Jack and Lily, Part I

Alright kids, gather around for story time.  I should have told this one as it was happening, but since I didn't, you get the re-telling now.

It was a sunny day last June, right around the 12th if I remember correctly, that one of our guests came in to tell us that they'd spotted two loon eggs on the back side of Matt's Island.  (Matt's Island, named after my brother when we were both kids, is the little island right behind the big one.)  I thought it was a pretty momentous occasion; we'd never had loons nest or raise young on Island Pond before.

Unfortunately for our loons, though, we'd had a group of youngsters at Camp the weekend before the eggs were spotted.  The kids were a great group, but the best part about being in the woods is that you can make all sorts of noise and commotion without getting into trouble.

We didn't know if the nesting loons were new and inexperienced parents, or if they were old hands.  (By all accounts, loons are easily spooked from their nests- they prefer to nest on lakes with little human activity, which is probably why they've steered away from Island Pond.)  We had no idea if they'd stayed with the eggs through the unexpected ruckus.  If they'd been abandoned, the temperature could have easily dropped low enough for the eggs to lose vitality. 

I paddled around Matt's Island one or twice and saw the eggs but never saw the parents.  I didn't have high hopes for their success, but the only thing to do was watch and wait.

Which is exactly what you'll have to do now, because today's part of Jack and Lily's story is only the introduction.  More to come in future posts.