April 27, 2025: Talons and Trilliums

Spring is popping up everywhere now, and I saw my first true wildflower Wednesday on a hike in the Ossipee Mountains - not where or what I expected.  But there on a southern exposure on the Mt. Shaw Trail, I saw my first flash of color, a bright Round-leaved Yellow Violet (one of those oxymoronic flower names).

Round-leaved Yellow Violet (Viola rotundifolia)

This was at 1800' elevation, and soon there were many of these violets, sometimes in large clumps.

A little higher up Mt. Shaw, on a ledge overlooking a deep-blue Lake Winnipesauke, I could see there's still snow on the trails at Gunstock.

It was a warm, sunny day, and approaching the trailhead on my way down in the afternoon I started seeing trillium leaves poking up through the leaf litter.  Then right at the parking area there were dozens of them.

Dozens of trillium at the Mt. Shaw Trailhead.

A few had buds that were about to open.

So I searched to see if I could find one that had opened, and finally I found one - just one, and just barely open, but that was enough to verify they were Purple Trillium.

Purple Trillium

On the next sunny day there will be a fabulous display of color at the Mt. Shaw trailhead on Rt. 171 for all to see.

A deciduous forest floor only gets direct sunlight for a brief period between snow-melt and leaf-out.  These early wildflowers have evolved the ability to emerge early enough to take advantage of this short window to collect enough energy to blossom and survive until next spring.  

It wasn't until Friday, back at Lake Wicwas, that I saw my first Trailing Arbutus in bloom.

Trailing Arbutus aka Mayflower

At the same time as the flowers are exploding on the scene, so are the birds.  This week I heard the first Hermit Thrush, Blue-headed Vireo, Phoebe, Palm Warbler, and Black-throated Green Warbler.  All of these have loud songs, and the hermit thrush is my favorite of the woodland birds.

On a mid-day kayak I saw my first osprey of the season as it flew over the lake and landed in a lichen covered tree on Loon  Point.

On the same paddle I came across a promising loon encounter.  Two loons were interacting closely, actively enough that I first thought they were in conflict.  But there wasn't any chasing or vocalizing, and their behavior didn't seem aggressive, so maybe they were just checking each other out.

When one of them swam right beside my kayak I was able to clearly see the white band with black dot that identified it as the northern male.  And later in my trip there were two loons fishing together in the northern territory, so perhaps the behavior I saw earlier was the loon version of flirting.  Maybe our male has accepted a new mate after last year's partner was killed.  

I also saw a second pair of loons in the south territory which may be the banded south pair, but we'll need to see bands to know that.  The busy loon-watching season has begun!

It's an exciting time of year on the lakes and in the forests as nature reawakens for the summer; there were many more new sightings, too many to note, so some will have to wait.  But something else is exploding on the scene too.  Be aware that biting insects will be out very soon, so the days of bug-free walks are almost over.  Here's clear evidence that the insects are coming.

Happy spring!

May 26, 2024: Nests on Land, Sea, and Air

 Nesting season is now in full swing; I'll start with land.

Hermit Thrush nest built into a depression in the ground.

I never would have seen this Hermit Thrush nest if the bird sitting on the nest hadn't flown out right in front of me as I walked past it.  The nest is right beside what must be a lightly used trail or it wouldn't have selected that spot.  But otherwise it's perfect, beautifully hidden under a hemlock branch and some small plants.

The undisturbed appearance of the nest.

I held the hemlock aside to take a picture and then went quickly on my way.  The Hermit Thrush is one of several birds that make their nest on the forest floor, from the Oven Bird - named after the dome-shaped nest it builds -  up to the much larger turkey.  In the case of Hermit Thrushes, it's the male that constructs the nest, though the female may help with the interior decorating, lining it with soft finishing touches.  Field guides say she usually lays three to six eggs, so maybe there's more to come.  

Mallards also make nests on the ground, usually hidden under a shrub or other small plant.  Our Mallard family has already hatched their eggs and mom has been out on the lake with her six little ducklings.

One of our Mallard families.

Next up is a nest in the air.  Visiting an area of young forests I heard the call of the Chestnut-sided Warbler and stopped to peer into the dense jungle of trees.  I never found the warbler, but I did find what has all the characteristics of a Chestnut-sided Warbler nest:  a tightly built nest of grasses and other plant material woven around multiple stems of a young sapling five to ten feet above the ground in a young successional forest.

I didn't climb in to see if there were eggs in this nest.

Finally, on the water, there is this exciting nest:

The northern loon pair has nested.

The northern loon pair has selected a site, built a nest, and is assumed to be sitting on an egg or two.  With a telephoto lens I was able to take a picture far enough away to not disturb the loon as shown by its head-up position.  When feeling threatened a loon on a nest will put its head low down against the ground to hide and to be in a position to quickly leave the nest for the safety of the lake.  Eagle-eye Amy W. spotted it on May 23rd, just a couple of days after there were territorial battles being waged between the pair and an intruding loon, possibly the Paugus Bay loon we saw two weeks ago.  

Our pair made it quite clear what the intruder would be dealing with if it sticks around.

Lots of chasing and wing-rowing.

I guess they decided it was time to send him packing before they nested.  

Trees are mating now also - in their own way - as shown by the quantity of pollen covering everything, including the lake on a calm morning.

The Black Cherries are doing their thing too.

They're always a beautiful sight, and will continue to be so right through the summer as their deep red fruit matures.

The state flower, the lilac, seems to be having a good year too with lots of blooms all around town.

These lilacs are along Chemung Rd.

Finally, everyone's favorite, the Pink Lady's Slipper:

I'm seeing a lot of them this year - hopefully you will too!

April 16, 2023: Ice out and Spring In

Everything happened so quickly this week that there's way too much to discuss, so this entry will pretty much be a recording of events for the journal followed by a few notes about the mergansers which have been so plentiful and entertaining.  

Many of the spring birds arrived - here's what I observed for the first time this year:

• Northern Flicker
• Pine Warbler
• Blue-headed Vireo
• Swamp Sparrow
• Hermit Thrush
• Golden-crowned Kinglet
• Wood Duck
• Common Loon
• American Robin

Robins of course are here year 'round, living off fruit in the winter, but I rarely see them in the cold months.  Now that it's spring, they're here and hopping all over the ground listening for insects and worms in the soft soil.

Tuning in on lunch down underground.

The Pine Warblers are usually the first of warbler family to arrive and they have a loud distinctive call so you know when they're here.  Much more subtle and absolutely beautiful - perhaps the most eloquent of all the bird songs - is the Hermit Thrush.  Their song in the early morning is one of the most satisfying sounds of summer.  Another distinctive song is that of the wood frog which I heard for the first time this week, dozens of male wood frogs singing their hearts out looking for a mate.  Scientists say males congregate in a single vernal pool so they have a better chance of attracting females to their pool due to the loud sound.  Then each frog has to perform solo to gain the favor of an arriving female.  [Ref:  Discover Magazine]

The first report of a loon on Wicwas was on April 9th, and the following day a pair was observed.  I went for a paddle on Thursday but I wasn't able to find them.  So far there have only been reports of one pair on the lake.

There were also eagles on the lake this week;  I went looking for what was causing a traumatic call from the loons, and there was the eagle soaring overhead.

This was an immature bald eagle.  I also saw a mature eagle which landed in one of the pine trees where eagles roosted over the deer kill this winter.

Could it be looking for a nesting site?  

The loons' arrival on Sunday preceded ice-out on Wicwas by three days; ice-out was called on Wednesday April 12, right in line with the average ice-out day.  Ice-out came quickly with the warm and windy weather.  (We hit 86 degrees this week.)  

On Tuesday there was still a lot of ice in the lake.

Intrepid fisher people on Tuesday, April 11.

By Wednesday it was essentially gone, with only remnants blown onto the boat ramp by the strong northwest wind.

Ice-out was declared on Wednesday, April 12

Even with an average ice-out date, the late ice-in date of December 25th meant a lower than usual ice-coverage period of 108 days, quite a bit short of the 123 day average.

Now a few comments on the mergansers.  There have been multiple groups of them on the lake, numbering perhaps two dozen in total.  

Common mergansers socializing.

They've been interacting quite actively, though their intent isn't always clear.  When there are three or four males and one female I assume the drakes (males) are vying for the affection of the hen. 

Four drakes, one hen.

Other times a male is chasing away another male which also makes sense.  But sometimes a female is chasing away another female - does that mean she has selected a mate and doesn't want another girl to move in on her chosen one? 

When they've had enough action they'll climb up on the ice to preen and rest.  

The Lakes Region is right on the edge of common mergansers' breeding zone, so most of these are migrants on their way to their primary breeding area in Canada.  Too bad, because they are such pretty birds.

And it's fun to watch them dive, as they put their heads down and flip up their tails.

When one group of them was close I captured a bit of their antics, which you can watch here:

80 degrees with flowers blooming and warblers singing doesn't mean that winter sports are over.  There's still skiing to be had on Mount Washington!

The scene in Mount Washington's Tuckerman Ravine on Friday, April 14th.

It's the time of many seasons all-at-once here in New Hampshire.

 

April 11, 2021: The Loons Arrive

It's one of those times in the year when so much is happening it's hard to keep up with it all.  Ice-out on Lake Wicwas was declared on Wednesday, April 8th, a bit earlier than the average date for the past 20 years which is April 12th.  Almost all the other lakes are also open including Winnipesauke, Winnisquam, and Newfound.  And even before ice-out one of our star loon spotters saw the first loons on April 6th (thank you Annie Crane!).  I heard loons but didn't see any until my first kayak on the 8th when I found four different loons around the lake, all single birds, though the April 6th observation was a pair.  Also on the 8th I saw a loon preening and thought I saw a bit of red under the water, and knowing our long-time female has a leg band with red on it, I watched carefully.  Eventually, as the bird got to cleaning and oiling it's belly feathers it rolled enough to lift a leg out of the water; first one leg, then the other, and sure enough, there were bands!

The right leg has green over silver bands.

The left leg has yellow with black stripe over red bands.

But it's not our bird!  I sent those pictures off to the Loon Preservation Committee, knowing they'd have records that would identify where this bird was banded, and within a couple of hours I had the answer and a brief history.  Caroline Hughes, LPC biologist reported that this loon was banded in 2018 on Lake Pemigewasset.  The next summer she was "kicked off" Pemigewasset and was replaced by an un-banded loon.  That summer she was observed by Henry Stevens (whom we know well from his internship with the LPC that summer) on Opechee Bay.  There were no sightings in 2020.  Caroline asked us to be on watch to see if she stays on Wicwas this summer or moves on, so when you see a loon preening, watch (with binoculars from a far distance of course) to see if you can detect any bands, and let us know.

The beavers have been very active this spring, even before ice-out, making not only their morning and evening trips but also afternoon trips.  It's not often I get to see one out in the sunshine.

A rare sunlight-lit beaver on patrol.

One morning, a beaver aggravated by my presence circled back and forth along the edge of the ice as I stood and watched; he gave me several good tail slaps.

The beaver is swimming from right to left.

This went on long enough that I decided to try to get an action shot, and was able to catch two slaps on video - you can see them here (the second slap is clearer than the first).  It you watch carefully it is actually a two-step process where the tail slaps down and then flips up again as it dives, throwing more water into the air.  (Youtube lets you play video in slow motion:  under settings, set the play back speed at 0.25 for the relevant parts.)  Beaver alerts are loud enough that I'm still startled by the crash if I don't see it coming.

For the record, here are some other spring sightings along with the dates first observed:

Song sparrow, Eastern Phoebe, March 28  (Russ Brummer)

Wood frogs, April 4

Spring peepers, Great blue heron, April 6

Common loon, April 6  (Annie Crane)

Ring-necked Ducks, April 8

Hermit thrush, Tree Swallow, April 10

Every year ice out is a little different.  On Lake Wicwas, Marion Cove is usually one of the last places to be ice free, but this spring it was essentially clear a day before the lake's west shore and the boat ramp were open.  Just six days before ice-out the lake had a full cover of snow and ice.

April 2nd:  A solid covering of ice.

By noon on April 8th only the coves along Wicwood Shores Rd and the boat ramp were still inaccessible.

Ice in the west cove on Wicwas.

The boat ramp on Chemung Rd at noon.

But by 6:00pm they were open and ice-out was called - let summer begin!

Blue Water is back!

I hope you enjoyed the early summer preview these past few days wherever you were!

May 31, 2020: The Sounds of Summer

But first this: 

 

Yes, the song birds are now nesting.  I found this small ground nest only because the inhabitant fluttered away as I walked past the nest which was located right beside the trail, perfectly hidden under a branch of a low-bush blueberry; I really had to look to find it.  They look like Robin eggs, but I think more likely this is a nest of either a hermit thrush or a veery.  I frequently hear the thrush in this vicinity so the odds suggest that's what it is.  Maybe I'll learn more as time goes on.

I didn't see the goslings this week, but Mrs. Mallard did come by with her ten chicks in tow.

The waterfowl nest long before the songbirds.

Before I get to the sounds of the week I really must mention the sights because the spring wildflower season is peaking now.  My personal favorite, the painted trillium, has been blooming for over a week but can still be found throughout the Lakes Region.

Painted Trillium

Just popping out this week is a flower everyone loves to see, the pink lady's slipper.  The photo of this beautiful patch was sent to me by Marge Thorpe.

Pink Lady's Slipper, photo by Marge Thorpe.

A smaller, more delicate flower now blooming isn't quite as prominent, but it's worth taking the effort to look at the fine detail in its delicate star-like bloom.  

Easter Starflower

The blossoms on the hobblebush are gone now - leaving behind tiny specks that will grow into fruit this summer - but here's one picture from their peak of beauty.

Hobblebush Viburnum

I've been watching this particular plant as it evolves and will continue to watch as its fruit grows, turns red, and eventually black when fully ripe.

Now to the sounds.  All the animals are loving this warm weather as much as we are and they're singing their praises out loud and clear.  The combination of birds, frogs and toads blend together to create symphonic entertainment each morning and evening.  Add the occasional crash of a beaver tail into the water for some percussion and it's a full Wagner opera.  

Having such a long stretch of warm weather this early in the year means sleeping with the windows open when so many animals are still at a high level of spring activity.  Some of the sounds to be woken up by include turkeys gobbling, owls hooting, tree frogs trilling, large animals crashing through the woods (bears?) and of course, the beaver alert.  I remember sitting in the Marion's cabin 35 years ago when were considering purchasing our land on Lake Wicwas and Mrs. Marion warned us that it was a very noisy neighborhood.  Confused, we asked her what she meant, and she said "The birds!  They wake you every morning!"  That has always stuck with me, especially considering the Marions lived in downtown Boston!

A loud member of  nature's orchestra, sitting in the percussion section, is the woodpecker.  Though they do chirp now and then in the choir, their drumming is most distinctive and great fun to hear.  One morning there were two yellow-bellied sapsuckers out drumming in a round.  One would drum first, then the second would answer.  I couldn't find the musicians, but I sure heard them.

This behavior is used to define their territory.  I learned from UNH biologist Matt Tarr that spring bird singing is primarily to define territory - two male birds of the same species will wake up in the morning and immediately start singing to say "I'm still here".  As long as each bird stays on its side of the agreed-to dividing line everything is fine.  But cross that line, and trouble ensues.  Since woodpeckers don't have a song to sing - only their short calls - they find a resonant object on which to drum to make their presence known, usually a dead tree or branch, and the louder and greater its resonance, the larger a territory the sound can cover.  

Regarding sights under water, the crystal clear lake water is about to change.

Pollen covers the surface of Lake Wicwas

All that pollen in the air has now found its way to the ground.  Add to that the multitude of microscopic life that will start to grow in the lakes, as well as some churning up by animals and humans, and the visibility will be much reduced from its early spring clarity.  But all the trees aren't quite done:  the white pine is just starting to release its dose.  Pines produce the thick green pollen that is so visible on surfaces, but thankfully, due to the large size of the pollen particles it isn't an allergy nuisance for most people.

With all the pollen out of the atmosphere there were some spectacular summer days on the lakes this week.

Now that's something to sing about!