The summer is winding down—what little we’ve had—but at least it isn’t dry like out west with all the fires. New York just sent a firefighting crew of 20 out to Montana last week.

I haven’t gotten any reports on the fire they are on but I’m sure the way it looks there will be other crews heading west soon.

I always enjoyed the trips west on the firefighting teams but it’s definitely for the younger men and women as it was hard work in some difficult situations.

Rachel Bills with the fish she caught on her Caroga Lake camping trip. Her friend Will came up empty on the trip. Rachel credits the good teacher she had a few years back.

The first year I went out to the Yellowstone Complex was in 1988, when I was only 45.

The elevation got me more than my age, as it seemed I always lacked air.

Some firefighters that came from the coastline had a harder time adjusting to the elevation than I did.

They were there more than a week before their bodies adjusted to the elevation differences.

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Loon Release at Rat Pond

A geo locator attached to the band

If you have been out and about you have certainly seen the changing red maple leaves along the shorelines of most lakes. I had my first flock of fall warblers hanging around the feeder birds and among the spruces out back.

I didn’t have a chance to put up the net that morning, so I missed those birds.

Last year I caught several warblers on their way south.

Then just yesterday I saw a white-rumped sandpiper on the shore of the pond when I was feeding the fish.

I don’t know if its the same bird that was here about the same time last year or not.

Last year the pond was down about a foot because it was so dry so this bird had some shoreline to walk on and feed in. This year the pond is still going out the overflow.

The temperatures sure have been fall-like, and not just in the mornings. Most days it hasn’t gotten much above 72.

I’ve seen most of the loons we banded locally, and also some that I hadn’t seen all summer. Just yesterday I saw bands on a loon at Woodhull Lake that I haven’t seen in a couple years.

I just hope those geo locaters are doing their jobs and we get lots of information from them when they are recovered in a year or two.

During the second three-day period of banding loons we were based in the Saranac Lake area.

The first night we traveled to ESF in Newcomb and tried to catch loons on Wolf Pond.

The birds hollered at us as we were getting stuff down to the lake. Then they were quiet the rest of the night, except for a couple splash dives when we happened to catch them in our lights.

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Well, I’m still waiting for some hot summer weather with no rain. We were out the other night and our weather guide said there would not be any rain until after 7 a.m.

Well, about 1 a.m. a storm came through that nearly filled the canoe before we got to shore on Clear Pond by Meacham Lake.

I didn’t believe our weatherman so I had my rain suit on, however my lighter and canoe motor operator were not suited up and got pretty wet.

Luckily it was pretty warm that night. It was the first lake we went out on with one to go.

Massawepie Lake was the second one and the stars were out with lots of falling stars.

The night before we dodged t-storms most of the night and sat one out for over two hours in front of the Newcomb School.

We had Herbie the hummer in rehab for over a week after he fell out of a nest off the Petrie Road.

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Several storms rolled through here during the week and on through the weekend. They made for a wet camping week with temperatures that weren’t all that warm either. It sounds like it may even be colder this week…just in time for banding loons all night while wearing long johns.

I guess that’s why we live here in the Adirondacks.

One party from the Syracuse area that I saw up on Moshier Reservoir said it was down in the forties this week, unlike the low sixties he’s accustomed to where he comes from.

The conversation took place as he was trying to get his outboard going out in the middle of the reservoir.

The motor wasn’t running very long on each winding.

Luckily he was mechanically inclined. He had just changed his alternator on his car in the parking lot before this happened and he had enough tools on-hand for any job.

I enjoyed the moose at Helldiver Pond one day this week with a couple from North Syracuse who have a camp on Cohasset Point.

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Several storms rolled through here during the week and on through the weekend. They made for a wet camping week with temperatures that weren’t all that warm either. It sounds like it may even be colder this week…just in time for banding loons all night while wearing long johns.

I guess that’s why we live here in the Adirondacks.

One party from the Syracuse area that I saw up on Moshier Reservoir said it was down in the forties this week, unlike the low sixties he’s accustomed to where he comes from.

The conversation took place as he was trying to get his outboard going out in the middle of the reservoir. 

The motor wasn’t running very long on each winding.

Luckily he was mechanically inclined. He had just changed his alternator on his car in the parking lot before this happened and he had enough tools on-hand for any job.

I enjoyed the moose at Helldiver Pond one day this week with a couple from North Syracuse who have a camp on Cohasset Point.

The moose seems to be getting up later each morning as another party saw him on Saturday morning at 8:30. We saw him from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.

If you stay off the pond until he comes out and starts feeding and then go over closer for photos you have a better chance of seeing him.

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The final hike of View’s annual summer hikes series will be held Friday, August 2 with naturalist Gary Lee leading participants on a short informative butterfly hike.

The hike can be enjoyed by participants of all ages. It is free of charge and anyone interested in attending should meet at View at 10 a.m.

More information is available by calling View at (315) 369-
6411 ext. 201, or email info@viewarts.org.

It’s been a very good week weatherwise with nice sunny days and cool nights for sleeping. We did have a couple gully washers over the weekend and I got caught in one of them.

I was doing the Loon Census on Saturday, July 20th. I started by biking into Upper Mitchell Pond where there was a single loon.

I walked over to the lower pond and found a pair. I got them talking to each other and there was a fine chorus at eight in the morning. 

Five pink water lillies

Three guys from New Jersey were camping there and sharing the mosquitoes that were out in full force.

From there I went into Beaver Lake on my bike and found a pair of loons and one chick before 9 a.m.

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