New Hampshire Nature Notes
by Eric Orff

First frog of 2010

Tuesday 03/23/2010

Well it has happened. I caught my first frog of 2010. Actually it happened last Thursday night on my way home from Concord. The roads were dry so I was not expecting a frogs (well actually I might have been or I would have missed this one) and there he was just a quarter mile north of my house. A lovely wood frog! The prince of frogs for this year to me. He was rather lethargic as I gently moved him from the road. When I stopped my wife kept asking "What frog?" as I jumped out to grasp my first frog of the year. Imagine just a couple of weeks ago this beautiful frogs was dark and frozen solid beneath the leaf litter. But here in my hand was a living breathing master of survival. I have not heard them barking in the boggy pond beyond the corn fields out back yet. The rain of last evening had me thinking frogs would be moving and maybe even salamanders, even though I knew it was kind of cold still. I drove my 3-mile route up on to New Rye Hill and out Swamp Road (I love that name). My mother always told folks I was "Always playing in the swamp". I did sight just one more wood frog in the same place as last week's frog. Nary a spring peeper yet. It will be the night time rain after I hear my first spring peeper that will be "Salamander Night". So it is at hand. This cold front moving through here today will slow things down a bit as it is expected to dip near freezing over the next few days. But that next warm up will surely be the big frog and salamander time for this year.

And the fields are greening so nicely. I headed out for a NH Wildlife Federation meeting at dusk last evening. I counted eight deer in the field by the time I reached the Epsom Circle. Yes it is deer time in NH. So watch out extra carefully on your night time drives. Deer are on the move locally. And fish will be too. I was talking to one of the local Fish and Game Conservation Officers the other day. He says he expects to be putting trout out around these parts beginning this week. So be watching for that stocking truck and dig your fishing poles out of the closet. Its fishing time in NH!

And yes I already have been fishing. Last Thursday I headed south with my boat in my truck for an afternoon of bass fishing. I headed to Londonderry, the town I grew up in the 60's and to a little pond I have fished since then. Generally it is ice free early and is traditionally one of my first boat fishing trips of the year. Last year I drove down in early April with my boat and a half dozen rods ready to go only to find the pond still frozen. Not so this year as it was wide open and inviting. A pair of common mergansers had the jump on me fishing there when I arrived. It was in the 70's and a shirt and vest was all that was needed for an afternoon in the sun. It was a bit gusty with wind at times though. I circled the pond twice with my electric motor quietly nudging me along. I did happen upon a painted turtle sunning himself at the far end of the pond. I had a wonderful afternoon enjoying the moment and thinking of times past on this still pretty undeveloped pond. I hope the mergansers had better luck than me as I didn't get a single bite. But is was the best day of the week by far.