The colorful foliage was gone but there was still color around: birds, sunrises, buildings, wall paintings, tamaracks and ginkgo leaves. Late October 2024 through early January 2025 found me close to home on the NH side of the Upper Valley: Canaan, Enfield, Hanover, Lebanon, and Lyme. I kept my carbon footprint fairly low.
The image above is a 20-photo panorama taken at 6:32 am November 16 from the boat launch on Lake Mascoma in Enfield.
Scenes
Yellow
Using a very loose definition of “scenes” here I start with some vibrant color — these two from the walls of the newly painted underpass in downtown Lebanon.
There was still some bright yellow around: a carpet of ginkgo leaves in Lebanon and tamaracks in the new Hanover Conservancy Headwaters Forest.
In Lyme I photographed some interesting sculptures.
Nearby I got a view of the northern part of the Moose Mountain range in the early morning fog.
Along the Rail Trail near Ice House Road in Lebanon, there was the annual Halloween bat flying overhead.
Structures
I photographed barns in Lebanon with the early morning moon, near our Etna home after a late November snowstorm, and in Etna in late December after the snow disappeared.
Other structures were found in Enfield, Canaan, and Lebanon along routes Jann and I walked.
Not a structure, but the remains of a natural one — a tree sawn down to this remaining stump.
Mountains
I found some nice viewpoints for local Vermont and New Hampshire mountains:
Killington and Pico from Lebanon.
Ascutney from Lebanon.
Ascutney from the old Adams Farm in Etna.
Across Mirror Lake in Canaan with Firescrew to the left of the snow-capped summit of Cardigan.
Also along the Northern Rail Trail in Canaan, this view of Cardigan.
Turkey Trot
Jann and I headed for a hike around Occom Pond and stumbled on the remains of the Turkey Trot. It was mostly over — they were announcing the winners as we drove by the Green — but there were still a few runners left enjoying the day and not caring about their order of finish. I chose a slow shutter speed to blur them as I sometimes like to do with runners, bikers, and kayaks racers.
Snow
We did get some snow these months, more in the hills of Etna than in the valley. Here are two early morning views from Etna looking across Vermont toward Killington.
Another scene from Etna late November.
Here is the same scene where I added a foreground object to give it more depth.
On December 19, parts of Etna were a winter wonderland.
Staying in Etna, here are two scenes from the “Favor Johnson Farm” made famous by neighbor Willem Lange.
The day before Christmas, Lake Mascoma was covered with snow.
Sledding
There were a few days where sledding was good on the old golf course in Hanover.
When that hill got worn down, folks move to the edge of Pine Park behind the old club house.
Sky
In mid-November I saw some Kevin-Helmholtz clouds over Ascutney.
A glorious sunrise over Lake Mascoma in mid-November.
And a colorful December sunrise from Etna.
Boston Lot
South and west of DHMC is a large undeveloped area crisscrossed with great trails for hiking, xc-skiing, snowshoeing, and mountain biking. It is Boston Lot. The Upper Valley Mountain Bike Association builds and maintains many of the trails and publishes a map. Here are some photos from an early January hike.
A short distance along the Westline Trail we met a jogger.
There had been a surprise snowfall overnight which contributed to a beautiful hike.
There are some impressive glacial erratics along the trails.
Years ago someone managed to park a 1980s Nissan Pathfinder deep in the woods.
Birds
To amuse myself during a New Hampshire winter when snow is too thin to xc-ski or snowshoe but the ponds and rivers are not yet fit for skating, I photographed some handy subjects — common birds. I didn’t want them simply perched but airborne.
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Perhaps the least seen of the species here, the Red-bellied Woodpecker is a favorite bird. I hoped to get it flying, but the best I could do was a hop.
Downy Woodpecker
I had better luck with Downy Woodpeckers. Here are seven in flight.
Hairy Woodpecker
I believe these three are Hairy Woodpeckers rather than the shorter-billed and smaller Downy.
White-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
The smaller, faster, cuter nuthatch is the Red-breasted Nuthatch. Here are seven photos.
Blue Jay
Purple Finch
New Hampshire’s state bird.
Tufted Titmouse
The Tufted Titmouse is a distinctive bird, especially when flying or when its tuft is raised. It was hard to keep from photographing them.
Here is a sequence of one heading my way and then taking a left turn. The time between the first and last photo was less than one second.
Here is another slide show of this beautiful species, all taken within 5 days in mid-December.
Black-capped Chickadee
I conclude with a common, spunky, charming species — the Black-capped Chickadee.
