The Summer has passed quickly and although it is still “Summer” until the equinox, there seem to be less warm days in the forecast. Predictable changes are happening but there is still lots of time to enjoy the lake before it freezes.
It was exciting to see two loon chicks swimming around the Sister Islands back in the beginning of July. Small little fluff balls being fed by their parents. These same chicks are now much bigger although they still seem to enjoy food from their parents. At the same time, they seem to be spending half their time under water and they must be finding their own food. (Loons will catch things under water and eat them under water so except in rare occasions or when adults are feeding chicks, we don’t see them eating.) The chick that was hatched on Brummett Island is also growing and seems to be doing things that loons are supposed to do. One thing that loons do is to “waggle their feet”. This seems to be related to stretching and grooming. (It is a good thing also because biologists can see any bands that are put on loon’s legs as they raise them out of the water.) The adult is doing it in the first picture and the chick in the second.
Down on Governor’s Rock, the cormorants are hanging out as they do at this season. Some breed inland but they tend to breed in large colonies. These are juveniles who are non-breeders but they enjoy our lake.
Many people around the lake are starting to wish that they didn’t have pine trees around their houses. This year seems to have produced a bumper crop of pine cones. At the present, they are still mostly green and dripping of pine pitch. Don’t park your car under a pine tree at this time of year, you will be looking for ways to get rid of the pitch…….
Also, one sign that things are changing is a bit of color showing up in the trees. Black gum are wonderful trees in that they will have red leaves as well as green leaves and this goes on for a number of weeks. The first red has started showing up on them on some of the trees on Stamp Act. Well, other trees will join them in changing color, guess that happens in the Fall.
