High Tide

Ziggy has repaired a broken power-take-off on the pump and the impoundments will soon be full. 

Ken Proulx discovered a Snow Bunting at  mid-dike Tuesday.  

A favorite fall bird is the Northern Pintail. It's easy to spot this bird because it's white breast is so brilliant.  

Work on Upper Impoundment is Complete at Great Meadows NWR

The impoundments at Great Meadows will soon be filled and ready to host migrating ducks.

Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife was at the refuge today and determined that there is enough water in the lower impoundment to run their air-boat and band ducks. 

New oak stop logs have been installed in the Water Control Structures

Pumping from the river will start on Monday 9/20

Water flowing into the Upper Impoundment.

Eileen and Ziggy. Water flowing in background.

Hawk Watch: Pack Manadnock

Trying to count hundreds of Broad-winged Hawks

Henry Walters the very helpful Official Counter

Ruth found a nice table sheltered from the wind and overlooking eastern New Hampshire

Friend and fellow Great Meadows Volunteer Frank Laak

Me smiling because I finally saw hundreds of hawks after twice striking out this month.
The following was copied from the official record

Day's Summary:Sep 19, 2012

Day's Raptor Counts BV TV OS BE NH SS CH NG RS BW RT RL GE AK ML PG UA UB UF UE UR SW Total 0 13 7 7 3 51 6 1 0 679 2 0 0 8 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 781 Observation Start Time 07:00:00 Observation End Time 17:15:00 Official Counter Henry Walters Observers Alan Bragg, Don Stokes, Francie Von Mertens, Ginny & Jerry Gonville, Janet Delaney, Katrina Fenton, Kurt Geerer, Lillian Stokes, Nancy Moreau, Phil Brown, Tom Delaney, Tracy Tate Weather The passing front left a turbulent wake--37 degrees Fahrenheit this morning, with 25 mph winds out of the west. Birds were hitched to its ragged trailing edge, finding plenty of thermal lift. Sunnier and calmer as the day went along. Observation Notes Last night's storm punched a hole in the north, filled by a blast of air and Broad-winged Hawks, not pouring into sky from any one window, but from a breach in the whole back wall of it. In short succession, groups of 139, 60, and 45 birds swarmed into view, many swirling up from under the horizon less than a half-mile away. Accipiters in good numbers kept the afternoon moving. Seven eagles stretched their six-and-a-half-foot frames over big tracts of air (two adults, three juveniles, two not aged). Also a platoon of Turkey Vultures, the first obvious deserters, made a break for it, having no desire to stand sentry duty in snow all winter. Non-Raptor Notes "I think I have...a planet." Katrina Fenton, not satisfied with the hawks in her own atmosphere, combed through 91 million miles of vacuum before finding a chunk of rock circling in a slow thermal west of the sun. Mercury has wings on his ankles, and Jupiter stoops to Earth as an eagle, but this was Venus, who floats on her own unflappable heart, in broad daylight. Last bird of the day, a young Yellow-bellied Sapsucker making the rounds from trunk to trunk, drilling exploratory wells. An immature Common Loon headed for the coast, having never seen an ocean, or felt the buoyancy of salt. Only one Yellow-rumped Warbler today, along with a couple Blackpoll/Pine Warbler sp. in flight--the big storm must have cleared out all the locals. Other migrants included Blue Jays (7), Northern Flicker (2), Purple Finch (2), and a Canada Goose. 72 Monarchs. Visitors Fifth- and sixth-graders from the Wells Memorial School in Harrisville showed up their elders by picking out birds too distant for even twenty-year-old eyesight: Sharp-shins skating down the horizon, Broad-wings on a high-wire overhead, and a Red-tail at recess, teasing all the ravens. They didn't want to leave, and we didn't want them to. Thanks to their great teachers for making the field trip happen. 45 visitors in all. Forecast High clouds will mean good hawkwatching skies, with moderate winds out of the east. After a chilly night, what Broad-wings remain to the north of us should be making their move tomorrow and Friday. Come out in the morning to enjoy some of the last kettles of the season.

Count Details:Sep 19, 2012

Date: 2012-09-19 Hour Beginning: 07:00, Ending: 08:00 Wind Speed 5: 29-38 km/h (19-24 mph) Wind Direction W Visibility 50 (km) Cloud Cover 90 (%) Temperature 8 (C) Humidity 0 (%) Air Pressure 0 (in Hg) Flight Direction S Flight Height 1: Eye level to 30m Official Counter Henry Walters Precipitation 0: None Duration 60 minutes Hour Counts BV TV OS BE NH SS CH NG RS BW RT RL GE AK ML PG UA UB UF UE UR SW All 2 Total 2 All 1 Total 1

Date: 2012-09-19 Hour Beginning: 08:00, Ending: 09:00 Wind Speed 4: 20-28 km/h (13-18 mph) Wind Direction W Visibility 80 (km) Cloud Cover 50 (%) Temperature 10 (C) Humidity 0 (%) Air Pressure 0 (in Hg) Flight Direction S Flight Height 1: Eye level to 30m Official Counter Henry Walters Precipitation 0: None Duration 60 minutes Observer 1 Tom Delaney Observer 2 Alan Bragg     Hour Counts BV TV OS BE NH SS CH NG RS BW RT RL GE AK ML PG UA UB UF UE UR SW All 8 Total 8 Without fish, not foraging 1 Total 1 All 1 Total 1 All 1 Total 1 All 3 Total 3 All 10 Total 10

Date: 2012-09-19 Hour Beginning: 09:00, Ending: 10:00 Wind Speed 3: 12-19 km/h (8-12 mph) Wind Direction WNW Visibility 90 (km) Cloud Cover 10 (%) Temperature 10 (C) Humidity 0 (%) Air Pressure 0 (in Hg) Flight Direction S Flight Height 2: Unaided eye Official Counter Henry Walters Precipitation 0: None Duration 60 minutes Observer 1 Katrina Fenton Observer 2 Don Stokes Observer 3 Lillian Stokes Observer 4 Francie Von Mertens Hour Counts BV TV OS BE NH SS CH NG RS BW RT RL GE AK ML PG UA UB UF UE UR SW All 2 Total 2 Without fish, not foraging 4 Total 4 All 1 Total 1 All 5 Total 5 All 111 Total 111 All 1 Total 1

Date: 2012-09-19 Hour Beginning: 10:00, Ending: 11:00 Wind Speed 3: 12-19 km/h (8-12 mph) Wind Direction WNW Visibility 80 (km) Cloud Cover 10 (%) Temperature 15 (C) Humidity 0 (%) Air Pressure 0 (in Hg) Flight Direction S Flight Height 2: Unaided eye Official Counter Henry Walters Precipitation 0: None Duration 60 minutes Observer 1 Katrina Fenton Observer 2 Kurt Geerer Observer 3 Phil Brown Observer 4 Tracy Tate Hour Counts BV TV OS BE NH SS CH NG RS BW RT RL GE AK ML PG UA UB UF UE UR SW All 2 Total 2 All 1 Total 1 All 398 Total 398 All 1 Total 1

Date: 2012-09-19 Hour Beginning: 11:00, Ending: 12:00 Wind Speed 3: 12-19 km/h (8-12 mph) Wind Direction NW Visibility 80 (km) Cloud Cover 10 (%) Temperature 15 (C) Humidity 0 (%) Air Pressure 0 (in Hg) Flight Direction S Flight Height 2: Unaided eye Official Counter Henry Walters Precipitation 0: None Duration 60 minutes Observer 1 Katrina Fenton Observer 2 Ginny & Jerry Gonville Observer 3 Janet Delaney Observer 4 Nancy Moreau Hour Counts BV TV OS BE NH SS CH NG RS BW RT RL GE AK ML PG UA UB UF UE UR SW Without fish, not foraging 1 Total 1 All 6 Total 6 All 51 Total 51 All 1 Total 1

Date: 2012-09-19 Hour Beginning: 12:00, Ending: 13:00 Wind Speed 3: 12-19 km/h (8-12 mph) Wind Direction NW Visibility 80 (km) Cloud Cover 5 (%) Temperature 15 (C) Humidity 0 (%) Air Pressure 0 (in Hg) Flight Direction S Flight Height 2: Unaided eye Official Counter Henry Walters Precipitation 0: None Duration 60 minutes Observer 1 Katrina Fenton Observer 2 Ginny & Jerry Gonville Observer 3 Janet Delaney Observer 4 Nancy Moreau Hour Counts BV TV OS BE NH SS CH NG RS BW RT RL GE AK ML PG UA UB UF UE UR SW All 10 Total 10 All 63 Total 63 All 1 Total 1 All 3 Total 3

Sense of Place walk with Cherrie Corey

I arrived late for Cherrie Corey's impromptu "Sense of Place" walk. At Great Meadows NWR--Concord Unit. That's probably good because I was still overwhelmed with the number of plants we saw and discussed. Here are just a few of them.

Jewel Weed ©Cherrie Corey

Nodding Bur Marigold ©Cherrie Corey

Arrow leaved tear thumb named for barbs on stem that will cut you if you pull on stem  ©Cherrie Corey

We talked about,but did not see,  Halbred-leaved tearthumb  ©Cherrie Corey

Water-pepper (Persicaria hydropiper) a smartweed  Eating smartweed causes a smarting sensation.

Calico Asters get pinkish red centers when they age  ©Cherrie Corey

Tick Trefoil is the velcro like seed. 

Visitors take away a lot of Tick Trefoil seeds.

Pilewort Photo ©Cherrie Corey

Pilewort called Fireweed in Thoreau's time when it was thought that it took hold in areas that had been burned. It's an astringiant herb that was used to treat piles.someone thought it helped put out the "fire of hemorids" The flower looks like an unopened dandelion. The seeds line up in a collor just before they float away.

Snow Bunting feeding on Evening Primrose  2011 ©Cherrie Corey

Evening Primrose Flower Essence is a big deal in the homeopathic medicine world (60,000 google links)
Evening primrose is a colonizer settleing in disturbed areas. Seeds look like minature pepper corns and are loose in the pod. Goldfinches feed on these. Omega 6 oil is contained in the seeds.

Green bud and  white flower stage of  Button Bush  (Wikipedia Photo) 

Button Bush Fruit ©Cherrie Corey

Button Bush is a dominant plant of the Concord wetlands

Bindweed morning glory, greenish yellow button,seeds like devil thorns, variations white here and purplish at other location.

Pearly Everlasting with Ant pollinating.. ©Cherrie Corey

Cherrie talked about caterpillars pulling petals and stitch them together. I don't remember if this was and catepiller lies down in pillow nest.

Reddish grass is wild millet beautiful red at sunset when back-lit. 

Climbing False Buckwheat ©Cherrie Corey

grasshopper on cattail ©Mark Eichin

Arrowleaf with white flower near the observation deck. Several kinds of arrowleaf are at Great Meadows.

Frog below boardwalk to Observation Deck ©Mark Eichin

In spring, this is the plant I know as Jack-in-the-Pulpit ( Arisaema triphyllum )

 I was surprised to lean that Jack-in-the-Pulpit has 3 leaves and red berries in the fall 

Camping at Massachusetts Audubon Wellfleet Bay Sanctuary

This was our third trip to Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary this year, we've been camping here since 1979 when the showers only had cold water.

We always stop for doughnuts at the "Hole-in-One".  Sour cream is the best but Ruth prefers the apple fritters

Ruth and her hammock and me and my Kindle. I managed to finish Colonel Roosevelt by Edmund Morris,  The Nature Principle by Richard Louv and got a start on Canada by Richard Ford.

I spent a lot of time birding on the sanctuary finding 71 species of birds and a having a lot of conversations with other birders.  The young birder on the right is Miles, fortunately he has a very encouraging mother providing terrific logistic support. 

Daddy Long Legs on the ceiling of our screen house. I once counted 24 of them.

The marsh view from below the Nature Center

Mother deer and her fawns at sand bank where Belted-Kingfishers sometime nest.

Boardwalk to Cape Cod Bay observation (not swimming) beach.

Ruth with our campground neighbors Nancy and Peter

Washing Elephants

My grandson Kevin and I volunteered to wash off the Marsh Master at Great Meadows NWR. My friend Ann Perkins observed us and commented that it reminded her of "washing elephants in a river". (Photo by M. Frechette)

Birdy Day

We were greeted by a low fog hanging over Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge this morning. By 8am the fog had lifted and we had clear, fall like weather and found 54 species of birds. Zena and Joan each added two birds to their life lists. Checklist of Birds Seen Today

Will, Zena, Kathy and Joan with something good.

Will, Kathy, Larry, Zena hiding behind Joan
 Survey Team off to a foggy start.

Wood Frog near Maintenance Shop. 

Pulling Posts with Kevin

There are many rusted posts along the Concord River that used to mark the boarders of Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. These posts are a navigation hazard so
my Grandson Kevin and I have been pulling them using a 7,000 pound capacity truck jack, some chain and a little ingenuity

Kevin demonstrating our technique.

. 

Our collection of posts. All of the metal posts were buried 6' deep. 

Kevin's a great helper, especially shoveling gravel into our truck. 

He's also good at prying field stones out of the trails. The resulting holes are filled with gravel.

Here we are ready to launch a kayak in the Concord River to look for more rusted posts.

The red line in the upper right corner shows our route and the numbers indicate the location of posts found. Notice that after #022 the red path enters vegetation.

We noticed the apparent outflow from the refuge and decided to try to make our way back into the refuge by going straight ahead.

The way got tighter as we entered the Button Bush.

It also got shallower.

We missed our destination by 100' and dragged the kayak overland. This kayak is designed with a flat bottom so you can step in and out in fairly deep water.