loon – Page 5 – Nancy's Corner

October 2, 2018October 2, 2018

9/16-30

We are still kayaking, though more in the afternoons and are still seeing wildlife; some migrant and some resident.

Mallard with breeding plumage. Connecticut River 9/16/18

Common mergansers. Ompompanoosuc River 9/30/18

Common mergansers. Ompompanoosuc River 9/30/18

Hooded merganser taking off. Mink Brook 9/23/18

Common loon with a fish for baby. Grafton Pond 9/29/18

Young loon. Grafton Pond 9/29/18

Great blue heron. Grafton Pond 9/29/18

Bald eagle. Connecticut River 9/17/18

Swimming squirrel. Connecticut River 9/17/18

Deer in the garden. Hartford, VT 9/20/18

Floating leaf. Connecticut River 9/27/18

Grafton Pond 7/10/18

Jane and I went to Grafton Pond on Tuesday. The loon chicks have hatched and are being tended by their parents. We saw two families of loons, one with a very young chick,

Loon parent feeding chick.
Grafton Pond, NH 7/10/18

A young chick riding on the parent’s back. Grafton Pond, NH 7/10/18

A parent loon stretching after preening while the baby looks on.
Grafton Pond, NH 7/10/18

and another with a larger and older chick.

Loon showing its leg bands, older chick nearby.
Grafton Pond, NH 7/10/18

We also found a great blue heron hiding in the bushes.

Great blue heron hiding.
Grafton Pond, NH 7/10/18

The Pompy and Grafton Pond

It was a day for green herons on the Pompy on Tuesday: we saw several and they posed nicely.

Green heron –Ompompanoosuc River, VT 7/31/17

Irritated young green heron — –Ompompanoosuc River, VT 7/31/17

Green heron reflected –Ompompanoosuc River, VT 7/31/17

We also saw great blue herons on the Pompy as well as at Grafton Pond on Wednesday.

Great blue heron –Ompompanoosuc River, VT 7/31/17

Great blue heron –Grafton Pond, NH 8/1/17

The views of Mt Cardigan is always nice.

Jane and Mt Cardigan –Grafton Pond, NH 8/1/17

Of course we saw loons at the pond: a couple that surfaced close to the kayaks and a parent with 2 chicks,

Loon –Grafton Pond, NH 8/1/17

Loon –Grafton Pond, NH 8/1/17

Loon with chicks –Grafton Pond, NH 8/1/17

and saw geese and a dog on a SUP.

Canada goose –Grafton Pond, NH 8/1/17

A dog who was not sure he wanted to be on a SUP–Grafton Pond, NH 8/1/17

August 12, 2016

Wildlife at Squam

I’ve been seeing a variety of wildlife on my paddles. Of course we’ve seen loons,

Loon -- Church Island, Squam Lake — Loon — Church Island, Squam Lake

Loon -- Squam Lake — Loon — Squam Lake

but also other birds such as gulls,

Black-backed gull --Squam Lake — Black-backed gull –Squam Lake

Black-backed gull --Squam Lake, NH — Black-backed gull –Squam Lake, NH

mergansers,

Mergansers

Mergansers with a swimmer off of Church Island, Squam Lake, NH

and song sparrows.

Song sparrow -- Squam Lake, NH — Song sparrow — Squam Lake, NH

Song Sparrow --Squam Lake — Song Sparrow –Squam Lake

I also saw dragonflies and damselflies

dragon fly

and a squirrel.

Squirrel

June 17, 2016June 17, 2016

Wildlife seen 6/10 to 6/17

During the past week, we have paddled on the Connecticut River, North Hartland Lake and the Ompompanoosuc River and have seen a variety of critters.

Spotted sandpiper

Mama wood duck guarding her ducklings

young loon spreading its wings

A loon with winter plumage on its head and summer plumage on its body.

Beaver in the evening light

Wood turtle

squirrel on a dock

Goslings