Through the pines I could hear the familiar screeching call. A call, sometimes singular and sometimes in chorus, that I have heard numerous times while at Grey Rocks Conservation Area this year. I am talking about the screeching cry, oft reminiscent of a seagull, belonging to the bald eagle. (For an example of eagle cries and calls audio clips can be found here).
A pair has nested around the cove from Grey Rocks raising two chicks this season. Both chicks, at this point fledged, are still near the nest site and they still beg their parents for food. These chicks fledged towards the end of June, as recorded by NH Audubon. I have seen both the adults and chicks around Grey Rocks several times and heard them even more than that! Some examples of this include witnessing one of the juveniles perched in the branches of a pine on the north shore of the Grey Rocks channel the day the Newfound Lake Region Association installed the story-walk® on the Floodplain Loop Trail. Another example is the Saturday when I observed one of the juveniles flying after an adult crying out, likely badgering its parent for food. They disappeared beyond the pines and I watched, and was lucky enough to snap some photographs, as the two adults reappeared and flew over my head. Perhaps the most spectacular story is of the time my fellow watershed steward, Ryan, our supervisor, Andrew, and I were taking the boat out to collect a water sample and shortly after coming out of the Grey Rocks channel an adult bald eagle swooped down a few feet in front of the boat and snagged a fish in its talons which it carried away over the tree line.
Of course bald eagles aren’t the only species I have had the privilege to observe. There are a plethora of different species to be seen at our primary work site, Grey Rocks, on hiking trails, water sampling trips, and at other project sites. These range from interesting plants, cool fungi, and a variety of animals! Some examples of these include the royal ferns standing in the dappled shade along the paths at Grey Rocks. A profuse growth of pale blue and green lichens encrusting a bare rock along the Alexandria hiking trails. Red efts shimmying under dried leaves along the Bear Mountain Sanctuary trail. Hummingbird moths busily flitting from stalk to stalk of light purple flowers along the bankside gardens of the conservation area. The extremely large tadpoles that, earlier in the spring, swarmed the waters at Grey Rocks and of course much more!
These species fulfill different roles in our New Hampshire ecosystems, some as pollinators, some as decomposers, others are a key food source in the food chain, etc. Many of these species are native to New Hampshire, ranging from common to rare in abundance. Some are also at risk in our changing world, such as the familiar monarch butterfly – a long distance migrant threatened by climate change and habitat loss. The eastern box turtle, along with 3 other NH native turtle species, is endangered due to loss and fragmentation of habitat, among other reasons. Even the common loon, a familiar species to most New Hampshire lake visitors, is still considered threatened in NH, the leading cause being attributed to lead poisoning from improper disposal of fishing tackle.
With all of this in mind I consider it important to be doing my part and serving with an organization, like the Newfound Lake Region Association, that works towards the conservation of our NH ecosystems. This work helps preserve the wonders of nature so that future generations can enjoy them too. After all, we mustn’t forget the bald eagles soaring over Grey Rocks were once endangered by human’s use of DDT, but conservation minded people banded together to eliminate this threat and bring the bald eagles back from their imperiled situation!
