaves is a tight, dry, insulated home for the squirrel.  And that's important since squirrels mate in late winter with their offspring born in early spring.

With all that said, gray squirrels will also make a nest in a tree cavity for their winter home and raising their first of two litters.  But I know they were using the nest I saw in the White Pine because someone was up there making a racket - that's the only reason I found it - I went looking to see what was making all that noise.  I wouldn't otherwise look in a pine tree for a squirrel nest.

Red Squirrels have a similar nesting method and schedule, though there are notable differences.  Red squirrels nest lower in trees, and for some reason, tend to pick small, flexible trees.  This may be to discourage larger predators from climbing up to raid their nest.  Or maybe they just like to be swayed to sleep as the wind blows the tree around.

Here's another example of a red squirrel nest I've seen.

Did you notice the invasive bittersweet climbing all the trees?  😞  

As well as squirrels build protective nests, they alone are not enough to keep them warm in winter; they must eat constantly in order to burn enough calories to generate heat to keep them warm.  Small animals, unlike the large species such as moose, deer, and even beavers, don't have enough body mass to store much fat to burn during the winter.  But many small mammals, the red squirrel included, have a special attribute: it builds small stores of brown fat around its internal organs.  Unlike the more typical white fat, brown fat has a high rate of oxidation when burned which creates a lot of heat.  It's this heat that keeps the red squirrel warm on the especially cold days when it won't venture out to access the food stores it collected over the fall season.  To fuel its heat generating needs, a single red squirrel will need to collect thousands of pine cones in its winter pantries.  

A Red Squirrel's hoard of White Pine cones collected in the fall.

We don't see red squirrels as often as the gray, but this one has been visiting in the warmer weather this week (we saw 40 degrees!), happy to collect the easy pickings of all the bird seed its best friend the white-breasted Nuthatch shovels out of the birdfeeder onto the snow.

Gobbling up a high fat content sunflower seed.

The high energy content in sunflower seeds will regenerate its fat stores while reducing the depletion of its cone collection.  Red squirrels are fun to watch, but they can't top the antics of the gray squirrels.

Ah, yes, bright sun and 40 degrees - spring is here!  Meteorological spring that is.  March first is considered by meteorologists as when the weather patterns are more spring-like than winter-like.  There is still plenty of winter left in New Hampshire, and March is often the best time to enjoy winter activities such as skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing, or just a walk on a pretty trail.  The WOW trail in Laconia is a prime candidate, just bring some traction devices for your boots.  Other options are the many snowmobile trails in the area, such as the trail between Lake Wicwas and Lake Winnisquam.  For those you'll need snowshoes.

The bog in the Chemung State Forest between Lake Wicwas and Lake Winnisquam.

With the deep snow cover and thick ice on the lakes, it will be an excellent season to enjoy your favorite winter activities!

March 2, 2025: It's Getting Squirrely Out There

The winter mating season for gray squirrels has begun, and they put on quite a show as their mating ritual plays out.  

As a female approaches her one day of fertility, all the males compete for the opportunity to mate. Several males will follow her, attracted by her scent. As her time gets closer, the pursuit intensifies, and the males fight with each other to establish dominance, the strongest one leading the pack, demonstrating the best genes for the female to mate with.  But it doesn't always work out for him.  Sometimes the leader will get so distracted or tired fighting off a challenger, that another will sneak in and make his move.  A female may mate with several males during the 24 hours she is in estrous. 

Squirrels mate twice a year; the winter mating season being much more visible with the bare trees and the whole gang attracted to the food supply at the squirrel and bird feeders. It can provide some fun entertainment on a late winter morning.  (My apologies for the poorly focused video.)

Here's a link with more information on gray squirrels: 

https://www.wildlifeonline.me.uk/animals/article/squirrel-breeding-biology-courtship-mating-chase

A couple of other notes from the lake:  The Mourning Doves are also pairing up for mating; this dove was preening itself and showing off its plumage for its mate, much like a turkey might do.

And the Bluebirds continue to frequent the yard, giving us much appreciated flashes of color during this time of mostly white and gray.

We are also treated to many spring bird calls now on  these warm late-winter days, most notably Chickadees and Tufted Titmice.  

Spring bird calls and mating squirrels:  more sure signs that spring is on its way, even with 22 inches of ice still on Lake Wicwas.

October 6, 2024: Wildife in Action

Fall is progressing, most evident by the cooler temperatures and changing leaves.

North from the White Mountain Ledge on a perfect October day.

Wildlife is noting the changes too and their behavior is seen in many ways.  For some time now the songbirds have greatly reduced their singing.  Some have already left the Lakes Region, and much of the sounds of those remaining are the raucous alert calls of birds grouping up to drive off something they sense as a threat.  Chick-a-dees and Blue Jays are loud examples of this.  Sometimes I can determine what they're concerned about - crows, raptors, or even my presence in their house - but other times I have no idea.  I never realized just how acrobatic crows are until I saw a mob of them fighting over nesting rights on the cell tower atop Eastman Hill yesterday.

There were at least ten crows circling and dive bombing here.  The nest is in the center.

The Red Squirrels also get annoyed as I walk a trail through their home.

"Who's in my forest?!"

Beavers have resumed their daily cruises across the lake as they prepare for winter by searching out material for their homes, food for their winter pantries, and marking their territories to dissuade other beavers from entering their claimed domain.  Beavers' actions on land aren't easily observed as they work under the safety of the dark of night, so when I saw a scent mound being formed on the shoreline I set up a camera to see if I could catch the action.  Sure enough, that night the landowners stopped by.  

A big beaver at a small scent mound.

First, at 2:20 in the morning one beaver came by to check on and freshen its scent mound.  

Rubbing scent from its musk glands on the mound.

Then later a pair of friendly beavers were there, with at least one of them having an evening snack.  The camera took video of both moments:

As an added bonus, I got some daytime pictures of Gray Squirrels at the shoreline, including a couple that appeared to be getting a little frisky one morning.

It appears our three banded loons are still on the lake, and one of them is starting to lose its bright summer plumage, another sign of the season.

Breeding plumage is fading fast.

This is our south male as shown by the bands visible in the last photo.

The north male is still here as well and has been seen a few times fishing with another loon.  He hasn't started to change his appearance much.

Still looking dapper in his formal suit.

He's quite accomplished in his fishing skills.

Down he goes.

On one dive he came up with a keeper, way too big to swallow underwater which loons do with most of the fish they catch.

Yes, he's going to swallow that whole.

This big sunfish had to be worn out before swallowing so he wouldn't have a large fish thrashing around in his gullet:

There's a lot of activity to be seen as wildlife - as well as we humans - prepare for the change in season, some moving south for the winter and those that stay put preparing to survive the New England winter.  Trees have to stay here; deciduous trees prepare by storing in their roots the energy their leaves generated all summer and then letting the leaves go.  That process gives us the great fall foliage which should be just about at peak for the upcoming holiday weekend.

Here's hoping for good leaf-peeping weather over the coming week!

A foggy sunrise on this fine Sunday morning.

March 3, 2024: While the Cat's Away

The squirrels will play. 

Our bobcat should have come by this week when the squirrels were here in abundance.  Focused on food and chasing each other away from their claimed food source, they might have been preoccupied enough to not notice a feline creeping up on them through the undergrowth.  

There seems to be a pecking order amongst gray squirrels.  The baddest dude gets to own the squirrel house where it can feast to its heart's content, protected from the elements.  

The king of the castle chases away anyone who attempts to breach the parapet.  

Meanwhile, the next biggest bully commandeers the hanging corn cob.

This number two in the chain of command thwarts all other lower-rung interlopers as well.

"Off you rascal!"

Lesser-ranked squirrels are left to scavenge from the dropped seeds under the feeders, which the white-breasted nuthatches ensure are plentiful, so no one actually goes hungry.

Even here, if one gets too close to the drop zone it gets chased away.

One new and interesting bird came briefly to the feeder this week:  a crossbill.  I didn't get a good look at it before it flew off to perch on a nearby tree, and from the backlit photos I can't tell which crossbill it is, but most likely it's a Red Crossbill.  

An expert ornithologist friend (thank you RB!) weighed in with some excellent guidance, but without a side view of its wings, it can't be positively identifed.  According the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, crossbills have evolved that peculiarly shaped bill to facilitate opening tightly closed cones: 

 "The Red Crossbill places the tips of its slightly open bill under a cone scale and bites down. The crossed tips of the bill push the scale up, exposing the seed inside." 

 Because of the crossed tips, biting down widens the gap between the tips.

Driving to the Page Pond Town Forest on Barnard Ridge Road, I saw that the pileated woodpeckers have been busy.

This woodpecker appears to be eating well.

You can't miss this tree if you approach the parking lot from the south.

The signs of frost season are everywhere now, including posted roads, tapped sugar maples, and frost-heaved ground such as on this trail at Page Pond.

Frost has heaved the ground up around this stone.

We are only three days into meteorological spring, but with so little cold this winter I expect the frost to come out early, as well as perhaps the ice in the lake.  Warm weather and rain this week may have done in the skiing, but it did create some great ice for skating.  I was able to make a complete circuit of the lake except for where the current flows down to the outlet.  There are still 11 inches of ice on the lake but there are many openings near shorelines with southern exposure or where water flows in, so be careful.  

On my skate I found Dean Cascadden on the lake sailing with his kitewing skate sail.

Dean with his Kitewing

He let me try it, and it's pretty neat.  It looks like a new toy will be on my wish list for next winter!

If we really get the warm stretch forecast for next week, those squirrels may be forced to find their own food as the feeders might need to come in for the season to avoid attracting bears.  It used to be the bears slept until April, but spring is coming early these days.  

Open water in February.