Posts in Category: Wildlife

Photos, stories and ‘how I got the shot’ about birds and animals in the wild

Loon Chicks at Ten Weeks, September 7, 2021

On September 7, 2021 - Loons, Wildlife Photography

Our loon chicks are now about ten and a half weeks old. I had a chance to catch up with them this morning. Both chicks seem to be doing well. They’re growing fast. Both are feeding on their own – as well as pestering their parents for food.

They’re getting very independent, one wander off something like a half mile from the parent on duty this morning. (Only one parent was around this morning, the other has probably headed off for a short break.)
Both cruised by to check me out.
One of the osprey made an appearance as well. It flew over the pond a few times, then settled on a branch to watch.
After several minutes, it flew back over with a nice breakfast. 
Most of the loon’s morning was spent foraging, or pestering the parent to forage. The loons didn’t seem to have much luck catching fish. The parent surfaced several times with fingerlings, but never a good-sized fish. 
But, crayfish were plentiful.
Here’s our parent inbound with another crayfish. 
The handoff….
Oh, oh,  a fumble!
The crayfish didn’t get far, our chick ties again..
Ouch! Looks like the chick got pinched!
The chick is determined and tries again.
Let’s see if it will go down this way….
Drats! Another fumble!
OK, this time is going to work….
No! Not again! Once more the crayfish makes a break for it!
But the crayfish’s luck runs out….
As soon as our parent surfaced this morning, at least one of the chicks would head over and start pestering the parent for a meal. If the parent was delivering a meal, the chick would eat that and immediately start pestering. The parent was rarely on the surface for more than a few second at a time. The parent was  pretty good at deflecting the chick’s bill away, but the chicks were persistent and often managed to pinch the parent.
The chicks seem to prefer to grab a bit of neck to get attention.
And they aren’t gentle about it.

Another bite…
One of our chicks eventually took a break from foraging and did some feather maintenance.  First the feathers on top…
… then the feathers underneath….
Then a good wing flap to get everything back in place.
This shot gives a good view of the flight feathers along the bottom of the chick’s wing. Won’t be long before they’re put to use.

The trees on the hills around our pond are already turning a little rusty. We’ve got just a few weeks left before our family moves on. 

Checking In With The Loons, August 4, 2021

On August 4, 2021 - Loons, Wildlife Photography

Our loon family with two chicks was receiving visitors yesterday morning, August 3. The chicks are now 46 & 47 days old. They both appear to be doing well. They’re diving, and occasionally catching food, on their own. But, they’re always hungry and encouraging the parents to feed them. 

The loons will have to take a brief hiatus. I’ll be down at the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen Fair for through August 15. I’ll resume the story as soon as possible after the Fair. 

The loons were foraging at the far end of the pond from the boat launch, I ran into some of the usual suspects along the way to see the loons. This is the most common view I get of common mergansers.
Hank Heron was out and about. 
The fishing wasn’t very good this morning. Hank caught just one small fish while I watched.
This osprey made seven or eight dives without catching anything before perching to watch for a meal. 
This was the largest fish I saw the parents hand off to the chicks. 
The parents were foraging fairly far away from the chicks. They were covering a good portion of their pond. 
An early morning stretch.
One of the loons took some time off from feeding the chicks to preen….
…and stretch.
The chicks are getting big. From a distance, it is hard to tell them from their parents. Their fluff is going and their feathers are growing in. 
The chicks were actively foraging in the shallow water. They both managed to catch food. There appeared to be several dragonfly nymphs, but most of what they caught was too small for me to ID. 
And one last shot of the chicks before I had to head out.
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Finally! The Swallow Chick Fledges, July 21, 2021

On July 21, 2021 - Tree Swallow Cam

Our surviving tree swallow chick left the nesting box this morning. Mom moved him off to the brush along the edge of the yard. That may be the last we see of him. 

Swallow Update July 20, 2021

On July 20, 2021 - Tree Swallow Cam

Our little tree swallow is STILL with us. He’s? been curious and looking out much of the day. He sits in the door to the box and looks out, but has always backed down and returned to the box. I wasn’t around much of the morning, but when I was, Mom was calling to him. I haven’t seen Dad for a couple days now. 

Our song sparrows have decided the mulch around the azaleas in front of the deck makes for a good dirt bath. Took me awhile to figure out what was making the noise that sounded like a bear rummaging through the shrubs. 

Swallow Update July 19, 2021

On July 19, 2021 - Tree Swallow Cam

Ok, I’m gonna start calling this guy Michael Rotondo as he doesn’t want to leave. Mom has been calling all day – can birds go hoarse? She’s popped in a couple times with food for the chick. Dad seems to have given up feeding the chick. 

Our hummingbirds have returned in force. Over the last couple weeks, we had occasional visits to the feeders. Rarely did two birds show up to contest the feeder. Yesterday, I noticed we’ve once again got a full time battle in progress. There’s one male that sits on the nearby perch and chases off any other males and some of the females that dare try use his feeder. At one point this afternoon, we had six birds in full swoop to decide who got to feed. 

Swallow Update July 18, 2021

On July 18, 2021 - Tree Swallow Cam

Mom appears to have decide it is time for Junior to get a move on. She’s been sitting on the perch in front of the box calling  almost all day. She’s made only a couple trips in to feed the chick. We haven’t seen dad feed the chick all day. But, the chick just isn’t ready to go. He’s? spent much of the day peering out the entrance. A couple times we thought he was ready to go, but he always turned back. 

Swallow Update July 17, 2021

On July 17, 2021 - Tree Swallow Cam

Our tree swallow chick hasn’t decided to venture out yet. He’s? curious about the world, spending more time looking out. Mom and dad continue to feed him, but also spent some time perched outside calling to him. The book says that last Wednesday was the first day he could have fledge, and that he may stick around until Thursday. 

Swallow Update July 16, 2021

On July 16, 2021 - Tree Swallow Cam


Our swallow chick remains in the box. Mom and dad are perched outside calling, but the chick doesn’t seem interested. We’ve had a couple hot, humid days. Maybe the chick is waiting for better weather? This is the third day since we could have expected him? to fledge. 

Swallow Update July 15, 2021

On July 15, 2021 - Tree Swallow Cam

Another day, another egg for our tree swallows. 

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A Visit With The Loons, Chicks Are 22 & 23 Days Old, July 11, 2021

On July 11, 2021 - Herons, Loons, Raptors, Wildlife Photography

I spent the morning visiting the loon family with two chicks in the Upper Valley area. Both chicks appear to be doing well, both are growing rapidly, are active and feeding eagerly. 

The loons aren’t the only inhabitants of their pond. This great blue heron was out and about a little before sun up.

I got too close to Hank for the shot with my long lens before I noticed him. I debated it it was worth turning around, getting further back and waiting for the water to settle again. I figured he’d move along before I was set. Glad he didn’t.
After the fog lifted, an osprey was up hunting for breakfast, and came to a hover almost directly overhead. Loons appear to differentiate osprey from other raptors at long range. Hawks and eagles are met with cries and the chicks flatten out to hide. But, the loons pretty much ignore the osprey (whose diet is almost entirely fish).
He’s spotted breakfast….
But, we came for the loons….
One of the adults stretching. I think this is our banded loon. The Loon Preservation Committee banded a bird with this combination of bands at Lee’s Pond in Moultonborough, NH, in 2015. The weren’t able to determine the sex while banding (I’m betting this is mom – the other loon is clueless about dealing with the chicks). It was spotted on Lake Tarleton in 2015 and on the current pond since 2018. 

UPDATE: I guessed wrong. Eventually I was able to catch this bird yodeling, which only males do. He’s a much more attentive parent than mom.
This pair of adults seems particularly fond of crayfish for feeding the chicks. They delivered several large crayfish early in the morning. 
And another crayfish….
This chick has learned to toss the crayfish up to grab it tail first for easier swallowing. 
After the first feeding, there was a break while the parents preened and the chicks napped. One of the adults swam close to my boat to preen. I got great views as it cleaned and oiled its feathers. (And, ‘close’ is a relative term, these were with an 800mm lens and cropped.)
Feathers adjusted, time to give them a fluff and check to see if they’re repelling water. 
The family spent most of the morning in shallow water, with the chicks practicing diving and foraging. It will be a while before they can feed themselves, but they’ve started learning. This guy made a successful dive and managed to catch a stick. Sticks apparently do not make good snacks. 
The parents eventually got serious about feeding the chicks and started bringing in fish. 
Adult loons seem unfamiliar with the concept of volume. They brought in fish that appeared way too big for a chick to swallow. This little guy was up to the challenge, but had to work at it. 
Still trying….
Almost have it!
Down it goes!
The other chick got a shot at the next fish that was delivered. 
The chick promptly dropped the fish… 
The adult recovered it, and handed (billed?) it back over. 
This fish proved to be too big, one of the adults ended up eating it. 
And a last shot of one of the chicks stretching. 

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