Hiking around the Lakes

With sun in the sky, and happiness in my soul, I headed down the trail toward the bog lake. In the week since I was last here, the trees have greened. The maples, which were in bloom then, now are fully leafed.

I soon scared a pair of Canada geese and their two goslings away from the shore line. I was sorry to do that. Certainly more than two goslings had been hatched this spring. The others were either snatched by the eagles or drowned by the loons, who sometimes grab little geese or ducks from underneath, pull them under until they drown. Me scaring the geese away from the safety of the shoreline is not what I intended.

There was a brisk wind blowing across the lake. There would be no canoeing as white caps lapped at the shore. The strong breeze kept any mosquitoes or ticks at bay. I was sorry I had sprayed repellent on myself.

An eagle was flying overheard at the bog lake, looking for fish. The kingfisher was after the same thing.

The pitcher plants are up, but will they survive tonight's frost? Time will tell.

I photographed another flower I couldn't identify, but Gary the botanist said it was bog rosemary.

As I turned to go home, I heard the ovenbirds calling, “Teacher, teacher,teacher!” They sounded like those annoying know it all students who raise their hands to answer every question. But I knew what they wanted. I began to stir up last year's leaves beside the path, scraping into the soil underneath. Sure enough, when I looked back, I saw the birds looking in the duff for bugs. Gary says that the increase of earthworms in the northern woods will remove the duff and take away the ovenbirds' major source of food.

A mourning cloak was flitting through the third loop of the campground. We've been seeing monarchs and swallowtails, too.

When I got back to our campsite, Gary was puttering around as usual. He had been on another dumpster run where he found a broken Cavela's recliner (once known as a zero gravity chair). He repaired it with a screw and was relaxing it in.

Gary is always up to something. When he noticed that the rose-breasted grosbeaks didn't like feeding on the seed he had laid on the ground, possibly not wanting to fight the chipmunks for their share, he built them a hanging table feeder. He had me bring more feed for them.

He also had me bring the hummingbird feeders, but forgot he didn't have any nectar. A hummingbird zoomed by checking out our progress. We'll stop and get some tomorrow as we explore some of our other favorite campgrounds.

And the chipmunks continue to beg for peanuts.

Later, Gary and I walked over to Gordon Lake to take a look at the osprey nest, which has been there for several years. The osprey simply add to it each season. The female took off and circled when she saw us but decided we were no threat and returned to her nest.

Tonight, cold, cold, cold. We'll sleep in long underwear.