April 19, 2026: A Squirrel's Tale

The weather was nice enough the day after ice-out on Wicwas to get on the lake for a kayak, and I wasn't the only one on the lake; I caught up on winter news with several others out enjoying the nice day.  It's always a long stretch to be off the lake between the time the ice isn't safe for travel until there's enough open water to kayak.

There was still ice in some of the protected, north-facing coves.

In addition to the loons and the geese, several other waterfowl are arriving on the lake.  There was a pair of Ring-necked Ducks, sharp looking birds.

Ring-necked Ducks

Buffleheads (another beautiful diving duck), and both Hooded and Common Mergansers all made their appearance.

Buffleheads

A quartet of male Common Mergansers

On my first kayak of the year I'm alway impressed by how quickly the pond lilies emerge, as well as how clear the water is in early spring.

Pond lilies emerging from the lake bottom as soon as the ice is out.

These plants probably start their process as the ice thins and small amounts of solar radiation start to penetrate to the bottom of the lake.

I also came across a beaver lodge that has been expanded and now towers high above the lake.

This home will stay dry even if spring flooding raises the lake level.

As I paddled across the imaginary line that separates the south and north loon territories, I found a loon on sentry.  I was sure it was the northern male guarding its boundary.  It was preening, so I watched from a safe distance - so not to not disturb him - while I waited for a foot wag.

Sprucing himself up to look handsome for his mate.

He was at it for a long time, but eventually, I got the action I needed.

White band with a black dot - that's our guy.

The spring invasion of migrating birds is really heating up now.  On one walk I saw or heard 18 different birds including a Hermit Thrush, Golden-crowned Kinglet, White-throated Sparrow, Carolina Wren, Blue-headed Vireo, and Northern Flicker.  Some migrants will stay here to breed while others are just stopping for a rest on their way to breeding grounds farther north.

🐦🐦🐦

Now for the squirrel tale, or rather, tail.  I found this on the ground in a small open area amidst a mixed pine-hardwood forest. 

I wasn't sure what it was until I turned it over and saw the red fur.

It's clearly the tail of a Red Squirrel.  The question is, did a predator catch the squirrel and leave the tail behind, or did it catch just the tail, which the squirrel jettisoned to save its life?  Scouring the area for clues was fruitless - no carcass, fur, or any signs of a struggle, which isn't surprising.  A predator would likely either take its meal to a safer place to eat, or take it back to its den or nest for its family.  But if it caught the squirrel, wouldn't it have taken it away tail and all?  Why would it cut off the tail and leave it there?

If the squirrel did escape alive, it will have a difficult life; squirrels can't regrow a tais the way starfish or lizards can regrow a body part, and a squirrel uses its tail in many ways including for balance and for insulation in winter.

The detachment point.

At any rate, I'll be keeping my eye out this summer for a tailless red squirrel!

P.S.  Speaking of migrating birds, the MOTUS bird tracking station on Red Hill in Moultonborough has detected two Saw-Whet Owls which are now far north in Canada on the St. Lawrence River.  You can always find the latest detections using the link at the top of the Wicwas Nature Journal.

April 10, 2022: Ice-Out and Loons-In

Ice-out was declared on Lake Wicwas on the morning of Wednesday, April 6th, and it didn't take long for the loons to arrive.  (Ice-out on Winnipesaukee was declared two days later on Friday afternoon, wth Meredith Bay the last to clear.)  In fact, I saw my first loon one day before ice out when it was fishing at the edge of the ice line.  But even more exciting was seeing an otter only a hundred yards away from the loon, sitting on top of the ice, munching away on a sunfish.  

It was just lying there on the cold ice, holding that fish in its hands while it crunched it up with its teeth - bones, scales, and all.

I watched it finish it off and then, with a full belly, slide his way along the ice before disappearing down a hole in the ice, off to find something else to do.

This is one of the most vibrant times of the year to be watching nature, as everything is in transition between seasons and starting to come alive.  In the past week I saw a mink on the ice, many beavers swimming across the lake, a bald eagle devouring a fish it caught in the open water, a ringed-neck duck, and a couple of pairs of common mergansers as well as other ducks and geese.

A mink on thin ice that formed over a cold night.  No worries, it dove in at the edge of the ice anyway.  

An immature bald eagle rests between bites of the fish in its claws.

Mr. and Mrs. Merganser, fishing at the edge of the ice.

One of my favorites:  A ringed-neck duck on a rainy Saturday.

Those poor pisces sure have a lot hungry parties interested in them.  At least the mallards and the Canada geese mostly leave the fish alone.

I can't tell if this goose is dropping nesting material or just sticking its tongue out at its mate.

This mallard has terrible table manners.

I've also seen and heard some early spring birds:  phoebes, chipping and song sparrows, robins (though robins are now year-round residents in parts of NH, I don't see them in winter), yellow-bellied sapsuckers, and also dozens of wood frogs.  On Tuesday there were perhaps a hundred of them jumping into the water in a roadside ditch on the opposite side of the road from a vernal pond as I walked along.  By Friday they had made it to the pond and were singing away, sounding like a flock of ducks.  Spring peepers will be next!

On my paddle before ice out I had a chance to see up-close the delineation between the phases of water.  

At the edge of winter and spring.

And of course, the first loon.

I'll wager this is our nesting male, but we'll have to wait until we see a band to know.

But perhaps the most uplifting sight of all is blue water!

Blue water returns.

More spring changes are close at hand.

April 3, 2016

The New England roller coaster of weather continues unabated.  April first fooled us with a beautiful 70 degree day, only to have the temperature drop by 40 degrees (Apr 4 update:  make that 55 degrees - it was 16 overnight on Sunday) and usher in 40 mph winds and snow squalls today.  But when it was warm, the sights and sounds of spring were all around.

A few bulbs were blooming in the warmer spots.

Tiny lichen were starting to come to life among the greening moss,

"British Soldiers" lichen (Cladonia cristatella) are only about half an inch high

and mussel shells are appearing on the shore line, left by raccoons, or perhaps muskrats.

Crustacean shells left over from a fresh seafood dinner

And on Friday, the first amphibians made their presence known as the Wood Frogs emerged from their winter slumber to call for mates in the thawed vernal pools.  Every year I am fooled (it was April first after all) by their call - I still think there are ducks ahead as I approach.  But each year I realize a little more quickly, that no, these are the frogs!

Other sounds of spring were unmistakable, for one the raspy call of the first phoebe of the summer - always the first of the insect-catching birds to return, but also a warning that the bugs are close behind.

Yesterday I saw my first pair of Great Blue Heron, landing awkwardly in the top of a towering white pine on a small island in the lake.  And earlier in the week I saw a large flock of Turkey Vultures - at least 20 of them - flying right over downtown Laconia just past Opechee Bay.  The next day there were three of them circling over Lake Wicwas.

A couple of Turkey Vultures circle overhead

Just when I though the migratory birds had moved past, another flock of ring-necked ducks stopped by, this time a pair as well as two males accompanying a female, hoping to win her favor.

Male ringed-neck ducks wooing a prospective mate

Hmmm,  how do I choose....

There was also a pair of Buffleheads - which I don't see very often - napping on the lake.

Buffleheads getting some needed rest on their voyage north

And one more sign of spring, summer even:  our first thunderstorm.  It was followed by a beautiful calm evening with mist flowing over the lake and then, the summer's first rainbow.   April-fools or not, summer is getting closer.

The summer's first rainbow

March 20, 2016

If you saw Friday's post you know that the ice went out of Lake Wicwas on March 18, the earliest date ever, by three days according to my notes.  Lakes Winnipesaukee and Sunapee also went out on the same day.  The last spot on Lake Wicwas to clear out was the boat ramp, as the northwest wind blew the remaining ice down into that cove.

Friday, March 18 - The last of this short winter's ice

It's quite a change from last year - remember what the lake looked like in March 2015?

March 21, 2015 - A much different look three days later than this year's ice-out

With the ice gone from the lake the migratory birds started appearing immediately.  Of course the geese arrived even before the ice was out, walking around on top of the ice as usual.  But there were sightings of loons on the lake right on the 18th, as well as several of the other usual early spring visitors.  The first to appear was the pair of wood ducks looking for a nest in their favorite spot.

Male Wood Duck

Soon a pair of Hooder Mergansers stopped by for some fishing to nourish them for their travel farther north.

Male Hooded Merganser

 It's cool that they can raise and lower their hood!

A pair of Ring-necked ducks made an appearance also.

They didn't hang around long, but their departure showed their distinctive markings on their wings and bodies.

Finally, a threesome of Common Mergansers came by, two males and one female.  The female had chosen her mate, but the jilted male continued to pursue the pair, with the female occasionally chasing it away - I would have guessed the male would have done that.  Following behind her chosen one, the female swam for a long distance in very strange position - perhaps showing her submission?

Common Mergansers

The trails are all cleared of snow now so we should have several weeks of great hiking before the bugs make their appearance.  It's a great time to be out in the woods with the visibility so much greater than when the leaves are on the trees blocking the sight lines.  In one large melt puddle that collected in a depression I saw large masses of debris floating on the surface.

Closer inspection revealed there was actually some kind of life flourishing there.

Countless numbers of emerging creatures

And even closer inspection told us they were snow fleas! (Linda guessed it!)

Snow Fleas!

We saw these on the snow a few weeks ago and now I know where and how they develop.  It appears that they hatch out as a pink color, then change rapidly to orange, then on to their mature black color. 

Transitioning from larvae to adults

Based on their inefficient mode of transportation (see February 28 post) I wonder how they manage to get from their hatching puddles to become so well distributed throughout the forest.

Even after a short winter it is a beautiful sight to behold the sun reflecting off liquid water rather than ice.  I can't wait to discover what wonders the lake will reveal to us this year.

May 3, 2015

The activity level is accelerating rapidly around the lake now that spring is finally arriving.  I found my first wildflower of 2015, a Mayflower (Trailing Arbutus) up on Crockett's Ledge.

Trailing Arbutus (Mayflower - Epigaea repens)

It was at the edge of the woods on the ledge where it enjoys lots of sun, which must explain why it was a few days early, arriving on April 28th!

The second wildflower I saw was a new one for me, a Coltsfoot. 

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)

This member of the aster family is a pretty hardy plant, as there are dozens of them pushing up through the sand plowed up all winter long on the edge of Wicwood Shores Rd. 

At first I thought they were dandelions, but unlike dandelions, the coltsfoot displays its blossoms first; the leaves come later.

Higher up off the ground, the Red Maples are really showing their colors now. 

Red Maple Buds

And flitting around in the tops of those maples have been large flocks of an early spring arrival, the Yellow-rumped Warbler.

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata)

These hyperactive creatures are constantly hopping from branch to branch, darting out to catch a bug, and back again.  They barely sit in one spot long enough to snap a picture!

I'm thrilled to see so many of them, making an early dent in the bug population, and yes, they really do snatch those nasty buggers right of the air!

Locked on and going in for the kill

In the other direction, down at lake level, the beavers are going great-guns too. 

An evening swim in the rain

They are swimming in the lake every evening, and are already depositing branches along the top of the dam, trying to curtail outflow from the lake.  They are piling mud and debris all over the shore line, and bare sticks, left behind after being gnawed clean of every last bit of bark and cambium, adorn the lake bottom.

Ringed-neck duck and beaver enjoying a rainy evening together

One evening this beaver was sharing its cove with a solitary Ring-necked duck. 





When they detect me on the shore - which they always do - they let me know their displeasure with a loud smack of their tail on the water. 

Beaver Alert

Click the video:

Oh, and let's not miss one of the greatest sounds of spring and summer - the Spring Peepers!

(Yes, those are also raindrops you hear.)

One final note:  the Meredith sculpture walk is about to be updated.  If you haven't seen all these great works of art, including three by Meredith's own Steve Hayden (one of which is the iconic sailboat in scenic park) you should do so soon. 

"Black Sailboat" by David Little & Steven Hayden

Fred Huntress was in town this week starting to make spaces for new creations.  There's not much time left to get one more look!

Fred Huntress and "Railing Sleeper Bear Club" by artist Justin Gordon