This has been one extremely hot summer. Whew! I remember checking the weather one day for all parts of New Jersey as it was in the 100°s where we are. I found it hilarious that it was 74° in Key West, Florida that afternoon. Haha!
Great news! The swans finally came back to the lake and so did the ducks. There is life again. Yay! All have been absent from the lake since May when the existing swan couple gave life to new cignets. I almost don't blame them for leaving. There is ALWAYS a snapping turtle under the water. That sucker usually plucks one or two of the babies before the crew leaves for another body of water. I don't know if they realize it, but we spot the snapper turtle crossing the street to get to other bodies of water every year as we are surrounded by some man-made, some natural, lakes.
Additionally, as I mentioned, the ducks and geese all exited the lake too. Seems every year there is, what I'm guessing is, an overgrowth of bacteria. People come in a small boat and pump spray a mixture into the entire body of water. It is my deepest hope that a local biologist handles this situation so this activity would not so much as be an organism killing spree but more of an ecologically sound way of helping the balance of the lake's inhabitants. Even the bacteria have a purpose, I suppose; as there is both good and bad bacteria.
Regardless, waking up every day to the sight of the swans makes me very happy, relaxed and thankful they are there. I am also thankful for all of the nature that surrounds this lake. It is the first time I've ever seen a real live chipmunk. (besides Alvin and the Chipmunks - that was the extent of my encounters until now) They are so tiny! I can't even grab their picture because they're extremely fast too. They make me laugh.
I hope to add more photos to this post. Thank you for reading. I obviously do not post often. I'm kind of on the fence about how much information I like to share. If I were to post often, which makes for a better blog, I would undoubtedly share more, border-lining too much. Eh, we shall see.
Have a great day!! :)
