70 degrees  Calm

Right now the lake is still.  Like a sheet of glass.  There is no moon and not many stars because of some of the sky being covered by clouds.  Lights around the lake reflect in the perfectly smooth surface of the lake.  The frogs are in full song and surround you with their croaks and chirps and 'ribbits'.

It is then you hear the sound that stands out from all others.  The sound that captivates you!   A loon!

And then another one answers.

The calls echo back and forth across the lake.  How beautiful is that sound.  It awakes something primeval in you.  A connection with all that is good and has gone before.  A feeling of being part of something so great and magnificent.  A world of wonder and discovery. 

In the darkness, one just hopes that all is well with the chicks.  Without being able to see, you just have to take it by faith that they are ok.

Yesterday was the chicks first day on the lake with a lot of boats and jet skis and water skiers.  In fact, I don't think it is stretching it too far to say that there were more boats on the lake yesterday than have been out there all spring.  Yesterday was the first warm sunny day and everyone headed to the lakes to let off all the pent-up desire that had built over the winter.  And they took advantage of it.

But it meant that our loons had to carefully thread their way through all the traffic and stay out of the way of all the speeding boats.

And they did it!

Today they have been swimming mainly on this side of the lake and enjoying the relative quiet of a Monday.

They are doing well!  It is amazing how fast the chicks grow.  Now they are two-and-a-half weeks old and they are looking more and more like loons, albeit miniature ones.  Their silhouette is now definitely that of a loon.  The body has lengthened.  The bill has gotten longer like a real loon.  They look like a loon, just much much smaller.

It is so hard to judge size from a distance or through binoculars.  But I would guess that they are at least 7 inches long if not even 9 inches.  They are growing up!

And every day that goes by increases their chances of surviving to adulthood and flying south later this fall.

So for those of you who wonder about them but can't see them, just know that tonight they are still doing very well and becoming loons and all that that  means.