New Hampshire Nature Notes
by Eric Orff

A murder of crows at hand.

Friday 10/26/2012

Tuesday morning I had another chance to join my son-in-law Derek for a morning of sea duck hunting. We met his friend Dave at the Hampton boat launch by 6 am and headed right out to sea. A real strong west wind had me wondering how the seas would be but the shore line kept the waves down as we headed north following the lighted shore line. The sun was just painting a pink ribbon against the dark sea off to our east as we made our way north. We motored a mile or two north before setting our decoys out on strings with the wind quickly pulling them out away from the boat. We anchored up as light filled the sky overhead and waited for ducks to spot our bobbing betrayers. And they did work just fine as several flocks of sea ducks swept in with us taking a few. Despite the rising and warming sun the wind drilled bitterly into our faces and necks. As the tide dropped the ledges and boulder wrapped cliff just to our north took on a more ominous sounds as the waves crashed over them. Just the sound of the splashing waves sent a shudder up my backbone. I was a bit surprised to see an occasional monarch butterfly gliding south fighting the wind as our anchor line strained against it as well. I wished them well as they appeared out of nowhere and disappeared in the same.

Back here at home it is the crows the last few days that has me wondering what they are up to. Yes a flock of crows is called a murder. Kind of Halloween like isn't it. I mowed my lawn for the last time this year. As always I stop to check my two front cellar window wells to make sure nothing is trapped down there. But there was a wood frog. I bet this is my last frog of the year in hand. Oh on a warm day while deer hunting I may hear a spring peeper's fall call. But I'll not likely see another frog this year.

We have had a couple of killing frosts now but the fields remain green though the distant tree line has pretty much turned gray with all the maples shedding their leaves. Yes the gray days of fall are at hand. But so is deer season!