28 degrees Sunny Wind North 7 mph
Sunrise 7:06am Sunset 7:32pm
The Great North still lays quiet under a blanket of white.
Snow depths are measured in feet, not inches.
Lakes are still solidly frozen and cars are still driving on them. No sign yet that either spring or ice out are near. And so the lakes remain very unhospitable and unwelcoming places for our loons.
They will have to wait yet another day before they can return to their favorite haunts in the great forests and lakes of the north.
And we will have to wait to hear their beautiful haunting call which so typifies what it means to be part of the great north. The beautiful loons will not return, nor will we hear their call until there is open water for them.
According to the USGS website, the first few loons with transmitters have started their migration north. They are getting antsy and can wait no longer.
The sun struggles mightily. But it seems to be a losing battle. As soon as it melts some snow, more comes. We have missed the latest storm that went south of us and dumped up to a foot of snow on St Louis and other cities.
We have had our share of late spring snowstorms but for the last week we have had clear skies and bright sunshine. And today is another day with brilliant blue skies and sunshine.
Piles of snow that were over 6 feet high are now down to 5 feet. So the sun still has a lot of work to do.
Cardinals and chickadees sing their spring songs. Almost as if they are saying, "If we sing it, spring will come."
One year ago today, the ice had already been out of the lake for a week! The loons were back, we had had a day where the thermometer hit 80 degrees, the crocuses were blooming and I already had the loon nesting platform in the water.
Not so this year.
We are a long way from any of those things happening this year.
But it is time to start to tell your family and friends to get ready for another year of watching our amazing loons.
Until then, we do the only thing we can do.
Wait!
Copyright 2013 Larry R. Backlund