Posts in Category: Loons

Updates and photos as Ian follows the local loon families

A Morning With The Loon Family, June 24, 2021

On June 24, 2021 - Loons, Wildlife Photography

Thursday morning I got to spend a few hours following our little loon family. Best guess is that on 6/24, the chicks were five and six days old. They’ve already grown noticeably. Both seem active and were eagerly feeding.

Check back regularly. There’s another pair of loons with eggs due to hatch as soon as tomorrow. I’ll be following both families when I get the chance.

My research suggest that loon chicks in the Upper Valley are fully 18% cuter than other baby loons 😉

Easy to believe when you get a look at them.

The parents take turns foraging for the chicks. This pair seems partial to feeding crayfish to the chicks. Loons aren’t strong on the concept of ‘volume,’ many of the crayfish offered are almost chick size.

Our chick has to lean out for the crayfish….

…and falls off and swims over for breakfast.

The crayfish appeared to object to being eaten, and managed to get free. The other parent retrieved it and offered it again.

It was a job to get it down, but our chick was up to it!

The parents are still keeping the chicks very close, and often on the parent’s back.

This little one takes a moment to preen. Loons, like other waterfowl, have a gland, called the uropygial gland, that excretes a waterproof oil that the loons spread over their feathers. They have to do this regularly to remain waterproof.

One chicks swimming along with a parent, one tucked under the wing.

One chick has climbed aboard preparing to nap.

Climbing all the way up can be a challenge for a little chick.

Shortly after the babysitting parent took the chicks aboard and got them settled, the other parent returned from foraging with another crayfish for the chicks – waking everyone up again.

And inbound again with another crayfish.

After feeding again, the babysitting parent gathered up the chicks, and after a bit, got everyone settled again. And I had to call it a morning.

First Loon Chicks of 2021

On June 23, 2021 - Loons, Wildlife Photography

UPDATE: When I first posted this, I didn’t know which loon was banded. I contacted the Loon Preservation Committee with the band information. They wrote back that this bird was banded on Lee’s Pond in Moultonborough, NH, in 2017. The were unable to determine the sex while banding. I eventually observed the banded bird yodeling. Since only males yodel, that let us determine the banded bird is dad. I’ve updated this post to reflect that in the captions.

Loon chicks are hatching around the Upper Valley. One of the pairs I follow had two chicks last Sunday morning. They were still on the nest, the chicks probably hatched Friday and Saturday. They stayed on the nest for a bit Sunday morning, before heading out to tackle life.

A note on photographing loons. Please give them their space – keep well back. Even if you aren’t a threat, you may distract the parents from something that is a danger to the chicks. Loon chicks face tough enough odds, don’t make it worse. These images were all taken with an 800mm lens on a crop 35mm body, comparable to a 1,280mm lens on a traditional 35mm camera – something like a 26x scope. And, they’re heavily cropped. You can get good images without crowding the loons.

Here’s our little family, still on the nest. That’s dad with the chicks, we can one of his leg bands.

The chicks ventured into the water a few inches from the nest when the mom brought food. Here they’re working to climb back into the nest. Loons’ legs are placed far back on their bodies. Perfect for swimming and flying, but they have real trouble walking on land. This shot gives a good look at how far back their legs are.

The loon sitting on the nest turns out to be dad, identified by his bands. The silver band on the close leg has a nine digit number to give the bird a unique identifier. But, it is next to impossible to read unless you catch the bird again. Loons are banded with two bands per leg, with different colors to increase the odds of being able to ID the bird without catching it. This bird has green over silver on the starboard side, yellow over green on the port side (way back on the left of the photo). Traditionally, loon banders put the silver band on the right leg if they band the bird as an adult, the left if they band a chick.

The chicks seemed to grow a bit restless, venturing further from the nest after each feeding. Eventually, the loon on the nest decided it was time to go. The family probably will not return to the nest.

After leaving the nest, dad got a well-deserved stretch.

Loons are very attentive parents. Both loons will guard and feed the chicks. They spell each other, a few times a day one parent will wander off to forage, preen and occasionally fly a couple laps around the pond.

Loon chicks have some sibling rivalry and will occasionally squabble.

One of the parents bringing a crawfish to the chicks. This crawfish was too big for the chicks to handle. They both made valiant efforts to swallow it, but it was too big. They kept dropping it. The parent probably retrieved and offered again it 10 times before just eating it.

After the crawfish, the parents tried what appeared to be damselfly and dragonfly larva. Which worked much better.

And another morsel…

It takes a long time to get a chick full on tiny tidbits.

Stretching out a leg – notice how far back the chick’s legs are.

The parents keep a close eye on the chicks when they’re small, one of the parents is usually within a few feet of them.

The chicks learn to be loons by mimicking their parents. You can often see the chicks at it, if a parent turns to look at something, the chicks are likely to turn as well.

The chicks will hitch rides on both parents’ backs, often tucking in under the wings to keep warm.

And sometimes riding high to enjoy the view.

Round Up The Usual Suspects, June 21, 2021

On June 21, 2021 - Loons, Wildlife Photography

Let’s round up the usual suspects once again. I’ve had some time in the kayak, exploring several local ponds and marshes.

I’ve been keeping an eye on several pairs of loons. Most have two eggs, one pair doesn’t seem to have built a nest yet.

One of the loons I’ve been following was napping in nice light, I tried to drift into position for a peaceful shot of a sleeping loon. This otter had other ideas.

The loon, which was not far from the nest, was not amused. It woke and dove after the otter several times.
It was a busy morning for this loon pair, while headed back to check on its mate on the nest, the loon found a snapping turtle which was encouraged to move along.

Shortly after, an eagle flew over their pond, causing the loon to flatten out to hide.

Another pond on another morning found a nice early morning scene with a pair of loons.

Spring time brings turtles out to lay their eggs. This pretty lady was laying eggs in West Newbury. That’s a snail hitching a ride. I asked him what was going on, he replied, “beats me. Its all happening so fast….”

Swamp police are on the lookout for this masked bandit, known as the common yellowthroat. They urge extreme caution, as he’s known to be winged and dangerous.

He had a sidekick, known as cedar waxwing.

Even our swamp sparrows are looking good this season.

This pair of kingbirds had a prolonged interaction that I couldn’t figure out. They were alternately perching near each other and swooping each other off their perches. There were several kingbird nests around the pond with birds still sitting on eggs, so it is probably too early for a fledgling. And, if they were courting, knocking your potential sweetheart off her perch repeatedly seems an odd way to win her favor.

The orange crown is what gives kingbirds their name, it is rare to see it.

This spotted sandpiper was kind enough to pose nicely several times throughout one morning.

Oh! Deer! This doe popped out of the brush not far from where I was tied off. I’m not sure she approved of my being on her pond.

Readers who don’t wish to see nature being nature may want to stop with this shot of the doe. Following are a pair of pictures of raptors with prey, including some gore.

A broad-winged hawk gave me a fly by with some Vermont Flied Chicken. I can’t really tell what the prey is, we were a long ways from anyone keeping chickens, it may be a turkey poult.

Loons & Turtles – Spring Is Here!

On April 11, 2021 - Loons, Uncategorized, Wildlife Photography

With yesterday’s beautiful weather, I dug the kayak out of the basement and headed out. Spring has arrived.

I wasn’t the only one taking advantage of the sunshine. The pond had a full battalion of painted turtles out basking. It seemed like every log and hummock had at least one, usually many more.

Looks like this log is approaching turtle capacity.

More turtles enjoying a spot of sunshine.

Someone had put some seeds out on a broken off log. A chickadee paused to ponder the selection before digging in.

Sunflower seeds seemed to be the favorite for a red-breasted nuthatch.

And, a loon has returned! The loon tipped its head back and opened its mouth without vocalizing many times. I can’t decide if it was stretching, yawning or something else. I’ve emailed the Loon Preservation Committee asking what they think its up to. BTW, the LPC loves to have people report notable statistics about New Hampshire loons. On the Vermont side of the river, Eric Hanson of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies collects data on Vermont loons. They like to know when loons first arrive in the spring, when they mate, when they build their nest, how many eggs they lay, how many chicks hatch and if any of them die. If you notice any of these, just send a quick email with the date, what you saw and which pond you were on. And, if you find a dead loon, they’d like to collect it to do a necropsy.

And, no visit with loons is compete without a good wing stretch.

Loon Fight!

On February 1, 2021 - Loons, Wildlife Photography

Loon families need a sizeable territory to successfully raise their chicks. A loon family with a pair of chicks will eat something like a half ton of (mostly) fish during the season. Loons will fight to defend their territory. One result of the growing loon population is more frequent disputes over territory. Most of these are settled with some vocalization and displays. Some get more serious and some are serious enough to kill one of the combatants. Here are a few shots from an all-out fight on the Weston’s pond in May 2019. The home team was an established pair with a egg in their nest.

After some posturing, one loon went after another – hard to tell who is whom since they all dress alike. This is the loon being chased, ‘wing rowing’ across the water with his wings (or ‘wing oaring’ if you’re from across the pond).

Eventually, the chasing loon caught up with the chased and they fought, trying to drown each other.

One of the loons has the other by the neck and is trying to get on top of him to drown him.

One of the combatants breaks free and tries to escape.

The pursuer catches up and the fight continues.

The fight was viscous, but hard to tell who was winning.

While watching, I thought that one had succeed in drowning the other. They’d been fighting not far from shore, both went down and only one came up. The second eventually appeared from under some of the brush along the shore. Fighting resumed and one was chased about 25 feet up the shore. It rested there for many minutes before slowly making its way back to the water. Once afloat, it took off and left the pond. I believe the original pair had successfully defended the pond. The pair that remained on the pond laid a second egg and eventually hatched two chicks.

Checking in on Our Loon Family

On August 14, 2020 - Loons, Wildlife Photography

I was lucky enough to get to spend two mornings on the pond with the loons this week. Tuesday morning had a very pleasant surprise.

When I got to their pond, the loons were at the west end, I headed to the spot they like to forage on the east side of the pond. As the fog began to lift, both parents showed up. But, there was only one chick with them.

There are lots of threats to loon chicks and while sad, I wasn’t too surprised. Mom and dad were both keeping busy feeding the chick.

Looks like a small fish with side of salad.

The chick is still learning what is and what isn’t food. This pine cone got a good thrashing before being discarded as inedible.

Loon chicks poke and nibble their parents around the neck and breast when they’re hungry.

After breakfast, it was time for some preening.

Loons run their bills over every feather to keep them clean.

The loons headed back west on the pond, I went exploring to see who else might still be around. The swamp is a quiet place, not a grackle or red-winged blackbird to be found. There were just a handful of sparrows and phoebes around.

The eastern phoebe posed nicely at eye level.

Pileated woodpeckers are my nemesis bird – I just can’t seem to get a good pic of one. Three pileateds were working trees along the pond. True to form, they mocked me, hiding behind brush or staying on the far side of the tree. This guy goofed and came into the open for a couple seconds.

The loons caught up with me at the west end of the pond. And there was a great surprise. The second chick was alive and well! He’d(?) foraging on his own. He stretched and headed over to greet the rest of the family.

There was another round of preening before everyone settled in for a nap. A good preening session requires a good stretch when completed.

Breakfast with the Loon Chicks

On August 7, 2020 - Loons, Raptors, Wildlife Photography

I got a chance to check in on ‘my’ loon family Thursday morning. Both chicks seem to be doing well, they’re big, their feathers are growing in and they’re diving and foraging on their own – as well as being well-fed by their parents.

Our pond was a tough place to be a fish Thursday morning. There were two osprey patrolling the pond. It looked like one was a juvenile and was pestering a parent to be fed (I’m pretty sure I heard the parent say ‘Get your own darned fish!’).

The parent had a good perch to watch the pond.

One of the adult loons was up before the rest of the family, cruising around the pond before flying off on some errand.

The rest of our loon family took their time getting up and around. One of the little guys started off with an impressive yawn.

The parent on babysitting duty started them off with a tasty appetizer.

The parent soon got serious about feeding the chicks and went after much larger fish.

The chicks are capable of swallowing fish nearly as long as they are.

After feeding, all of the loons spent several minutes preening.

Sunday Morning with the Loons

On June 30, 2020 - Loons, Wildlife Photography

Both loon chicks seemed to be doing well Sunday morning. Their pond was a relatively quiet place. The only time the parents seemed alerted was when a pack of coyotes started talking just west of the pond.

The parents spent much of the morning bringing chick-bite-sized morsels to the chicks.

Sometimes, the parents were overly ambitious. Here’s one with a bass fingerling that must outweigh the chicks.

The chicks were exploring the world and learning to loon. These wing things must do something….

Mom and dad were leaving the little guys for longer and longer periods as they foraged.

But the chicks were content to ride along when they had the opportunity.

Saturday’s Loon Update, June 27, 2020

On June 27, 2020 - Loons, Wildlife Photography

Saturday morning, I loaded up the kayak and got ready to head out. I whistled for my trusty mouse, but he must have been already engaged. Off I went to the pond to check up on the chicks. Both chicks were out and patrolling with their parents. The chicks have mastered looking majestic as they ride along.

The chicks were riding along on, or near when they fell off, one parent while the other foraged in the shallows for chick-sized meals. Loons aren’t very diligent about remembering they’re carrying chicks. They’ll often stretch, dive or just stretch a wing with the chicks onboard. This often tosses the chick overboard.

Here, we’ve got the parent heading back to the chicks with what appears to be a perch fry.

Being a loon chick is a tiring business.

Both chicks seem to be doing well. Both are active, feeding eagerly and exploring the world. One of them seems unconvinced that the parents aren’t edible. The older chick was pulling on a parent’s feathers yesterday and tried to grab a parent’s eye when the parent offered food. At least one of the chicks was still exploring the possibilities of eating feathers.

Stay tuned, I’ll be visiting with them more as I have a chance.

Meet the Upper Valley’s Newest Loons

On June 26, 2020 - Loons, Uncategorized, Wildlife Photography

Thursday started with a beautiful early summer morning. I set sail in my kayak enjoying the solitude on an Upper Valley Pond. Solitude was temporary – I soon realized that a mouse had stowed away in the kayak and was along for the ride. He must have climbed aboard while the kayak was sitting in the yard. He retreated back behind the bulkhead in the bow and settled in for the ride.

My goal was to check in on a pair of loons that have been on the nest for over three weeks. I’m not going to say where, over the last couple years a couple of birders following my posts have harassed the loons I’ve posted (and me).

When I checked the nest, there was one loon sitting peacefully on the nest, the second was resting not far from the nest. They didn’t

seem to be up to much, so I wandered off to see who might else be about. The usual suspects were easy to find. A sparrow belting out a song, red-winged blackbirds squawking about whatever it is that makes them squawk, grackle fledglings chasing mom around demanding to be fed. Kingbirds and phoebes nabbing dragonflies, a trio of chipmunks chasing each other, interrupted by regular breaks for snacks. There didn’t appear to be many exciting photo opportunities and decided I should be at my desk. Before leaving, I figured I’d try to catch a nest exchange to see how many eggs the loons have.

My passenger ventured out from the bow, looked around a bit and decided he was better off tucked away.

My timing was good for the loons. As I got settled in the brush to watch the nest, they swapped. It was quick, one left and the other immediately climbed onto the nest. The exchange was quick enough that I didn’t get a good view of the eggs. I saw only one egg and was a bit disappointed. Then I noticed there was a chick in the water to the right of the nest – well hidden by the water lilies. Looking at the photos, it sure looks like there are still two intact eggs in the nest. Loons usually have only one or two, so it is likely that one is the shell from the hatched chick. We’ll see in coming days. (Friday update – a second chick has hatched. The lilies in front of the nest are placed perfectly to block my view of any remaining eggs.)

After the exchange, the new nest sitter turned the eggs. The chick in the water must have decided that the world was too much to tackle today, and climbed back into the nest.

You can see the chick between the water lily leaves by the parent’s tail below.

The parent that left the nest returned shortly with a small fish for the chick, with a dragonfly escort.

After feeding the chick, the parent wandered off to forage for his own breakfast. The parent on the nest settled in for a nap. I headed home to release the mouse. He was agreeable company, but it seemed he must have errands of his own.

Friday morning, I was up well before dawn and on the water. I beached the kayak in the cove where the nest is and settled in to wait. One parent was on the nest, the other babysitting nearby. They all slept in a bit, making me wonder I’d started so early. The mouse must not have been an early riser, he was a no show.

Eventually the parents got down to parenting. The babysitter – I suspect it was dad, he kept forgetting he had a chick on his back when he wanted to stretch or dive – started rustling up some breakfast.

A hawk flew over calling which upset the parents. The babysitter herded the chick back to the nest, eventually corralling the chick back into the nest and under wing.

After a bit, the parents relaxed and swapped nest duty. I got a brief glimpse of a newly hatched chick in the nest. The chick was tempted off the nest with the promise of more breakfast. While waiting between servings, the chick practiced all the important loon skills. He tried out his wings.

After he managed to dive, he needed to figure out how to avoid surfacing under the water lilies.

There was more excitement as the babysitter spotted a snapping turtle surfaced only ~20 feet from the chick. The parent dove, there was a commotion underwater, then the parent herd the chick away from where the turtle had been before resuming foraging.

Left alone again, the chick was curious about why I was clicking and took a good look at me.

The parent foraging for second breakfast was ambitious, but unclear on the concept of volume. After several small offerings, the chick got to tackle a snack fit for a king.

Stay tuned for more of their adventures.

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