36 degrees Clear Calm
I was awakened at 5:30 this morning to the call of a loon over the loudspeaker!
When I got up to look, the loons were near the nest and slowly swimming away. Now a few minutes later they are back again and just floating ever so peacefully on a lake like glass. Just relaxing and floating near the nest.
The scene is spectacular.
The sun has just poked its head over the horizon a minute ago, there is hardly a ripple on the lake, a myriad of birds are in full song .... and our two beautiful loons quietly float within feet of the nest unconcerned. Today promises to be another spectacular day. Can it get much better than this?!
So far, neither one of them seems to be in any hurry to get up on the nest.
But the fact that they are floating right next to the nest shows that they are definitely beginning to call this 'home' again and taking ownership of it. It is a very encouraging sign.
After the call early this morning, there was a little of the quiet calling that I mentioned yesterday .... a call that would not have been heard without the new microphone. It will be interesting to see how much of this we hear in the days ahead and whether this adds new information to the body of knowledge about loons.
Even as I am writing this, one of the loons gives a short 'tremolo' type call [very short and not a typical alarm call], and the two of them begin to swim peacefully and slowly out into the lake.
I hope your day is as spectacular as the one that our loons are enjoying right now!
PS Just after I finished writing this, I heard a splash and looked at the tv. Unbelievably there was a muskrat getting up on the nest! And he was starting to eat some of the iris and daylily roots of plants growing on the nest!! A stone thrown in his direction to create a splash in the water and a clap of the hands sent him on his way....where he belongs!