Happy Summer! Lola and Sophie are stopping by to share a little weekend waterview from Lake Norman.
It’s been another wet week with 3 1/2 inches of rain so we were dog gone happy to see the sun appear and enjoy a pontoon ride on Saturday.
It’s nesting season on the lake and we enjoy checking out the Osprey nests by boat on the water.
Osprey return to their same nest each year around the beginning of March here after wintering in Central and South America.
They can log more than 160,000 migration miles during their 15-to-20-year lifetime.
They build their nests on man made structures . . .
Channel markers. . .
Duck blinds. . .
Power poles, nest platforms designed especially for nesting, dock roofs. . .
And occasionally a boat.
{ insert *wince* here }
The following year we saw the boat owner found a unique way to prevent the Osprey from rebuilding a nest. They win the award for ‘Most Creative Use of Tomato Cages and Pool Noodles’!
Once on the endangered list, the osprey population is slowly making a comeback after the ban of the insecticide DDT in 1971. In the US, Osprey are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and moving an osprey nest violates federal and state laws, although state laws vary.
We spied some herons nesting in the treetops on an island. . .
The look so funny perched together on the limbs, standing at attention. . .
And a little Dr. Suess-esque and uncoordinated when taking off or coming in for a landing . ;)
We always enjoy seeing new sights when we boat. . .
We spied this floating fountain on the lake. It must have quite a pump to shoot so high up in the air.
And we enjoy reading boat names, this one with potted palms on the top deck, christened ‘The Palmtoon’.
Sophie says the sunshine makes her sleepy. . .
She’s dreaming about chasing bunnies which is one of her favorite new activities. . . there are an abundance of bunnies for her to chase.
Lola says she loves her daddy. . .
And she wishes all the dads out there Happy Father’s Day.
Happy National Flag Week, Summer and Father’s Day! ♥
Thank you for your visit, sharing with:
Between Naps on the Porch
I love the nest pictures
How wonder – that looks like it was a very fun and “summery” boat ride. I agree with you about the Herons…. they brought a smile to my face! Thank you for sharing!
Happy fathers day to your husband Mary. The nature shots are wonderful. The pool noodle boat made me laugh. Next week we may get rain but the weather has been lovely indeed with low humidity. Herons, ospreys and puppy dogs are a perfect way to enjoy the weekend. Thank you! Clara♥️
Nice ride, Mary!! I got a real kick out of the guy trying to keep the nest off his pontoon!! Wonder how long it took him to put that together!! You’ve had too much rain and we haven’t had enough!! It’s either feast or famine as the saying goes! Enjoyed seeing your little girls with you…makes me miss ours all the more!! HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO ALL! Have a wonderful Sunday!!! 🇺🇸♥️🍺🎁🎈
Always love your posts and if they include the girls, then it’s extra special. Love seeing all the sights on the Lake. Thank you for another beautiful and wonderful post! Happy Father’s Day to Sophie’s and Lola’s human Dad!
Beautiful photos Mary! I love seeing the photos of the ospreys and herons, and of course, Lola and Sophie!
Cool and I agree with your Dr. Seuss comment.
We have a pair of Ospreys who return to nest on top of a cell tower which we can view from our back yard. Love to watch them catch fish in a pond across the street and bring them to the young in the nest. Really good parents!
Hope we North Carolinians can catch a break from the rain. Enough is enough.
Have a Happy and sunny Fathers Day.
Your posts are so enjoyable! I love them!
I love to watch the birds on the coast, and herons and ospreys especially…I remember when you posted the nest on the boat roof, and wow, did the owner ensure that wouldn’t happen again!! He still can’t use his boat though, 😂 ! I love the pic of the herons nesting high in the tree, and I often laugh at our resident blue heron, “Freddy” and his antics…the other day I found him on the steps IN our pool!! I’m so glad you had a sunny day and a boat ride, and I love that Sophie and Lola enjoy it so much! Happy Sunday Mary,
Jenna
Beautiful shots, love the herons in the trees, startling! Must be so nice to float about on hot days and take in so many changing sights 😊
Thank you for the virtual tour of your lake!! Loved the tree full of herons! I got a kick out of the Palmtoon!!! Wishing you many happy sunny days this summer!!☀️❤️
Always enjoy a chance to take a trip on the boat with you. Such great site seeing. I am with Sophie, the sunshine makes me sleepy too.
What inviting scenery…the pups, the birds and the lake…started my day off just right. Have a wonderful Sunday, and Happy Fathers’ Day to Sophie and Lola’s daddy…
Reading your blog post feels like a mini vacation for me. Love all the pictures of the ospreys, herons, your sweet dog and the water scenes.
What beautiful views, love the osprey photos. Those herons look a bit like meerkats, all sitting up and looking in the same direction, LOL!!
The osprey sure do find unusual nesting areas, Mary! The photos of the herons in the trees were indeed Dr Seuss-like. Happy Sunday to you, your pups and hubby! I hope your day is not as dreary, rainy and cloudy as it is here. 😘
Happy Father’s Day! Loved your pictures.
Sophie & Lola are so cute. Love that pic of Sophie burying her face and Lola loving her daddy. I can’t tell them apart when they’re perched on the back of the boat on their hind legs, but those are favorites too.
Those osprey would be the equivalent of my Canada geese nemesis here on our river. The herons look cartoonish in the trees! Love that fountain, but isn’t it an obstacle for boaters?! Love Lake Norman. You definitely have a slice of heaven there. Happy weekend.
Had to laugh that right after the noodle pic, the birds look like they’re giving that boat owner the stink eye!!! I’ve never seen the herons in trees, usually just standing on docks-fun:@)
I agree about the herons nesting in trees, they look very Dr. Seussian to me too! It’s so odd because they seem like the type/size of bird that would nest on the ground more like a goose. But no, they nest in trees. A rookery. I love ospreys. We have a couple of osprey cams on nests that I watch on youtube on a daily basis. They are fascinating creatures. There is also a nest near my house up on a telephone pole. So cool!
Such a nice boat ride, so many neat things to see, especially that fountain! The herons perched in the trees are funny looking, such big birds. Love the fur-babies, such cuddle bugs, their patriotic beach towel is very fitting for Flag week. Thanks for the ride Mary, a nice distraction for me as today we would have left for our Maine trip, but the tour was cancelled due to Covid 19, (sniff). 😔. I still hope to get there one day!
It’s nice the birds allow you to live on their lake, LOL. Seriously those are some amazing shots. We have a small lake here, and one year some Cormorants took over, luckily they are gone now—and just the geese and ducks have claimed it as theirs. Grins, Happy summer! Sandi
Thanks for sharing your weekend waterview, your adorable little pups and pretty adventure on Lake Norman. Today was a beautiful day in Northeastern North Carolina, no rain for a change. We too enjoy the sight of ospreys and herons on the Pequimans River. Every spring we wait for the arrival of the Purple Martins. My husband tends their houses in their absence and enjoys their comings and goings once back home.
Beautiful pictures, love the birds!! It was a great weekend in our area.
Mary, I love everything about this post! I learned about the migration and nesting of osprey’s, and seeing the funny herons in the trees is amazing. I appreciate your neighbors sacrificing the use of their boat for the osprey nest, but can fully understand that they didn’t want to make that an annual ritual. Birds are so determined to return to their nesting place! The Palmtoon has an awesome slide! And, of course, the darling girls are the best part of the post. I notice they were both a bit damp on their legs and undersides – did they have a dip on the swim step?
Thank you for sharing your wonderful times on the beautiful lake.
What a nice getaway for the day… Glad you were able to get out and see the osprey nests and others!!! Your pups looked like they had a fun day, too. Happy belated Father’s Day, Flag Day (wasn’t that like June 16th??) and Happy 4th coming soon! <3
Hugs,
Barb :)