74 degrees Twilight Calm
The sky is on fire with scarlets and crimsons and golds and pinks and reds. And the surface of the lake is also ablaze with the reflection from the sky.
The sun set less than half an hour ago and we are now in the wonderful "in-between" time that is so typical of summer in the north. And a time that is so special. It is not a fast, harsh time between light and dark. But a gentle, gradual change. When the sky first wraps you in a coat of many colors before the dark finally envelopes you.
Most of the boaters have gone home. There are just a few boats still on the lake, all of them just gently floating and enjoying the beauty of the evening. There are three families of geese and their growing goslings swimming out on the lake. And over there, in the middle of the lake are our loons!
The temperature was in the 90's today. So there were boats all over the lake as people came out the enjoy a long delayed summer day.
And with it, our loons were in a traffic jam, caught between boats and water skiers and jetskis. They had to watch out for boaters that possibly were not watching out for them.
But they have made it through the day. They are safe. They are healthy. And they are growing so very much. They are still covered in a gray down. But their heads seem to be a little darker. Is it the development of the first fine smooth feathers that cover a loons head and neck? And they also seem to be developing some tail feathers
They are developing so rapidly. It is hard to believe how much they have changed in only three-and-one-half weeks.
But they have a long way to go before they are truly independent. They still rely on mom and dad for most of their meals although they are probably catching a few things on their own. They are becoming more adept at diving and they try out their skills more and more often. They can easily dive and stay down for 15 seconds or more. It would be so fascinating to be able to see what they actually do when they are underwater.
But for now, they simply float. And enjoy a gorgeous evening.
So tonight you can relax. YOUR loons are safe and growing. The most famous loons in the world! And hopefully many thousands of others across the US and Canada are doing the same or will be doing so soon.