They're Baaaccckkk!!!

Under a waxing gibbous moon (97% full), the evenings at Bondi have suddenly taken on a whole pack of activity.

There's the almost endless game of Manhunt -- kids ghosting past at the run in the semi-dark. Much shouting and laughter, and the pounding of feet in the grass.

The moon hanging huge over all. Casting shadows. Chasing Jupiter.

The bad news about a full moon -- and about the only bad news -- is that it washes out the stars. We went out last night, with more than 20 people, and we picked out the big stars. You know, the ones you can find from the city, with the light pollution. The Andromeda Galaxy was the faintest of faint smudges, if you knew just where to look in the northern sky, but all hope was lost for finding Scorpio near that amazing moon.

Even without sharp stars, there's plenty to do in the Bondi night. Nancy has been waiting and listening all summer for wolf-song. Last year, the pack had a rendezvous site right next door, and we were able to hold very successful wolf howls with our guests right here on the lawn. This year, we were sending folks up to Algonquin Park Wolf Howl -- where the rangers put on an outstanding show every Thursday in August, with or without the wolves' reply.

Monday morning, raking the beaches, the boys reported seeing a wolf track. Monday evening, at 11.15, Nancy stopped work on the computer and ran outside to listen. Yep... they're baaaaaackkkk!

Tuesday night, after the Wiener Roast we heard the pack, over to the west of Bondi, but only a short howl. So after we'd traced the Summer Triangle, arced to Arcturus and found Draco hanging out between the Dippers, we talked about wolves. And Nancy howled.

The pack came back right away with a good reply. They were a bit far away, and to the north of us, but they sang for a long time. You could pick out the high yappy voices of the puppies running along on top of the deeper voices of the adults.

In addition to our Bondi guests, we had some friends here from down Port Cunnington, who'd heard last year about our wolf howls and asked if they could join in. Of course!

When quiet descended again, and the wolves were silent, people headed back to their cottages. Dave and Ann came to the stable to help with the horses' late feed and really just so Ann could get her Pony-fix. Isabel and Wendy filled the water buckets and we all doled out the hay.

And then we stepped outside to go home to bed. And the wolves sang again. This time they were much closer, and almost due East of us, so the pack had circled Bondi.

It's amazing how quickly they can move, and how easy it is to track their location when they howl.

Now we know they're back in close, we'll spend the rest of the week stepping out under that glorious moon, and practicing our Wolf Karaoke.

This afternoon, the loons were back in the bay, and they were in full song as well -- long tremolos, and their trademark yodel.

With owls hooting on the hills, loon music and wolf song, it just doesn't get better than this.

Our thanks to Gary, from the Algonquin Inn, for the image of the wolf he captured last winter! Gary gets some of the best photographs we've ever seen.