It was cold last night and was around 15 degrees on the morning of the 22nd. It is supposed to be cold again tonight and there may be snow coming on Monday night. It doesn’t look like the ice will go out for at least a few days. At the same time, the ice is starting to look a bit more like it is thinking of going out. Melting is occurring, especially around the mouths of streams and along the south facing shores. The below freezing nights have put a skim of ice back on the open water but the sun has melted most of it during the day even though the high temperature was about 40 degrees.
Arriving over Point Breeze,the drone looked toward Stamp Act Island and there is open water that extends over to Cate Island which is now ice free. The ice, for the most part, still is pretty white as compared to really rotten ice that looks quite gray.
Below, looking toward Point of Pines, Townsend Brook, in the lower right, has made an open area maybe 150 feet off shore which is typical of most of the streams around the lake. Recent rains have caused rather heavy flows into the lake melting the ice. The area of open water around the little island off the point, Brummitt, had two male mergansers swimming in it on the 21st. Yes, ducks have been returning and wood ducks have been seen in Townsend Brook and in swamps.
Now, a little closer to the lake and there is a large plume of open water off Sunset Point going down the shoreline in front of Point Breeze.
The picture below indicates that most of the lake is still frozen.
However, a more detailed picture shows that the small Sister Islands, Joe and Flo and Min and Wal are ice free and there is a large area of open water going from Stamp Act toward the Sisters. Little Bass Island in the middle left is free of ice and all along the south shore of Stamp Act, there is a 10 to 20 foot wide section of open water.
All of this will change in the next few days with the cold, then snow and then it will warm again. Wonder when the ice will go out……
Beautiful photos! Thanks Peter!!