Peeps and Tremolos



Jerry Schmanda photo
Tree frog on rock

 




Between spring peeper frogs and the loons on the bay, our nights have been very musical lately.  Spring peepers, tree frogs, the deep "jug o' rum" call of the bullfrogs and a host of other 'singers' are all fired up in an amphibian chorus that is wonderfully entertaining, and drowns out just about everything else!



Mike Baum photo



Add into the mix the very chatty pair of Barred Owls on the hill, and it's a full scale orchestra out there after dark!  We are still in love with this photo of the barred owl and the chickadee, and are happy to share it again..  Our barred owls have been in the trees near Springside cottage, calling back and forth for about a week.  It sounds serious!



Our friend Mike Baum, from Dorset, also caught this short video of a loon on Kawagama lake, that is too good not to share, and gives a good idea of what we get to hear almost daily.



Jerry Schmanda photo



Many thanks also to Jerry Schmanda, who provides me with such wonderful photographs of our wild neighbours!  It won't be long before our pair of loons have their chicks out and swimming.

Just a reminder, if you're boating, remember that the wake from your boat can be enough to wash loon eggs right out of the nests that they build at the water's edge.  Drive with care, and keep your wake as small as possible, please. There are baby loons working hard to be born out there!  This is critical time for the loons -- from mid-June to mid-July they are on their nests and with the chicks.  Loosely built nests touching the water (because loons are less than graceful on dry land!) may be washed away by boat wakes, destroying the nest and the eggs.  Chicks are hatched in late June, and are extremely vulnerable to becoming separated from their parents by boat activity as well.  Wake Up! Slow Down! Stay Away!  You have an enormous window of time when you can enjoy your boating, but the loons have a very narrow window when they can successfully ensure that we will be able to hear loon laughter on our lakes in future.