Author: Nancy

Posted on

From my kayak 8/27-9/17

We’ve been in our kayaks often in the past few weeks and have see a lot.

Great blue herons have appeared in most the the usual spots, but doing some unusual things.

Great blue heron with pond lilies.–Ompompanoosuc River 8/27/19
Great blue heron displaying. North Hartland Lake 8/31/19

This heron landed near another heron and put on this display.

“What’s that invading my marsh?” Great blue heron –McDaniel’s Marsh 9/7/19
Great blue heron fishing from a perch. Grafton Pond 9/10/19

The heron was fishing from a branch a few feet above the water, dove into the water, missed the fish, struggled back up to the branch and ruffled his feathers to dry off.

Great blue heron drying off from a dip in the lake. Grafton Pond 9/10/19

We also saw an egret and several green herons, eagles, deer, dragonflies and butterflies, and flowers.

Egret. North Hartland Lake 8/31/19
Green heron. –Connecticut River 9/6/19
Green heron scratching — Connecticut River 9/6/19
Young eagle getting his adult feathers. Connecticut River 9/15/19
Cormorant –Connecticut River 8/26/19
Deer — North Hartland Lake 8/31/19
Dragonfly –Connecticut River 9/15/19
Butterfly on asters. Connecticut River 9/15/19
Closed gentian –Connecticut River 9/12/19
Posted on

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
Posted on

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
Judson, Jane’s nephew.

We saw birds, bugs and wildflowers.

Black winged damselfly (ebony jewelwing). Joe’s Pond, Danville, VT 8/9/19
gull –Joe’s Pond, Danville, VT 8/9/19
Wild flowers. –Joe’s Pond, Danville, VT 8/9/19
Posted on

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
Posted on

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.

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