New Hampshire Nature Notes
by Eric Orff

Summer-like for the first day of fall.

Thursday 09/22/2005

It seems like this week has just flown past...again. I've had a busy week, first by providing a lecture at the Beaver Brook Association in Hollis Monday night. I was to a group attending a week-long workshop by the Cooperative Extension on Managing Your Land for Forest and Wildlife. By far the most interesting thing that happened there was when I stepped out the door to leave just after dark. There was a katydid calling. Not the ones I usually hear around my house but the ones I have heard in Rhode Island and most recently in Connecticut. It knocked off my socks as that is the first time I have heard this southern species in NH. They were not there in my past visits along the southern towns. I wonder if they are new arrivals to NH.

Yesterday afternoon as I was walking across my driveway I happened to look down and spotted a very small, I would say newly hatched, milk snake. I hadn't seen a live milk snake in several years and this summer I have seen four. Plus some road killed ones. A few day ago I removed a baby garter snake from my garage. Milk snakes are so beautiful.

Today I gave a lecture at the Fish and Game Owl Brook Education Center in Holderness to a group of NH Timberland Owners Association members. Another great group to interact with. It was a day-long workshop that I helped organize and had a couple other Fish and Game staff members, Andy Timmins and Brian Lemire, providing lectures as well as Matt Tarr from UNH Cooperative Extension. The day ended with a nice outdoor presentation by Mel Listen, the recently elected president of the NH Trappers Association. I learned so much new material from spending the day with these speakers.

Another day into the 80's today as hurricane Rita spins topsy-tervey towards Texas. God help them!