Checking Up on the Loons, et al

Let’s catch up with the Middletons and the Eastons, I’ve been to visit them – and their pondmates – a couple of times.

Tuesday evening I’ll be at the Loch Lyme Lodge in Lyme, NH to show lots of nature photos and present An Uncommon Look at the Common Loon. For details, timing and prices, see LochLymeLodge.com.

And the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s Fair opens August 3 and runs through August 11. I’m in booth 718. I’ve got lots of new images and favorites from years past. Come on by to have a look. If you’ve never been to the Fair, you’re missing a real show. Besides having some of New England’s best looking photographers, there is amazing work by all sorts of craftsmen, the skill is simply amazing. All the details about the Fair on the League’s site: NHCrafts.org.

The Eastons were receiving visitors when I showed up on July 14. Mom was tending the nest and dad was enjoying a peaceful morning. For a time.

Dad took his time with a through preening, finishing with a nice stretch.

Trouble appeared in the form an intruding loon, a challenger for the pond. Dad went off to set him straight.

After a brief kerfuffle, the intruder decided he’d be better off elsewhere and departed.

Dad took a victory wing stretch and headed back to check on mom still on the nest.

On his way back to the nest, he set a course that brought him very close to my boat, giving me a chance for a headshot. The growth under his bill is likely an abscess, possibly from getting poked with something sharp like a fish fin or fishing hook. It hasn’t changed noticeably in over a year and doesn’t seem to bother him.

Dad checked in on Mom and everything was peaceful when I left.

July 17 was the first day their eggs might have hatched. I went up to see how they were getting on. (They lost their first clutch, likely due to flooding.)

I caught a predawn nest exchange. Here’s dad checking in with mom to see if she wants to end her shift on the nest. She wanted a few more minutes before the exchange.

After a few minutes, mom decided she’d had enough and turned the nest over to dad. Dad climbed aboard and turned the eggs before settling in.

After a few minutes, dad alerted to some threat. This is the posture of a stressed loon – if you’re looking at a nest and see the loon flatten out without your seeing an obvious threat, you may be the threat.

Two intruding loons landed on the pond. Mom went to face them down. She wasted no time displaying how big and tough she was, trying to convince the intruders to go away.

Dad left the nest to join the fray. The loons did the circle dance – swimming around each other, sizing each other up. Loons appear to use the position of their head to communicate. Probably just as well we can’t translate what they’re saying here.

Shortly, there were loons wing rowing in every direction.

After several minutes, the intruders retreated to the far end of the pond. Dad headed back to the nest, mom went out for breakfast.

Dad returned to the nest and reclaimed his spot.

Oops, can’t settle in yet, have to turn the eggs again.

Intruders banished, eggs turned, dad can enjoy his shift. The intruders departed as I has heading to the boat launch.

I went back on July 19 to see if the chicks had hatched.

This time, dad had taken the overnight shift. Here’s mom checking in for the nest exchange. A steady wind came up and seeing we had no chicks, I headed home.

Paddling up the pond, I passed Hank, the great blue heron stretching on some rocks.

On the 20th, I checked in on the Middletons. There was a thick fog when I put in and finding the family was a challenge. Until they swam out of the fog right in front of me.

The last time I visited, I was a bit concerned about the smaller chick. The larger chick had been pecking at him? constantly when he was with the family. The smaller chick had been separating from the family far further than normal at this age. This time, both chicks were traveling with the parents and the sibling rivalry seemed under control.

Mom and dad provided first breakfast for the chicks. This is mom popping up close to my boat with a snack. There’s a fish in all that salad somewhere.
Mom handing off the fish.

After first breakfast, the family headed out to deep water for some preening.

And the chicks have learned to finish preening with a nice stretch.

First breakfast having worn off, the chicks were ready for second breakfasts. Here’s mom wrestling with a sunfish – that’s a fin sticking out of the water on the left of the image.

The sunfish was very uncooperative. Mom struggled more with this fish than any other catch I’ve seen. Here she finally seems to have it under control.

She tried to hand it off to the chicks. But, since the fish was nearly as long as the chicks, it didn’t work. Mom eventually had a big meal for herself.
Mom and dad took the chicks back to shallow water in a cove to let them forage. This time, mom and dad supervised and made the chicks forage on their own.

The chicks are no longer little fluff balls, they’re growing rapidly. They’re roughly 2/3rds adult size.

This is probably the younger chick, he’s? just showing the first signs of losing his down.
The other chick is well along in losing his down.
Here’s dad – you can just barely see the band on his leg – supervising as the chicks forage.
If you sit very quietly, loons will sometimes swim under and around your boat. One of the shots I hope to get with the new GoPro is a loon swimming by the boat. Almost got it here.

This morning, I headed back to check on the Eastons. There were several deer and a nice bull moose out and about. When I arrived it was a very pleasant 56° with a dead calm wind leaving the water with almost perfect mirror reflections. There were just a few whisps of clouds above and it promised to be a great sunrise on the pond.

This doe isn’t afraid of me. Several times, she’s come down to the shore. When she sees me, she doesn’t retreat, she hisses and barks at me.
This moose was at the far end of the pond. I snuck slowly very close to the shore as I tried to get close enough for a photo. Just as I was getting into camera range, a steady wind came up. The moose quickly got my scent and headed into the brush. Need I add that the wind was pushing me away from the boat launch?
I went back to check on the loons. Mom was on the nest. I grounded the boat to watch. What had been a very pleasant morning went south as a thick fog rolled in making things cold and damp. Of course, I was in just a tee, there having been no need for a sweatshirt earlier. Mom was fidgeting more than usual, so I stayed to watch. And waited…. After a time, she raised her left wing – look very closely, the first chick has hatched.
Here’s a very severe crop of the image to show the chick. With the other chick yet to hatch and being cold and miserable I headed in. I’ll try to get out to visit them again in the next couple days.

A wren has claimed one of the boxes on our deck. She’s spending her morning alerting the world that this is her corner and she isn’t to be disturbed. For sheer volume of song per ounce of bird, there can’t be any noisier bird than a wren.

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4 Comments

  1. Reply
    CLARE KELSEY July 22, 2024

    I cannot tell u how much ur blog means to me even tho I have had the enjoyment & privilege for a very short time. I’m 73 y/o, have some serious but, at present,only shallowly diagnosed, health issues that are stealing all energy, initiative, interest and overlaying so many days with, I guess, a sadness and fear that may (or may not) even be warranted given that, so far, we only know what all this is NOT but not what it is.

    BUT, when I get ur blog and/or am later pouring over the WONDERFULL, evocative writing that never fails to extract the biggest grin and softening of my gaze/expression as I truly and so clearly see what ur words are bringing to life. AND the PICS!!! The incredibly transporting pics…

    T H A N K YOU !!!

    • Ian Clark headshot
      Reply
      Ian Clark July 23, 2024

      Thanks, glad to bring you some happiness

  2. Reply
    Michael Fiske July 22, 2024

    Great post!

  3. Reply
    H. Dale Porter July 22, 2024

    Thank you for another wonderful post.

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