Nancy

August 26, 2019

From my kayak 8/13-26

We have been out eight times in the past two weeks to our usual haunts: North Hartland Lake, Grafton Pond and the Connecticut River near Wilder, VT. We have seen birds:

Great blue heron –North Hartland Lake 8/25/19
Great blue heron –North Hartland Lake 8/18/19
Duck swimming between me and Jane’s kayak. Connecticut River 8/19/19
Ducks –Connecticut River 8/19/19
Wood ducks — Connecticut River8/13/19
Young loon –Grafton Pond 8/20/19
Sandpiper –North Hartland Lake 8/25/19
2 eagles — North Hartland Lake 8/25/19
Bald eagle — North Hartland Lake 8/24/19
Cedar waxwing — Connecticut River 8/26/19

as well as other animals and plants.

Deer drinking –Connecticut River 8/13/19
3 painted turtles –North Hartland Lake 8/25/19
Painted turtle with a peeling shell. North Hartland Lake 8/24/19
Fishing –Grafton Pond 8/20/19
Purple loosestrife with 2 types of bees. North Hartland Lake 8/25/19

Arrowroot — North Hartland Lake 8/18/19
Redosier dogwood– Connecticut River 8/13/19
Log in the fog –Connecticut River 8/26/19
The some falls at the base of Quechee Gorge. –North Hartland Lake 8/25/19

August 13, 2019

Joe’s Pond 8/9/19

I accompanied Jane, her brother, two sisters, a brother-in-law and nephew on their trip to Joe’s Pond in Danville, VT. The main pond was nearly wall to wall cottages.

Jane and her sisters on Joe’s Pond. 8/9/19

We did see a couple of groupings of loons there.

4 common loons. –Joe’s Pond, Danville, VT 8/9/19

We proceeded to the inlet, which was covered with lilies and ducks.

Duck in the lilies. –Joe’s Pond, Danville, VT 8/9/19

Heading upstream, we came across several low beaver dams which we could cross.

Jane’s family going up the inlet. –Joe’s Pond, Danville, VT 8/9/19

Rick paddles over the dam. Joe’s Pond, Danville, VT 8/9/19

We saw birds, bugs and wildflowers.

Black winged damselfly (ebony jewelwing). Joe’s Pond, Danville, VT 8/9/19

Wild flowers. –Joe’s Pond, Danville, VT 8/9/19

August 13, 2019

From my kayak 7/27-8/11

We have spent the month on our local lakes/rivers with an occasional foray to more distant bodies of water.

Great blue heron –North Hartland Lake -7/27/19
Great blue heron –North Hartland Lake 7/27/19
Great blue heron. — Ompompanoosuc River 7/28/18
Great blue heron –North Hartland Lake 8/2/19
Green heron –Connecticut River 7/29/19
Common loon –Grafton Pond 7/30/19
Common loon. –Grafton Pond 7/30/19
Fish for baby. Common loon– Grafton Pond, NH 7/30/19
Loon on display –Grafton Pond 7-30-19
White great heron –North Hartland Lake 8/2/19
Bald Eagle –North Hartland Lake 8/2/19
Osprey –North Hartland Lake 8/10/19
Wood duck –North Hartland Lake 8/2/19
Spotted sandpiper –North Hartland Lake 8/2/19
Bee on pickerel weed. –North Hartland Lake 8/10/19
Butterfly on Joe Pye weed.–North Hartland Lake 8/10/19
A dragon fly –Grafton Pond 7/30/19
Twelve spotted dragon fly –Connecticut River 7/29/19
Pond lily with damsel fly –Ompompanoosuc River 7/28/19

July 11, 2019

From my kayak 6/22-7/11

We have spent several days a week in our kayaks for the past few weeks. We have just seen a few ducks and geese this year, but a wide variety of other wildlife.

Birds

Loon. Upper Baker Pond, NH 6/22/19
Loon family with newborn chicks. Lake Armington, NH 6/22/19
Loon with baby. Grafton Pond 7/2/19
Loon by Ledyard bridge. Connecticut River, Hanover, NH 7/10/19

Sandpiper chick. North Hartland Lake 6/23/19
Belted kingfisher fledgling. North Hartland Lake, VT 7/4/19
Kingbird nestlings. Connecticut River, Lebanon, NH 7/10/19
Bath time. catbird, Connecticut River Wilder, VT 7/11/19
Red-winged Blackbird on a cattail. Ompompanoosuc River 7/5/19
Spotted sandpiper. North Hartland Lake 7/4/19
Bald eagle. North Hartland Lake 6/23/19

Mammals

Beaver. North Hartland Lake 7/4/19
Muskrat. Connecticut River 7/7/19
Deer down by the river. Ompompanoosuc River 7/8/19

Other animals

Painted turtle. Mink Brook, NH 7/7/19
Swallowtail butterflies. Upper Baker Pond, 6/22/19
Pond lily with dragon fly and 2 damsel flies. Squam Lake, NH 7/9/19

People

Jane under the arch. Connecticut River, Norwich, VT 7/1/19
Jane and Rick on Lake Armington, 6/22/19

And a couple of other things not from a kayak.

Sunset after a storm. Hartford, VT 7/6/19

June 29, 2019

Jane and I took our annual pilgrimage to Eshqua Bog in Hartland, VT this morning after a rains to see the showy lady slippers and the other early summer bog flowers. I have never seen as many lady slippers as this year nor as many ferns.