May 23, 2021: Disturbing the Wildlife

I greatly enjoy the time I spend communing with nature as I walk the trails and paddle the waterways through our country's beautiful protected areas, and while doing so I am well aware of the impact I have on the residents who live there. Paddling along on a sunny day it's not uncommon to hear a turtle plop off the log where it was soaking up the sun to warm it's cold-blooded body.

I was able to sneak by this painted turtle without disturbing it, but that's not always the case, especially when I don't see it before I hear the "plop".

Or to flush out a heron that was fishing unseen in the tall weeds along the shoreline where it had been stalking a frog or a fish, waiting for it to come within range of it's lightning-fast neck and long, accurate beak, hoping to bring dinner home to the chicks in the rookery.

A great blue heron stalks its prey.

Even when alone and walking quietly it the woods it's clear I can't help but cause a disturbance; often it's just a red squirrel that chatters angrily, or a blue jay warning it's flock of an intruder - those are relatively minor annoyances to these animals.

Who's in my forest?

But sometimes it's a white-tailed deer that gets interrupted from it's breakfast or a hawk that felt it needed to abandon its observation post - these interfere with food intake and cause the animal to expend more energy, both of which are particularly detrimental in winter.

This week it was two encounters with an owl that told me of my impact. In the first interaction I disturbed a barred owl which flew across the trail I was hiking on. The bird landed in a tree ahead of me not too far off the trail which gave me the opportunity to watch it as I passed. I walked on slowly to not disturb it again, and was able to see it at various points as I went by. Each time I had a clear look at it I could see it was staring right at me, swiveling its neck around as I went by. Here's the first angle where it is looking sideways over its left shoulder.

As I walked, it tracked me; when I was directly beside it the owl had turned its head farther around to the left.

At my last line of sight it had rotated it head 180 degrees and it was looking straight backwards over it tail.

I felt good that I had passed without it feeling the need to move farther off into the woods, but still, it had to start its hunting procedure again.

These encounters aren't rare; I regularly spook an owl that flies off a perch right beside a trail which makes me think they use the clear sight lines along a trail to monitor a larger area, and to take advantage of the open trail for their wide, three-and-a-half foot wing span when they swoop down to capture their prey. So just as deer, moose, and fox take advantage of the easy travel along human's trails, we do provide some benefit to the animals in the forest. Still, this week I got a clear reminder of how just a simple walk can potentially impact the lives of the forest.

I was actually running along a little used trail when I was suddenly started by a chipmunk that must have been collecting seeds near the trail - when disturbed, chipmunks make a mad dash through the leaves to their nearest hiding hole, letting out a loud chip-chip-chip on the way. That alone wasn't significant, but as soon as it ran, an unseen barred owl on an overhead branch spread its wings and soared, silently, off into the forest.

That made me wonder: how long had that owl been stalking that chipmunk, waiting for it to be in the perfect position for the owl to swoop down with a high probability of intercept? Now it will have to find a new hunting spot where it expects there will be prey, and then wait long enough for the little critters to forget it flew in and expose themselves again.

This time of year the owl was probably a male which is now out hunting single-handedly to provide for an entire family. It's his job to bring home dinner for the chicks as well as the female who stays in the nest with her brood. Taking that one meal away from the family could mean the difference between an owlet surviving or not. We seem to have a pretty healthy rodent population after last year's big acorn crop, so he'll probably be able to provide for the family, but it's the kind of moment that makes one stop and think.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and the US Fish and Wildlife Service have created a tool that lets trail owners and planners of new trails assess how their trail will affect wildlife. Anyone can access the tool which is made available through the University of New Hampshire's mapping system Granit. You can learn more about "Trails for People and Wildlife" here.


Those rustling sounds made by the chipmunks and squirrels scurrying around on the forest floor are pretty loud right now as the leaves are really crisp due to lack of rain. We've had nothing in the past week to either water the rapidly growing plants nor wash the pollen out of the air. At least we've enjoyed some great hot summer weather, as have those pollen-producing trees - in just a few days the leaves blossomed into full summer foliage.

A red maple with near-full leaf out and seeds still hanging on.

There are no leaves on this dead tree which fell into the lake several years ago and for the past few summers has been the home of a pair of Eastern Kingbirds that's raised a family there:

Easter Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)

The parents are back, and the faithful nature-observers that monitor the area will let us know if the birds use the nest again this year.

Last year's nest needs a spring make-over.

It's a really safe spot for a bird to have nest:  out over the water, away from predators, in the middle of prime hunting grounds for insects to feed their young.  And kayakers can enjoy the show without causing much disturbance to these bold and nimble birds.  It a great reason to leave trees wherever they fall!

Note:  There are no identified loon nests on Wicwas yet and territorial disputes continue, but at least one pair continues to peruse the housing market for the perfect neighborhood to raise a family.  The water level has stabilized nicely, so it's about time for them to make an offer on a home!

February 21, 2021: Blue, Blue Skies

The snow conditions haven't been very good for tracking lately.  First we had some rain which put a crust on the top of snow preventing any tracks from registering except for the deer which have sufficient weight on tiny hooves to break through the crust.  But for obvious reasons, they don't much like walking around in those conditions.  On the few occasions I did see deer tracks there were often blood stains on the snow where the sharp crust cut into their lower legs.  One place I saw these tracks was on the trail up to Red Hill on Wednesday, an absolutely spectacular blue-sky day.

Fire tower on Red Hill.

I didn't check the numbers, but the dew point that day must have been below zero for the sky to be that blue.  

One night we got a dusting of snow which was just enough for little mouse tracks to be seen on top of the crust.

Mouse tracks running from tree to tree.

Trees tend to make openings in the snow next to the trunk, either due to wind blowing around the tree or from sun warming the dark trunk, which provides easy access up and down through the snow cover for the mice.  As I mentioned last week, I have trouble differentiating between voles and mice, but I think these are mice tracks.  Not only are they running around above the snow (voles tend to tunnel underneath the snow) but they also show tail tracks - look closely at the tracks in the lower right - blown up here:

The tail drag mark is evident.

Voles can also leave tail tracks in snow but it's less common with the shorter tail they have.

Then on Friday we received a nice little snowfall of a few inches to put a good surface on top of the crust, but I didn't get out locally to see what was around, instead taking a trip over to Dorchester to ski on the nicely prepared trails at Green Woodlands.  

If  you're a cross country skier and have never been there, you should check it out - many miles of trails groomed for classic and skate, plus many other trails left for backcountry skiing.  And it's all at no cost.  Usually they have warming huts with fires and hot chocolate, but they're closed this year, although they do have one outdoor fire pit open with the fire burning, ready to cook up s'mores.  You can find out more at their website or facebook page.

Back on Lake Wicwas, during a ski along the west side of the lake, I came across this neat sight over the frozen water:

A Kingbird nest from warmer days.

It's the nest of an Eastern Kingbird, nicely being kept safe for next summer under a blanket of snow.  Evidently they have taken advantage of some human trash to reinforce their nest with strong fibers of blue plastic.  Animals will certainly make good use of whatever they can find.  I remember my grandmother putting out pieces of strings for birds to use in their nest building.

This kingbird nest raised a brood of four chicks in 2016 though I don't know if it's been used since then; kingbirds don't usually reuse a nest the way the phoebe, another flycatcher, does.  If the nest hasn't been rehabilitated since 2016 it certainly has held up well over the years.  Right now the kingbirds are enjoying winter in South America, somewhere along the Amazon River living off of fruit; they won't return to New Hampshire for quite a while yet, waiting until the insects they live off have emerged.  It's too bad the flycatchers will never get to experience that beautiful blue New Hampshire sky.

August 2, 2020: Birds on the wing

Mother nature sure has been giving us some spectacular weather this summer, warm and sunny, with gorgeous sunsets and calm mornings perfect for a sunrise or sunset paddle on the lakes.  

As I kayaked on one of those calm mornings it seemed the birds were out enjoying the morning as much as I was.  First I spotted a Great Blue Heron gliding over the water.

I always think of herons as wading birds because they spend so much time in the shallow water searching for frogs or fish to swim by their skinny, stationary legs which carefully imitate stalks of plants growing in the lake.  But they do make their nests in tall trees, and will also sit high in a tree to observe their world.  When airborne they do their best to minimize air resistance from their long gangling appendages.

A nice streamline form as it gains altitude.

I was able to track this one as it rose up and prepared to land at a prime vantage point to watch out over the lake.

Extend landing gear.

Flare wings on final approach.

Safely in the  hangar.

The next bird showing off its flying skills was an Eastern Kingbird.

I saw and heard many of these as I paddled that morning, seeing them flit out to catch a bug and return to their perch.  I stopped at one point to watch one of them go out on a few breakfast sorties.

On the hunt.

The flying skills of these birds are pretty amazing, especially when you think that they never studied aerodynamics or flight control - it's all just natural talent.

Bogey off to port!

Gotcha!

Back to the perch.

The kingbird knows how to flare also.

Just a few moments and it will be off again.

Sometimes the purpose of their mission was to repel another bird from its hunting grounds - that's when they were most noisy.

These are not a couple of love birds - one is letting the other know "these are my insects".

The next flying object out on the lake wasn't a bird, but a bee - a honey bee collecting pollen from the pond lilies which seem especially abundant this summer (maybe they like the weather also).  Morning is the best time to see these lilies as they bloom early in the day and close up in the heat of the afternoon, which the bees seem to know.  Here's one coming in to inspect a prospect:

Note the pollen sac it's carrying.

It's clear it's already visited a few other flowers this morning.  It hovered a bit,

then decided it liked what it saw and went in.

It climbed down among the stamens to extract all the pollen it could carry and still get airborne.

All this pollen collection and sharing from flower to flower ensures fertilization to generate new plants.  Deep down in the bottom of the lake are the rhizomes that anchor these plants in place - until a muskrat or beaver comes along and eats the root, continuing the endless food cycle of nature.  Here's an interesting fact about the White Pond Lily:  According to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center the stalks contain air channels which allow oxygen collected by the leaves to travel down into the roots in the bottom of the lake.  

It is such a pretty flower.

Nature does give us us the most beautiful sights.

Summer sunset in New Hampshire

P.S.  Harold and Betty are doing fine, I saw them yesterday.  I'll try to get pictures next week - they're getting big!

June 26, 2016

I saw something this morning I have never seen before on Lake Wicwas.  I was on a morning paddle to investigate a possible loon nesting on the protected Rawson Woods Islands.  Sorry to say, I didn't find a nest, though there was a site that looked like the loons had been up there to assess it for a possible home.  (Thanks for the tip MC, and keep watching!)  But on the way I saw two Great Blue Herons fly out of tree on a small island.  Wondering if there was a rookery there, I looked up in the tree tops, only to find a pure white heron up there!

A White Heron?

Could it be a Great Egret?  It must be:  farther along my trip I saw another one, or the same one now fishing along the shoreline, and it sure looks like an egret to me!

A Great Egret on Lake Wicwas

The closest reported breeding range is the southern coast of Maine, but with the warming temperatures it's not unexpected that animals will be moving their ranges farther north and inland.  I'd be interested to know if anyone has ever seen a Great Egret in the Lakes Region.  Do you think our local herons were up there investigating this strange new visitor to their lake?

Coming in for a landing

Those large wings provide a lot of lift

On the return trip home I heard the loons farther down the lake hollering at each other, and could see the splashing of their chasing each other reflecting in the morning sun.  One loon took flight and landed perhaps 100 yards to the west of me, so I put down my paddle to sit quietly and watch.  It swam slowly right toward me, similarly to last week's event. 

Simply another magical moment on Lake Wicwas.

Another bird that spends its life over water is the Eastern Kingbird, and this week some special caretakers of our lake alerted me to a kingbird nest hanging over the water, and invited me over to see it from their deck. (Thanks S&DL!) 

A family of Eastern Kingbirds living safely over the water

We watched as the parents came and went, bringing dragonflies to feed to the hungry youngsters, who appear to be getting itchy, stretching their necks to get a look over the edge of the nest into the world to which they will soon take flight. 

A dragon fly makes a good size meal for these little fellas

Down the hatch!

I was told these birds nested in the same spot last year, so the decision was made to leave that dead tree right where it is.  Another example of how trees that fall into the lake provide homes for many animals, both above and below the waterline.

This week we took a trip up to Baxter State Park;  I had never climbed Mt. Katahdin and the knife edge, and it had been on my list for a long time.  It is beautiful country up there, different than the white mountains and lakes region in many ways.  And the mountain is truly spectacular.

Pamola summit and the knife edge on Mt. Katahdin

Of course, we were drawn to the many lakes n Baxter State Park, and during a canoe trip on Kidney Pond we saw the two most sought after animals in the park:  moose and loons.

Moose in Baxter State Park

Feasting on Kidney Pond aquatic plants

Kidney Pond is experiencing the same loon issue as Lake Wicwas.  While we were there we witnessed territorial fighting as a pair of loons drove away a single loon. 

A lone loon wing-rowing to escape the resident pair in Kidney Pond

Hearing visitors who travel from around the country (or the world), and even the Baxter State Park rangers talking about these beautiful animals made me realize once again just how fortunate those of us who get to experience Lake Wicwas are.  We see and hear the beauty of the loons almost every day, and on occasion get to experience a moose right here on our lake. 

A Wicwas Moose strolling on Chemung Rd

I never forget the wonderful people who have generously given their time and property to protect and steward the special habitat that surrounds Lake Wicwas and much of the town of Meredith and greater New Hampshire.  Maybe we will add Egrets to its list of inhabitants.