Winter New Hampshire Trip, Days 1 & 2
I’ve made it to New Hampshire and boy is it beautiful! Chris and I are staying in Gorham, NH and from our hotel we can see the gorgeous White Mountains looming all around us. The land is wild and beautiful and everything, from the gas stations to roadside signs and deserted highways, has that northern country feel to it. I absolutely love this place!
We got up early on Sunday morning to head to Plymouth, Massachussetts in hopes of seeing the Ivory Gull, an extremely rare visitor from Northern Canada, that had been hanging out in the area for over a week. Unfortunately, the gull had not been spotted on Saturday and when we showed up on Sunday morning, despite offerings of raw chicken, a roadkilled rabbit, and even a dead Common Loon, the gull was nowhere to be seen. It looks like the gull has moved on, and with the recent warm spell in New England, it is doubtful that it will be seen again.
We then drove to Center Harbor, New Hampshire, where a Northern Hawk Owl has been observed this year. When we arrived, finding the owl was easy, as he was perched high in the top of a tree, and several other photographers and birders has already congregated on the road nearby. The owl was not particularly cooperative, although Chris did manage some decent high key shots, so after several hours there, we decided to move on.
We headed north towards the White Mountains and our hotel in Gorham. Along the drive, Chris and I marveled at the beautiful landscapes all around us, from the pretty stands of white birch alongside the road to the grand mountains, their peaks shrouded in clouds, and we witnessed a beautiful sunset that turned the sky orange, pink, and purple. Shortly after the sun dipped below the mountains on the horizon, we found the motel we were staying at and settled in for the night.
This morning, we met up with a local birder David Govatski, in hopes of seeing some northern birds. At his home, we observed Blue Jays, Evening Grosbeaks, Black-capped Chickadees, Common Redpolls, Tree Sparrows, Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, a Dark-eyed Junco, and two Red Squirrels at his awesome backyard feeder setup with an incredible view of the Presidential Range. We then set off on a 2.6 mile hike (5.2 miles round trip) up Mount Pierce hoping to find Boreal Chickadees, Gray Jays, and other boreal species. A few hours later, we had only seen five Boreal Chickadees and a raven, but heard both Gray Jay and Black-backed Woodpecker, and also found plenty of American Marten tracks, mouse tracks, Snowshoe Hare tracks, and even some very fresh Spruce Grouse scat. Despite not seeing many birds, we were in the prettiest woods I have ever seen, with birch, spruce, and fir trees drenched in thick white snow, and I had a wonderful time. Tomorrow, we plan to meet up with David again, and explore some other places.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos to share of our adventures yet, because while trying to clean my camera sensor on Saturday night, I destroyed the shutter of my camera. Thankfully, a very kind friend is loaning me his cameras for the trip and express shipped them to me today. They should arrive sometime tomorrow and allow me to shoot for the rest of my time here.
on February 3, 2009 at 10:31 pm
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Nice meeting you two. Best of luck on your travels.