September 20 to 30, 2001

September 20 we had some rain, mostly light,
mostly in the night, but a blustery, cloudy, threatening morning kept me in. I went out to the Big Pond a little after four, and still had a light shower. Not enough rain though; mostly dry when I went out. I sat on the ridge over looking all the first swamp area - not many birds, and leaves are beginning to change. Down in the ponds, I saw possible otter prints going out of Double Lodge Pond. Then at the edge of the dam I saw otter scats, and also raccoon scats, and a third scat. The first two were much different; the coon scat quite smooth. The third scat was tubular, large and more raccoonish - skunk? The otter scats were not typical and as I picked through it I saw small bones and no scales.

I'd say these were mouse bones but there were parts where bones were gathered and it was hard to visualize that coming from a mouse. All this was on a small scale, and perhaps a bit of undershell -- a small turtle? Along the dam there was a squirt of otter scat, again right near some raccoon scat. And this scat had some tar black in it. Then as I went up my and the beavers' trail to the Lost Swamp, about five yards from the pond edge was a large, typical, scale-filled otter scat. I've never seem them scat there before. The lodge keeps growing with the addition of some large stripped logs.

And then I saw something odd flopping in the water. The best I could make out, and on very cloudy days the spyglass does not work well, it was a snapping turtle wrestling with something. Then in the grass I saw a large green, red spider with striped legs, quite a beauty.

On the way to the Lost Swamp I saw more lumbering by the beavers; two or three leafy branches ready to go. All this work is out of view of the pond. Perhaps that is why it is so concentrated; the beavers thinking that their is safety in numbers. Down at the pond, a browning buck browsed the brown muck -- not a big buck. There were several fresh otter scats on the north slope. One was snail fresh

(well, how fresh could that be for a snail to crawl into it?) So many scats, that I think the family with pups was here. I sent a doe and fawn racing across the dry Second Swamp Pond, and then sat at my perch above Otter Hole Pond. Much fresh beaver work in the pond, but the only animal I saw was a muskrat who came out of the east side of the lodge and promptly swam up the pond out of sight. No sign of otters around the South Bay cove.

September 21 Leslie and I went out mid-morning to the East Trail Pond. Going around South Bay, L spotted a baby painted turtle.

with leeches on its shell. First we sat on the rock to see if otters would appear. What we saw were chickadees, blue jays and rusty blackbirds. The latter are migrants and they were busy down along the edge of the swamp, picking through leaves and muck.

A pileated also performed for us. The duck weed in the pond is
braking up. No longer the solid mass, now there is a swirl. Continued evidence of beaver work. I checked for scats. Saw nothing on the rocks near the dam, then I noticed fresh scratching on the way up to the pine, and that led to otter scat. There was a trail further up and more scat. So the otters have been here too. A little further up the ridge was the skin of a muskrat or weasel turned inside out.

We went back home the way we came and this time we saw some
migrating warblers -- myrtles and others.

September 22 I went out in the afternoon in hopes of seeing an otter. I had highest hopes for the Lost Swamp since the beaver activity might keep otters away in the morning. I first checked on the Middle Pond, in case some otters were raiding that. No sign that any had been there and nothing wiggling in the pond. We had more rain last night so the pool there is holding on. A large bird flew off as I headed up to the Big Pond. It could have been a heron, though there was no croak. I went directly to the dam. There was more raccoon scat but no more signs of otters. Just two ducks on the pond. Some mud had been pushed on the dam -- the beavers reacting to the rain? There were no fresh scats on the trail to the Lost Swamp but there was a plant pulled up by the root, floating in the water next to a stripped stick. I didn't see any fresh work at the fringe of the woods near the Big Pond but in that low area between the two pond, there were two large poplars that were cut, and not that recently. Hard to tell from which pond the beavers came. I sat at the Lost Swamp -- a heron flew off; the geese were way down at the other end. A hawk flew low above the swamp. I walked around and saw no signs of otters, even checking the dam and the rock next to the lodge. A buck walked along the shore across from me, seemingly oblivious to my presence even though the wind blew my sent in its direction. Then I went to the East Trail Pond and sat facing the gusty wind. No activity at all. So late afternoon is not the time to see otters. I went back
via Otter Hole Pond and got some photos of the major lumbering on the north side of the pond.

Another curiosity is why the beavers went over a little hill to get to their work when it was so easy to go around, as they sometimes did. The top of one downed tree showed some concentrated branch trimming.

I went across over Beaver Point Dam and then up to Otter Hole dam, pleased to see that the channel there was moist from the rain. No scats at the dam. I crossed the rest of the way on the dam and admired the ghostly vervain,

the blossoms bleached and even the leaves whitened.

September 23 went out in the morning with Patrick Sullivan to show him the beaver lodge the boys went into, among other things. So this was a hike over familiar territory. However, there were otter prints in the drying mud of Beaver Point pool, and up at Otter Hole Pond, a beaver came out of the lodge, dove a few times, and then went back to a branch just piled behind the lodge. Then I was delighted to see fresh and different otters scat just up the hill from the East Trail Pond dam: a very black smear under the pine tree, a blob or two in the grass. Down on the rock were three or four wet brown scats.

I think this means that a family visited the pond and that they are now eating frogs. All the scats were very fresh. Meanwhile, on the little porch where the raccoons have been scatting, there was fresh scat and the old scat was covered with a white fungus.

I didn't go to other ponds, just sat and taking with Sullivan, a nice chap. A hawk or immature osprey flew low over the pond, and sat in a tree briefly; then we saw some birds circling high over head, all looking like vultures. Patrick saw a white tail and then a white head; then that bird got closer to one of the others, or one of the others came after it and we could see that it was twice the size of the other birds -- an eagle. Blue Jays about and flycatchers. Brief appearance by a kingfisher.

I went sailing in the afternoon, perhaps my last sail and there were a good number of cormorants on the rocks and a few fishing.

September 25 we finally had a heavy rain, from two to three inches, and in the late morning I went out to see what difference it made. I could tell immediately that all was now sloshing wet. There was hardly any flow in the creek from the golf course; and, in general, the ground was not soft. But in the woods the wet leaves smelled right for the season. There was no flow or puddle at the first creek into South Bay, and just puddled water at the second. But the New Pond had water on the long dry skirts of the creek going through. I tried to cross the old planks -- much too slick. I went up to Beaver Point Pond and was gratified to see a good bit of water - much more than what I was calling a "pool," and there was water in the creek bed almost back to Otter Hole Dam.

Otter Hole Pond no longer looked like it was in the midst of a crisis, and the freshly stripped sticks bobbing in the water looked good. I took the ridge route to the East Trail Pond. The major change here is that the western end of the pond has water again, filling in around the clumps of ferns and bushes. I saw two small otter scats on the rock near the dam, nothing on the slope. I went to check Meander Pond -- the beavers could move back.

Ironically, the one pond that showed no change was the Short-cut
Trail pond that they moved to. Their moving into the dam meant that all the water flowed through and filled the ponds below. I stood on the dam, but was looking the wrong way when the beaver heaved the water below me. Of course they want the water below, and I could see some fresh work on a lower pond, now with a little water to help move the wood. I walked around the Audubon Pond and saw no otter scats.

September 26 we had about a quarter inch more rain. Today I headed off earlier in hopes of seeing the otters at the East Trail Pond. First I saw a curiosity as I rounded South Bay. A hawk flew off from a tree as I approached, then I heard grouse, and one was up on the low limb of a little tree, frozen,

perhaps aware that if it flew away the hawk might have a better shot at it. It was sunny, breezy and cool. The breeze keeps you on your toes as you look for otters, and the beavers were still out, so I had a lot of looking to do. The critters going to the lodge I expected to be beavers; the one moving away, at that hour, I hoped was an otter, but it was a beaver. With the western reaches of the pond fuller,

I checked to see if the otters had scatted at their old spots up
there. No such luck, though it is quite beautiful again up there, and Shangri-la
has water in it, in the old stream, and it too looks beautiful, and intriguing,

which is to say, perhaps inviting to some swimming mammals. Then I checked the scatting spots near the dam and found two new scats, one relatively clear and the other smooth black. I couldn't believe that I missed the otters. When hunting for fish do they come out earlier? On my way to the Lost Swamp, I noticed that there was a little flow in the creek going down to Otter Hole Pond. The Second Swamp has water again, quite a bit really, but nothing taking advantage of it. I forgot to mention that a score or more ducks were back at the East Trail Pond. I came up on the Lost Swamp at the dam. I could see that there was a good bit more water, but nothing swimming in it. No signs of otter up there and on the north slope the scat there was new to me but not at all fresh. I sat on a downed tree down there and looking back up at the lodge saw a beaver swim away. Then I saw some more commotion but definitely caused by beavers. At first I thought one or two were struggling with a big log, then it looked like two beavers were having an in-the-water shoving match with another beaver watching. I moved closer to try to get a better look and all the beavers disappeared. One dove into the farther end of the lodge, the other two at the usual spot on the west side. I went down to Otter Hole Pond hoping the otters were there; not so, and no sign that they had been around the rock dens which, with the dam so grown over with high vegetation, is much the better place to leave scats. I have otter watchers coming in two days, and it would have been nice to see otters. I'll try again tomorrow.

September 28 we continue to have rain and drizzles, which all helps, but the ground is far from reaching a point of saturation and there is precious little flowing of water. I made a grand reconoitre of the ponds to see where the otters were, since I have paying customers coming to look for otters this weekend. The damp has inspired the birds, as I went through the meadow and up the ridge behind the golf course first there were bluejays, then crows and then a towhee on the ridge, and the little birds flitting about, almost too fast to see how nondescript they are. The Middle Pond has a good bit of water but no evidence that anything is taking advantage of it. The Double Lodge Pond has its little islands back and I can no longer snoop around the mud there for otter prints. There were no signs of otters along the Big Pond dam. The beavers have been active -- a nice green branch at the entrance to the canal at the north end of the dam. And more work, both lumber and mud, at their new lodge.

A few ducks in the distance -- Today all the ducks looked dark and damp. I've been expecting the otters to move into the Lost Swamp in a big way, but they haven't. I saw a scat on the north shore, fresh, but just one. The beavers quite mudded up their trails, but not too much lumber brought down. They are eating it where they cut it. I got to the pond before ten, but saw no sign of late morning beavers. Although the otters have only passed through Otter Hole Pond, I went down to see if they might have scatted in front of the rock dens. No. But I did find some cream colored raccoon scats.

Beautiful beaver logs about. I went out to the dam, and saw a
mushroom. Then I noticed that the stream into Beaver Point Pond was muddy. No major tracks, and a snipped bur marigold plant. I blame the muskrats.

Also saw a small fuzzy caterpilar. The bur marigold is burring up, turning purple, and drooping, quite beautiful.

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And I think the false nettle is looking like bamboo:

I went over the ridge to the East Trail Pond. The ducks are back. Three on the log, three dozen back in the shallows. They all flew off. A kingfisher remained and had a jolly time of it, three or four splashes and cackles. I could see the minnows jumping out of the water. Is this a frisky time of year for them? Going down the slope I saw two otter scats, one generous and the other a smear. Both were higher up the path than usual. I sat under a tree and waited. No otters. A deer browsed the slope across the way. I also saw deer at the Double Lodge Pond, and Otter Hole Pond, and Audubon Pond. No scats on the rock they've been favoring but a fresh one higher up on the hill. I glanced at the far end of the pond and then went over to the Short-cut Trail Pond. Because the beavers are in the dam, the pond is lower than before the rain.

I stood on the dam and the beaver didn't come out to check (I could tell by the ripples) until I moved away. They want the water in the lower ponds and there was fresh work there.

No sign of otters around Audubon Pond. Much striking beaver work
-- stripped logs white in the damp and dark. The small pond on the other side of the causeway proved livelier. A green heron flew off and a muskrat, it dived, surfaced, than dived again before I could get my camcorder going. A hawk was about too.

September 30 In a sense this weekend was the consummation of the
proverbial years of work. A father and his two daughters, ages 12 and 10, came to look for otters with me, paying $200 for the privilege (and getting to stay on the other side of the house.) With the promise a good sunny weather, I was confident they would enjoy their stay, but would they see otters? Yesterday, we went out via the boat to South Bay a little after 8 in the morning. The temperature dropped into the high 30s the night before and the fog on the river was just being blown off by a gentle north wind, a huge cloud of fog was dissipating in the distance toward the lake -- a beautiful morning. I first took them up for a quick glance at Audubon Pond, no otters there, as I expected. Then we went directly to the East Trail Pond. I led the way over the large granite rock that forms the top of the ridge overlooking the pond and saw a ripple over along the east shore of the pond, a sustained ripple, and in an instant I could tell them that an otter was in the pond! It proved to be a solitary otter and we didn't have the best view and saw it for only 5 to 10 minutes, but it was an otter fishing and swimming in the pond.

It swam off to the western, ferny end of the pond, and I led them around that way. A good wind was blowing from the north, but no sight of the otter there. Then we went back to the scatting area around the dam, and to my surprise there was only one smallish scat, and I saw no sure trail coming down the ridge. The girls seemed a little impatient, and one didn't have boots, so instead of doing what I'd do alone -- going off to the Lost Swamp, I took them to Otter Hole to see beaver work and then to the dry lodge in Beaver Point Pond, and then around Murray Island in the boat.

At about 5:15 we went off in the boat again to South Bay, this time to see the beavers. We came to the pond via the spill-way trail, and all was quiet. We got over to the bench, and sat. Then some other hikers went around the pond, quickly and without too much noise. The green heron flew in and that gave them something to look at. It flew closer to us when the hikers neared it. Then we saw a dozen hawks circling high, very high, in the air. After waiting a half hour, a beaver popped up in the water before us, approached in the usual serpentine manner, turned its back on us and gave a powerful slap with its tail, which delighted all. It circled back, but did slap, and went back to the lodge. The sun was setting and cast gold on the eastern edge of the pond which also reflected the yellows and reds of the trees on the ridge. The beaver made stunning ripples through all of this.

Moments later another beaver was out. It too approached us with nose cocked up in the sniffing position. It returned to the lodge with out slapping its tail. I could see ripples coming from the side of the lodge we couldn't see, which meant that the beavers weren't really panicked by our presence. I could hear gnawing on the other side. Then a baby beaver swam over,

came closer to us than the others, and treated us to nine feeble
slaps of its tail.

And each time it would pop right back up like a little ball pushed down in the water. Meanwhile, under the cover of this distraction, another beaver swam out toward the middle of the pond and dove and retrieved some things to munch. And the ripples continued from the other side of the lodge. The independence of the baby beaver was impressive. Not only was it near us with no other beaver in close proximity, but when it swam back to the lodge, it did not even swim over to the side where the other beavers were, it dove into an entrance facing us. We also saw a snapping turtle humping along in the shallow water and a rather stately buck with tall antlers staring at us,

and then grazing along the causeway. (There were deer all over, as usual, but they are not a novelty to the girls.) I thought it would be nice for them to see a beaver working on the land, so I led them over to the Short-cut trail dam in hopes that the beavers there were out working. It was getting dark but the almost full moon rising over the trees kept spirits light. No beavers, but they did make a big ripple as I walked on the dam. So,combine seeing an otter, with a delightful evening of beaver watching.

This morning we went off to South Bay a little before 8. This time when we checked Audubon Pond, we saw a muskrat swimming to the lodge on the southeast shore. I led them to the East Trail Pond so we could get a vantage from above the dam -- less trees in the way and a better chance of seeing an otter scamper up on shore or on the lodge. This time there were no persistent ripples in the pond, so we sat. Then about ten minutes later, Glenn, the father, saw the otter; then we all did as it dove and swam toward the lodge. Again it was just a single otter, but this time it came closer to us, fishing just above the dam.

I kept rooting for it to come up and scat, but it stayed in the
water, and seemed to pause at one point just before it went around the bend to the left. I thought perhaps that pause meant that it had sensed us. It disappeared and we waited for another ten minutes and this time I saw it reappear on the far side of the pond, on the other side of lodge. It fished steadily, and I thought with some success at getting little things, but it stayed near the lodge, and then moved up through that deep area of the pond that leads to the ferny end of the pond. A few minutes after it went up that way, out of our sight, I led us on a quest to see where it went. We walked all the way to the other side of the pond, and got to sit in the sun. I saw something making bubbles in the main channel but can't say that it was the otter. Then I showed them Shangri-la Pond and then we walked out on the old board walk to the middle of the East Trail Pond, they enjoyed this. We saw some yellow-rumped warbler, kingbirds and/or phoebes, and saw a good kingfisher splash or two. Then the girls started bouncing on a downed trunk so that it made nice splashes in the water. Then suddenly a beaver appeared and swam up the ferny channel out of
sight. Had it been in there all along? I hated to leave this pond, how well it had served me. Can I safely say that it is supplying the needs of at least one otter? I'm certain the otter is denning there, but I best check for scats at the Lost Swamp. Then we went up to the Granite Trail and I stumbled upon a Blanding's turtle shell and bottom, quite cured in the sun, up on the high rocks.

The shell was split as if some bird had been pounding it on the rocks. Then walking along the causeway east of Audubon Pond, a muskrat swam out of the lodge, then swam over to look at us

and reacted with a snappy dive. Then before motoring home I took
them down into the shallow water of the bay and showed them the wildcelary. The coontail was not to be found. The cold nights have browned a good deal of the
water vegetation. The girls also fished off the dock and attracted a large school of small fish who were revealed mostly by their shadows on the bottom. I assume they were a type of minnow though some were a good three inches long and maybe a little more. So, mission accomplished, I went to the land for a little nap and then collected wood. Winter is coming.