Words and Wildlife Blog | TAMRA WIGHT – Children's Author

Distractions of the Feathered Kind

Posted on August 9, 2013 by Tamra

Waiting for Cooper and Packrat’s launch is hard.

Very hard.

Luckily, I have a whole campground full of people, paperwork, activities, problems and happy gatherings to distract me.

The Poland Spring Campground Justice League, chasing off the campground villains with the waterballoon slingshot during Super Hero Weekend

The 2013 Poland Spring Campground Justice League

But the only thing that can really, really distract me, is to point the camera lens at something.

I etched out some time on the lake for myself last week. Or was it the week before? No matter. I just want to post some photos and distract myself all over again, by sharing them with you and reliving my mini-adventure.

Before heading out, I stopped on the front lawn to get my camera in order. Suddenly, a hummingbird buzzed my head, then landed on the honeysuckle with a aren’t-you-going-to-take-my-photo look, before zipping off again.

While zooming in on him, I noticed a honeysuckle branch off to the left wiggle once. Then twice. So I zoomed in on that . . .

Isn’t he cute! A spring peeper, perhaps? There’s a pair who climb the side of the Wight House every night to dine together under my porch light.

Once out on the lake, it proved to be pretty windy, so I set off into the cove again. Alas, I didn’t see the beaver or the Belted Kingfisher this time. But I did catch a glimpse of the elusive heron . . .

but only after all the little sparrows ratted him out and chased him from his perch in the tree.

Shortly after that, one of the eagle parents flew overhead towards it’s hollering eaglet.

Notice there’s nothing in the adult’s talons. It think she was just doing a fly-by to check in on her youngster. But to my surprise, the eaglet took off after its parent!

It flew in a circle, banking right in front of me. I was so startled, I didn’t have time to focus properly!

He finally went back to his nest and hollered some more. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s hunting on his own now. That may have been the last time I get such a good look at him.

I never tire of watching the wildlife on our lake. Every time I go out, I see or hear something new.

The launch for Cooper and Packrat is next Sunday, the 18th. The s’more ingredients are bought. The raffle prizes sit waiting to be won. Carl’s campsite is reserved.

I’m still deciding on whether to read Chapter 1 or Chapter 4 . . .

Posted in Campground, Cooper and Packrat, Hiking/Kayaking, Wildlife Sightings | Tagged birding, Campground, Cooper and Packrat, eagles, frogs, hummingbirds, kayaking, Wildlife | Comments Off

Hummingbirds!

Posted on July 30, 2013 by Tamra

It was Family Day, but we couldn’t leave to find adventure first thing in the morning like we always do because the pool needed testing . . . our truck needed to be towed to the local garage . . . and the weather report was funky.

So I sulked and sipped coffee while hubby took care of a few details.

But then, Ben’s friend said, “Hey. I didn’t know hummingbirds sat for so long.”

I ran to the window and sure enough, a hummingbird sat on the branch of my honeysuckle bush.

“Well, I’ll go get my camera, but I’m sure he’ll be gone before I get back, ” I grumbled.

To my surprise, he was still there when I returned. So I snapped a few photos through the window.

He posed and posed.

“These won’t come out the greatest, because I’m taking them through the window,” I declared. “Dirty windows.”

“I’m gonna open the front door and try to get pics from outside.” I sighed. “But he’ll probably fly away the minute I crack it open.”

As you can see, he didn’t fly away. I captured some amazing photos, even through my dirty windows and my gray mood. If I’d planned to sit on the front lawn to capture this amazing little bird, I would have failed. I should have remembered that things happen for a reason. If the brakes on the truck hadn’t of gone on a Sunday when the garage wasn’t open, if David had forgotten to test the pool, if the weather had been gorgeous . . . . we would have been on the road hours before this brave hummingbird came to my front window.

Half an hour later my son called across the driveway to me from the front of the office. “Mom! You’ve taken like 2,000 photos!”

Trust in the universe.

Posted in Wildlife Sightings | Tagged birding, hummingbirds, Wildlife | Comments Off

On the Lake, Late One Afternoon

Posted on July 26, 2013 by Tamra

It’s been a couple weeks since I made the time, but I finally got out on the lake again.

I didn’t go far, as there was the threat of a thundershower. But as it turns out, I didn’t have to go far. I wasn’t on the water more than ten minutes, when I came across an Eastern Phoebe . . .

He posed and posed for me . . .

So gorgeous.

Now the real reason I had headed out on the lake, or specifically into the cove, was to catch some pictures of the beavers. All my campers tell me all the time how they see them working or swimming or hear them slap their tails in warning.

I never have. Not in the 20 years I’d been kayaking Lower Range.

So I sat amongst the lily pads and quietly waited.

The eaglet hollered from his nest. Now I know he can fly off to other parts of the lake, as my campers have seen him do it. He’s just being a teen and insisting Mom and Dad come to feed him.

He got his wish in the form of a big fish dropped at his feet. And I chuckled to think of how I myself will give in sometimes, when my kids beg long enough.

Then I saw a bird I’d never seen before. It cackled loudly from its perch on the tree over the beaver hut. I didn’t get a good photo of it there as it was so far away (even with my long lens), but it had a poofy crest on it’s head when sitting.

And the crest flattened as it took flight, swooping and diving into the water for fish . . . so interesting to watch!

It was a Belted Kingfisher!

Then I heard a different call from behind me; the osprey. And I remember thinking what a fabulous fishing spot I stumbled upon!

Sadly, he didn’t dive for his supper in front of me like the Kingfisher. I couldn’t complaing though, as these are the best osprey photos I’ve gotten so far this summer.

I snapped some more pictures and here and there as I sat in the back corner of the cove.

And then, finally, I saw it.

A beaver glided through the water right in front of me. He was so quiet, I almost didn’t see him at all, and only snapped three photos before he disappeared into the grasses.

I waited a little longer, until the wind had shifted and the leaves on the trees at the golf course turned. A sure sign a storm is on the way, my grandmother would have said.

I’m already planning my next visit to the cove. Beavers and Kingfishers are on my short list of amazing photos that must be captured!

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Cooper and Packrat’s Launch

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Tamra

The launch details are official!

Everyone is invited!

We have several raffle prizes to give away, including a s’more basket, a ceramic loon, original art by Carl, Cooper and Packrat books and a fishing pole!

I’ll be reading from Cooper and Packrat, and Carl will do an Art Demonstration as well.

So much fun to pack into one event!

Oh! And I almost forgot . . .

We’ll be making s’mores too!

Posted in Cooper and Packrat, writing notes | Tagged Cooper and Packrat, writing notes | Comments Off

No Loon Chicks This Year

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Tamra

I’m very late in posting this loon report on the blog, but there will be no loon chicks this year.

Sigh.

Just before the 4th of July, while I was on the lake, I watched both loons swimming and diving together for over an hour. Neither one got on the nest.

And two days after that, when I paddled out, I saw four loons socializing.

Loons who do not have chicks to raise, or have had nests fail, gather together to socialize. Seeing these four so close to the nest site, should have reaffirmed for me that my loons were done trying.

But I’m a romantic. A die hard optimist. So I paddled to the spot where they raised their chick last year in hopes the egg had hatched and no one had noticed yet. The four trailed behind me as I went. When I reached the spot, they went ahead of me to meet up with a fifth loon.

There was no chick in sight. All five seemed happy to be together.

Even I had to admit it was time to call it.

Our eagle chick is thriving though! The adults drop off food now and again. He calls out for attention quite often too. I haven’t had a chance to personally check on him since the sixth of this month, but when I was last down there, he was branching to the branches over his head. I haven’t heard a report of him leaving the aerie yet, though.

Now that the 4th of July camping week has passed, and we’ve all settled into a routine here at Poland Spring Campground, I hope to get out on the lake more often. My goal is to catch beavers working on their hut . . . or to photograph the doe who walks through a section of the campground at dusk.

So many wildlife photo opportunities, so little time!

Posted in Campground, Hiking/Kayaking, Uncategorized, Wildlife Sightings | Tagged Campground, eagles, loons, Wildlife | Comments Off

Loon Update: Something Doesn’t Add Up, Or Does It?

Posted on June 27, 2013 by Tamra

With this big lens of mine, I’ve been able to keep track of our loons better than I ever have.

Back on April 29th, I happened to see them mate. I counted out the days and marked my calendar for chicks somewhere around May 30th.

The very first nesting picture I took was May 18th . . . a not-so-great photo, but it shows exactly where the nest was.

And here we are on June 24th.

IF I happened to catch the loon when she was first on the nest,(which seems odd they’d go that long between mating and nesting) this would be day 40, ten days after the incubation period. I began to wonder if she was sitting on a non-viable egg.

But look again and tell me if you see, what I see:

The water level is lower, which would be normal, except for all this rain we’ve been having the last week.

Her nest is more level.

In all my pictures around June 24th, the leaning tree is directly behind her.

The neighbors report having seen two eggs early on and thought perhaps an eagle or raven had gotten to one of them, when I told them I had proof of only one egg on the 24th.

So . . . maybe this is wishful thinking, but Dave and I have a theory. We believe the first nest flooded again in May, as it did last year. Or something got to the eggs. Or they rolled off. At any rate, they were lost and no one saw it happen, or even suspected it because the loons went on to re-nest, in almost the same exact spot.

We think they’re getting a second chance at having a family, with this one egg.

Which is very ironic, considering Cooper and Packrat is all about re-nesting and second chances, too.

I will continue to keep tabs, ever hopeful this pair will raise another adorable chick in 2013.

Posted in Cooper and Packrat, Wildlife Sightings | Tagged loons, Wildlife | 4 Comments

Switching Gears

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Tamra

Today, I hung up my teaching hat for the summer. The campground hat sits facing forward, with my writing hat tucked underneath, waiting for it’s chance to be worn on top.

Before I pulled down on the brim of either one though, I needed to take a little time for myself.

On the lake.

In the kayak.

With my camera.

Sitting on the water at 7:30am, sipping coffee and watching my loon, I let the stillness of the lake envelope me.

Eventually, I picked up my camera and began shooting photo after photo.

A raven called out overhead, and the loon looked upward.

A fish jumped between us and she looked down.

Ever watchful, is our loon pair.

As I lowered the paddle to take another sip of coffee, the breeze kicked up a bit. At the same time, the water one hundred yards to my right began to bubble. It churned. And it was moving toward me! Thoughts of the Loch Ness Monster and Ogopogo ran through my head. (In defense of such outlandish thoughts – Shannon’s and my students had done an extensive Fact/Fiction/Faction research unit on these two urban legends in the last months of school. Fascinating stuff!)

But my lake monster turned out to be a school of small silver fish, jumping out of the water.

Ha! I thought. Good thing the other loon isn’t nearby-

It was! He came from behind me to pass inches from the front of my kayak, not giving me a second glance. I held my breath as he surged toward the school, almost forgetting the camera in my hand. He took that school of fish by storm.

In all the excitement, I hadn’t paid attention to where the breeze had carried me.

I quietly picked up my paddle and turned the nose of my kayak away from the nest. Then I paddled backward as quietly and quickly as possible. I hadn’t even taken five strokes, when she was back to sitting upright.

These solitary, solemn moments on the lake are precious to me right now. Not only do they make me think of Cooper and his story, but they are a meditation of sorts as I switch from one busy job to another. In a week or two, there won’t be many opportunities to get out on the water.

But that’s okay too.

Because there’s plenty of wildlife right out my window . . .

Posted in Uncategorized, Wildlife Sightings | Tagged loons, Wildlife | 4 Comments

Only One Eaglet

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Tamra

Sadly, sometime over Memorial Day Weekend, the younger of the eaglets disappeared.

There were heavy winds, so perhaps it stretched its wings and was lifted away.

A wildlife photographer I know witnessed an osprey dive bombing the nest on Memorial Day itself.

And then there’s the possibility the oldest eaglet attacked the younger.

I’d like to think it’s one of the first two myself.

I searched for a week, hoping the younger was just hunkered down out of the wind and rain. But today, it was time to face the facts. He was gone.

Still, I couldn’t help searching for him again today. And as I did, Mom came in with a fish.

Kind of looks like Junior wants to chew on Mom’s foot instead of the fish, doesn’t it?

She didn’t feed him. And she didn’t hang around for very long . . . which surprised me. The adults are leaving him alone now for longer and longer periods of time.

I got some gorgeous flight shots though!

And check this out! Our big bad eagle was chased away from the nest by a little sparrow . . .

Leaving poor Junior all alone on the nest again.

But don’t feel too bad for him . . . he spent the next twenty minutes digging into the fish he was served. I have a feeling this one will be very self sufficient very soon!

Posted in Hiking/Kayaking, Wildlife Sightings | Tagged eagles, Wildlife | Comments Off

So Much Rain!

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Tamra

I was so worried about my loons all weekend. The idea for Cooper and Packrat, didn’t come out of thin air, you know. Lower Range has risen to flood the loon nest three times in the last twenty-two years.

2013 Loon Nest
(2013) Tamra Wight

This weekend had all the ingredients for history to repeat itself. Days of downpours coupled with thrashing winds. But I wasn’t really worried, until one of my campers mentioned seeing both loons together.

They’re never together when the nest needs sitting on.

“They were pretty agitated,” he told me.

I quizzed him some more. He told me he hadn’t wanted to get to close, but he did notice they’d taken off for the other end of the lake.

Another camper came in mid-morning. “I saw the loon alone,” she told me.

Still another told me the pair had been circling the island.

So when 3 o’clock Monday afternoon arrived, I was out of that office, with a kayak paddle gripped in both hands. Wind whipped down the lake, practically lifting my kayak out of the water and pushing me back toward shore. But I had to see for myself.

The kayak rocked. The sun shone in my eyes. I paddled past where I knew the loon had been, then let the wind drift me backward as I lifted the camera to look through my telephoto lens. And there I saw her . . .

I think I smiled as I was pushed all the way back to the eagle nest.

What a relief!

One of the adults sat off-island, but close enough to watch the nest.

Can you see her talon? *Shudder* It’s so sharp. She sat poised on her branch until another kayaker paddled underneath her, then she flew back into the nest.

My new friend Lisa, who’s a wildlife photographer , was out on the lake too. She was worried because she hadn’t seen two eaglets.

“Oh, I’m sure they’re there,” I assured her.

But I’m sorry to say, I didn’t see two.

I only saw one. In all one hundred photos, there’s only one. He’s big and strong, and stretching his wings.

Big gusts of wind cut across the lake every few minutes or so.

I’m hoping one was brave enough to come up high into the nest, while the younger of the two stayed hunkered down.

Maybe Lisa has some proof for us! Or another camper? At any rate, I’ll be back down at the lake tomorrow to check again!

Posted in Cooper and Packrat, Wildlife Sightings | Tagged Cooper and Packrat, eagles, kayaking, loons, Wildlife | 5 Comments

Loon Behavior I’d Never Seen Before

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Tamra

I snuck out in the kayak last Saturday, hoping to catch proof of my loons nesting.

And nesting they were.

It was a beautiful nest, made of grasses and leaves and twigs. I wished them much luck, as last year their nest flooded. One egg hatched, while the other was caught under water.

While one adult sat quietly, and patiently, on the eggs, the other fished off in the distance. I watched them both for awhile, then moved along to point my camera at the eagle nest.

Click, click, click. I’d taken a few photos when another kayaker silently paddled up alongside me.

“Loon behind you,” he whispered.

I turned to see this.

Behind me, indeed! This handsome guy then dove and resurfaced with lunch . . .

I shook my head in amazement and chuckled to myself. He struggled with it for a bit, but managed to swallow it, then dove and wandered away. I was reminded of a passage from Cooper and Packrat where Mr. Beakman gets hopping mad –

“. . . all I caught was a little four inch bass. Then one of your loons had the nerve to pop up beside my boat with a seven-inch trout in its beak. Swallowed it whole right in front of me too!”

Suddenly, I saw this in the distance.

Was my loon choking?

Was he hurt?

Was he tangled in fishing line?

Like me, several kayakers on the lake stopped paddling to watch. Water flew in every direction. A wing stretched out to the left. A foot waggled to the right. We saw its bright white breast on top the water while its head went under.

It took awhile before I realized it wasn’t in trouble at all.

He was rolling in the water. Playing or preening, I’m not sure.

Washing out the winter-cobwebs, perhaps?

Over and over again he did this. Between rolls, he stopped to preen his feathers. I must have watched him for close to an hour, filling an 8GB card with photos!

What an incredible sight it was! I feel so fortunate to be able to research our loons in person, and to document it with my camera to share with all of you.

I’m keeping an eye on this pair and their nest.

More pictures to come soon.

Posted in Cooper and Packrat, Wildlife Sightings | Tagged Cooper and Packrat, loons, Wildlife, writing notes | 4 Comments

TAMRA WIGHT – Children's Author