Donations for Loon Warning Signs

Our roof is nearly finished.  I have to say - the men put in a long and busy day today to get everything covered up before the rain.  Each day they keep very close track of the weather - I don't know what app they use, or whose phone has it, but they seem to know from hour to hour what their weather window will be so they don't get caught in a rain storm with a lot of roof opened up.  They will finish the job tomorrow - a day or so later than predicted because of the weather, and we have been very pleased with their work.  

They found a spot near the chimney that needed to be repaired before the new roof could go on, and also took care of a place under the overhang where the ell on the house attaches that we had stuffed with wire a few years ago because squirrels were getting in.  Now there's an extension of the metal used in the valley of the roof that looks really nice and is about as squirrel-proof as you're going to get.  Take that, you red, bushey-tailed house invaders!

I noticed there are a couple of generous donations to the Loon Warning Signs project (see loon photo on home page).  I don't know exactly where the signs will be posted, but they are meant to  warn boaters who aren't familiar with the pond, that loons are present and protected.  We had a scary incident in the middle pond this summer when some out-of-state visitors were oblivious to the loon family and were coming dangerously close to them.  They simply didn't have a clue.  We also had a photographer in a kayak apparently pursuing the family to get close-up shots of them in the big pond, and again, it's likely he was visiting and had no idea he was doing anything dangerous or against the law.  So we hope the signs will help remedy these kinds of things happening and make it safer for the loons.  If lots of us contribute, the goal of $800 will be reached very soon and the signs could be in place next spring.

We are fortunate to have had two pairs of nesting loons here at Joe's Pond in recent years.  Their haunting calls are either charming or challenging - depending on whether you are lounging on your sunny deck or trying to sleep in the wee hours of the night; but they are very much a part of the ambiance of summer at Joe's Pond, and we want to keep them safe.