The lesser known New Hampshire heralds of spring

By Eric D'Aleo

April proclaims the beginning of spring on the calendar but is not always evident here in New Hampshire. Although southern New England may have green shoots poking through the soil and the hint of warm temperatures, further north there may still be snow on the ground and ice on ponds and lakes. However, there are still signs of spring. One I look for is the return of two small diving ducks: the hooded merganser and the common goldeneye.

The hooded merganser is a small but striking duck. Males have high contrast markings of black and white on their head, back, and chest, a brown scalloping pattern along its sides, a bright golden eye, and a slender black bill. Females are more subdued in their coloration, consisting mainly of browns and tans, with a red eye, and yellow bill similar in appearance to the male’s bill. Both males and females have a high crest on their head that looks like a Mohawk and can be raised and lowered at will. This species of duck prefers to feed in ponds and quiet waters of lakes and rivers. Once the ice opens up to reveal the water the mergansers return shortly afterwards. I have spotted them on the Squam River in Ashland during winter thaws only to disappear when it gets cold again and the ice reforms. Yet by March and April, the temperatures are warm enough to keep a permanent channel of water open, although the shoreline may still have ice. Then hooded mergansers are seen in pairs or small flocks as the males begin courting the females with their white, sail-like crests raised. Occasionally a male will make a low, gravely, groaning call advertising his fitness and interest in breeding. These small ducks also often dive beneath the surface in search for crayfish, aquatic insects, tadpoles, snails, and other mollusks on the river bottom.

Common Goldeneyes may also be seen briefly at this time as they pause on their spring migration north. The male has a black head with a white cheek spot next to its bill and a black back and tail. The chest and sides of the bird are white, while the female has a brown head with a gray body and wings. Both sexes have a bright yellow eye. These birds spend the winter along the New Hampshire coast and on large inland lakes or rivers where the water remains open. The goldeneye, like the hooded merganser, is a diving duck, using its back feet to propel it underwater. The diet of the goldeneye is similar to the hooded merganser, consisting of crayfish, mollusks, aquatic insects, and fish eggs on aquatic vegetation. Both species are very wary and best observed from a distance with binoculars.

Unwelcome Signs of Spring

By Eric D'Aleo, Naturalist

Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/
commons/7/7b/Meadvole.jpg

Sunlight is lengthening each day, the temperature slowly creeps upward and those of us in the northeast are eagerly looking for a sign that spring is truly on its way. Maple syrup season, mud season, even Groundhog Day all seem to fool us into tantalizing thinking that spring is on its way and winter is surely over. We keep constant tabs on the depth of the snow searching for an elusive patch of green grass in the lawn officially telling us that winter is on its way out. Once this happens we foolishly believe, all will be well. However, the melting snow also reveals a different, unwelcome sign of spring. Small tunnels rise out of the remains of snow as the white blanket melts away.As the patch of bare ground grows we discover tunnels that crisscross across the yard and even reach into the gardens. Instead of green grass tunnels of dead grass are revealed. What has happened here? What is responsible? The simple meadow vole is the culprit.

Meadow voles or meadow mice, as they are also known, are chunky mouse- like rodents, with small, rounded ears and eyes, a short, furred tail, and a fur color that is chestnut brown to dark brown. These animals are found throughout much of the northern United States. They are adaptable, inhabiting a variety of habitats, including meadows and pastures with thick grassy cover where they can find shelter and food. They are also found in orchards with good grass cover and in marshes, swamp areas, and grassy openings in forests and in gardens. Meadow voles mainly eat grass and herbs in the summer but switch to available seeds and bark and roots of small trees and shrubs during winter. They may cache roots, leaves, tubers, and other plant parts in winter and may eat 60 to 100% of their body weight in twenty-four hours.

These seldom seen small rodents are active all year long. They travel through vegetative tunnels in the growing season seeking shelter in burrows in the ground, mulch, tall grass areas, brush, and wood piles. In winter they tunnel under the snow when a significant amount has fallen and continue searching for food or resting in communal nests in their subnuvien world. The snow protects them from cold temperatures, the eyes of potential predators, and allows access to available food,. Although short-lived, meadow voles are prolific breeders throughout the year, including winter, with a female having up to ten litters of four to five young each time. The young mature quickly and are able to breed in about one month, which may explain why in some areas, vole damage to young fruit trees and other garden vegetation can be extensive.

Once homeowners irealize that they have voles on their property the natural inclination is to get rid of them, but this often proves difficult. Winters with long-lasting snow cover provide relative protection from predators although fox and coyote can often hear or smell the voles moving beneath the snow. My dogs, although not trained to hunt voles, enjoy rooting them out of the iris beds in the summer and digging through the snow in winter to find them. Weasels are another predator that enters the snow tunnels of voles. Owls may locate the rodents under the snow when perched quietly in a tree above. Other options to reduce vole numbers are to mow regularly during the growing season to provide them with less cover, to locate compost piles and brush piles well away from areas you don’t want voles, and to protect young trees and vulnerable shrubs with hardware cloth wrapped to the height of the snowline.

Although your lawn may look unsightly for a few weeks, the damage is mainly caused by feeding. Often the grass will regrow as the temperature warms. A thorough raking of the disturbed area may be all that is necessary to allow the grass to regrow.

Roadside Rescue

By Eric D'Aleo

Flickr/Linda Ruth

Okay, it’s time I came out and admitted it. Spring is not my favorite time of year. Actually let me rephrase it, parts of spring are not my favorite time of year. What I’m referring to are the cold, raw, wet dreary days in April when I am craving sun but all that nature can muster is a gray, overcast day with rain in the forecast. Don’t get me wrong, I like rain but after a long winter of cold temperatures I’m ready to skip the rain for a while and move into warmer, sunnier weather. I have the feeling that I’m not alone in this thought. However, a recent experience had me reconsider my point of view.
I was driving one evening last year in April and the weather was not the best. It was cold and raw from rain earlier in the day and a fog was creeping out from the fields across the road, into the woods, making the night time driving difficult by obscuring my vision. I slowed down and switched my lights to low beam to avoid blinding an oncoming car. There were puddles all over the road and I grumbled noting that the heavy rain would mean parts of my yard would become mini reservoirs for the next week because of its poor drainage. I focused my eyes upon the side of the road to avoid the approaching bright lights of the car and I could see branches and debris had been scattered about by the wind. The other car’s tires ran through a large puddle and splashed a small piece of wood into the air.

Suddenly, what moments before had appeared as a piece of bark grew legs as it lifted into the air and landed several feet away, directly in front of my car. Now I could see the bulging eyes and dark mask of a wood frog. I braked and slowed the car down hoping that I had avoided the animal when I saw several other frogs in front of me. This time I served in an attempt to avoid the frogs but I couldn’t miss all of them. I knew that the road was used quite often at night so I decided to pull on to the shoulder and get out to help. It was hard to find the frogs since the headlights did not illuminate much of the road and I quickly determined that I was putting myself and the frogs at risk and that I was not properly dressed.

I climbed back into the car and drove home to put on a reflective vest, and waterproof boots and to grab a flashlight before heading back into the dampness of the night. I carefully drove back the next mile to where the frogs were still crossing the road and found a small turnaround to park in. Once away from the car I could see the frogs moving across the road from the woods to the wetland where they would breed. I checked the road for oncoming traffic and then walked out and spotted a frog with my flashlight. I picked it up, noting how cold it felt, as I crossed to the wetland. Many of the frogs jumped before I could catch them or managed to escape from my hand, making me marvel at how these cold-blooded animals could respond more quickly than I could as my hands soon became numb. I spent the next forty minutes helping numerous frogs cross the road, moving to the side when there was approaching traffic. As the cars passed I imagined what people might have said if they knew I was out walking the road trying to rescue frogs. So, keep an eye out on wet spring nights and slow down for the crossing of frogs and the people that may be assisting them.