Warden’s Report- Juuussst before Ice-Out
Posted on | April 11, 2013 | Comments Off
The boat has been uncovered, registered and launched in the Lake. I have had the pleasure of making a few rounds in the boat and watch as the ice slowly disappears. As of noon today (04/09/13) I was able to travel from the East/West Dams all the way through Chaney Narrows and through the narrow passage between Lutz Island and the Young’s Neck. There is still a large section of ice on the lake Young’s Neck and Bailey Bridge. I am in hopes that with this rain and wind it will be open later this afternoon or tomorrow.
Monday was a beautiful day and I was able to hand out my first “Life Jacket Pin” of the year. A young family was out in their boat enjoying the spring weather. As I was keeping an eye on the ice I decided to take a stroll on Crane Island to see if there was any goose nesting activity. To my surprise, not only are they beginning to make their nests, but I found one with an egg in it already. Some of the geese are getting very territorial and had no problem sizing me up.
Hobbs Pond went out on April 08, 2013
Justin
Postscript- Ice-Out on Megunticook Lake was at 4:55 PM on April 10, 2013
Post Post Script- Ice-Out on Norton Pond was at 12:15 PM on April 11, 2013
Ice-Out! Sort Of.
Posted on | April 5, 2013 | Comments Off
Thanks to Roger W. for these pics from Mt. Megunticook. The Rt. 52 side, from Barrett’s Cove to the Fangs, is pretty open, looking to the north and west the ice is still socked in.
Paul
Critter Cam Redux
Posted on | April 5, 2013 | Comments Off
I like this setting. It took a while for the deer to get comfortable with it but it made for some nice photos. Most of the pictures I got on the camera were of crows…the downfall for placing it in a open area.
Justin Twitchell
Warden’s Report- Spring?
Posted on | March 28, 2013 | Comments Off
Spring is here, yet it still seems so far away. Yes, we have the mud, the melting snow, and even the arrival of some of our ducks and geese. However, it was at this time last year that I was making “the rounds” in the Patrol Boat. Last year the official Ice Out was on March 19th, the earliest on record….I was kind of hoping for the same this year but this will not be the case. I suspect we still have a good couple of weeks before the iceout call is made. As you may know the ice edges are starting to go. In some rocky areas the ice has become unstable. There were still people fishing and snowmobiling on both Megunticook and Norton as of last weekend (23rd, 24th). The trick to this is finding a safe place to get on. Below in one of the photographs is a picture of an area where some deer had some trouble getting on shore due to the poor edge conditions.
The snowmobile has been pulled and trailered back to my house until next winter. We had a few cold nights that made the ground hard and I thought it would be a great time to retrieve the sled and avoid any mud or damage it may cause. As much as I enjoy riding this time of year in the warmer weather….I don’t particularly like to swim in it.
The open water around the Little Fang Islands has extended almost to the Rt#52 Boat Ramp. A few more warm days and some good wind and I think we will start to see a few boats in the water. I am happy to report that all of the icefishing shacks have been removed from both Megunticook and Norton, there is still two in the parking lot of the Rt#105 Boat Ramp, one of which is frozen in. People are also starting to show up at Hodson Park and trying their luck with some open water fishing as well.
In one of the pictures below you will see a few Geese sitting around growing as impatient as I am. Until we can both get out on the water I will continue to patrol the watershed by way of vehicle and foot.
Justin
More Critter Cam
Posted on | March 28, 2013 | Comments Off
With over 730 pictures to go through with this last batch it was hard to only pick a few to share. I am going to relocate the camera to a very unique setting. I think getting the deer to this new spot will be challenging, but if they do I think it is going to make for some very nice photos…..I will keep you all posted.
Justin
Warden’s Report- Critter Cam Update
Posted on | March 2, 2013 | Comments Off
2-27-13
After the big snow storm we had I decided to set out the game camera again. It was set up in the same general area as before but in a more dense/covered area. I chose this spot because I also lugged in a few pounds of corn for the deer to assist in their diet needs. The denser cover keeps the birds away and makes the deer feel safe. I went back a week later to check the camera, I think the deer liked the corn because in one weeks time I had a total of 606 pictures of deer. Attached are just a few.
Justin
Fisher Facts
Posted on | March 2, 2013 | Comments Off
A few people asked questions about the fisher seen on the Critter Cam (February 19, 2013). Here is some info (Thanks to the Massachusetts Fish and Game Folks)
Paul
General Description
The fisher is one of the largest members of the Mustelid family, which includes the weasels, mink, otter, and skunk. Fishers exhibit what is referred to as sexual dimorphism (physical differences) in body size between males and females. Adult male fishers weigh 8 to 16 pounds and measure approximately 3 feet from head to tail. Adult female fishers average 20% smaller than males, weighing 4 to 6 pounds and measuring approximately 2 1/2 feet in length. In both males and females, the tail accounts for approximately 1/3 of the total body length. The fisher exhibits the typical “weasel” shape with a long, slender body, short legs, and furred tail. They have a pointed face (although not as pronounced as fox or coyote) with large, rounded ears set close to the head. They are well adapted for climbing and have sharp, retractable claws similar to those of domestic cats. Their coloration is generally a rich brown to black with grizzled grayish coloring on the head and shoulders and the darkest coloring occurring on the rump, tail, and legs. Individuals may also have irregular white patches of fur on their chest and lower abdomen.
Life History
Fishers breed in February to March and exhibit a reproductive strategy referred to as delayed implantation. The adult female breeds within days of giving birth, and the fertilized egg remains dormant for the next 10 to 11 months. The fertilized egg then implants in the uterine wall and development begins. The young kits are born 1 to 2 months after implantation occurs. Female fishers produce 1 litter each year consisting of 1 to 4 kits with an average litter size of 3 kits. Fishers reach sexual maturity at 1 year of age and females produce their first litter at the age of 2.
The young are born helpless, blind, and sparsely furred. Maternal dens, located in a tree cavity high in a large tree, are used for the first 8 to 10 weeks. Once the kits become mobile, they are moved from the maternal den to one on or below the ground. It is believed that the maternal den functions to protect the helpless young from aggressive male fishers and ground predators. The female nurses the kits until they reach 4 months of age at which time solid food is presented to them. By 5 months of age the kits are approximately the same size as the adult female and have begun to learn how to kill prey. The young remain with the female until late summer or early fall at which time they disperse to begin their solitary lives as adult fishers.
Habits
Fishers are shy and elusive animals that are rarely seen even in areas where they are abundant. They can be active day or night and tend to exhibit crepuscular (dawn and dusk) and nocturnal activity in the summer and diurnal (daytime) activity in the winter. They remain active year round and do not hibernate. Their preferred habitat is mixed forest with heavy canopy cover as they tend to avoid traveling in large open areas. They commonly use hollow logs, stonewalls, tree cavities, and brush piles as resting sites.
Food
Fishers are omnivorous. Their primary foods include small rodents, squirrels, rabbits, birds, eggs, fruit, porcupines, and carrion. They will also opportunistically prey on poultry and domestic cats. Although they are proficient climbers, most of their hunting takes place on the ground.
Reference: Massachusetts Dept. of fish and Game (http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/wildlife/living/living_with_fisher.htm)
Warden’s Report- Critter Cam
Posted on | February 19, 2013 | Comments Off
During my “rounds” I located an area where the deer have called home for the winter, on a return trip to this location I set up a game camera to see just what kind of activity was going on, and what time of day it was taking place. I checked the camera about a week later and found that I had many pictures, attached are just a few. If you look closely you can see a few pictures of male deer that have dropped their antlers, there is even a picture of what looks to be a fisher. Just about every time I walk in to this location I have the pleasure of seeing these critters. Thought you might enjoy.
Justin
Warden’s Report- Nemo
Posted on | February 12, 2013 | Comments Off
Snow, Snow and more Snow. After digging out I was able to “make the rounds” throughout the watershed to check on things to see how they weathered the storm. Thank goodness the snow was light or we would have had some serious issue’s with downed trees, wires and damaged cottages. Fortunately most cottages do not have a great deal of snow on their roofs due to the high winds during the storm, however in area’s of dense cover around cottages there has been some build-up. I have attached a few photo’s showing such area’s. With the threat of warmer weather and wintery mixes in our future camp owners should consider having their roofs cleaned off. This amount of snow will retain a great deal of moisture and will test even the sturdier roofs. Cottages that have valleys on their roofs have a great deal of snow build up as well.
The lake has areas of bare ice in some spots and areas of deep snow and drifts in others. I brought the patrol snowmobile to the lake (first time since 2011) and made an attempt to check on the cottages on the islands. My trip was short, the deep, light snow caused me to spend more time tugging and pulling than riding. The snowmobile was parked in it’s usual spot awaiting better riding conditions. These wintery mixes and warmer weather should make for some excellent snowmobile conditions after the snow settles.
There is still open water between the Little Fang Islands and Proctor Point, thankfully it can be seen and is not hidden by snow. I am in hopes that when people do get out on their sleds they will be aware of this. The wind caused havoc with a few ice shacks but all and all I think we weathered the storm well.
The Knox County Fish and Game Association annual ice fishing derby was scheduled for this past week-end (02/10), it had been cancelled, I have not seen a re-scheduled date as of yet.
Justin
Blizzard Feb. 8-9, 2013
Posted on | February 11, 2013 | Comments Off
A few pictures on a bluebird day after the blizzard. More to come.(Photos courtesy of P. Leeper and D. Walck)
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- Frost’s Field, High Street- someone needs to break out the snowmobile trail
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- Bayview Street, Camden
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- Someone forgot about the parking ban!
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- Cliffs along Turnpike Drive
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- Megunticook from Rt. 52
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- Intrepid ice fishermen on the “Pond”
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- Norton Pond Camp
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- Eagle in a tree
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- Where’s the shovel?
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- Snow on the Pond
