Page 19 - AUG2025

August 2025
NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM
Page 19
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the road and they have even done a few minutes of “street dancing” to entertain me.
Canada geese are also fun to watch. Last year I came upon six couples taking their goslings out for a swim; there were at least 20 geese in all. What a sight! I’ve spotted many this year but not in a family outing of that size!
American mergansers and loons are wonderful to spot, too, as they proudly paddle along a pond or river with their young- sters on their backs or swimming hard to catch up.
But as I come to a close, let’s not forget the turkeys. I call it the Parenting Turkey Associa- tion- or the “PTO.” Hens gather together to take their little “tur- key nuggets” out on field trips frequently and they always make me laugh. Last week I saw some of the “nuggets” jumping and running in circles in a field beside the road. As I crept up in my car, the overprotective moms were frantically trying to shoo them off to safety in the treeline. I couldn’t help but laugh as one hen actu- ally went over and slapped a cou- ple of her rowdy little ones with her wings until they finally got the message.
As the warm months continue there is so much more yet to see and enjoy. I hope you all get a chance to observe Mother Na- ture at her best. Just remember- look, don’t touch!
By Donna RhoDes
Oh sweet summer, the time when Mother Nature throws open the doors of her nursery once again. As eggs are hatched and young mammals are born, there is so much to see along any back road. For that matter, on busier roads too, as evident by two yearling twin moose who strolled through Bristol a few years ago. I worry about those daring youngsters but thankfully people are aware of the fact that you never know what you’ll see anywhere in New Hampshire, especially this time of year.
As for me, I’ve seen a lot of littles ones, but before I get into some of those adventures, I re- cently reached out on social media to ask people what new youngsters they have encoun- tered. Thank you all for some great sightings!
One woman wrote that un- fortunately her dog had a close encounter of the worst kind with a baby porcupine. Ouch. My heart goes out to her pup. My Golden Retriever Suki and I had one a few years back, too. It was dusk and we made it back to my car just in time it seems. I knew there was a “Porcupine Tree,” as I called it, just up the road but moments after I let her back in the car, one of their little rascals came racing beside me as I slammed my door shut. For- tunately it didn’t result in a trip
Life on the Backroads
to the vet, but this nice woman and her dog didn’t have the same luck. I sure hope it taught that pup a hard-earned lesson and it won’t happen again. (I actually like “porkies”- they have the cut- est faces if you see them from the proper distance!)
A local fly fisher- man also had a great sighting while out on the Newfound River in July. As he worked his way along the river, something caught his eye on the opposite bank.
“I focused my at- tention and could see movement,” he wrote. “Then I could clearly see a mother weasel and three of her kits running and playing behind her.”
He got to watch them for a few minutes before she and her youngsters headed back into the forest. Fantastic story! I’ve seen weasels and ermine but never young ones. Since I live on that river I guess I’ll have to keep a look out for some.
In the avian world, another response came from Hill where a robin has claimed part of a fam- ily’s shed as their own for a few years now. Once wary of human presence, he said the mother bird seems less bold this year. A new momma or just more accli-
mated? You never know! I had a robin that claimed ownership of a light outside my door once too. You didn’t want to mess with her or go out that door if she was in a bad mood. And I can also add that a mother blue jay is even more protective of her nest.
Speaking of good parents, there was the mama bear glar- ing at me from the middle of the road one day. It was another sus- picious behaviour until I looked around and spotted two cubs clinging to a tree beside the road. I gave her a moment, then she
“barked” at her “littles” and they scrambled down to join her in crossing the road. It was precious!
Another baby encounter I had was several years ago, but deserves mentioning. It was spring in Pittsburg when I spotted a mama- this time a moose in the road- who was acting strange. But alas, she was simply mooing at her twins, umbilical cords still hanging, as she encour- aged them to follow her. It was getting dark and there was a little traffic on the
road so my friend and I got out of our vehicle, stopped cars and shooed the little darlings over to her. Yup- that was an extremely awesome moment in my life!
Then there are the deer. This year I have seen so many does and fawns. One in Plymouth seemed to have lost where her fawn was hiding, as she was care- fully pawing back tall grass and looking all around. I felt bad for her. Darn kids don’t listen when they’re told to stay put. Other mama deer have stopped to nurse their little ones in the middle of
One summer my kids couldn’t even play in the front yard until her babies fledged.
This year I have a very pro- tective chipmunk under my bird- feeder that I named Theodore (Alvin and Simon always got all the attention in the cartoons!) Last week he/she stood upright on a nearby rock, holding vigil. This was odd behavior for him/ her until I noticed rustling in the grass. Keeping an eye on it, sud- denly I realized there were a cou- ple of babies scouring for seeds beneath my birdfeeder. Good parent!
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