With a week with mostly nice weather, I was able to get out and visit both the Middletons and Westons as well as the heron rookery and a couple fox dens.
This week, you’ve got two chances to see my slideshow, Travels with Ian 2025, with some of my favorite images from last year. We’ll see lots of wildlife around New England and lots of brown bears from Alaska – including Brown Bear no. 925 who made ursine history last year. There are even images of a steam locomotive working in the incredible scenery along the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway.
The first show will be at the Bugbee Center in White River Jct. Wednesday May 27 at 1:30 pm. The second presentation will be at the Blake Memorial Library in Corinth, VT Friday May 29 at 6 pm. The Library would appreciate an RSVP sent to khotellingbml@gmail.com. Both are free and open to the public.
And I’ll be exhibiting at the Berkshires Art Festival in Great Barrington, MA on July 3, 4 and 5. I’ll have note cards and prints large and small for sale. Please come by and have a look.
A week ago Saturday, I called on the Westons. One was feeding at the south end of the pond, the other turned out to already be sitting on the nest towards the north end of the pond. I wandered off to see who else might be around.
About the only excitement – if cormorants can be exciting – was this double-crested cormorant who finished breakfast and departed. Both loon parents share sitting on the eggs. Our off-duty loon finished at the buffet and headed towards the nest for a shift change. This turned out to be Mom. Dad is banded and I could ID him when he came off the nest. Dad is hidden in the brush. His head is the dark spot in the brush above mom’s head.
Mr. Weston came off the nest and stretched as Mrs. Weston settled in on the nest.
A friend tipped me off to a fox den, I headed down Monday morning to see if I could find it. There are supposed to be seven kits. Mom has been busy. So far I’ve found five of her holes. Without knowing where anyone was, I sat and watched the wrong hole for a time. This guy popped out of one of the holes down the field, and I gave up on what may have been an empty hole.
This sibling joined the first kit and both stretched out to enjoy the sun – after moving far enough back in the brush to keep me from getting more photos.
Tuesday morning, I was on the road early to visit the heron rookery. I missed when they started sitting on the nests. I was hoping for chicks. No such luck, the latest they should hatch is early this week.
It was a warm morning and most of the herons on nest duty were standing up in the nests. Both heron parents take turns sitting on the nest. The last time I visited, the bird on duty at dawn was still on duty when I left about 9:00.
This morning, all of the off-duty birds returned early to relieve their partners. The shift change comes with a “nest relief ceremony.” The partners stretch their necks and/or raise the plumes on their crest. They may preen each other and sometimes exchange sticks. But, the bird that’s just been relieved doesn’t stick around long.
This heron’s mate has just returned to the rookery and is perched in a tree to the left of the nest. The birds stretched and clapped their bills at a distance before a quick exchange at the nest.
Another pair making a nest exchange.
The birds reporting for duty all spent several minutes tidying the nest.
When the nests are in order, the birds settle in and catch up with their neighbors.
On the way home, I stopped to visit the foxes again. They weren’t to be found.
The next morning I headed out to see what the Middletons were up to. They’re sitting on their nest. They’ve moved from where the nest has been for several years. They’ve found a new spot on a hummock deep in the brush and are well hidden. I didn’t see the nest until Mrs. Middleton relieved Mr. Middleton.
As Mr. Middleton left his cove, a pair of Canada geese flew into the pond and landed not too far from the loon’s nest. That pair of geese was rapidly challenged by another pair of geese that flew across the pond to object to the newcomers.
The newcomers objected right back and went after the second pair of geese.
It was a serious fight, with geese biting and striking with their elbows – the joint in the wing.
In the midst of the fight, Hank Herron flew in right where the geese were fighting and staked out his position.
One of the geese chased Hank off his log into the brush nearby. Then appeared to go over and converse…..
Mr. Middleton returned, keeping low in the stalking pose. He’s checking the battlefield – notice Hank in the back right.
Mr. Middleton went over to see what Hank was up to. One of the pair of geese got out of the water and stood on the log near where the whole shebang started. Mr. Middleton dove…..
I’m not sure if Mr. M actually goosed the goose, but he made it clear that the goose had to go.
Hank seemed unfazed by the hullabaloo and went off to see what was for breakfast.
There didn’t seem to be anything appetizing nearby, so Hank waded off.
After some more skirmishing, one pair of geese convinced the other to go away. Quiet returned to the cove. Mr. M headed back out to get busy with his day.
And Hank took up position waiting for a meal to swim by. I headed home.
A chilly Friday found me paddling down the Waits River before dawn. Where I met Mrs. Mallard and her brood paddling upstream.
I had to make way for ducklings as she lead her brood past.
A large flock of sandpipers – called a fling, a bind, a cluster, or a contradiction of sandpipers – was spread along the banks and islands. Most of them were least sandpipers with others mixed in.
Sandpipers eat insects and their larvae, small crustaceans and other invertebrates like snails. They forage in and near the river, happily poking their bills into the muck to find the tastiest snacks.
They forage with rapid movements. And often seem to think the menu is better somewhere ‘over there.’
Here I found a few least sandpipers – the bird on the right – foraging alongside a spotted sandpiper.
One of the least sandpipers heading to the next bit of mud to check out what’s on the menu there.
An osprey circled overhead a few times before looking like he’d spotted his meal below.
A male red winged-blackbird didn’t like the osprey in the area and flew up to challenge him. The osprey spent a few minutes dodging the blackbird before the blackbird gave up. I’m a little surprised that the red wings challenge the osprey. Osprey eat almost exclusively fish (I have seen a video of one grabbing a snake from the water.) Birds usually know who is a threat and who isn’t. Loons can tell the difference between eagles and osprey at a considerable distance. They alert and call at the eagles and ignore the osprey. I wonder why red-wings object.
A common grackle joined the sandpipers looking for breakfast. I can’t identify what the grackle caught. But it wasn’t to his liking. He carried it up on the bank and abandoned it.
As I was heading back to the boat launch, I caught up with the mallard family again. Mrs. Mallard had the ducklings out of the water to preen. Dad was paddling nearby.
The ducklings finished preening and settled in for a nap.
Mom kept an eye on them as they huddled – she seems to think the little guy on the right is up to something….
An eagle appeared flying downstream. Mom gave a sharp call and the ducklings took cover under a nearby log. They hid for several minutes before remerging to huddle for their nap. I headed home.
Yesterday I headed back to check on the fox kits.
I quickly found one resting directly on top of the den’s hole.
Something caught his attention and he stood to look things over.
A false alarm! He settled back to nap in the sun.
A ways up the field, another kit was lounging near another of their holes.
This guy was laying in the brush at the edge of the woods.
With yet another sibling nearby.
Another kit was snacking on something near yet another of their holes. He’s finished and is off the the next item on the agenda. The parents will bring food to the den and if the kits aren’t out, the parent drops the food and leaves.
The next agenda item was a nap.
The clouds were moving in rapidly and the light was fading, I headed home.
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