Great Blue Heron Rests in Potter Place Pond

Highland Lake Loon Update

It was reported in the last issue of The Beacon that our loon pair had begun nesting off the island and near the big rock. Unfortunately, during the last week of June, the adults abandoned the nest. This happened following the Sunday night (June 23) of hurricane warnings that resulted in heavy rain and winds. […]

Loon on Highland Lake in Early July

The Loons Are Nesting Again

  The Loons on Highland Lake began nesting the week before Father’s Day. This year’s nest site is on the west side of the island and just north of the big rock. This makes the nest especially vulnerable to wave activity. Wake boating and tubing was seen to cause a near washout to the nest […]

Wandering the Forest Reveals Hidden Marsh Marigolds

Beginning in March 2020 when the “COVID-19 lockdown” began, I decided to devote some time to wandering the forest of Dragonfly Farm. We had been producing maple syrup for use and giveaway for a few years, but I had never really investigated the forest land portion of the property, other than the sugarbush. So, in […]

The Highland Lake Loons Have Returned

The Highland Lake loons arrived back after an early ice-out on March 17th. I was able to confirm in early May that the nesting pair- banded a few years back – are in fact the pair occupying the territory. Both have blue over silver bands on the right leg. He has green on the left […]

Canada Geese with their Goslings on Highland Lake

FNRT Volunteers Open Trails after Downed Trees 

FNRT volunteers have been working hard recently to open the Trail after several severe weather events. Three teams of FNRT maintenance volunteers cleared fallen limbs off the Trail in Andover and Danbury on April 13. Forty-five downed trees were counted in a two-mile stretch in South Danbury!  Earlier that week, the New Hampshire Bureau of […]

Early Loon Death from Lead Tackle Ingestion

The Loon Preservation Committee (LPC) and the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department (NHFG) want to remind anglers about the ban on lead sinkers and jigs weighing one ounce or less for all freshwater in the state. The Loon Preservation Committee recently recorded the first loon mortality from lead tackle ingestion of 2024 on Merrymeeting […]