August Weekend Waterview and The Dog Days of Summer

Happy Sunday!

Here’s a weekend waterview from Lake Norman.

The Dog Days of Summer are behind us according to the calendar, but the dog days last

through mid-September for Lola and Sophie.🐾🐾

We refer to the uncomfortably hot, sultry days of summer as the “Dog Days” of Summer.

The official “Dog Days” are considered to be the 40 days between July 3rd and August 11^th, associated with the rising and setting of Sirius, also known as the Dog Star, in conjunction with the sun.

Sirius is part of the constellation Canis Majoris—the “Greater Dog”—which is where Sirius

gets its canine nickname, as well as its official name, Alpha Canis Majoris.

The name “Sirius” stems from Ancient Greek ‘seírios’, meaning “scorching.”

Greek and Roman astrology associated the Dog Days with heat, drought,

sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs, and bad luck.

No bad luck ( knock wood!) or mad dogs, just uncomfortable ones,

as Lola and Sophie say it’s hot in their fur coats, even with the breeze

generated by a little speed on the pontoon!

🐾 🐾

The triple digit temps and humidity in July kept us indoors and from boating.

After a rainy start to our week, we’ve enjoyed a couple of early morning boat rides.

We always enjoy admiring the homes from the water . . .

‘Roll Tide’ for Alabama football enthusiasts . . .

Hooray for football season which kicks off in two weeks! 🏈

We enjoy checking out the Osprey nests by boat.

Osprey return to the same nest each year around the beginning of March,

after wintering in Central and South America.

The female lays 2 to 4 eggs with incubation lasting for 4 to 5 weeks.

The female does most of the incubation but

is relieved by the male when she leaves the nest to feed.

The young remain in the nest for about 8 weeks after hatching.

Osprey build their nests on man made structures . . .channel markers, power poles, nest platforms

designed especially for nesting, dock roofs and occasionally a boat.

Fun fact: In flight, Ospreys’ wings form a distinct ‘M’ shape.

Ospreys were pushed to edge of extinction in the 1960s due to exposure to DDT and PCBs,

as the chemicals built up in fish they fed on and made their egg shells

so thin, they would be crushed by nesting Osprey.

Ban on chemicals in the 70s, along with Osprey conservation efforts,

have helped them to make a comeback.

Almost 100 Osprey nesting platforms have been installed on Lake Norman

over the past 10 years with grant funding

from Duke Energy and the Catawba Wateree Habitat Nest Program,

by volunteers from North Carolina Wildlife Federation

and Lake Norman Wildlife Conservationists.

The 30-foot poles with platforms are adjacent to shorelines,

free of people and safe for navigation by boaters.

The high poles are attractive to the birds and offer eggs and chicks

protection from black snakes and raccoons.

We spied this nest on a gazebo roof on the lake . . .

Kudos to the Ospreys for collecting trash on the lake and lining their nest with a plastic bag . :)

Ospreys possess a reversible outer toe that allows them to grasp with two toes in front and two behind.

Barbed pads on the soles of the birds’ feet help them grip slippery fish.

When flying with its prey, an Osprey lines up its catch head first for less wind resistance.

This blue water view offers an illusion of ‘cool’,

as the water temperature of the lake registers 89 degrees F.

Lola and Sophie hope you’re surviving the ‘Dog Days’ of summer. . .

Stay cool!

🐾 🐾

Happy Weekend. ♥

Thank you for your visit!