Posts in Category: Loons

Updates and photos as Ian follows the local loon families

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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