Morning is a good time to get out on the lake is before it gets too hot, that is if the temperature will hit near 90. You also tend to have the lake more to yourself. You also can see some things as you mosey around, stopping to look at what seems important at the time and just enjoying the lake.
The two loon chicks that hatched on July 23rd seem to be doing well. They have more than doubled their size and are now able to dive under water (although I don’t know how far they go under). The one on the left in the picture is doing the loon “foot waggle” that seems to be related to just stretching. However, this behavior is very good for biologists because they raise the foot out of water so that any leg bands can be seen.
These chicks are staying close to an adult. The chick at the other end of the lake that hatched about a month before these chicks, at last report, was doing well. Please keep a distance from loons chicks, these pictures were taken with a 1300 mm lens and then the picture was cropped. They were taken from about 50 yards away. Cell phone camera pictures are not conducive to unstressed loons.
Also on the lake was a water skier. This skier, and the boat, were being very nice in that they were skiing a long way from any houses so the noise of the boat wasn’t bothering anyone. The skier also seemed to be having great fun.
Hiding behind her spray……
Darning needles were around and some were resting on pipewort, an aquatic plant that is an indication of clean water. They are native and not invasive.
Taken from another direction, the blue sky is reflected instead of the trees……
Floating around Stamp Act, the moon was seen through the pines.
And the green cones are dripping with sap.
And, of course, the Common Mergansers are around and the chicks are getting pretty close to adult size. The one in the middle apparently has something important to say.
