Posts in Category: Loons

Updates and photos as Ian follows the local loon families

An Update on the Loons’ Ponds

On June 10, 2024 - Loons, Moose, Wildlife Photography

The weather has kept me from getting out the last few days. The Westons should have chicks by now, the Middletons are due momentarily and the Eastons will be on their nest another couple weeks. Let’s see what else has been happening.

The Tenney Memorial Library will host me for my slideshow, An Uncommon Look at the Common Loon on Sunday, June 23, at 2:00 p.m. Free and open to the public.

Before we get to the ponds, take a look at what my game camera caught. This camera was set up in my blind watching one one of the fox dens. Guess I’m glad I took that morning off.

There’s less activity around the ponds. Most songbirds are on their nests or feeding chicks and not out and about to be photographed.

great blue heron perched on a tree — The great blue heron couple has returned to the Easton’s pond. This is the pair that is fairly skittish, but show up to give me two or three great photo ops for the year.

common loon sitting on nest — The Eastons have selected a new nest site – last year’s is just above water level this year. They’re in deep shadow all morning, guess I’ll have to get back a couple afternoons.

The resident osprey was interested in fishing in the relatively shallow water near the loons’ nest. The off-duty loon seemed to be moving out of the way for the osprey to dive. Professional courtesy or just not wanting to be nearby when the osprey dove? The osprey finally caught breakfast well down the pond.

Common loon stretching on a foggy morning — A check on the Westons found one loon settled on the nest and the other just hanging around. The highlight of the morning was a couple nice wing stretches.

common grackle reflecting on a pond as it forages — It was such a beautiful spring morning, even the grackles looked good.

Common loon stretching wings — A visit to the Middletons found one loon on the nest, the other lazily cruising the pond, eventually giving a good wing stretch.

Common loon swimming on a pond — And a nice low-key shot as our loon cruised along the pond.

I’ll be out to check on the chicks as soon as the weather breaks. Check back soon to see how they’re doing.

common loon, loons, new hampshire wildlife, vermont wildlife, wildlife

common loon doing the 'penguin dance' during a territory dispute with another loon

Catching Up with Life on the Ponds

On May 27, 2024 - Loons, Moose, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography

With all the nice weather, I’ve had lots of time to shoot – but that leaves little for posting. One set of fox kits has moved on, the other den is surrounded by grass tall enough that the kits appear only at the top of their pounces. Let’s check in on our three loon families and their neighbors.

I’ll be giving my slideshow, An Uncommon Look at the Common Loon, locally a couple times in the near future. First is Thursday May 30 at 7:00 p.m. at the Lyme, NH, School. Then again on Sunday June 23 at 2:00 p.m. at the Tenney Memorial Library in Newbury, VT.

The Westons are sitting on at least one egg. Their nest is deep in the marsh, updates will have to wait until the chicks appear. (If you’re new to my blog, to protect the loons’ privacy, the families are the Eastons, Middletons and Westons, by the location of their ponds.)

The hummock the Middletons have used for their nest the past couple years washed away in last July’s heavy rain. They toured the pond checking out potential nest sites before settling on a hummock just a few feet from the previous site. Here, they’re taking turns sitting on the site to decide if it will work.

Taking a quick break from inspecting nesting sites.

Back to checking the site. They decided this was the spot and she climbed up and he followed to mate.

Afterwards, they headed off for breakfast, preening and a nice stretch.

The first of the red-winged blackbird chicks must have hatched, the parents were foraging and returning to the tall grass with food.

There are several spotted sandpipers around the pond.

The sandpipers are fun to watch. As they forage, they bob their butts up and down. I haven’t seen a good explanation why.

And beautiful spring mornings bring the painted turtles out to bask.

I returned the next morning, just to find the loons had decided to sleep in.

While waiting for the loons to get up and at it. our friendly neighborhood beaver swam by to give me a
wave.

The beaver went about getting some breakfast of underwater plants and sitting on the shore to eat them.

downy woodpecker with a grub — There was a hairy woodpecker foraging on a downed tree along the shore. She found several tasty grubs.

Common loon stretching — Eventually our loons got going with their day.

common loons on the nest — They returned to the nest site for one last check……

common loon gathering nesting materials to build a nest — Ok, they’ve decided this is the place. But, it needs some improvements. They set about collecting a few sticks and lots of underwater vegetation to build the nest.

common loon building a nest — Sorting out the nesting materials.

common loon gathering nesting material — One more load…..

common loons mating — They set out to make sure they’re going to have little loons.

close up of a common loon — One of the pair swam by close in to my boat.

Canada geese on the side of the pond — A couple late nesting Canada geese were checking out spots near the loons’ nest. The loons strongly suggested they should move along and nest elsewhere.

An eastern phoebe perched on a small tree — An eastern phoebe perched not far from the loons’ nest. The flycatchers are not keeping up with the black flies.

baltimore oriole feeding among flowers — Finding a Baltimore oriole feeding at eye level is a treat.

Gray catbird perched on a twig — Several gray catbirds live in the loons’ neighborhood.

painted turtle basking — This painted turtle has claimed his own small island.

common loon in the nest, turning an egg — When I returned to the pond, the loons had an egg. Here, our male is turning it. Birds turn their eggs regularly. It is thought that turning the eggs helps keep the chick from adhering to the side of the egg and to distribute nutrients to the chick.

common loons in a territory dispute, the male is about to yodel — We know it was the male on the nest as an intruding loon arrived on the pond. The loon that had been on the nest came out to challenge the intruder and yodeled. Only males yodel. That’s the home team female watching in the background. This suggests the intruder was a male and wanted to displace the home team male.

common loon running across the water to take off — The penguin dance display was enough to convince the intruder to retreat to the other side of the pond.

Common loon on the nest with the mate nearby — And then he returns to the nest.

The road up to the Easton’s pond finally got some work and I was able to get up for a visit.

Dragonfly emerging from the nymph stage — There were several dragonflies emerging from their nymph stage and drying their wings in the sunshine.

Scenic photo of a mated common loon pair — The water on the Easton’s pond is a few inches higher than last year, making the nest site unusable. They were scouting the pond for a new site. Here, they’ve stopped to discuss something on their search. We’ve got the same male back again this year. The Loon Preservation Committee banded him in Moultonborough, NH in 2015.

bull moose feeding in the water — One of the loons’ neighbors was out enjoying breakfast.

bull moose., common loons, loons, moose, turtles

Catching Up with the Usual Suspects

On May 6, 2024 - Loons, Wildlife Photography

I’ve been able to get out a few times to visit two of the loons’ ponds. The loons are out and about, along with the full cast of the usual suspects.

The Vermont Institute of Natural Science in Quechee is hosting my exhibit of loon prints through the end of July. There will be a reception where I show my slideshow, An Uncommon Look at the Common Loon, on Saturday, May 11 at 3 p.m. There are more details at https://vinsweb.org/event/artist-exhibition-ian-clark/ and https://www.facebook.com/events/454025283855444.

And, I’ll be presenting An Uncommon Loon again at the Lakes Region Art Association Gallery in Laconia, NH at 6 p.m. on May 20. The talk hasn’t been posted on their site yet, but details about the Association are at https://lraanh.org/.

Do you have critters around? While I do a lot of scouting on my own, tips for finding critters are always appreciated. I’m always looking for mammals, if you’ve got bobcats, coyotes, fishers or bears that show up more than once, I’d love a chance to photograph them. I’m also looking for owls, woodpecker nests and scarlet tanagers along with rarer species that may not visit feeders regularly. Places where I can come and go early in the morning or late in the evening without disturbing you or the critters are best.

And now, the critters. Here’s a skunk that doesn’t seem to appreciate my trail camera.

Last Friday, I caught up with some volunteers from the Loon Preservation Committee (LPC)
as they deployed their loon nesting platform on Post Pond in Lyme, NH.

Nesting platforms have been a huge success in helping restore the loon population. The LPC put out their first platform in 1977. Since then LPC volunteers and staff have floated loon nesting rafts on New Hampshire lakes 1,685 times – not including this year. Nesting loon pairs have used these rafts 917 times, and hatched 976 chicks on the platforms – an incredible one in four chicks hatched in New Hampshire. You can learn more about LPC at www.loon.org – and check out their loon cam watching a nest in the Lakes Region at https://loon.org/looncam/. Sign up for their newsletter to keep up with New Hampshire’s loons. Vermonter’s loons get assistance from the Vermont Center for Ecostudies, check out their site, https://vtecostudies.org/

Volunteers Jim Mason (orange kayak), his wife Dayle Mason and Wayne Pushee (blue kayak) towing the loon nesting platform. Loons on Post Pond have used the platform for several years.

The platform ready for the loons to move in.

On April 23, I made it out to check in with the Westons. (For new readers, to give the loons some privacy, I named the loons on the pond to my east the Eastons. The loons to my west are the Westons, and the pond in the middle hosts the Middletons.)

Getting ready for the day, both loons did some quick preening, ending with a stretch and a shake of the head.

The Canada geese have – mostly – claimed their nesting sites and many of the females are sitting on their nests. This brings some peace and quiet to the pond. Here’s one of our geese heading out for the morning.

This pond hosts at least three pair of beaver. This fellow popped up in close to my boat.

He was too close for me to get a good photo of his tail slap.

But, I got a great look at his back feet as he dove. They’re HUGE!

The pond also hosts a variety of ducks. Here’s Mr. Mallard posing nicely.

Female red-winged blackbirds have returned. Males have returned about three weeks ago to stake out territories to be ready for the ladies. This was the first female I saw this year. Her appearance had the males singing and displaying with gusto. The females are perfectly colored to blend into the reeds while they sit on the nest, they don’t have to be flashy like the males.

On my way out, the loons were doing a thorough preening. They usually finish with a wing stretch. I waited a few minutes and was rewarded when they both stretched.

There was another mallard drake posing by the boat launch when I arrived. As I was putting my gear away, an immature eagle dove on him and his mate. The both dove and lived to quack another day.

Last Friday, I visited the Middletons. They were busy foraging, apparently having to work for dinner. They were making long dives and covering lots of territory underwater. I went to see who else might be around the pond.

There was a large number of painted turtles basking around the pond.

This painted turtle seems to be giving me some attitude…..

There was a small flock of warblers foraging for insects high in the trees. I tried to tell them that the black flies were available at my eye level, but they didn’t seem interested. This is a yellow-rumped warbler, known as a ‘butter butt’ to birders.

And this explains how they got their name.

There were several pine warblers in the flock. I’ve yet to get a good photo of one. They tend to forage deep in the brush, making it hard to get an unobstructed view of them. It turns out one of my skills is photographing branches on which pine warblers were very recently perched. (My other talent is stalking heron-shaped sticks.)

This time I got lucky enough to actually get the bird before it flew. Looks like I’ll have to keep trying…..

The Middletons finished dinner and cruised not far from the boat launch as I headed in. Once again, one beached and called – it looked like the female presenting, but the other loon did not respond. It is still a couple weeks early for them to be mating. I didn’t get a shot of her before she returned to the water, but here she is checking me out.

Saturday morning found me visiting the Westons once again. The weather went south rapidly and I left when it started raining.

The loons were busy preening when I caught up with them, both ended with a big stretch.

Eastern kingbirds were out in large numbers. They’re insect hunters – they love dragonflies in season. They perch just about eye level on the edge of the pond and dart out to nab insects passing by.

Another kingbird perched along the side of the pond.

One of the loons stretching a leg. This gives a great look at how far back their legs are and the size of the foot.

Of course, I was willing to pause in the rain to get one last nice wing stretch….

beaver, birding, birds, canada goose, loon, new hampshire wildlife, vermont wildlife

Spring Has Arrived

On April 18, 2024 - Loons, Photography, Wildlife Photography

After several false starts, it looks like spring has arrived to stay in the Upper Valley. Of course, I’m not taking the snow tires off until the second week of May.

Along with the ice going out, our summer residents are arriving back in droves. I spotted six loons on the Middleton’s pond on March 31. By the time I put the boat in the next day, they’d moved on. My bet is they’d been scouting the territory to see which ponds were open and just stopped for a rest and a meal before heading back south. But there were other critters out and about.

One of the resident osprey had a good perch overlooking the pond.

A bald eagle hauled several sticks into a tall pine that looks over the shore. I’m not sure what he? was up to – too late for this year’s nest and seems early to be starting on next year’s. When I check again yesterday, there didn’t seem to be any progress on a nest.

My next trip took me to the Weston’s pond last Sunday. A friend on the pond told me that one loon had arrived back on the April 9. There was still only one loon on the pond.

The first loon back on the Weston’s pond. He? spent the morning cruising lazily, occasionally foraging.

Most of the action on the pond was from the Canada geese. They’re sorting out territories. This requires lots of honking, hissing and wrestling. Here’s another coming to join the fray.

Just as the tail feathers touch the water…..

Eastern Phoebe — There were several eastern phoebes hunting along the edge of the pond and lots of tree swallows swooping over the pond.

I got back to the Weston’s pond on Tuesday for a brisk paddle – it was 39°F when I put the boat in. We still had only one loon and the geese were causing a ruckus.

There was one hummock just off shore that was a treasured spot. It changed hands several times during the morning. The goose on the right has just abandoned it at the suggestion of the goose in the middle.

The fight wasn’t settled and moved out into the water. The goose being chased eventually conceded and moved off down the pond.

Male red-winged blackbirds are back and staking out territories. I haven’t seen a female yet, they usually wait a while after the males head north.

Wednesday morning found me back on the Middleton’s pond. And missing the balmy day before. It was a chilly 28°F as I pushed through a skim of ice to get on the pond. As soon as I cleared the ice, there were trout feeding at the surface. The osprey both made quick work of finding breakfast. And, there were loons.

The loons slept in a bit before waking to face the day. They spent some time preening, ending with a nice stretch.. Then decided the day could wait and went back to sleep.

There were lots of ducks of several sorts around the lake. And what seemed an endless of mergansers suddenly flying around. Here’s a pair of ring-necked ducks, a nice catch.

A pair of mallard drakes were swimming along the shore when something startled them. They took a very short flight – maybe 15 feet before settling and continuing on their way.

After a time, our loons reawakened and decided they’d face the day afterall. They headed out to forage a bit.

They also spent some time exploring along the shore. The hummock they’ve used for their nest site for several years washed away in the heavy rains last summer. They’ll have to find a new site.

At one point, one loon beached and almost seemed to be presenting. That would be about a month early. The second loon didn’t respond and they soon started off down the shoreline again.

Another pretty good indication that spring is really here is the return of the warblers. Warblers are beautiful little birds. Emphasis on little. They’re devilishly hard to photograph. They’re in almost continuous motion while foraging through the underbrush. This palm warbler paused briefly in the clear.

This morning I headed to the Easton’s pond again. Our second loon has returned. As I was putting the boat in, another loon flew over and was challenged by the loons on the pond. A loon flew over the pond on two more occasions, both times flying off after being challenged. The home team spent the morning foraging and preening.

The highlight of the morning was finding three otters feeding and wrestling on the bank of the pond.

I don’t know that I’ve ever found a pair of otters. When I spot them, there are either one alone or a trio of them. Today there were three. This was the first time I’ve seen this behavior – they were clawing at a tree stump. They didn’t seem to be finding anything to eat and the scratching was interrupted by rounds of wrestling.

One of the trio broke off from the tree and grabbed a perch for breakfast.

The other two otters took time for a couple rounds of wrestling while the first ate.

As I was heading back to the boat launch, I passed the loons foraging together. One started preening, so I stuck around to get the stretch shot.

And, should you have any remaining doubts spring has returned to the Upper Valley, the honey wagons are flocking to the fields.

Our bluebirds are again building in our nesting box. I checked the cameras several weeks ago and all seemed fine. But now the camera in the box the birds are using isn’t working properly. We’ll have to skip watching the first brood – I’m not going to disturb the box to get at the camera until the the chicks fledge. Hopefully we’ll be back online for the second brood.

You can sign up to be updated when I add new posts, if you want to follow the loons through the season, go ahead and sign up. And, please share with your friends that might enjoy the wildlife.

bird lovers, birds, common loons, loons

Upcoming Events

On November 26, 2023 - Loons, Wildlife Photography

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Just a quick update to let you know about a couple upcoming evenings.

I’ve got a slideshow of great loon photos, An Uncommon Look at the Common Loon. The Walker Lecture Series will be hosting me in Concord on Wednesday, November 29, 2023, at 7:30 (I’m the second speaker, I should start closer to 8:30). Free and everyone welcome.

All the details on Walker’s site: https://www.walkerlecture.org/schedule.

And, I still have some 2024 Wildlife Calendars available.

Calendars are $25 and $3 shipping per order. You can order them online at www.IansPhotos.com or email me at UpperValleyPhotos@gmx.com to order.

Last, I’ll be up at the Burklyn Arts Council’s Craft Fair in St. Johnsbury next Saturday. I’ll have calendars, lots of note cards and prints, large and small. Stop by and say hello.

One Loon Chick Left

On September 17, 2023 - Loons, Wildlife Photography

Thursday morning, I headed up to check on the Eastons. When I las visited, the parents weren’t on the pond and the chicks were practicing takeoffs, but couldn’t quite get airborne.

The adults usually stick around this pond until the last week of September, with the chicks departing in the first week of October. Looks like the parents took an early leave this year, with one chick following.

The chick on the pond was foraging lazily when I arrived. I watched for a time before hearing a loon calling overhead. I was expecting one of our parents to drop in to check on things, but the loon appeared to fly over.

Our chick was foraging lazily and swimming, covering a good distance with each dive.

After a time, another loon was calling overhead – or maybe the same one that flew over before. Our chick tried to call. He’s first attempt sounded like someone stepped on a goose. But he quickly found his voice and yodeled.

That’s interesting for a couple reasons. First, only male loons yodel, so we know he’s a he. Second, that’s the response of an adult loon to an intruder. No longer is our chick hiding to protect himself.

The intruder landed at the far end of the pond. The exchanged wails and yodels for a time.

When the intruder came down the pond, our chick took to the air. He circled over the pond for about 20 minutes.

The intruder dove a few times, foraging. Then spent a couple minutes preening before stretching. Our chick continued to circle over head. Eventually the intruder took off and headed out.

Our chick landed and went about his business.

He found something to eat – probably insect larva – on this branch before getting to work diving for a proper meal.

Second breakfast completed, he settled in for a nap.

After a while, he woke up and swam over towards my boat. This may well be the last photo I get of him. With the rest of the family gone, I won’t be surprised if he follows. But, I’m hoping he sticks around to let me visit with him again.

bird lovers, birding, birds, common loons, loons, new hampshire wildlife, vermont wildlife

Learning to Fly, Checking in on the Loons

On September 6, 2023 - Loons, Wildlife Photography

Our loon chicks are now 12 weeks old. They’re almost ready to take care of themselves. This week, they’ve been practicing adult calls, postures and they’re trying to fly. I was able to visit the Eastons twice since the last post.

I’ll be down at the Fall Crafts at Lyndhurst Show in Tarrytown, NY this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Stop by to check out all the new images in prints and note cards. All the show details here.

Last Friday, the Eastons’ pond was above most of the fog at sunup. As I headed down the pond I met one chick coming up.

The chicks are ever more independent. They’re roaming the pond away from each other and mom and dad. Unless they’re hungry, then they’re looking for a parent to provide a handout.

The morning’s big project was working on adult calls. This chick attempted several wails – sounding sort of like a gull laughing and a distressed horse. After a time, the other chick started answering, without much improvement. One of them did get off a proper wail when it counted – a large hawk flew low over the pond. This chick is letting loose with a pretty impressive tremolo.

After a bit, our chicks joined up. They were lazily foraging and taking time to call.

Soon mom started calling back and all three joined up. This is the pond where dad is banded. Dad was nowhere to be found this morning. He may have been off for some R&R at another pond. The chicks were very aggressive in crowding and pinching mom to get fed.

Both chicks were sticking close to mom and would immediately close on her when she surfaced. She popped up on the far side of my boat – away from the chicks – several times throughout the morning. Maybe she needed a moment’s rest where the chicks couldn’t see her?

Mom inbound with another crayfish. The chick’s make very quick work of the crayfish now, no more fumbling with them.

A chick crowding mom, just in case she didn’t know he might be hungry.

One of the chicks captured a stick covered in weeds. And, had to taught the sibling with it. The stick proved inedible and the chick dropped it. The second chick immediately picked it up to try it for himself.

One last crayfish delivery before I had to head out.

I returned to the pond Tuesday morning. The pond was mostly above the fog again. Beautiful blue skies and the hills to the west were in full sunlight. The pond was stuck in the shadow of one stubborn thick cloud.

The chicks were alone on the pond, both parents were elsewhere. The chicks were foraging about two-thirds of a mile apart. Both successfully feeding themselves. As the sun came up, a breeze grew and the chicks took time to practice flying.

Loons have to run across the surface for some distance to build up speed to get enough lift for takeoff. This chick is giving it a good try.

Further into his run. He doesn’t yet have the strength to get his butt clear of the water.

Here’s the other chick preparing for an attempt.

The first upstroke with the wings for his run.

And back down with the wings. Note how much water he’s kicking up already.

Full extension on the wings…. will it be enough?

Reversing direction on the wings at the top of the stroke. This picture was taken with a shutter speed of 1/2000th of a second, not fast enough to stop the motion.

This attempt didn’t work, he’s slowing and lowering himself back down on the water.

After a quick preen to get all the feathers back in place, he stoop up to stretch. Or his he taking a bow?

The second chick making a second attempt.

He’s really got his wings moving, his butt is nearly clear of the water. Could this be it?

Oh so close! His body – including his butt are clear of the water. But, he’s still pushing off with his left leg.

Rats, not today…. Watching through the lens, I thought he’d made it airborne. Only on the monitor at home did I spot his right leg down. A great try. He’ll be airborne before I can get back to the pond.

The Middletons appear to have scooted from their pond, they haven’t been spotted in almost a week. The Westons were doing well as of this past weekend. Both chicks are growing and getting independent. I’m hoping to get a chance to visit them before they head out.

bird lovers, birding, birds, common loons, loons

Loon Chicks at 10 Weeks

On August 29, 2023 - Loons, Uncategorized, Wildlife Photography

Monday morning there were stars above and a thick fog over the river in the valley below. I decided to risk a trip to visit the Eastons. Most of the trip to the pond was slow going through the fog. As I started to climb towards the pond, I rose back above the fog to find a beautiful morning.

Dad was foraging by himself near the boat launch, he paddled in close to hoot softly to me before returning to feasting on crayfish. Mom called a couple times while I was getting the boat in the water. This is the pond where Dad is banded, letting me tell who is who if I can see a leg.

Heading down the pond, I encounter our great blue heron doing some predawn fishing.

And our other heron posing nicely in front of the shadows.

The chicks were keeping mom busy. They’re very demanding, poking and pulling feathers whenever she got near. She didn’t spend much time on the surface, she’d dive quickly when a chick got near. I’m convinced this is why the parents leave the pond before the chicks – they just want some peace.

Mom has just handed off a crayfish that the chick swallowed quickly. The chick started to crowd mom to encourage her to find more.

Just in case mom forgot she has chicks and chicks get hungry, our chick gives her a gentle reminder that it is time to eat.

Mom takes the hint and finds another crayfish.

Mom dives again before the chick can grab some feathers.

Mom is looking good. She surfaces close in, but on the side of the boat where she’s hidden from the chicks.

One of the chicks wanders off on his own and waits for me to look the other way before practicing taking off. They’ll both be practicing, but there’s still a while before they get airborne.

Mom passing by with another crayfish for the chicks.

The crayfish isn’t going to last very long.

Giving a quick head shake after swallowing the crayfish.

Our chick wrangles the crayfish into position.

The chick is trying to swallow this one head first, the crayfish objects.

The crayfish gets a temporary reprieve as the chick spits it out. He’ll flip it around and swallow it tail first.

The chick seems to be pleased with the way that battle turned out.

Mom is inbound with another crayfish, but needs to stop and stretch.

One of our chicks takes a moment to stretch.

The chicks are still hungry and need to remind mom they’d like to be fed.

Mom comes through with one more crayfish before I had to head out.

Heading back to the boat launch, I pass dad who is lazily paddling along, seemingly enjoying the peace and quiet on this end of the pond.

I was surprised the fog hadn’t shown up on the pond, there’s usually a period where the pond gets foggy as the fog lifts from the valley. Driving back towards home, I discovered why – the fog was still sitting heavy on the river.

Back at the house, the goldfinches have discovered the thistle I left for them.

A small charm of goldfinches are enjoying the thistle as it goes to seed.

baby loons, common loons, loon chicks, loons, wildlife, wildlife photography

Loon Chicks Now Nine Weeks Old

On August 22, 2023 - Loons, Wildlife Photography

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hello at the League of NH Craftsmen Fair. Nice to know there are actually people out there looking at my blog. My next show will be the Fall Crafts at Lyndhurst in Tarrytown, NY September 8, 9 & 10.

The weather and my travels have kept me from checking in on the loons since July 24 when I found the Eastons fighting with a pair of intruders challenging them for the pond. Sunday morning dawned without rain and only a light breeze. I headed back to check on the Eastons.

There was a loon wailing when I put the boat in. I had to paddle down most of the pond before I found the first loons. Mom was feeding one chick. This is the pond where dad is banded, letting me tell who is who. I checked the pond with the binoculars, no sign of any more loons. I settled in to watch.

Our osprey showed up to hunt for breakfast. He? circled low over head for several minutes before diving and coming up empty. While I was watching the osprey, dad and the second chick snuck up on me and joined mom.

Shortly afterwards, the adults gave sharp calls and the chicks flattened out on the water as an intruder arrived. The three adults circled briefly before things escalated quickly to a wing rowing chase. One loon repeated displayed the penguin dance. I lost track of the third loon. Our pair formed up and swam south.

Sometime later, they headed back north and rounded a corner out of sight. A loon flying south appeared and circled to gain height to clear the hills as it departed. Mom took off and followed a few moments later.

Dad gathered the chicks and headed back south, foraging along the way. One chick was almost exclusively feeding itself while the second was putting dad to work.

Adolescent loons will crowd their parents and nibble on them to let them know their hungry. Which seems to be almost all the time they’re not sleeping.

This chick is trying to explain to dad the the horrors of not having been fed for the better part of a minute and urging dad to action.

Dad didn’t get the hint, our chick grabbed a few feathers and pinched him. Dad finally caught on and dove.

Dad came up empty, the chick returned to explain his plight. Dad’s luck improved and he was able to deliver several fish and crayfish to the chick.

Our osprey reappeared and circled the overhead for a few moments before settling in a tree to watch for breakfast opportunities.

Our chick took a break from the buffet to stretch.

You can see the flight feathers growing in on the underside the chick’s wings.

Dad popped up right next to the boat with a tasty crayfish.

Our chick made quick work of the crayfish.

Still hungry, the chick grabbed a bunch of dad’s feathers to signal he’s ready for the next course.

Our osprey made another dive that missed and circled a few times before heading off to the north.

Our chick took a moment to preen and then went up for a stretch. He spun something like 560 degrees while stretching. I have no idea why, but he looked like he was having fun.

He’s up and starting his stretch and spin.

One last shake and time to get back to breakfast.

Our chicks faced off momentarily, it appeared they were working out the pecking order.

Just a little pushing and shoving to figure out who’s the boss.

The chick that looked to have come out on top of the skirmish finished with a stretch.

It was time for me to head out and I started paddling towards the boat launch.

I caught up with the osprey making yet another try for breakfast.

A friend on the Middleton’s pond tells me they’ve had intruders regularly over the past few weeks. I’m watching the weather and will get out to check on them and the Westons as soon as I can.

bird lovers, birding, birds, common loon, loons, osprey

Battle for the Easton’s Pond

On July 24, 2023 - Loons, Wildlife Photography

Sunday morning, the sky looked like there was a chance of some sunshine. I headed out to visit the Eastons. There was a light fog with hints of blue sky above when I arrived at the pond. And, it was a very pleasant 55° when I launched. The fog rapidly lifted for a beautiful morning. Our loon family was all together and the parents were both feeding the chicks.

One chick had his fill and was settling in for a nap when both parents arrived bearing crayfish. He ignored them and went to sleep. His sibling got both crayfish.

The chick that was still awake got a very good feeding. Eventually, he too settled in for a nap. The parents headed out, presumably for their own breakfast.

One parent went north, one went south. It wasn’t long before the one to the south sounded an alert. The one to the north went steaming down the pond at a good clip.

There were two intruding loons on the pond. All four loons started on the circle dance – they swim around each other sizing up the opposition.

They try to convince the opposition that they’re just too big and tough to mess with.

The confrontation quickly escalated to wing rowing – the loons propel themselves along the surface of the water with their wingtips. Frequently with an opponent in hot pursuit. Chases while wing rowing can go on for many minutes, covering lots of territory.

After a chase, if no one concedes and leaves, they’ll regroup and start again.

If the circling and staring doesn’t work, they may try displaying by stretching their wings. They’ll come up higher out of the water than they usually do to make themselves look bigger.

The intruders weren’t scared away and the chase was on!

They’ll change direction by dipping a wingtip into the water, this loon is turning left.

Making another circuit and gaining a few feet on the pursuer.

The one being chased ran out of pond and had to turn 180° to keep going.

Coming around again. Shortly after this round, one of the loons flew off. Followed soon after by a second loon. And, to my surprise, the loon I thought was the home team female left too.

Dad headed back up the pond to find the chicks. They’d been hiding deep in the brush near where they’d had breakfast. They promptly came out to join dad. Adolescent chicks will nibble at the parent’s neck and face when they want to be fed. Our chicks have learned how to nibble.

The chicks are persistent, they’ll pester the parents until the parents swim off. Usually the parents take the hint and go find some food for them. I think this is the reason that the parents leave for the season before the chicks, they just want a break.

After a time, what I think was mom arrived back on the pond.

Followed closely by one of the intruders. Dad stayed with the chicks while mom dealt with the intruder. There was a brief skirmish including wing rowing and the intruder left again.

This morning, I went back up to the pond to see how the home team was making out.

Crayfish were again on the menu. Once again, both parents were foraging to feed both chicks.

I’m not sure if our chick is yawning or burping. Either way, that’s a scary view if you’re a fish.

Our chicks are diving in deep water now. I watched this one make several dives that I counted out to be about 25 seconds. After surfacing, he gave a good stretch. You can see his flight feathers growing in along the bottom of his wings.

After feeding the chicks, dad headed up the pond out of sight. Shortly, I could hear yodeling. Soon, a pair of loons showed up – a wing rowing chase. They covered a lot of ground, but didn’t get close enough for photos. Some time after that, a loon flew overhead coming from that end of the pond. A second loon swam down the pond and rejoined mom who was tending the chicks.

The home team held the pond this time. But the fight probably isn’t over. One or both of the intruders are likely to return for several days or even a couple of weeks. Loons pay attention to how well a territory produces chicks. This pond has successfully raised two chicks a season for at least the last three years running. It would be a good territory to take over if the intruder can.

I’m on the road starting Thursday, I probably won’t have time to visit to see how the battle goes. I’ll get back up there to check as soon as I get back.

PS, we’re not supposed to interfere with nature. Don’t tell anyone I’m rooting for the home team.

bird lovers, birding, birds, common loons, loon, new hampshire wildlife, vermont wildlife

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