New Hampshire Nature Notes
by Eric Orff

Another flightless day.

Monday 01/10/2005

For the fourth time the annual NH coastal waterfowl survey has been postponed. The assigned pilot was hoping for favorable weather by noon today. I remain "on call" for the next day the plane and pilot are available. Not since I first started flying this annual survey in the late 1980's can I remember a delay this long. Most years we have it done in the first week of January. It is a little nerve wracking to be waiting so long and putting everything else practically on hold as this is a priority.

I did have a chance last Friday to take a look at Great Bay and the Exeter River in Exeter where I have noticed nearly a couple hundred ducks on the sewer lagoon. Normally the ice in Exeter is littered with bob houses of every shape, size and color as the smelt fishermen take over the frozen river surface. Friday it was the legion of gulls who claimed the too fragile ice for human fishermen. The vastness of the Bay was a horizon of wind whipped white caps with only a little ice along the shore. Even that was being eroded by the wind forced water. Above normal temperatures are expected all this week with maybe another rain storm by weeks end. This will make what little ice we have all that more treacherous. Even so numbers of foolish snowmobilers were forced into swimming over the weekend. Some just sank to the bottom with their machines. I have chosen to delay my wood duck box work until things at least start freezing again! I have fallen through ice plenty in my 30 year career and expect to plenty more. But mostly a wet leg here and there. A full body soaking takes your breath away and I'm afraid of a permanent one so I'm waiting. Some winters the ice remains treacherous all winter in this part of NH. Looks like that's what this year will be. No global warming?? Oh yes there is!

So far not a bad winter for wildlife in this corner of the state. I've seen flocks of ducks and geese scattered all over the open rivers and into the fields that were bare less than a week ago. By this afternoon my roof edge was pour water from the melting snow. Although there is another significant snow storm predicted for Wednesday the warming trend by weeks end should significantly reduce the snow level by the weekend.

Saturday morning was the NH Wildlife Federation annual meeting which was well attended. By the middle of the snowy afternoon I was in Barnstead to assist and introduce trapper Mel Liston from Strafford as he presented a two-hour informative lecture on the history of trapping in NH as well as trapping lore as he exhibited various furbearer pelts.