December 2, 2012

December is here, and Old Man Winter is tightening his grasp on Lake Wicwas.  As the temperature drops the ice is spreading out farther and farther from the edges of the lake.  These pictures are from December first;  today it was too foggy to see what was happening out there, but early in the morning, it appeared as though the ice had covered much of the lake.

With warm weather forecast this week, it probably will reopen again.  The little bit of snow that fell helped the ice along, as it made a thin layer of slush on the surface.

I saw nice healthy gray squirrel hopping along the ice, taking advantage of a fast and direct route, and I also found fox tracks crossing over the thin ice in a marsh.

Brave animals, these first pioneers out on the ice.

There wasn't much snow - less than an inch - but it set a pretty picture around the lake, and and did allow looking for tracks to see what's been visiting the lake.

On shore, I tracked this same pair of foxes trotting a long distance on one of the trails around the lake.  They went right across the path of moose, though the moose passed before the snow fell.  It left a different clue of its presence.

Moose Scat

This scattering of scat was deposited over a five foot diameter!

The diet of the moose has changed from the water-loaded diet of aquatic vegetation to a much drier diet of land based plants, as clearly seen in the individual pellets.

Looking back at these pictures, I realized that there wasn't much color around Lake Wicwas this week!

November 18, 2012

Winter is creeping closer and closer to Lake Wicwas.  The sun is rising lower, setting earlier, and the nights are getting cold.  Even the moon is trying hide from the coming chill.

The surface of the lake has cooled enough that the first skim of ice appeared in the marshes and along the edges of sheltered coves.  On Sunday it never completely melted during the day, but it is forecast to be warmer this week, so I doubt this is the start of ice on the lake.

Calm, cold nights always form interesting patterns as the water crystallizes.

It's an amazing aspect of physics that water changes from a completely fluid form of matter to a solid form when its energy (temperature) drops just a fraction of a degree below zero centigrade.  No getting thicker like honey or oil as it cools, but transforming to a new state instantly. 

Walking through a field on a cold morning I stopped to pick up a few bits of cotton or tissue paper someone had dropped on the ground.  But as I pinched them in my fingers, they disintegrated - they weren't paper at all, but ice crystals.  Rime ice had formed around some tiny dry stems sticking up out of the moss.

Rime Ice

I had never seen this around Lake Wicwas before.  It isn't water that condenses first and then freezes, but rather super cooled droplets in the air that are below 0C, which upon encountering a surface that is also below freezing, crystallizes instantly.  This process captures air pockets in the ice which is why it is white, porous, and brittle.

Why it formed on just a few lone stalks is a mystery to me.  Why didn't it form on the pine needles?  Why didn't it form on all the stalks?  Perhaps it's the combination of moisture captured in the moss and the thermal conduction of the stems. 

The water isn't too cold for the birds though.  Our loon chick is still on the lake, as observed by one of our bird watchers (thank you!).  There are still a few wood ducks around as well, but only in groups of two or three - no large flocks.  We also saw several mallards, including a group of five that was just floating around, sometimes not even making a ripple.  Perhaps they are gathering energy for the next leg of their journey.

Mallards

Even the rawness of November breaks now and then, bringing a tranquil moment to the lake.

November 4, 2012

Lake Wicwas went from looking like October to looking like November in one fell swoop when Hurricane Sandy blew through.  She didn't cause any significant damage, but she did strip all the remaining leaves off the trees.  There were lots of branches and a few trees blown down, but not nearly as many as in the July 4th storm.  We now have a distinctly November look around the lake.

The large animals around Lake Wicwas are pretty active this time of year.  Two good-size Black Bears were spotted playing together about 200 feet from the lake.   They weren't full sized yet, but may be last year's cubs, now off on their own after being sent away by mother.

There are also many signs of the fall rut taking place, with the White Tail Deer mating season almost here.  The bucks are scenting their territory, both through "antler rubs" and "scrapes".  Rubs are found on small trees, usually about 2 inches in diameter, where they have rubbed their antlers on the trunks, wearing off the bark.   This rub is from a prior year, but it was right next to a scrape just made today, showing that deer use the same trails year after year.

Deer Rub on Beech Tree

The "velvet" on the deer antlers leaves a scent on the tree to inform does and other bucks of its presence.  The rub above is on a beech tree, but they also often use hemlock which is aromatic and adds to the scenting.  This hemlock rub below is fresh, and the smell was quite strong.

Rub on Hemlock

Scrapes are formed when a buck digs at the ground with its hooves, throwing leaves and debris several feet from the spot.  He then scents the fresh soil with his glands and urine. 

Deer Scrape

 This picture shows the proximity of the scrape to the rub shown above on the beech tree.

There are a couple of tiny hoof prints in the fresh soil, indicating a smaller animal has been by to investigate, just as the buck intended.

Visitor Hoof Print

Another sign of deer was a small maple tree that has been putting out late "stump-shoots" on which a deer had been browsing, no doubt delighted to find some tender young leaves at this time of year.

Deer Browse on Fall Maple Shoots

 And of course, there's the most frequent sign of deer:

White Tail Scat

The duck migration from the north continues, with more large flocks of wood duck congregating in the evenings.

Signs of another bird - the Pileated Woodpecker - are found around dead trees, either standing snags or fallen on the ground.

Pileated Woodpecker Chips

 

I came across an unusual sight on the west side of the lake on Sunday:  Someone hanging on the top of a tree with a chain saw in hand.  It looks like dangerous work, but it's the only way to take down a tree that's close to a house or power lines without the use of a crane.

It's a time of year when there's not much human activity on the lake, save a few late-fall fishermen.

October 28, 2012

It's certainly Wood Duck migration season in the northeast.  All weekend there were large flocks of wood ducks visiting Lake Wicwas on their way to their winter home in the southern part of the united states.  They started to congregate in the evenings just before sunset.  First a group of five or six would come into the cove, then another group would come along and join them, drifting around a bit while they decided where to put down anchor for the night. 

Wood Ducks

 A third, or even a fourth group would add to the flock.  One night there were 20, the next there were 27, more than I've ever seen, so their population seems to growing.

Less than a hundred years ago, wood ducks were just about absent from most of their range, due to over-hunting for their meat and their colorful feathers. 

But the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 started their path to recovery.  They also had help from beavers in their recovery.  Beavers, which themselves had been exterminated by trapping for their pelts, were reintroduced to central New England in 1921.  Their habitat-building creates ideal wetland environments for wood ducks and aided their recovery.  It's another example of how species are interrelated, and losing one species can have a ripple effect others.

On the topic of birds, yes, the loon chick is still  here, as is at least one of it parents.  The two were fishing together, and even though junior is almost as big as the adult, the parent is still catching fish for it.

Mother and Daughter?

Or Father and Son?

The geese are still on the lake as well;  perhaps they know it's hunting season, and are hiding in plain sight where they blend right in with the rocks.

As for human activity, it is declining along with the temperatures.  There are still a few boats left on the lake, but only three or four,

and most of the docks are out of the water.

Someone even is giving us an early warning about the coming season, though I think at this point it is pretty evident.

The lake level is a few inches below full, and draining rapidly, with all the boards out of the dam.  There should be enough time to give Lake Wicwas a nice reserve capacity for the arrival of Hurricane Sandy.  Late October has been a stormy time the last couple of years - remember last October?

October 30, 2011

Let's hope we avoid a repeat of this scene with this storm!

October 21, 2012

It's transition time at Lake Wicwas.  One day it feels like summer is trying to hang on, and the very next day it feels like winter is around the corner.  Saturday was warm and humid; nice enough to go out on the lake for a paddle.  There were dragonflies in the air, water striders on the lake, bumble bees on the flowers, gnats or flies swarming around, and even a spider out enjoying the sun.

I also saw two Osprey - unless it was the same one twice - and our young Loon still on the lake, though no sign of its parents.

The foliage is past peak now;  the primary colors are the burnt yellow of beech and the dark red and maroon of oak, with an occasional bright splotch of aspen.

The blueberry and huckleberry are also providing some bright red color along the shore line.

The heavy rain late in the week followed by the warm, humid weather seems to have brought out a battalion of mushrooms, mostly of one variety.  There are masses of them everywhere.  They emerge brown with a slimy, sticky liquid on them, and then turn white and drier in a day or two.

There was a fishing tournament on the lake this weekend.  They were out early in the morning with the temperature in the 40s.  My first thought was, that doesn't look like much fun.  But then I figured it's no different than skiers out in -20 windchills, or golfers waiting at the first tee for the frost delay to end.  People are just in love with their chosen pastime!

Earlier the same morning a flock of six Wood Ducks came by looking for breakfast - and evading the morning hunters!

Wood Ducks

 

Vestiges of summer, then inklings of winter.  It's that time of year.