Winter AROUND THE LAKE

A quiet winter day at the lake.  The lake is mostly frozen over while the flora is waiting to pop its spring colors

Some of the resident ducks finish a quick dip in the chilly water.  The geese and ducks can be seen patrolling the lake shore and wandering the frozen lake surface.

Piper and Ellie Mae, tired of being house-bound in the frigid weather, enjoy a playful romp in the snow.

An early evening walk catches the sun setting over the snow covered lake community.

Spring 2021 at Moon Lake

The Fauna and flora are waking up in April after a long cold winter.   Residents and visitors are busy around the lake enjoying the warm weather.

The Red-Spotted Newts are once again swimming around the lake.

The Dogs of Moon Lake are also enjoying the warm weather. Here Wiggles enjoyed cooling off in the chilly mountain stream at the end of the walking path.

The tadpoles are starting to emerge from their egg masses in the mountain streams.

  By this time of day, the Spring Peeper frogs are beginning their chorus along the water's edge and the The resident geese and ducks wait for their migrating friends to stop by for Happy Hour. 

Great Pottsville Cruise

July 4th Holiday

Making Memories at Moon Lake  

  I woke early in the morning to my Sister shaking me in my bed.  She was trying to get me up, we were heading to Moon Lake to celebrate my Birthday with the family, and to have a relaxing weekend.  When we arrived, we were all greeted with hugs and happiness. First thing my Sister and I did was unpack our bags and then run to the barn, and grab our bikes.  I was riding a red Schwinn Criss Cross. My sister was riding a Trek Mountain Bike. We put on our safety gear, and we were off. We raced around the lake for hours on Friday.  I had the advantage on the dam, where it was smooth, but when we got to bumpy ground and grass, she took off ahead. We did this until it was dark and time for dinner. We ordered Palermo's Pizza, just because we hadn’t had it in a while, and it is the best pizza in Minersville.  If you want to know more about Palermo’s Pizza, click the link

https://www.palermopizzarestaurant.com/

After dinner, we were off to the 38th George and Georgie Stevenson Memorial Night at Big Diamond Speedway. We went to see the Super Modified Series cars race around the track. It was so loud, you couldn't hear the person next to you.  That made it fun. Usually I would get in trouble for yelling at my Mom, but this time it was fine. My Uncle and I walked down closer to the fence to get a better view of the race. We both took some pictures. At the end of the races, they had fireworks. They were pretty cool. But the funniest thing was at the end of the show, they set off a fireball near the race board where they launched the fireworks.  Here is the link to Big Diamond Speedway if you want to learn more about the track and upcoming races

http://www.bigdspeedway.net/

After the final race it was time to head back to Moon Lake.  We all fell asleep instantly.

I woke up on Saturday, and got ready for breakfast, but not before a happy swarm of dogs attacked me with kisses and doggie breath.  I had leftover pizza. Then my Sister and I got dressed, and hopped on our bikes for another day of fun. We again, rode for hours and hours, I didn’t even stop for lunch. Every time I got the dam, I stopped, got off my bike, and marveled at how beautiful the lake is, the cabins and cottages at the lake are a sight to see! Dinner was ribs cooked on the grill, salad, and cooked eggplant with tomato and Mozzarella.

After dinner, my Uncle and I got our cameras ready, and set out for a good place to watch the fireworks.  He helped me slow down my shutter speed, so I could capture long bursts of light. When the fireworks went up, they were beautiful. We watched until they were over, then we went back to our cabin, had cake and I opened my presents. We all fell asleep after that.

When I woke up on Sunday to my Mom was in the kitchen talking and making breakfast. I grabbed my bike and rode around the lake for a little bit before we all had breakfast. After our meal we all said our goodbyes, and gave hugs. I was sad to leave the lake, and all the fun, but when we return, I can do it all over again. Riding bikes, helping neighbors, working on the cabin, boating and fishing, Moon Lake is more than a vacation it is a lifestyle.

Click to See The Fireworks

Moon Lake Ornithological Society

Who Knew…

If you were to go to Moon Lake, you might meet our friends, The Bald Eagle, and The Blue Heron.   I didn’t know much about these two species of birds until I was given me the task to write an article about them.  All I knew about The Bald Eagle is that when they are born, they have brown feathers on their heads, and as they mature, the feathers on their head start to turn white.  That clearly means our eagle is older than two years old.  All I knew about the Blue Heron is that it has long legs, and perfect beak, eye coordination, therefor; it can catch a swimming fish in between its beak, and take it home for lunch.  I set to the task of researching these marvelous birds. The Bald Eagle The bald eagle's history in Pennsylvania is a difficult one to cope with. 30 years ago, there were only three nests left in the entire state. With the help of the Canadian government, several agencies including the Pennsylvania Game Commission brought bald eagle chicks back to their states to reintroduce bald eagles to the Northeast. Today, Pennsylvania boasts more than 250 nests, and counting.

• The Bald Eagle has a wing span of 72 - 90 ’’

• The bald Eagle is our National bird

• The bald Eagle is at the top of the food chain, making it prone to toxic chemicals from the environment

The Blue heron The Blue Heron (Ardea Herodias) is a large bird that prefers to wade through the shallow waters, rather than go out to the middle of a lake.  When hunting, The Heron stands perfectly still, except for the head, the head is constantly moving, important for spotting prey. It is at the top of the lake food chain, which means, it is the top predator.

• The Blue heron has a wide variety of diet ranging from fish to frogs to salamanders to snakes, and even insects

• The Blue Heron breeds in a colony, or group of other Herons, and the male chooses the nest site

• The Blue Heron lives in different environments such as subtropical mangroves, swamps, desert rivers, and the coast line of Southern Alaska 

So in the end, these two wonderful birds have a colorful history, keep an eye out for them, and be careful to stay away from nests. DCNM   

If you would like to join the Moon Lake Bird watching club. Send your photos to life@moonlakecottages.com