The Wildlife of New England: A Viewer's Guide

New Hampshire

��� ��� ��������� ��� ��������� 11 9 6 4 5 3 7 1 13 8 10 89 93 293 93 2 12 �. DePierrefeu–Willard Pond Wildlife Sanctuary �. The Connecticut Lakes �. Great Bay �. Kancamagus Highway: Greeley Ponds, Lily Pond, Swift River �. Lake Winnipesaukee: Markus Wildlife Sanctuary and the Loon Center �. Mount Washington and the Presidential Range �. Odiorne Point State Park �. Pisgah State Park �. Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge ��. Surry Mountain Lake ��. Thirteen Mile Woods ��. Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge ��. Wapack Range: Pack and North Pack Monadnock Mountains ��� ��������� new hampshire 125 DePierrefeu–Willard Pond Wildlife Sanctuary Audubon Society of New Hampshire, 603-224-9909, www.nhaudubon.org closest towns: Hancock, Antrim directions: From the junction of nh 9 and nh 123 in Antrim follow nh 123 south for 3.3 miles to a left on Willard Pond Road. Follow Willard Pond Road for 1.6 miles, bearing left at forks, to the large sanctuary parking lot and information sign on the left. The road ends at the boat launch just beyond the sanctuary entrance. In the heart of an 18-mile-long corridor of protected lands in southern New Hampshire’s uplands is the 1,056-acre dePierrefeu–Willard Pond Wildlife Sanctuary, which is the largest property of the New Hampshire Audubon Society. Its namesake is pristine, 100-acre Willard Pond, which is managed by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. Along its shores are numerous glacial boulders, shrubs such as maple-leaved viburnum , hobblebush, and highbush blueberry, and a grove of white pines at Pine Point, a small peninsula near the sanctuary’s eastern boundary. The pond’s outflow feeds the adjacent Hatches Mill Pond, a much smaller, shallow pond at the site of an old sawmill. Rising some 900 feet above Willard Pond is Bald Mountain, so named in the aftermath of a historical forest fire that destroyed much of its vegetation . Today, its steep, rocky slopes are again forested with oak, pine, and maple, and a high-elevation red spruce grove at its 2,083-foot summit. Open ledges below the summit offer fine panoramic views to nearby Mount Monadnock and the Wapack Mountain ridge, and a lower overlook offers a bird’s-eye view of Willard Pond. The sanctuary encompasses the bulk of the mountain, a portion of which is privately owned. viewing The clear waters of Willard Pond host a resident pair of common loons, which may be observed from viewpoints along the Tudor Trail. Other waterfowl often seen here include wood ducks and hooded mergansers. “Hoodies,” named for their distinctive hoodlike crests, breed throughout much of New England; a few live year-round in southern regions, while others overwinter along the coast north to Maine. Watch for bald eagles and osprey over the pond. The nearby Mill Pond offers the opportunity to see mink, river otters, and beaver; look for trees cut by the latter in the woods along the water’s 126 the wildlife of new england edge. Pine warblers, appropriately enough, nest in the tall trees at Pine Point. Along Bald Mountain’s forest trails look for songbirds such as hermit thrushes, black-throated blue warblers, and veeries in spring and summer; winter wrens and white-throated sparrows frequent the area year-round. Abundant eastern chipmunks dart in and out of stone walls, the legacy of when the mountain’s slopes were cleared pastures, while snowshoe hares and their sign may be seen along brushy edges. Along with red and gray squirrels and a variety of small rodents, these small mammals are prey species for predators such as fishers, bobcats, and eastern coyotes, which actively stalk the old walls during the course of their hunting rounds. White-tailed deer, black bears, and moose also reside in these woods and often use the mountain trails; the sign of the latter is often evident, even at the summit. In the summit red spruce groves watch and listen for dark-eyed juncos, yellow-rumped warblers, golden-crowned kinglets, and beautifully colored blackburnian warblers, which are distinguished by their bright orange heads and breasts. All these species favor coniferous or mixed woodlands. Take note of subtle gaps in the forest, as even the smallest sunlit clearings attract insects such as swarming darner dragonflies and skipper and mourning cloak butterflies. From the open ledges watch for ravens and turkey vultures gliding on updrafts; migrating hawks are most visible during the late summer and autumn weeks. getting around There are good views of, and access...