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/
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.)
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 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.)
Saturday morning found me visiting the Westons once again. The weather went south rapidly and I left when it started raining.
Let’s round up the usual suspects. I finally had time to get the kayak in the water and have ventured to a couple of the local waterholes. Let’s see who I’ve found.
I’ll be following a couple loon families throughout the summer, along with other critters. Sign up for notifications to follow along.