August 6, 2023: Bears, High and Low

I hadn't been to the newly conserved Moultonborough Falls Conservation Area which protected 3000 feet of shoreline along the Red Hill River and Lees Pond in Moultonborough.  So this week, accompanied by a good friend, we took a walk to explore the area.  (Thanks MM!)  We found a freshly cut trail that runs up over a hill then down to the Red Hill River where it crosses under Route 25 after leaving Garland Pond.  The trail follows the river down to Lees Pond, and then along the northern edge of the Pond.  That's where we found the bear evidence.

Bears up high.

The scars in the bark of this American Beech went all the way up the trunk as far as we could see.  The foliage was pretty dense so we couldn't see if there were any signs of a bear having built a nest up in the canopy where it might nap in between munching on the beechnuts that will soon be ripening.  I try to remember to look for claw marks on large beech trees, as it's always a fun find in the woods, as well as a reminder that we share the forest with others, especially in riparian areas with lots of water and diverse habitats.

Red Hill River downstream from Garland Pond.

Lees Pond, upstream from Lees Falls where the river empties into Lake Winnipesaukee.

You can find a trail map and information about Moultonborough Falls Conservation Area here.

On another excursion, this time behind Lake Wicwas in the Hamlin Conservation Area, I came across another sign of bear activity, this one down below ground level.

Bears down low.

Here a bear had dug down underneath an old rotten log right beside the trail, most likely in search of a nest of carpenter ants full of high-protein ants, larvae, and eggs.  You can find this along the Blue Trail north of the beaver ponds, about half way to where it ends at the Yellow Trail heading up to Crockett's Ledge.  It's (mostly) comforting to know that we have only black bears in New England, which are skittish and almost always run from human activity.  The rare exception being when they have become acclimated to humans due to being fed either intentionally or unintentionally, usually from bird feeders or poorly managed trash.  Then it often means the bear must be killed.

Next was an example of the other end of the food chain, where ants are the consumer.

A rosy maple moth being devoured by other insects.

It was the rosy maple moth on this fern that caught my eye, but when I looked closely I saw the other insects on it and I realized the moth was dead.  The ants were all over the tail, and there was a scorpionfly on it as well, though the the scorpionfly moved away when I approached.  

Scorpionfly

Scorpionflies look menacing, but that isn't a stinger on its tail; it's a clasper used in mating. 

Nor is that beak used for biting.  Scorpionflies scavenge on dead insects just as it was doing here, sharing the moth with the ants.

I don't know if the bears are going to be treated to a good beechnut crop this fall, but it sure looks like there will be plenty of pine cones for the squirrels and the birds.  If you spend any time glancing up at the tops of trees you've probably noticed the great clumps of white pine cones hanging up there like bunches of bananas.  When they ripen they'll provide a feast for the forest animals, and hopefully some that will regenerate forests with new pine trees in open areas.  At least those that don't get torn off by all these thunderstorms before they can mature.

There are plenty more still up in the tree tops - it's a good year for white pine.

The weekly status on the loons hasn't changed, other than LuLu and Checkers are looking more grown up every day.

Though I have looked, I still can't find evidence of the second pair of loons on the lake.

The Lake Wicwas Association held its annual meeting yesterday at the Wicwas Grange.  It was well attended and we heard an engaging presentation by Eric D'Aleo, biologist at the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, about beavers in New Hampshire, learning more interesting information about the value of these ingenious animals to our environment, especially how they improve water quality and reduce the impact of the heavier rain events we are now receiving.

A beaver sounds the alarm early one morning.

Many thanks to Eric and all who attended and helped plan and organize another great meeting.

Did you see the full moonrise on Tuesday?  

Moonrise over Winnipesauke on  August 1st.

It was the start of a once-in-a-blue-moon event, as there will be a second full moon on August 31st, which will be the "blue moon", meaning two full moons in the same month.  We'll be lucky if that day is as clear as the first one.

Thanks R&KP for the moonlight ride!

July 14, 2019: Loon Overload

So many loons, and it is just too hard to ignore them when they come by every day and fish right in front of me.

The chicks are growing quickly now; the family must find the fishing quite productive where the little perch hide out under the dock and the boat as they spend lots of time diving there.  Even Harley and Davidson are working on their skills right under the boat.

Looking for fish hiding in the shadows.

Yesterday I saw the family coming along the shoreline across the cove so I went down to the dock and sat quietly waiting for them to come by, and I got a great look at them as they fished right off the dock. 

Side by side you can see one chick is slightly larger than the other.

Little bird, big foot.

Soon enough dinner time arrived.  A parent brought up a medium size perch and gave it to one chick.

Another time the fish dropped in the lake and the little guy re-caught it himself - they are learning.  I caught it on a video, though it's pretty shaky (click here to see it).

The parents seem to be very proficient this summer as the chicks are growing rapidly and there have been a lot of other loons on the lake from which to protect them.  One morning I saw a group of seven loons together, one of which was possibly one of the chicks' parents as it seemed to be herding the other six along.

Six visiting loons, with one more just outside this picture.

That same morning there was an altercation taking place at the entrance to the cove of the second nest with another set of loons.  This was perhaps the male of the second nest keeping a rogue away, and it was successful in driving it off.

The intruder on retreat.

But it didn't go far, just flying across the lake and setting down again, so the resident will have to maintain sentry at the mouth of the cove.

Coming in for a landing.

Splashdown!

And that morning the family was nowhere to be found, possibly being hidden away from all the intruders by a parent.  All told that morning I counted 11 loons on Lake Wicwas, and that didn't include any chicks and probably at least one of their parents.  And speaking of the second nest, as of yesterday there was still a loon sitting on the nest, refusing to give up.  It is highly improbable a chick will hatch from that nest at this point.

Even with loons getting all the attention there are other things going on around the lake.  On Saturday the Lakes Region Conservation Trust held a guided paddle on Lake Wicwas, and a group of intrepid paddlers kayaked all around the lake.

The LRCT has numerous events - paddles, hikes, work days - in which you can participate.  You can learn about them here.  Thank you to all who participated in the Wicwas Paddle.

A few interesting insects also made an appearance this week, including an unusual moth.

Rosy Maple Moth (Dryocampa rubicunda).   Photo by Nancy Marion.

With a few exceptions such as the tremendous Luna Moth, most moths are rather drab in appearance, being small, brown or gray, but the rosy maple moth is a nice exception.  Thank you for sharing Nancy!

Another neat insect that - in New Hampshire at least - always appears well after its name says it should, is the mayfly. 

Mayfly in July.

I often find these on the window in the morning and they hang out there for hours until their wings dry out enough to fly away, during which time the are very photogenic.

I'll end with one other amazing event that another reader sent me:

Garter snake versus toad.  Photo by John Windyka.

Talk about having eyes bigger than one's stomach.  I wonder if this garter snake was ever able to eventually get the toad into its mouth!  Thanks for the great photo John!

Sorry the post was so long this week, but how can you resist this?

June 15, 2014

Happy Father's Day!  And thank you to all who sent your wishes my way!

Father Robin should be proud of its labor, as both he and mother robin continue to spend many hours collecting ants, worms, caterpillars, and other insects to feed their young.

Dad Watching Carefully between Feedings

The young are getting larger, and the nest is starting to get crowded.

June 10

June 14, 2014

It has been about 12 days since the chicks hatched, so they should be leaving the nest any day now. 

On a run along the ridge behind Lake Wicwas, right on the Yellow Trail, I saw a bright green ball on the ground.

Oak Gall

One often finds these Oak Galls in the fall when they are brown and dried out, but less commonly in the spring.  This one may have been blown off its oak leaf by the strong winds this weekend.  I couldn't resist stopping to open it up, as I have never really been able to understand just how these unique formations work.  They are instigated by the Oak Apple Gall Wasp (Amphibolips confluenta), when the female wasp lays a single egg inside the central vein of an oak leaf.  As the egg develops it excretes a chemical that causes the oak tree to form a gall around the egg, creating a protective shield. 

On the inside I found hundreds of tiny filaments connecting the egg to the inside surface of the gall.  

I surmise these connections are propagated by the oak tree as a result of the egg's secretions, and provide sustenance for the egg like a hundred umbilical cords.  I cracked open the inner egg shell with my thumbnail and found the tiny, not-yet well-formed lava inside.  

The Inner Shell

Larva Just Forming

This is not a synergistic relationship, as the wasp doesn't provide any benefit to the oak tree, but it is not a harmful relationship either, with the gall not injuring the tree.  It is an example of "commensalism" - an association in which one organism is benefited and the other organism is neither benefited nor harmed (credit Terry Gouthro).

Closer to the edge of the lake I discovered another new species for me:  a Rosy Maple Moth.  

Rosy Maple Moth (Dryocampa rubicunda)

This is another rather finicky insect, feeding predominantly on - what else? - maples, especially red and striped maples.  Only the caterpillar feeds - the adult moths do not eat;  once they emerge from their pupae they search for a mate and lay their eggs on, yes, a maple leaf.  They are pretty neat-looking moths, with furry bodies, purple legs, and big black eyes.

In a complete coincident, someone gave me an article written by Cheryl Kimball in the Union Leader (thank you!) that spoke of these very moths (Nature Talks, June 13, 2014).

One last note for the Wicwas wildlife journal:  New deer will be joining the Lake Wicwas community soon.  This shy doe was peeking out from the undergrowth near the lake.

She eventually emerged and worked her way along, enjoying the tender, new growth.  

When she stopped to scratch, it became evident that there will be another proud father celebrating Father's Day next year!

An Expectant Mother

As I was writing this I decided to do one last check on the robin nest, and wasn't I surprised to see only one chick left - the other had fledged!

Only One Left in the Nest

And I was even more surprised when just after I took this picture, this little guy took its first flight too!  We saw it embark on a not very graceful, but nonetheless successful flight of about 20 yards to a smooth landing on a nearby tree, and already flaunting some robin color.

Perched after its First Flight

I couldn't see them, but I'm sure its proud parents were close by, watching and encouraging it.  What a great Father's Day for this new dad!