Thursday, July 23, 2009

Swooning for Loons




What an incredible morning! I was a lucky passenger on a loon observation field excursion conducted by the Biodiversity Research Institute. The mission of this wonderful organization is to "assess ecological health through collaborative research, and to use scientific findings to advance environmental awareness and inform decision makers." (visit their site by clicking on their name here and see all of the amazing work they do!)
My friend and fellow nature enthusiast, Nancy Craig, and I met up with the Executive Director and Senior Scientist, David Evers, Ph.D., Business Manager and Development Director (and boat captain), Lee Attix, and Consultant Paige Holmes. We had been invited to accompany them on their loon survey of a Maine lake about a half-hour north of my home. This lake, a busy vacation area, is home to at least five nesting pairs, and several "rogue" loons. On our excursion this morning we were able to see many of the loons with their chicks, and to also check three nest sites. Dave and Lee offered a wealth of fascinating information about these amazing birds. You can probably guess that I am very eager to work on a loon picture book! 

Bottom photo, L to R: Paige, Nancy, Lee & Dave. Photo above has female feeding fish to chick!

Monday, July 20, 2009

Pond Friends

A star singer at Frog Song Pond! And here are a few other residents:

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

and MORE tree house!






A friend requested a photo of my tree house, so here it is. Note that this is MY tree house---not my children's--and has screens and steps. My carpenter neighbor built it for me two years ago.  This isn't my studio, but it IS a grand place to observe the critters at Frog Song Pond.
The little froggy here is from SCOOT!

Monday, July 13, 2009

Lazy Afternoon in the Tree House
























Greetings from Frog Song Pond! 
A lovely Maine afternoon with happy critters willing to pose for my new camera. A very dead tree crashed into the pond a few days ago, creating a lovely new log for turtles to bask. 


I'm working on a new pond book idea.....stay tuned for updates.