WHAT'S NEW IN NATURE?

Do you have something happening in your corner of Washington? - Please call a member or e-mail your observations to have them included here

December:

Osprey photo charlie's Bird Blog
Bald Eagle photo Wise Nature Photos
Red-Tailed Hawk photo Wikimedia
Arin saw a large bird recently near the "Park and Ride" in Hillsboro. She wondered whether it was an Osprey or a Red-Tailed Hawk and Carol suggested it could be a juvenile Bald Eagle. We wondered what they all looked like and whether any of these birds would still be around this time of year.
Osprey are found statewide but are scarce in southwestern NH. They have a 4.5' to 6' wingspan and adults weigh 2.5 to 4 lbs. Osprey have a white breast and white belly with a dark brown back and wings. Osprey heads are white with a dark eye mask that runs from their black beak to the back of their head and down the nape of their neck.  Osprey eyes are yellow and legs and feet are gray. They are commonly confused with the juvenile Bald Eagle.
Their large nests are built out of sticks on dead trees and on man-made structures like utility poles, platforms, and bridges. Breeding occurs within 1-2 miles of rivers, lakes, estuaries and other bodies of water containing fish. They winter in the Caribbean and tropical portions of South America.
Osprey arrive in NH during April to breed and raise their young. They eat almost entirely fish which they catch by diving feet-first into the water at speeds up to 80 mph.
The Bald Eagle is 3' tall with a 6-8' wing span and females weigh up to 14 lbs; males weighing 7-10 lbs.  Immature bald eagles are mottled light brown, tan, and white until age 3 or 4.  They have brown eyes, a black beak, and yellow feet.  Adult bald eagles have a distinctive white head and white tail feathers, and a dark brown body and wings.  Their eyes are pale yellow and the powerful beak and unfeathered feet are bright yellow. Immature bald eagles can be confused with golden eagles or osprey.
Bald eagles breed in forested areas near bodies of water and winter near open water (i.e. coastal areas, rivers, and lakes with open water). They build large nests in tall trees near the water’s edge.
Females lay 1-3 eggs in the spring. Both the male and female incubate the eggs and young hatch after five weeks. Bald eagles often retain the same mate for many years and reuse the same nest from year to year. Bald eagles primarily eat fish, but will also supplement their diet with a wide variety of small animals and with carrion.
The Red-tailed Hawk is 18-25 inches in length with a wingspan of 4 feet and it weighs 2 to 4 pounds. It is dark brown to gray brown on its back and on the top of its wings. It has light brown or cream undersides and a cinnamon colored neck and chest. It has a dark band across its belly and a broad, round, rusty red tail. The red-tailed hawk breeds in most parts of the United States and Canada south to Mexico and Central America. Birds in the northern most part of its range may migrate south in the winter.
The red-tailed hawk lives in deciduous forests and open areas like swamps, deserts, tundra, plains and agricultural lands. It prefers places with high perches that is can use to search for food. It can often be seen sitting on telephone poles and wires looking for prey!
The red-tailed hawk soars over open land searching for prey like small rodents. Its has excellent eyesight and can see the slightest movement in the grass below. It uses its sharp talons to kill its prey and may also hunt fish and reptiles.
So, it seems that it really could have been the juvenile Bald Eagle because the other two leave for the winter, but we had such a long, warm fall they may not have left yet for their warmer winter home.
Information about the Osprey was found here: NH Fish and Game
Information about the Bald Eagle was found here: NH Fish and Game
Information about the Osprey was found here: NHPTV Nature Works

November:

Owl photo from flicker
Jed spotted an owl recently and found out that it was a Barred Owl.
New Hampshire's woods and swamps are home to several species of owls. Four owl species regularly nest here: great horned, barred, Eastern screech and Northern saw-whet.
Our most common and widespread owl is the barred owl. Their "who cooks for you, who cooks for you all" calls are probably familiar to most. The barred is a little smaller than the great horned and is a uniform gray color with darker barring on its upper chest and streaks on the belly. The barred owl lacks ear tufts and its eyes are dark brown.
The barred owl is found throughout the state, although it is less common in the far north. In New Hampshire it is primarily a cavity nester, finding the rotted-out trunk of an old maple tree ideal. The barred does not nest quite as early as the great horned owl, but certainly by March is well into its breeding cycle. That's when the barred owl is at its noisiest. Night after night, you can hear its monkey-like laughing as it squares off with rivals and courts in the forest. Barred owls often nest near maple and beaver swamps. The wetlands provide a rich diversity of prey, which includes many amphibians in the spring and summer months.
Winter is when owls nest, so it is a great time of year to go owl watching. On a full moon night, go out to a nearby woods and listen. The pairs will call back and forth, and if you can learn to imitate their calls, they might just answer you! Once you hear an owl, move quietly nearer. Some people like to bring a flashlight to shine on the owl, but first get your eyes accustomed to the dark so you will see their shape perched in a tree. Then use the light - but only for a moment; those owls have nests to care for!.
Information about the Barred Owl was found here: New Hampshire Fish and Game, Wildlife Journal

October:

Mushroom photo from The Forager Press
Carol just found a large (13 1/2 lbs!) "Hen of the Woods" mushroom, also know as Miatake (in Japan) or Sheepshead mushroom.
Grifola frondosa fruits anytime from early September to late October and seems to be triggered by the first cold nights of the end of summer. It is found mostly with dead or dying Oak trees, though sometimes you can find clusters under a dead Maple. Once you find one, go back the next year and you may find it again.
They vary widely in color, from pure white to tan to brown to gray. It appears to get darker depending on how much direct sunlight they receive. Large overlapping leaf-like fronds grow in bushy clusters that get larger with time. It resembles a mother hen sitting on her nest in the woods. Each frond is from a half to four inches across and is usually darker to the outward edges of the "caps." The entire fruiting body can be as big as several feet across. The underside of individual caps consists of a pure white pore surface. Grifola frondosa is a polypore, a mushroom which disperses its spores from pores as opposed to gills. The pores are close together and tiny, almost difficult to see. The caps are firm and juicy and the stem is thick firm, white and branched.
They are known for having fabulous flavor and a firm texture that lends itself to almost any culinary application. They are easy to store, just chop up into what ever size pieces you like to cook with and store them in freezer bags in the freezer without any par-boiling. It's good for you, rich in minerals and vitamins, and studies are beginning to reveal immune-enhancing and cancer-preventing properties of this mushroom.
As with any wild mushroom, know what you are eating! This mushroom has been known to cause an allergic reaction in some people.
Information about the Hen of the Woods mushroom was found here: The Forager Press

September:

Swamp Maple photo from Jed Schwartz
The earliest bits of beautiful color we see in the fall are the Swamp Maples.
Red maple forested wetlands, better known as red maple swamps, are the most abundant freshwater wetland type in New Hampshire and throughout the northeast. Red maple swamps can occur on river terraces, in oxbows, behind natural levees, and on the low-lying inner floodplain of rivers. They can also be found in undrained basins. Such swamps exhibit the characteristic mound-and-pool topography, where trees and shrubs are rooted primarily in mounds. Red maple swamps can also occur on slopes or in shallow depressions along intermittent or upper perennial streams.
Red maple is a moderately flood-tolerant tree that is most common on sites that are intermediate in wetness between permanent flooding and temporary or intermittent flooding. The red maples ability to persist under these adverse conditions when compared with other wetland tree species, lies in its ability to produce a heavy seed crop nearly every spring, its rapid seed germination, and its ability to vigorously sprout from stumps and damaged seedlings on a variety of disturbed sites.
Water levels in red maple swamps are highly dynamic. They typically vary between seasons, years, and individual swamps. In New Hampshire, red maple swamp water levels are normally highest during the winter and spring, and lowest during late summer or early fall. The distribution of plant species in a swamp is influenced by how long the soil remains saturated. Red maple's predominate in swamps where soils are saturated or flooded from late fall through early summer in most years.
The seasonal flooding of red maple swamps provides the standing water that many amphibians require for breeding, and provides feeding and resting areas for migrating waterfowl. Swamps containing streams tend to support a higher number of species of reptiles and amphibians than forests lacking streams. The two most important aspects of the red maple swamp plant community are structure (i.e. vegetation height, density, percent cover, number of developed vegetation layers, etc.) and floristic composition. Red maple swamps may contain as many as five separate and extremely vital vegetation layers.
These layers include:
• Trees
• Samples
• Shrubs
• Herbs (ferns, wildflowers, grasses)
• Ground cover (mosses, lichens)
In the northeast, the flora of red maple swamps is rich and diverse, including at least 50 species of trees, more than 90 species of shrubs and vines, and more than 300 species of nonwoody plants. However, a few species usually predominate at any one site. In New Hampshire, there are several species of plants that are found in red maple swamps that are state listed as either critically endangered, endangered, or threatened. Such plants include Yellow and Showy Lady's Slippers, Great Rhododendron, and Swamp Azalea.
In New Hampshire, red maple swamps are home to such rare species as the marbled salamander. They are the principal forest type used by breeding wood ducks in the northeast. Songbirds (e.g., Canada warbler, veery) and birds of prey (e.g., red-shouldered hawk, barred owl) have an affinity for red maple swamps. Nearly 50 species of mammals live in red maple swamps, including black bears, white-tailed deer, moose, and bats.
In addition to providing habitat to wetland dependent and upland wildlife, red maple swamps perform many functions that bear directly on public safety, health, and welfare. Their ability to reduce the peak level of floods and to delay the flood crest is widely recognized. By collecting precipitation and overland flow and recharging the underlying groundwater system, swamps may augment domestic and municipal water supplies. Forested wetlands improve surface water quality by retaining, removing, or transforming pollutants that enter the wetland through stormwater and wastewater discharges.
Red maple swamps are valuable for their use as recreation and open space areas, and their scenic beauty. They are frequented by hunters, wildlife photographers, and birdwatchers.
What would New Hampshire be like without the brilliant yellow, red, and orange foliage of red maples in the fall?
Information about swamp maples was found here: NH DES factsheets - Swamp Maples

August:



Snake photos from Ed Thayer
Ed Thayer sent us some great wildlife shots from locations around town (and nearby). He spotted this Northern Water Snake laying on the head wall of the culvert header on Carol's property in Bradford by the beaver deciever (more info on the beaver deceiver here: New in Nature 2008 - November). The Northern Water Snake can be 24-42 inches long and is found widely in New Hampshire. It can be confused with the Milk Snake or Timber Rattlesnake and is almost always found near water.
For more information about the water snake go here: NH Fish and Game, Northern Water Snakes




Eagle photos by Janice Philbrick
Janice Philbrick had her camera with her in the right place at the right time and caught this magnificent Bald Eagle near Island Pond. If you see an eagle NH Fish and Game wants to know! For more information about the Bald Eagle in New Hampshire go here: NH Fish and Game, Bald Eagles




Racoon photos from Ed Thayer
These baby raccoons are a very cute little pair. While not an unusual sight, raccoons are found all over town, it isn't too often that you see two youngsters playing together.

Another cute baby was spotted by Reid Schwartz who shared the next two photos. This little porcupine stayed in the apple tree munching on twigs and apples for several days.

Suddenly one day, Mama (shown below) appeared and collected her young one and they moved on.

Remember not to pick up young animals that you find in the wild, they are rarely orphans and Mama is probably somewhere nearby. Enjoy them from a little distance and take all the pictures you want. For more tips on what to do (and what not to do) when you find baby animals go here: NH Fish and Game, Keep Wildlife Wild

July:

Photos from NHDES

Arin wondered if any of our local lakes have been tested for cyanobacteria or have any bacteria blooms shown up. We decided we better find out about cyanobacteria.
Cyanobacteria blooms are aesthetically displeasing in sight, odor, and taste, as well as potentially toxic to domestic animals, livestock, waterfowl, and humans. Many cyanobacteria produce toxins (collectively referred to as "cyanotoxins") that may be released into the water when cells die or consumed by organisms in the food chain. There are four common cyanobacteria to New Hampshire's lakes and ponds that produce toxins. These toxins may be hepatotoxins (liver and kidney), neurotoxins (central nervous system) or dermatotoxins (skin irritants) capable of causing both acute and chronic illnesses. Acute effects, such as skin and mucous membrane irritations, can occur after short term exposure with water containing these toxins. Chronic effects, such as liver, kidney, and central nervous system damage, can occur over a period of time from ingestion of water containing large amounts of toxins.
The state's Beach Program takes a proactive approach when cyanobacteria blooms or scums appear at public beaches. A beach advisory sign is posted when a potentially toxic cyanobacteria species is present and identified as the dominant algae in the cell count. You can check for advisories here: NH Beaches
You can help keep the cyanobacteria from forming in the first place. Research indicates that their numbers increase as the nutrients in the water increase. To reduce the chances of a bloom occurring, reduce the amount of nutrients, such as phosphates, that enter the water. Homeowners can help by testing their soils before applying fertilizers and, if they must apply a fertilizer, making sure that they apply only what they need. The NH Shoreland Protection Act prohibits the use of fertilizer closer than 25 feet from shore. Also, between 25 and 250 feet from shore, only low phosphate, slow release nitrogen fertilizer may be used. Keeping your septic system maintained will also help keep nutrients from leaching through the soil into nearby streams or lakes.
More in depth information and what to do if you suspect a bacteria bloom can be found here: NH Cyanobacteria workshop
All information from NH DES

June:

Photo from Tom Maiaroto

Do you have lots of mosquitoes around and want a natural way of getting rid of them? Dragonflies just might be the answer!
For 26 years a town in southern Maine has used an unconventional method to combat the ever-annoying mosquito: dragonflies. Rather than spraying pesticides, the Wells Chamber of Commerce sells bags of dragonfly nymphs.
The dragonfly is an insect belonging to the order Odonata, characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong, transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but adults hold their wings away from, and perpendicular to the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs, like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
Dragonflies typically eat mosquitoes and other small insects. They are valued as predators, since they help control populations of harmful insects. Dragonflies are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic. Adult dragonflies do not bite or sting humans, though nymphs are capable of delivering a painful but harmless bite.
The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larvae to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months.
Their names are as exotic as their appearance: green darner, ebony jewelwing, scarlet bluet, Eastern pond hawk, elfin skimmer. New Hampshire has more than 160 varieties occurring in the state, to see the checklist click here: NH Dragonfly List
The NH Fish and Game Department along with NH Audubon and the UNH Cooperative Extension is doing a Dragonfly survey and trains people to collect data in their area on dragonflies. They conduct training workshops like the one Arin went to around the state. To become a volunteer dragonfly surveyor and find more information click here: NH Wildlife Dragonfly Workshops
Most information from:Wikipedia and NH Fish and Wildlife


May:

Photo from NH Nature

Jed has seen a family of River Otters in East Washington's Mill Pond! They come and go and spend time fishing in the pond during the sumer and winter.
The River Otter is biggest of New Hampshire's weasels, at 25 to 40 inches long. These stately creatures of the water are dark chocolate brown in color. River otters are sleek, darkly furred and highly energetic creatures, appearing playful as they slide from the shore into the water, dive and quickly swim in search of their favorite food - fish. Fish and crayfish make up the majority of their diet. Like other weasels, otters are rarely seen, despite their abundance. They may roam as much as nine square miles.
The sleek appearance of the otter belies the powerful muscles under the relatively short-furred pelt. Its powerful head muscles enable it to chew even turtles, and the power of its limbs allows it to swim great distances under the ice of ponds and streams in winter.
Female otters usually breed at age 2 or 3; their young are born in April. Except for these family units, otters are generally solitary animals. Although they are capable of living on their own in 5 or 6 months, young otters usually stay with their mother through the first winter and leave her just before the next young are born. In New Hampshire, female otters give birth to two or three offspring each year. They can live to be 12 to 15 years old, although most survive only 5 or 6 years in the wild.
Today, otters live in nearly all the rivers, streams, lakes and ponds in New Hampshire. This has not always been the case. Early historians described otters as being common throughout the state, but unregulated trapping and hunting, pollution of water and elimination of beaver - whose dams create otter habitat - led to the near demise of the otter in the state by the late 1800s. Their resurgence is do to cleaner waters and the availability of habitat.
Stop by Mill Pond and see if you can spot the otters swimming, fishing and having fun.
Most information from: NH Fish and Wildlife

April:

Photo from USDA Forest Service

Vernal pools are wetlands with a seasonal cycle of flooding and drying. Some vernal pools flood in the spring with water from melting snow, rain or high groundwater and then typically dry by summer’s end. Other pools follow a similar pattern, but fill with rain in autumn, hold water all winter and spring, and then dry out by late summer. The annual drying cycle of vernal pools makes them different from other wetlands and plays a key role in determining which wildlife species uses which pools as habitat.
Vernal pools can exist almost anywhere—in forests, fields, shrub swamps, marshes, or in gravel pits. They can be smaller than one-tenth acre or larger than two acres. Vernal pools occur as isolated wetlands (not connected to other wetlands), as part of larger wetlands (for example, a vernal pool within a scrub-shrub swamp), or in floodplains along rivers. Vernal pools in woodlands are often small enough that the forested canopy remains unbroken above them, staying shady and cool throughout the growing season. These may be overlooked, appearing as simple pools of water in the forest, with little vegetation growing in them.
Fish are top predators in wetlands, but they can’t survive in pools that dry out. As a result, vernal pools provide key breeding habitat for amphibians whose tadpoles and larvae are especially vulnerable to fish predation: wood frogs, spotted, blue-spotted, and Jefferson’s salamanders. In the spring, these amphibians migrate from nearby woodlands to vernal pools ­ where they breed and deposit their eggs. Once hatched, tadpoles and larvae develop quickly into young frogs and salamanders that must leave the wetland before it dries up ­ by early or mid-summer for wood frogs, or by late summer or early autumn for salamanders.


Spotted Salamander photo from Vernalpool.org
Other species besides amphibians use vernal pools as habitat. Fairy shrimp are small crustaceans that require vernal pools for breeding. Spotted and Blanding’s turtles, great blue herons, raccoons and predatory insects travel to vernal pools to feed on amphibian eggs, tadpoles, insects and crustaceans in the pools.
Many amphibians in New Hampshire migrate to their breeding pools in the spring along discrete migration routes. Roads may cut across these routes, and vehicle traffic can kill migrating amphibians. Juvenile amphibians face similar threats during their dispersal from the pools where they hatched. So if you are driving on a wet spring night look carefully for frogs and salamanders crossing the road and avoid them, they are on their way to their vernal pool. Their lives depend on you!
Information from: NH Fish and Wildlife

If you joined us to visit the Vernal pool on Saturday May 2nd you can now view the pictures! Click here: Vernal Pool Pictures

March:

Photo from Washington State Fish and Wildlife Department

You probably haven't seen one recently in Washington but the true story is that Elk (also known as Wapiti) used to roam here in town. Elk are large deer relatives, second in size only to the moose. They travel and feed in large herds. The bull elk's bugling during breeding season can be heard for a very long distance. Elk are not native to New Hampshire but they lived here for a while...
In 1933, Austin Corbin III made a gift of elk, two bulls and ten cows were released in Washington and Goshen into the Pillsbury Reservation (which is now known as Pillsbury State Park). At the time, it was a state game refuge. The elk flourished, with their population growing to be between sixty and two hundred. The animals began expanding their territory into several surrounding towns, including Washington, Lempster, Goshen, and Unity. Individuals and farmers who lost gardens, orchards and crops to the voracious elk complained to state and local government officials.
In 1941, the state decided to reduce the herd through its first (and only) two-day elk hunting season. Two hundred hunters, who had paid $5 for a special license, bagged forty-six elk on December 17 and 18 of that year. Considering that the elk were shot in herds, it is fortunate that no accidents were reported. After the hunt, conservation officer Jesse Scott estimated that only thirteen elk remained in the New Hampshire woods.
In 1942, the first of a number of surveys was done, scouting possible locations in Northern New Hampshire where the remaining elk might be relocated to avoid their trespass into private fields and orchards. These various proposals for relocating the elk were ever acted on.
On March 16, 1955, conservation officers shot fourteen cows and two bulls in Lempster. A few days later, an irate farmer shot two bull elk. At this point, the Fish and Game Department estimated that there were perhaps between twenty and thirty free-ranging elk remaining in the state. It is commonly believed that the remaining elk were killed by farmers or poached illegally by hunters. No free-range elk have been spotted again in either Washington or New Hampshire.
Information from: Elk in Corbin Park and the wonderful book “Historical Pillsbury” by Ron and Grace Jager, available through the Forest Society.

February:

Photo from explorethebitterroot.com

A friend of Carol's found a large moose "shed" recently. A shed is an antler that has been dropped. Many people find that shed hunting is a great cure for cabin fever! But, be prepared to compete with rodents because sheds are rich in calcium, and mice and squirrels gnaw them like candy. To find a pristine shed is very difficult.
Antlers consist of pure bone tissue and are shed and regrown annually. This differs from horns which grow over the animal's lifetime and are not shed.
Antlers grow by the accumulation of a cartilage-like bone matrix . The development of antlers begins in the spring with small nubs covered with "velvet," a layer of skin with oil and scent glands and nerves, as well as the sparse coating of hair that gives the velvet its name. Nutrients are supplied from the animal's diet to the underlying bone and the antlers grow quickly throughout the summer. The velvet stage begins in spring and ends in the fall. Toward the end of the velvet stage, growth slows and mineralization begins to increase and the interior of the bone becomes more dense. The velvet dies in the fall, and the animal rubs its antlers against tree trunks and branches to get the dead velvet off.
Mating occurs later in the fall and in early winter when the antlers are at their peak size and weight. Over a lifetime, the subsequent antlers usually grow more branches, or "points," so that an individual's approximate age can be estimated based on the number of points its antlers have.
In late December, day length begins to increase causing the hormonal changes that ultimately lead bucks to drop their antlers. As day length increases, it stimulates the pineal gland to reduce testosterone production. As a result, the bond between the skull and antler weakens, finally causing the antlers to drop or shed. The bucks that participate most actively in the rut usually shed first. After the antler is dropped it is referred to as a "shed". Usually the antlers are dropped separately, so it is hard to find a matching set.
The shed season can run from December through March. You should search for sheds where bucks spend most of their time, near food sources and bedding areas (in mid winter, deer will bed as close to food as possible). Look up and down deer or moose trails, steep banks, stream crossings and fence line edges.
Happy shed hunting!

January:

Photo from USFWS, Steve Hillebrand

Carol recently observed a Bald Eagle eating from a small deer carcass on the ice of Halfmoon Pond. They are listed as endangered in New Hampshire and threatened in the United States but lately have been improving in this state.
Bald eagles are at least 3 feet tall, with a wing span of 6-8 feet. Females can weigh as much as 14 pounds and males weigh 7-10 pounds. The body and wings vary from dark brown to black. At 4 years of age they acquire the white head and tail. Their eyes are pale yellow and the powerful beak and unfeathered feet are bright yellow.
In New Hampshire, one pair began nesting again in 1989 on Lake Umbagog, after a 40-year absence. In 1998, another territorial pair established a nest on Nubanusit Lake in Hancock. Bald eagles are observed each winter in the Androscoggin, Connecticut and Merrimack River Valleys, on Great Bay, and in the Lakes Region. Non-breeding adults and immatures are observed sporadically throughout the state year-round.
In this state, bald eagles occur in relatively undisturbed forests along major rivers and lakes or near the coast. Eagles perch on, hunt from, and nest on tall coniferous and deciduous trees or snags near water. They prey primarily on fish and waterfowl, but are also noted for their scavenging. In the Northeast white pine are the most common nest trees, although oak, ash, elm, maple, beech and hickory trees, snags, and artificial platforms are used in some parts of their range.
In winter, they leave the breeding areas and congregate in areas with large expanses of unfrozen, open water. A forest stand that offers protection from inclement winter weather is needed for communal night roosting. Night roosts are most often found near foraging areas, but may be further away if the roost is more protected.
Eagle-eyed observers saw a record-high total of 67 bald eagles in New Hampshire during the 2008 National Mid-winter Bald Eagle Survey two-week count period in January, including 59 (30 adults, 29 immatures) observed on Survey Day.  The effort was coordinated by New Hampshire Audubon in collaboration with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department's Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program. 
If you see a bald eagle NH Fish and Game wants to know! If you observe eagle breeding or roosting behavior, record the time, date, where you observed the bird, what it was doing, and a description of its feather coloration (plumage). Note the direction of flight, if it flies away and any other significant observations. Information may be sent to N.H. Fish and Game Department, Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH 03301. Eagle observations can also be left on a voice mailbox at (603) 224-9909 ext. 354.
All information and much more can be found at NH Fish and Game and at NH Audubon and Eagle count news

To view yearly archives of our "New In Nature" series click on year you wish to see.