11 degrees Clear Wind NW 1mph
First of all, I hope that all of you had a wonderful Happy Thanksgiving yesterday!
I hope you have enjoyed the fellowship of family and friends and those who are special to you, or memories of Thanksgivings past, as you reflected on all the good things and gifts in your life that you have reason to be thankful for.
Thanksgiving definitely marks the start of the holiday season here in Minnesota. That wonderful lead up to Christmas. We have now had snow on the ground for a few days and it looks like it will probably stay for the rest of the winter. Although that could change. It is supposed to be up to 40 degree tomorrow.
There is still one small spot of open water on the lake here. The rest has frozen over.
For the last couple days there have been 40 or 50 trumpeter swans here on the lake. For the most part, they have remained sitting on the ice along the edge of the open water. But now today they are no longer here. Have they left for good on their way south? Or will they be back if the water remains open for a few days?
How do you ever predict what they will do?
Just like our loons.
The USGS website has been updated.
Two more of the loons (#55479 and #55489) are now on the move. #55479 reached Tims Ford Lake near Winchester, Tennesee on Thanksgiving Day. And #55489 was tracked in flight over Indiana on November 23rd. That puts him on track also heading toward Tennessee.
With this direction of migration, I think that it is a 50/50 chance of whether these two loons will end up on the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Coast, with a slight probability that they will end up on the Gulf off the coast of Florida..
Which way will they go? Who knows. Now we watch and wait and once again learn.
It now looks like all of our magnificent loons will be on the move in earnest in the next few days.
Look and listen and learn along with all the rest of us. And enjoy watching this miracle of nature!