Here's something interesting I just rec'd from Evelyn Richer:

Hi Jane,

Well, I thought I would share some fun info … It seems the loons on Joe’s are popular once again!! As you know, they were featured in Defenders of Wildlife magazine this spring (with Ray as the feature photographer…)

Anyway, on May 26^th, we had a call from an independent film maker from California that is making a documentary on folks that care for loons… she was very interested in interviewing Ray about the loons here on Joe’s and to learn some of the ‘intimate’ details that we have observed over the past 10 years. It seems that this is a rare opportunity, which we tend to forget from time to time, to be able to observe a loon pair during their nesting season with such scrutiny … Poor things… anyway… this film maker had just finished a documentary on Global Warming and came back from filming the outer rim of the ‘Arctic’ with the polar bears up close and personal… to film Ray and our Joe’s Pond loons…and then she went on to Maine… her work is phenomenal…

She does such a wonderful job and is so dedicated to documenting details of the struggles of the loons but also how people get involved with the animal world and dedicate their time and compassions to help creatures like the loons… She is impressed with our community and how we all protect our loon pair… and how successful Vermont has been in the recovery of the numbers of loons by its conservation and preservation programs with the educational programs headed by our dedicated biologist Eric Hanson of course.

She was fascinated to hear of Ray’s efforts in showing his multi-media programs throughout the state on the loons and other common wildlife that also share our lakes and ponds! (By the way, he will be the guest speaker at the Lake Morey Inn next Sat. for the New England Federation of Lakes and Ponds.) She also had wonderful praises for Ray’s photos of the loons and his efforts to protect them while filming them (not chasing them via boat or kayak). She was grateful to be able to photograph the loon on the nest from our shoreline and see how relaxed the loon was on the nest showing no signs of stress from our presence, but how disturbed he became when he had vision of a boat near the cove… Ray and I were nervous to have her there on the shore, even though we all were VERY quiet… and there was no stress evident by the loon…but it was also time for them to change nesting duties and we had waited for hours for that to happen… when it became evident that possibly they were going to wait for us to leave first… we did just that… then moments later in came the other loon… and they exchanged duties… They always had exchanged duties on ‘schedule’ when it was just Ray and/or I on the shore… but they knew someone new was there… they are amazing!

She was here by 6 am on the 27^th and spent the day filming the loons and Ray while conducting the interview… we have no idea what will come of it but have faith that she will carry the story to the rest of the world… and so again goes Joe’s Pond (and its loons)…

We’ll keep you posted…

Blessings, Evelyn