June 21, 2026: We have Chicks!

We have our first loon chick of 2026, earlier than anticipated. Eagle-eye loon-watcher Amy saw it on the morning of June 17 with both adults tending to it, far away from the nest.  Which raised the question, was there a second egg?  With the three loons well away from the nest, Amy checked the nest and found an unattended egg just sitting there.  So we called the Loon Preservation Committee and they said the parents may return to it, but we should mark it and check again in 12 hours to see if it had been turned. If not, it would be an inviable egg.  So following the described procedures, I went to mark it.  When I got close, I could see it was damaged - there was a crack in the shell.

But then I thought I saw the crack move.  And then I heard a peep!

The crack was the chick inside starting to peck its way out!  I couldn't resist taking some pictures before I got out of there, hoping the parents would hear it calling and return.

When I checked again in early evening, one loon was back on sentry near the nest, and the other was on the nest, and the next morning - there were two chicks!

Riding on mom's back.

Two chicks safely tucked up under dad's strong wing.

So now the addictive draw of watching baby chicks being raised has begun. One parent dives constantly to find tiny minnows for the chicks. Sometimes it takes a bit for the small fluff balls to build up the confidence to swallow what must appear huge to them. But when they're hungry enough, they do it.

Mom takes a well deserved nap.

While dad quietly brings in dinner.

Junior takes over.

It's a big bite.

Going down.

And dad's already searching the next fish.

Unfortunately, the good news didn't last long. The very next night there was a lot of loud ruckus on the lake, and the next morning, only one chick was to be seen.  The pair has been fending off a rogue loon the past few days, and that may be culprit of the chick's demise.  It was hard to watch the adults floating in the lake for hours that morning, scanning the water and cooing gently in hopes of locating their lost chick.  Contrary to the tranquil appearance, being a loon is not an easy life.

We assume the surviving chick is the older, larger, stronger of the two.  The tradition on Wicwas is that a chick is named by the first person to see it.  Amy named our little one "Northern Pip".  

Meanwhile, the southern pair has taken up residence on their nest, and because it's in a more travelled part of the lake, signs have been placed to alert boaters.   Please encourage anyone you see too close to back off a bit.

Southern nest.  Photo by Dave Thorpe.

Earlier in the week I saw a different bird collecting food for its young chicks. 

A Tree Swallow with a beak full of damselflies.

There have been a lot of tree swallows zooming all over the lake this spring, feasting on the plentiful insect population that thrives near water.

On land, the mammals are raising their young as well.  I came across a doe that was nursing a tiny, tiny, fawn right along the edge of the road beside the Hamlin Town Forest.  I was on my bike and I stopped. Mom stared at me for a moment, then walked calmly off, dissolving into the forest. The fawn, confused, stood there for a second or two before wobbling off on its spindly little legs to find its mother.  A second four legged animal we're not quite sure we're happy about is a skunk family that has taken up residence behind the house. So far we haven't seen anything more than a few little black and white fur balls scurrying around in the trees as mom shoes them back into the den.

The skunk family residence in the rocky hill behind the house.

Soon enough they'll be out exploring their neighborhood, and though skunks are mostly nocturnal, juveniles will often sneak out during nap time when mom is sleeping.  Fortunately, young skunks don't develop the ability to spray for about three months, and by that time we hope they have learned to sleep whenever we might be out and about!

We'll be in loon overload for next couple of months, so I'll end with another of nature's summer light show.

The crescent moon was back to join Venus and Jupiter in the western sky.

March 29, 2026: Wandering Skunks

 A bit more snow this week provided evidence of a skunk meandering here and there looking for things to eat.  The snow also gave us more beatuiful scenery in the steadily intenstifying spring sun.

That light overnight snowfall left an ideal medium to record the skunk's tracks as it made its rounds of the neighborhood.

Meandering skunk tracks in fresh snow.

You may recall last summer (Skunking Through the Flowers, August 3, 2025) we had a juvenile skunk exploring the yard during the day when I was able to watch its meandering all around and through the flowers.  

Our young skunk last summmer.

I wonder if this was the same animal, now mature and traveling at night as mature skunks do.  I followed its tracks around where the flowers will soon rise again, over to the garage, around the house, and even right up onto the front step.

One of the best ways to identify skunk tracks is ther quite random and variable path, far different from most wild animals.  

This may be due to the fact that a skunk doesn't really worry too much about being attacked, as most predators know enough to stay away from a skunk.  But a hungry bobcat, fox, coyote, or owl will still take a skunk if needed.  They are easy prey, and the stench is worth it if one is hungy enough.  There weren't any clear prints to study due to the soft, light snow, but this shows their size, and you can make out the toenails in one of the prints:

Skunks have especially long front toenails to held them dig for food and making dens.

Skunks in New Hampshire have mated by now, and the young will be born soon if not already.  They'll spend seven weeks in the den nursing before their first venture out into the world.  My skunk could be either a male or female; the male has no role in raising the young so mom needs to hunt for herself.  Sometime in June she'll bring the half dozen or so kits out of the den and show them how to hunt for themselves.

Waukewan Canal between Lakes Waukewan and Winnipesaukee.

Linda and I took a nice spring walk around Swasey Park in Meredith Village during the week - there's still a lot ice in the canal and on Lake Waukewan.  But in open water there are now ducks and geese staking out their nesting territories.

I also saw two geese in a small patch of open water near the outlet of Wicwas.  

We extended our walk into the village to check the outflow of the canal over the falls at the Inn.

While in town we spent time enjoying the blue sky and soaking in the sun while perusing the many sculptures and weathervanes in Meredith Village.

"Pamola" - The Wabanake spirit that lives atop Mount Katahdin and guards the highest point in Maine.

Congregational Church

Palmer Inn at Mill Falls

Hermit Woods Winery

The Inn at Bay Point

I'll close this journal entry back at Lake Wicwas with yet another visitor to the lake:

Eastern Coyote

This coyote trotted across the lake just yesterday, so I'll read up on coyotes and provide more information about this interesting and sometimes misunderstood animal next week.

It may look spring-like in some spots with crocuses emerging and the snowdrops blooming,

Snowdrops

but Lake Wicwas is still firmly in the grip of Old Man Winter with 12" of solid ice on the lake, plenty to support coyotes for a couple more weeks.

Old Man Winter still has a few cards left to play.

August 3, 2025: Skunking through the Flowers

We've had the cutest little young skunk slinking through the yard all week.

It's been here almost every day, snuffling around amidst the flowers, foraging for grasshoppers, beetles, grubs, and caterpillars which it quickly gobbles up.  

Skunks are a real asset to gardens, keeping down the population of garden pests, but we're not so sure we want a skunk living close by once it grows up.  Skunks are like porcupines in that their defenses are so strong that they have almost no predators and don't feel a need to flee.  They are more likely than most animals to stand their ground and deploy their defense mechanism if needed.  

Juvenile skunks are often out during daylight when they're learning how to find food, and this one was not one bit fazed by our presence.  It would walk right up to the door where I was standing.

Mature skunks are primarily nocturnal and we definitely don't want to step outside at night and startle a skunk that might give us a spray!  Living amongst nature is rewarding, but his situation is something we'll have to figure out. 

Here's one tasty little tidbit our young skunk would be happy to find, but hopefully not up on our deck.

A Geometer

Inch worms are the larvae of moths in the family Geometridae.  The name comes from the Greek geometer which means earth-measure - an apt term for a caterpillar that measures out it travels across the planet one inch at a time.  Sometimes this one has a hard time deciding just where it wanted to go next.

On an early morning paddle this week I came across a thick mat of a newly flowering, tiny aquatic plant.

I think this one is a Conespur Bladderpod. 

Conespur Bladderpod

It's similar to the flower of the Floating Bladderwort, but this one grows in a thick tangled mat rather than a single free-floating plant. 

I also saw Spangle and Star fishing for breakfast with mom - and enjoying the sunrise.

They are growing nicely but they still have along way to go before they're ready to fly.

Photo by Ken Buckley

Spangle is already demonstration her independence by spending time away from the rest of the family.  It's nice to watch the nesting season progressing smoothly, at least in the southern half of the lake.  

That morning was one of several warm and calm mornings this week - it's the most beautiful time of day.

Sunrise on Lake Wicwas.

June 30, 2024: Summer Weed Watch Tour

The reminder came out this week that it's time for the early summer weed-watcher inspection of the lake to make sure no invasive weeds snuck in over the late fall or early spring.  The lake is divided into nine sectors that include the entire perimeter of the lake as well as the islands which a team of 12 volunteers join forces to inspect twice a year.  I did my survey on a calm morning with the sun low enough in the sky to minimize reflections, helping me to see down into the water.  The good news:  I saw nothing to be concerned about.  I did however, see plenty of pretty sights on my paddle.

A peaceful morning weed-watching on Lake Wicwas.

The White Water Lilies are always a favorite.

White Water Lily (Nymphaea odorata)

I recognize many of the aquatic plants but there are always several I have to look up, such as this one: 

Pickerel Weed (Pontederia cordata)

I recognized these large arrow-shaped leaves as a common plant around the lake, but without the purple flowers that are about to erupt from that elongated bud, I didn't identify them right away as Pickerel Weed.

This next submerged plant always warrants a close look:

It's one of six species of native milfoil in New Hamphsire, easily confused with the invasive Variable Milfoil.

My sector of the lake just happens to include the nesting site of the northern loon pair which I was able to quietly paddle past at a distance such it didn't even notice me.

Now that we're on to animals, here are a couple of nocturnal visitors that stopped by this week.  First, Mr. Stinky triggered the light on the motion detector.

Striped Skunk

It's a good reminder to make plenty of noise when heading out after dark.  A few hours later, along came Rocky.  

Common Raccoon

There are more animals out there lurking around in the dark of night than just the ones we hear through open windows on hot summer nights.

I'll close with one more animal, one that hopped right up to greet me as I walked up to the back door.

This lively pickerel frog jumped up out of the grass right onto the doorstep - I must have startled it.  But then it just as quickly leaped back down into grass, but paused long enough for me to take its picture.  Sometime nature cooperates!