October 26, 2025: Pied-billed Grebe

I saw a new bird on Lake Wicwas this week:  A Pied-billed Grebe.

Pied-billed Grebe  (Podilymbus podiceps)

It was solitary, and having good success fishing all by itself in the lake, staying and diving for quite a while.  I had to look it up as it wasn't a bird I recognized, but after identifying it I realized I had seen this bird once before - on the coast of Virginia.  Pied-billed grebes breed throughout New Hampshire, but I'd never seen one here.  They are built like a loon with legs far back on their body which make them excellent swimmers, and like loons, very awkward when walking on land.  For that reason they spend almost their entire life in water - even when nesting.  

Unlike our Common Loon, this grebe builds a floating nest, a bowl-shaped nest on a floating mat of vegetation either by constructing a raft from stems of aquatic plants, or maybe even on top of lily pads.  Also like loons, once the chicks hatch they ride on their parent's back for safety.  The pied-billed has a wide range of food sources with crayfish being their primary food, but they also eat fish, snails, mussels, crabs, frogs, leeches, and insects.  [Ref: Cornell Lab of Ornithology]  Unlike loons, these grebes may lay a brood of up to ten eggs.  Here's a photo of a nest from the Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance.

Pied-billed Grebe nest with ten eggs.  Photo by James Otto.

I saw another uncommon bird on Lake Wicwas a couple of weeks ago:

A Solitary Sandpiper perches on top of a docked boat on Wicwas.

The solitary sandpiper breeds in boreal forests in Canada, so this one picked Wicwas as a nice rest stop on its way to Central or South America for the winter.  We'll soon be seeing more migrating birds making stopovers at Wicwas.

Leaves are falling fast now in the Lakes Region and the open branches continue to reveal new sights I hadn't noticed before.  This week I saw this huge American Beech tree a dozen yards off the trail to Crockett's Ledge in the Hamlin Forest.  

It seems healthy, even with that six foot crack running up the trunk and an enormous cavity inside.  The opening was large enough to put my hand in and take pictures looking both up and down inside the trunk.

The bottom of the cavity inside the beech.

Looking skywards

Fortunately, there were no signs of animal life in there.  I don't think I've seen the inside of a standing tree before!

Farther up towards the White Mountain Ledge I noticed a hemlock tree with a long strip of bark blown off from being struck by lightening.

A long strip of blown off bark where electrical heating
explosively boiled the moisture under the bark.

When lightning strikes a tree the electrical current passes through the cambium under the bark to reach the ground because the live, wet wood is a good electrical conductor.  The heat generated by the current vaporizes the water under the bark which expands violently and blows the bark right off the tree.

Rotting wood indicates this is old lightning scar.

On the trail it was evident that many of the leaves were no longer on the trees, especially the maples.

The beech, oak, and aspen hold on to their leaves a bit longer so there was still some color looking north towards the white mountains.

I could only see as far as Mt. Osceola on Friday.

Closing on a non-nature note, the boat ramp for Lake Wicwas got its rebuild this week.  

There are nine concrete slabs anchored together going out over 20 feet into the water; one is visible as the lake level is still down a few inches.

Hopefully the new design will reduce erosion and sedimentation going into the lake.  

Silt fencing protected the water during construction.

It's worth noting that going into the last week of October, we've still only had one day where the temperature has dropped below freezing and flowers are still blooming.

Daisies at my parents house.

And people are still out enjoying the fall weather on the water.

I hope you're able to take advantage of the quiet season around the lakes!

August 26, 2018 - West Coast Smoke

It's a long ways away, but smoke from the fires in the west has made it all the way to New Hampshire.  We had a nice hike with friends up Red Hill (thanks B&T!) and from the fire tower at the summit (rather fitting) the haze was thick enough to reduce the visibility by half from what it should have been based on the temperature and humidity.

Smoke from the west coast adding to the haze

Yesterday morning, a little closer to home, the view west from Wanakee Hill (just west of Lake Wicwas) was almost as bad.

Looking west towards Pinnacle Hill from Wanakee Hill

But the smoke does make interesting sunrises as the particles in the atmosphere absorb and reflect the shorter-wavelength blue light, lending a nice red color to the morning.  (Read more about atmospheric optics here.)

Sunrise over Wicwas

Still on the topic of the sky, after last weeks discovery of a hemlock struck by lightning, this week I found another tree that was even more devastated. 

Seeing chunks of wood six inches thick blown out from both sides of a large tree is impressive.

Much lower down in the understory of the forest the fruiting trees are doing their part to sustain the animals through the winter.  The hobblebush, which a few weeks ago had bright red berries, are now ripening into a shiny dark black color.

Hobblebush viburnum

I've seen a few green acorns start to hit the ground, and the black cherries, which have been ripening for a few weeks now, are clearly being enjoyed by the local fox population. 

Fox scat loaded with cherry pits

These are signs we're well into late summer now, a transition I'm sure residents and firefighters in the west can't get soon enough.  Perhaps some cooler weather and rain will dampen their fires, and allow our skies to clear up in time for crisp blue skies to return for the fall hiking season.

Just keep an eye out for these little guys when you're walking the woods

August 19, 2018 - Paddles, Picnics, and Explosions

It was a busy weekend on Lake Wicwas as the 9th Annual Paddle Regatta took place on Saturday, followed the annual picnic and barbecue.

The lead boats in the Paddle Regatta

The forecast was for scattered showers all day, but they held off long enough that both events went off without a drop.  The questionable weather made for a smaller turnout for the paddle, but as usual, the award for the best decorated boat went to the Naso's patriotic entry. 

But the weather didn't reduce the barbecue turnout, and Wayne and Lavon hosted yet another great event.

No rain to dampen the party

Cooking up another great barbecue

Lots of visiting before and after the food

Many thanks to the Blakes for hosting, and for everyone who brought all the delicious food!

A couple of weeks ago the Lakes Region was pummeled by some strong electrical storms, one of which came right over Meredith with several ground strikes very close to Lake Wicwas - we knew they were close not only by the concurrent thunder and lightening, but also by the sizzling of electricity in the house.  One strike was close enough to take out our television, even though it was unplugged!  The unit still powered on and had a picture, but none of the input ports (HDMI, etc) were functional.  We hadn't disconnected those cables, so the surge must have been strong enough to come along those lines and fry the electronics on the board.

Later in the week I noticed some bits of wood on the ground near our house, so I looked up to find what tree a woodpecker had been tearing apart.  But instead of finding a rotting snag, I found a solid hemlock with a long strip of bark missing - the tell tale sign of a lightning strike!

There were long strips of bark still attached to the trunk, but clearly blown apart by the explosive power of moisture instantly vaporized by electrical current travelling through the moist layer of cambium under the bark.



























Looking around a bit more I found chunks of hemlock 2 inches thick and several feet long blasted over 50 feet away from the tree.

Strips of wood thrown 50 feet

There were other hunks of wood blown off the trunk but arrested by branches on the tree.

The whole scene was a powerful reminder of the forces of nature.  And why you don't stand under a tree in a thunderstorm.

I'll close with a raptor I saw on the way home from Lake Hosting this morning, which I believe is a Broad-winged Hawk.  It flew over me and I was quick enough to catch it as it flew by.

It landed on a near-by tree to pose for a couple of pictures before it took off again.

I guess he wasn't perched in that hemlock when the lightning struck.

September 3, 2017 - Lightning Strike II

After an impressive electrical storm hit the Lakes Region back on July 17th I took a look around for signs of strikes but didn't find anything.  Then this week, while doing trail work in the Hamlin Conservation Area, someone with a good eye noticed two trees with the sure marks of lightning.

I can't tell if these date from the July storm, but given their prominent location, I would guess they are from a more recent storm.  When struck, current takes a path down a tree just under the bark where there is the most moisture, providing the best electrical circuit - current always takes the path of least resistance.  The rapid heating due to the high current expands the moisture in the sap, instantly vaporizing the water, which blows the bark right off the tree.

Bark blown off the trunk (this is looking south, towards the trailhead)

Bark fragment on the ground doesn't show any signs of charring

The resulting long strip of exposed wood may or may not kill the tree; these strips, though long, are narrow so the tree may survive.  Lightning is fickle - these two trees are about 50 yards apart, and neither are the tallest in the area - why these particular trees?

They are easy to find if you want to see them for yourself.  They are just 0.1 miles from the trailhead kiosk, one right beside the trail on the right and the other just down the slope on the same side of the trail.  While you're in the area, walk down to the first trail intersection and see the freshly trimmed field there.

The Tuesday Trail crew clearing the old log yard.

You might come across some wild blackberries which are ripening now - look along the edges of sunny trails and wood roads.

Also be sure to keep an eye out on your travels for the late fall flowers that are blooming now.

Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea)

Some of which have visitors.

Unidentified visitors

Black-eyed susan

With a Plume Moth (family Pterophoridae) 

Milkweed pod with Small Milkweed Bugs (Lygaeus kalmii)

You are also likely to see more signs of upcoming attractions;  lightning can't take them all out!

Female Common Yellowthroat  (Geothlypis trichas) at the edge of the swamp in the Chemung State Forest