New Hampshire Nature Notes
by Eric Orff

The Suncook River is ablaze with color as are the hill sides.

Wednesday 10/11/2006

What a glorious week. We have had summer-like temperatures for a week now with absolutely gorgeous fall colors. The shores of the Suncook River are ablaze with brilliant shades of reds, oranges and yellows. But I am noticing bare skeletal trees here and there as a backdrop to this beauty. To me the colors came earlier than ever this fall and the mild temperatures have kept the leaves on in color for several weeks. It is only going to take one rainy windy night to dramatically change the views. Rain is forecast for overnight tonight. While the days have been exceptionally warm, running ten or more degrees above average, we did get some local frosts a couple nights. Not a hard killing frost for the most part around Epsom, but a wilting frost. I didn't take my hanging flowers in, yet they remain undamaged and in bloom.

I have had a couple chances to get out on the Suncook River the last week. One evening it was a sunset cruise on my raft. The shore was so colorful but the evening quickly cooled. So I started a fire in the little steel fire pit I keep on my raft. The sweet smell of wood smoke drifted along with us on the raft. I also got out Monday when temperatures were in the 70's for a long afternoon cruise. Acorns plopped into the river from the oaks and the white pine tops are fuller than ever with pine cones. Red squirrel numbers will be spiking over the next year or so based on my observations.Mice too I imagine. The shrubs are plump with berries as well. From concord grapes to autumn olive and winterberry holly to high bush cranberries, the shrubs are laden with fruit. The birds are in heaven. No doubt this will boost the local rodent populations as well. It just seems that the woods are full of fruits and nuts this year. 

There are still plenty of crickets calling in the early evening warm night air. Their sounds are dampened in the cooling night air. I did see another migrating monarch today in Londonderry while hunting woodcock there. I revisited some woodcock covers I hunted in the 1960's today with my long-time friend and hunting partner Rick. We did find a couple of our old covers spared from the relentless development in that town. But in three hours of combing these formerly great bird covers we only put up one woodcock and no grouse. Where are the birds we wondered? Boy there just aren't any resident woodcock or grouse in all the covers we have hunted this year down this way.

Yesterday was a perfect afternoon for a three-plus hour hike through a recently protected 300 acre tract of land in Newfields that the Fish and Game Department holds an interest in the conservation easement. I'm on a team to help spell out the goals for a long-term management plan and will guide its application on the tract. It was fun visioning what possible management goals can be used to improve the habitat for wildlife. I suggested a bare ground opening on a nob near a wetland for turtle nesting and another to maintain it for the likely black racer snake habitat that existed there. Oh, plus plenty of ideas for beaver, deer and all sorts of birds.

I got home after the long hike and hunted another hour and a half for grouse and woodcock til days end. It is just such a great time to be in the woods that I use any excuse to get out into the sweet smelling fall woods.