July 20, 2025: The First Egg Hatches

Last week I came across a Veery nest on the ground.  The incubation period for Veeries is about 12 days, so I went back on Thursday to check on its status. Last year a ground nest was destroyed so I wasn't sure what I would find, but was pleased to see the nest intact and the first egg had hatched.

One of the four eggs has hatched.

By the appearance of the tiny chick it must have just hatched; there was no sign of the other three eggs starting to crack.  Mother veery keeps a neat house as she had already removed the egg shells.  I'd love to go back in two or three days to see if the other eggs have hatched, but I'll resist the urge in order to minimize disturbance.  The veery nesting period is 10-12 days so I'll check next week to learn whatthe status of all the eggs.    

The blueberries ripened up nicely in the hot weather this week and should remain plentiful for at least another week.  With a little luck you'll gather some before the birds and chipmunks get them all.  A large flock of Common Grackles was raiding this blueberry bush and feeding them to their young, sometimes two at a time.

Common Grackle with a mouthful of blueberries; its offspring waits beside.

The Annual Loon Census sponsored by the Loon Preservation Committee occurred yesterday.  Volunteers and professionals alike went out on many of New Hampshire's lakes between 8:00 and 9:00 am to determine how many loons are in the state.  Five loons were counted on Wicwas this year:  The single banded male in the northern territory and the family of four in the southern territory.  The two chicks, Spangle and Star are doing well, and Spangle is starting to dive.  They might not catch their own food for quite a while, but it might help them avoid predators from above such as eagles.  

There is a dramatic difference in the size of the two chicks - Spangle looks to be almost twice the size of Star.

This photo taken by Dave Thorpe during the loon census hints at why, and indicates that it may take Star some time to catch up.  

The stronger, faster bird gets to the dinner table first.

The mid-summer wildflowers are starting to take over the flower show now.  Daisies are going by but Black-eyed Susans are coming on strong and the evening primrose are starting to bloom.  

Evening Primrose

I try to remember to check these in the morning, looking for the Primrose Moth.  If I see one I'll share it here.

I was treated to a rare sighting of a Scarlet Tanager yesterday when it flew down from the high tree tops and into my sight.  I've been hearing it for weeks, always looking for it, but he is way up high, hidden amongst the leaves.  I had been listening to him sing for a long time, unable to find him when suddenly something attracted him down to a Red Maple tree right in my sight where he perched for several minutes.

The bright red and yellow plumage of a scarlet tanager.

He even sang for me.

Another special summer moment provide by mother nature!

Let's end with a dragon - one of the most brilliantly colored of all the dragonflies.

Eastern Pondhawk

Bright scarlet birds and emerald green dragonflies - the variety of nature's creations is endless.

Correction:  Jen Esten and Jon Waage, authors of the The Nature of Pleasant Lake blog, observed that the mustelids in last week's video were likely River Otters.  Checking with the photographer about the location of the video supports otter as the correct identification.  Thank you Jen and Jon!

May 18, 2025: One Big Loon

This week the banded male in the northern territory gave us a lesson on how it manages to stay strong enough to defend what is clearly a highly desirable breeding territory.  

Yup, he's going to swallow that whole.

We watched him catch and devour not one, but two huge fish.  Someone may be able to estimate the weight of these fish, but I expect each one accounted for a significant portion of his daily two-pound diet.  Here's the process he went through to get it down its throat after taking a good five minutes playing with it to weaken it enough to swallow.

At this point something wasn't going right and he coughed the fish back and started over again.

Getting farther down this time.

Swimming hard seemed to be part of the final swallowing process.

A big lump in that throat.

Almost down.

Always a big shake to get that neck bulge sent all the way down.

So that was a pretty good meal.  Two days later it was back in the same spot like any fisherman that returns to a spot where he once caught a big one.

This fish is also sliver with dark spots.  Are they Black Crappies?

I'll short cut the process this time, but it took just as long as before to accomplish the whole thing.

With plenty of fish in his belly he's got the energy he needs to keep up his weight and fight off the endless challenges on his territory.

In case you didn't catch the update to last week's journal, Lake Wicwas eventually crested over two feet above normal level, lapping over the edge of the dam.  Not the highest it's ever been, but close, and it's still about a foot higher than normal.  With three boards removed from the dam it's dropping at a rate of about 2" per day so without any more rain it will take another week before it's back to normal level.

Aren't fish supposed to swim under the dock?

We must be pretty close to a full complement of summer birds now.  Arriving this week were the Eastern Kingbird, Scarlet Tanager, and Great Crested Flycatcher.  The latter has a sharp call that's easy to recognize once you've learned it.  Wildflowers came on strong this week with the warm sunny days, and that green Lady's Slipper I found last week did in fact bloom.  

Pink Lady's Slipper

A few other flowers popped out as well including the Eastern Starflower and the Fringed Polygala.

Eastern Starflower

Fringed Polygala

We know "poly" means many, and this week I learned that "gala" means milk.  I also learned that's where the word "galaxy" comes from, originating as the "Milkyway Galaxy".  Though it looks like an orchid, this fringed polygala is a member of the Milkwork Family.  [Ref:  US Forest Service]  

Keep an eye for more flowers appearing on the forest floor in the next couple of weeks.

July 17, 2022: Three's a Crowd

Three pairs that is.  Just when things had settled down with two pairs of loons on Lake Wicwas a third pair arrived and riled things up again.  I had heard some agitated vocalizing on and off for a few days but didn't know the cause until I encountered an altercation between one of the nesting birds - I assume the male - and the intruders.  As I paddled out of Marion Cove one morning I saw a loon on the nest and its mate out at the entrance to the cove - and then a third loon swimming near by.  What I'm assuming is the nesting male quickly approached the visitor and escorted it out and away from his nesting territory towards the middle of the lake.

"Keep moving along."

Out there another loon was just watching and waiting and when the three came together the excitement began.

The Standoff.

There was lots of circling, head dunking, and diving.

When one dove the others dove as well - maybe the word has gotten around about hits being put out on intruding loons on Lake Wicwas.  (See June 19, 2022 post if you missed the report about the recent loon execution.)  

The banded male loon on Wicwas was one of the larger loons the LPC has recorded, so large in fact that they didn't have a metal band large enough and had to use a plastic one, and this big guy had no qualms about showing these two intruders who's in charge.  I recorded a video of part of the interaction which includes diving, vocalizing, and aggressive chasing.

After they settled down and the two visitors sailed off to the west I continued my paddle towards the second nest and saw the guard loon at the mouth of Harris Cove and the other loon on the nest.  So six loons in all, and both nests were still occupied - at that moment.

Saturday was the annual Loon Census and the Thorpes took the count for the lake.  It was an unusually low census with only four loons being sighted.  Nonetheless, it was an eventful morning.  At 8:15 they spotted a noon on the nest in Marion Cove.  But by 9:00 they saw both loons of that pair off the nest, and investigating the nest there was no evidence of an egg, egg fragments, or predation.  Furthermore, it was a minimal nest at best - no bowl, no buildup of sticks and plant material, basically just a bare spot on the ground.  It didn't even look like it could hold and egg without it rolling away.  So there's a mystery as to what that nesting session was all about.  If I get any input from the LPC biologist I'll be sure to report it.  The other nest, at least as of the census on Saturday morning, was still occupied.

A few other quick notes from the week.  Deb Crowley, who takes wonderful photographs, was able to spot the scarlet tanager, something I've been unable to do, and she got a great picture of him (only the males are bright red, females are olive-yellow.)

Scarlet Tanager.   Photo by Deb Crowley.

It's one of the most stunning birds we have in New Hampshire.

I also had an up-close and personal moment with a bobcat.

I was on an early morning walk and the cat must have heard my footsteps on the trail as it came right onto the trail in front of me to check me out.

It didn't appear to be afraid of me and after it decided I wasn't food it just meandered down the trail in front of me.

Just a few minutes later, less than 200 yards away I came across mother deer and her fawn - still spotted and no larger than a good-size dog.  They better be careful!

And now this late-breaking news:  We have a loon chick!  Deb Crowley saw it first late Saturday, followed closely by Dean Cascadden.  Deb was kind enough to grant naming rights to Dean who has named it Maddie after his grandaughter who turned six months old yesterday.

Introducing Maddie.  Photo by Deb Crowley.

Both parents were off the nest so it appears there will be only one chick on Wicwas this year, but that's still good news.  Now we have the long, nervous wait to see if the parents can protect this little fluff ball from all the hazards it will face over the next four months, from turtles to eagles to other loons.

Photo by Deb Crowley.

Thank you Deb for your good eye and your great photography!  Hopefully these are the first of many pictures of Maddie this summer.

May 12, 2019: Happy Mother's Day!

Did you get your fiddleheads yet?

Fiddleheads push up through warming soil

The ferns have been pushing up through the spring earth, and though I don't harvest them myself, Picnic Rock Farm has had them and they've been awfully good.  And fiddleheads are highly nutritious, packed with vitamins, anti-oxidants, iron, manganese, and copper.  It's a short season, so if you want some you need to act quickly.

The fern above is a cinnamon fern (Osmunda cinnamomea - how appropriate for it to have "mom" in its name), which is not the preferred fern to eat;  that would be the ostrich fern (Matteuceuia struthiopteris) which has much less husk that needs to be removed.

Another plant growing rapidly is the aspen which has the largest leaves right now, and based on the abundant flowers is probably a major source of pollen at this point.

Aspen burst out leaves and flowers early in the season

Other trees have only buds or small leaves, which provides an opportunity to see birds flitting around in their branches, eagerly devouring the early insects after their long flights from distant wintering grounds.

Only buds and blossoms on this tree

A yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga coronata) hunts amid bare branches over the lake

Another nature-watcher had a visit from one of our most vibrant song birds, the scarlet tanager.

Scarlet tanager (Piranga olivacea)     Photo by Anne Crane.

This beautiful bird probably just returned from its flight across the Gulf of Mexico, having spent its winter down in south America.  Ann noted it's the first time she's seen a scarlet tanager at the lake.  Thanks for sharing!

If you pass by the dam at the outlet of Lake Wicwas you are likely to see a Canada goose on patrol.

The gander patrols its nesting grounds

I'm pretty sure there's a nest there along the shoreline based on the way it stood its ground (water?) as I paddled by, protecting the female which would be on the nest incubating eggs.

It was nice to get out on the water again for my first excursion of the year.

Though sometimes you don't even have to leave your house, as nature comes to you.

A lone turkey struts down the road

Linda watched this young deer right through the window.

One or two more warm days and the landscape in the Lakes Region will transform quickly from bare branches to the lime-green of early summer.  Only a short window remains to get out and enjoy the world before the onslaught of biting insects arrives.

To all the mothers out there, I hope you have a special day!