Posts Tagged: birds

The Eastons Have a Chick, Littleton Getting Big

On July 18, 2025 - Herons, Loons, Wildlife Photography

I made it up to visit the Eastons Tuesday morning and met their chick. Wednesday found me back visiting them and yesterday I dropped in on the Middletons.

The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s Fair is coming up quickly. We’ll be at the Mount Sunapee Resort in Newbury, NH from Saturday August 2 to Sunday August 10. I’m in tent seven with note cards, my 2026 calendar and lots of prints. I’m busy printing new images including loons, herons, owls, a lighthouse and more. Stop by and have a look.

Owl Be Looking at You
Owl Be Looking at You – one of the new images I’ll be exhibiting at the Fair.

The Eastons got off to a late start this spring. The Middletons did too. I wonder if all the rain delayed their plans? The Eastons hatched their chicks the third weekend in June for several years. Last year, they lost their first clutch of eggs, the second clutch didn’t hatch until the third week of July. This year they laid two eggs, one didn’t hatch.

When I arrived, mom was foraging near the boat launch. She disappeared while I was unloading the boat.

Paddling down the pond, I found mom had retreated to the far end. Dad was floating nearby. Mom greeted me with a stretch. I couldn’t see any sign of chicks.


Mom spent some time preening before stretching again.
Shortly after that, she went over to join dad. And a chick appeared on dad’s back. If I named baby Middleton ‘Littleton,’ should baby Easton be ‘Leaston?’ Yes, my mind does wander when I’m sitting in the boat.
Mom dove to find breakfast, Leaston settled in to wait. The male in this pair is banded and has a growth under his bill allowing me to tell them apart.

Ah fish! What a great breakfast.

Just a reminder, I’m using a 600mm lens and sitting well back to avoid bothering the loons. This image is heavily cropped.
After a couple helpings, Leaston settled in for a nap.
But, more breakfast is always a reason to get back up. This serving looks like a giant water bug, aka ‘toe-biter.’ Dad wanted his own breakfast and turned Leaston over to mom and headed out.
Dad took time for a quick stretch before heading off.
Leaston climbed aboard mom and tucked in.
Dad had a quick breakfast and came back to reclaim Leaston. With this pair of loons, dad is the more attentive parent. If there’s only one parent with the chick(s) when I arrive on the pond, it is almost always dad. If they’re both feeding the chicks, mom will often scoot before the chicks are full and dad finishes the meal.
Leaston was keeping an eye on things. Probably trying to figure out what role I played in this adventure.

Even at a just a couple days old, the chicks are on the lookout from threats in any direction – including overhead.
And another shot of the chick riding just because he’s so darned cute.
The wind picked up and I had things to get done so I headed in for the day.
Wednesday morning I headed back up to the pond. I hadn’t seen the great blue herons that usually summer on the pond yet this season. It was a nice surprise to find Hank out in the fog. The herons are smart enough to know where the sun will first hit the pond. Overnight the temperature dropped to a very pleasant low-60s. Hank was stationed to warm in the first sunlight. I wanted another angle for my photo and tried to maneuver to the right. Along the shore, a beaver and I were both startled to find each other so close. The beaver set to an impressive bout of tail slapping and Hank disappeared down the pond.
In low light with a little fog and the breeze ruffling the water, loons floating quietly can be hard to spot at a distance. Mom let me know where she was when she stretched.
Mom was tending the chick. The chick wanted to come aboard and gave a mighty flap of his? wings.
It took swimming around to mom’s port side to find the handle to climb aboard.
Once aboard, he made himself comfortable.

Dad was staying away longer than usual, he was back up the pond somewhere near the boat launch. I figured I’d see him on my way out.

As headed in, I saw what I thought was dad at a distance. He was low in the water – stalking something. I had only a brief glimpse before he dove. A few seconds later, there was a loon in another direction. It seemed like he’d moved very quickly – likely too quickly. I looked around where I’d seen the low riding loon. While I was looking behind me, a ruckus broke out in front of me!
Dad was up out of the water doing the penguin dance in front of an intruder! The intruder went wing rowing away. They repeated that a couple of times.
The intruder eventually made a wing rowing run that brought him close to the boat and I was able to get a series of photos. I love the patterns in the water coming off his right wing.
Another shot of the intruder wing rowing past my boat.

A closer shot – check out the patterns in the water again.

And putting on the brakes… the intruder has dipped both wings deeper into the water to slow down.

The intruder hid behind my boat for a few moments before diving. Dad dove too and I lost track of both of them. Over the next half hour, I got brief glimpses of both surfacing – staying low – stalking each other. They hadn’t come to any conclusion by the time I had to leave.

Yesterday’s forecast was for thunderstorms at dawn. When I got up and looked out, we had clear skies with some fog down in the valley. I headed out to call on the Middletons. I found the family foraging in their favorite breakfast cove well before sunup.

Mom dove. I thought she was just foraging. She popped up outside the cove. That was a bit unusual.

Shortly after, Littleton flattened out – a chick’s defense against threats.
Looking up, I saw an intruder coming in for a landing. Mom and dad went out to challenge her. I’m assuming this is the same female that was keeping company with Mr. Middleton early in the season. Assuming it is her, she has come in to challenge for the territory each time I’ve visited. The Middletons – the two on the right – circled her and stared her down.
The intruder retreated, wing rowing away down the pond. The Middletons followed, swimming after her.
Before the Middletons caught up with her, she departed.
Dad took time for a celebratory stretch as the intruder circled the pond one last time calling as she went. Both of the resident loons are banded, allowing me to tell who is who.
Both Middletons headed back to catch up with Littleton, who swam out of the cove to greet them.
Dad decided first breakfast was over and it was time for a nap. Littleton went along with the plan.
But, Littleton soon decided he had other priorities. He gently nudged dad to remind him it was time for second breakfast.
A gentle nudge wasn’t sufficient to get dad moving. Littleton upped his game and nipped dad’s neck.
Dad woke up and explained that he’d provide breakfast when he was good and ready. Then tucked back in to nap.
But Littleton was insistent, as loon chicks are. He nudged and pushed dad for a bit. Dad stayed tucked in, and Littleton pushed him in circles for a bit.
Littleton circled around to see if pushing on dad’s other side would get some action.
Littleton eventually took the hint and wanted to climb aboard. He’s too big these days, he only got his head under dad’s wing.
Dad eventually gave in and headed off to round up mom to get more breakfast. Littleton tucked his head under dad’s other wing and let dad tow him along.
Mom stretched as they approached. The parents set to rounding up some breakfast.

The clouds were moving in and the wind came up. I headed home to get to work.

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Along the Connecticut Shore

On July 13, 2025 - Shorebirds, Turtles, Wildlife Photography

Back on July 3, Chris Roberts, who runs the great Vermont birding – PLUS Facebook group, offered to show me some of his favorite spots along the Connecticut Shore. They were all well west of what little Connecticut Shore I’d explored.

Chris is a serious, hardcore birder. Meaning he’s nuts. I offered to drive and asked how early we’d have to leave to get to the shore for sunrise. He was game for me to pick him up at 0300. That’s cool, unfortunately I was going to pick him up some 80 miles south of me. Hitting the road at 0130 to be on location for sunrise isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Along the way to pick him up, I got my closest ever look at a black bear. I didn’t get to enjoy it as much as I’d have liked, I was too busy standing up on the brake pedal. The bear sauntered onto route 91 and stopped in my lane to see what was coming. I managed to stop with 20 or 25 feet to spare. The bear had a good look at me and continued on his errand.

We arrived at the beach as the sun rose and set out to see what we could find.

There were a number of piping plovers with chicks ranging from just a few days old to near-adult sized juveniles. There is already at least one chick under this parent as two more tuck under.

We found seven northern diamondback terrapins out on the beach looking for a spot to lay their eggs or already laying eggs. They come ashore at high tide to make sure their nests will be well above water level. They’re listed as a vulnerable species and this was my first sighting of them. They live in the brackish tidal marshes along the east coast.

Another northern diamondback terrapin along the shore. I didn’t get close enough to tell if she was laying eggs or just sitting.

American oystercatchers were on my to-see list. I haven’t seen any since I got serious about wildlife photography, these are the first photos I’ve gotten of them.

Oystercatchers are cool looking birds. Their orange eye adds some pop to the photos. Whoever is in charge of banding Connecticut’s oystercatchers is doing an outstanding job. Almost all of the oystercatchers we saw were banded. Likely recently, we found several breeding pairs with consecutively numbered bands. Here’s ole N51 who, along with N52, had a nest on the beach.

As you’d guess from their name, they feed on oysters, along with mussels, clams and other invertebrates. They search for shellfish with their shells partly open. When they find one, they stick their bill inside and severe the muscle that lets the shellfish close their shell. (I had to go look up the difference between clams, muscles and oysters. They’re all ‘bivalves,’ meaning they have two half shells they can close to protect themselves. Learning maybe more than I needed, bivalve comes from the Latin “bis” – meaning two – and “valvae” from the leaves of a door. The differences are their shapes, their type of habitat and their flavor, which I didn’t take time to compare.
Watching the piping plovers, we saw a parent doing the ‘broken-wing’ display. They’re like killdeer and when they sense a threat to their chicks, they feign injury and make a big deal about it. The idea is to get the predator to chase them and lure the predator away from the chicks.

A small flock of gulls had landed on the beach near this bird’s chicks. The chicks had frozen in place and were hard to spot. The parent tried to draw the gulls’ attention away from the chicks. It worked this time.

This section of beach was covered in a few feet of abandoned shells. This proved to be very good camouflage for the plovers. When I’ve seen plover chicks on the sandy beaches in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, I’ve often wondered how any of the chicks survive, they seem to stand out clearly on the sand. They’re much, much harder to see against the shells.

The shells are several feet deep along the beach.

A parent and chick blending in nicely against the shells.

And the chicks are just adorable.

The plover chicks scoot along in short bursts, constantly changing direction.

Another chick, this time on a sandier spot.

And a chick just being cute.

This chick went right down to the water’s edge before heading back up the beach.

Our buddy N51 reappeared and started down to the water.

N51’s mate, N52, showed up and went foraging along side. I’ve reported the bands and when I get the confirmation, we may be able to tell who is who from that. There’s no way for people to tell by looking at them.

It was time to head on to the next location and we headed back to the parking lot. There were several horseshoe crabs in the shallow water. A flock of gulls had dragged this on up on the beach and were trying to flip it over as we approached. We spooked the gulls and the crab headed back to the water.

At the next spot, we found a pool with several herons and egrets. Chris spotted a tricolored heron, I saw a clump of brush. We moved on.

Next up was another oystercatcher. Meet N00. We soon found N99 and I suspect they were banded in relatively quick succession.

There were a few willets foraging in the shallow water.

Our timing was right to watch the Atlantic sand fiddler crabs emerge from their burrows. They live in colonies with each male claiming a territory. When the tide recedes, they come out of their burrows. And display their large claw – both to warn off neighboring males and to attract females. Only the males have the size difference between their claws, females have two similarly sized claws. There were several dozen males waiving their claws around.

They have interesting markings on their backs.

And they look like they mean business if you try to interfere with them.

There was also a colony of least terns along the beach. A small flock came down to the shallows to preen. And to have the guys carry fish around to impress the ladies.

Turning around from the last photo, I discovered a piping plover had crept up to me while my back was turned.

There were more piping plover chicks that couldn’t have been more than a week old out foraging on the beach.

Another plover chick that stopped briefly to look around.

Well above water level, the beach is roped off to protect the plovers and terns nesting spots.

This guy is a little late in the game. He was still looking for a lady to commit his entire season to. He was industriously displaying his fish to the passing ladies.

Here’s a tern stretching. I think. He might be showing off his disco moves to attract a lady.

We were able to spot a couple of young chicks. They were well hidden chicks hiding under some plants.

There were three juvenile oyster catchers foraging on the beach just above the waves.

And a parent delivering a meal to one of the juveniles.

Lots of interesting critters to watch and photograph. I’m looking forward to getting down there again for a longer stay.

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An Update on the Eastons and Westons

On July 13, 2025 - Loons, Wildlife Photography

OK, a long overdue update on the Eastons and Westons. My apologies, I set a new record and managed to disable all three of my PCs at once. It has been a long week….

The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s Fair is coming up August 2nd to the 10th at the Mount Sunapee Resort. I’ll be there with prints, cards and 2026 calendars. I’m in Tent 7, stop by and have a look.

Want a quick and simple way to help our loons? Every year, the loon conservation organizations conduct a census of the loons in their area on the third Saturday of July. The idea is to get observers on every likely loon territory at the same time. The more territories observed, the better the accuracy of the count. The census is taken between 8 and 9 am – a fairly tight window to keep from over or undercounting loons that travel. You can help by volunteering to check a lake or pond that needs an observer. If you’re volunteering in New Hampshire, see the info on the Loon Preservation Committee’s site here. Vermonters can find information on the Vermont Center for EcoStudies’ site here. Other states will be participating. If you’re interested in helping and can’t find your state’s info with a web search, let me know, I’ll try to track it down. The LPC is also hosting their Loon Festival after the count – starting at 10am – at the Loon Center, 183 Mill Road in Moultonborough, NH. Free, family friendly and open to everyone. Info here.

I spent several hours with both the families last weekend, but came away with few photos. Mr. Easton was still sitting on the nest. Mom spent the morning leisurely cruising and foraging around the pond. There were a number – something like six or eight – beavers working late into the morning.

The closest we came to excitement was when Mrs. Easton alerted to something. She looked around for a few moments before relaxing and going on with her business. I never figured out what caught her attention.

At one point, Mrs. Easton cruised not far from me and took time to check me out. Shortly afterwards, one of the beavers started slapping repeatedly.

A young buck had come down to the waterline to graze. The beaver apparently thought the snacks should be his and started the slapping.

I must have been clearly visible and there wasn’t much wind. I was surprised the buck didn’t object to my being there. He spent almost half an hour grazing along the shore, looking up occasionally to keep an eye on me. He ignored the beaver.

Dad seemed content to sit and watch the world.

Dad eventually tucked in for a nap. Look above him to the right of the brush. All those black spots are insects of some sort. Biting insects. You can see a few on dad if you look closely.

The next morning, I ventured out to visit the Westons. The Westons usually ignore me in the early part of the season. Once the chicks hatch, all mammals are persona non grata on their pond. Just after the holiday weekend, they were less sociable than usual. If you’re out trying to photograph loons, pay attention to their mood. There are days they’re comfortable with people about and will go about their business – often close to someone sitting still in a boat. Other times, they don’t want to be near anyone, please respect their wishes.

I was still looking for the family when one of the parents came up for a stretch.
The family was cruising along slowly, with the parents checking the basement for breakfast.

They were in fairly deep (for a New England pond) water when I found them. They weren’t having any luck foraging and moved up the pond into shallower water. I headed off to see who else was out and about.

There was a raven squawking overhead. A pair of eastern kingbirds were unhappy the raven was in the area – ravens are a threat to eggs and chicks. The kingbirds were harassing the raven to get him to move along.

The kingbirds were insistent. The raven was crossing the pond with nowhere to hide.

It looks like one of the kingbirds has plucked a raven feather. The kingbirds chased the raven across the pond where it took cover in an evergreen. The kingbirds circled for a long time to keep an eye on it.

Another pair of kingbirds were hunting dragonflies along the water’s edge.

One of the loon parents needed to fly some errands and headed out. I figured that was a good time for me to head home and get some things done.

I’ll be heading back to check on the families again as soon as we get a couple nice mornings.


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A Morning with the Middletons

On July 5, 2025 - Loons, Wildlife Photography

Early on the Fourth of July, I got up, looked out and saw lots of stars. And some fog down in the valley. From above, it didn’t look very thick, I set out to visit the Middletons and their chick. (As my naming scheme would suggest, I’m calling the chick ‘Littleton’)

The fog was lifting off the Connecticut as I crossed and was thin over the meadows and marsh as I approached the pond. But, the fog was thick on the pond, another dreary start for photos. After a bit of searching, I discovered dad on babysitting duty just outside the Middletons’ favorite cove for breakfast.

Mom was foraging lazily, sometimes for herself, sometimes for the chick. She paused to give a nice stretch. I was hopeful the fog was lifting a bit…..

Mom looked good, I was still hoping that things would brighten for some more pop in the pix.

Our intruder reappeared! She was running a bit later than usual, but arrived and challenged the Middletons. Both adult Middletons went down the pond to face off with her. After a bit of displaying, the intruder departed.

The Middletons headed back to catch up with Littleton, passing close by my boat. The intruder flew a couple laps around the pond on her way out. Dad yodeled to tell her to get moving elsewhere.

Dad collected Littleton. Mom took a nice stretch – the fog had lifted nicely and things had brightened up, cheering me.

Mom delivering a meal.

Dad and Littleton awaiting the next course – in brighter light.

Even nicer light…. Dad was patrolling outside the cove. I suspect he was watching the pond to make sure the intruder didn’t return. With the nice light, I hoped they’d stick around for photos. But, the darned birds swam down the pond to forage in deep shadows. They weren’t very successful. I couldn’t help thinking it served them right.

After a time in the shadows, they continued down the pond to another favorite feeding spot. Mom took time to show off with a nice stretch. I took back what I’d thought.

And dad joined in with his own stretch. In the 13 years I’ve been watching the loons, I’ve only seen both stretching at the same time a small handful of times. And never close enough together to fit in the frame.

They arrived in relatively shallow water where they like to forage and went to it. After a couple quick meals for Littleton, dad nabbed himself a good-sized sunfish.
Mom must have thought that looked good, she went and got her own.

And promptly went back for seconds. You can see her bands just below the water back by her tail.

Dad returned to help himself to another sunfish from the buffet.

Loons have to swallow fish head first to avoid being poked by the fish’s fins. Dad is lining the sunfish up.

And down it goes….. While Dad was on his second fish, Mom went back for a third. She ate something approaching three pounds of fish within six minutes.

Both parents then took some time to find more breakfast for Littleton. After mom delivered a meal with a weed wrapped around it, Littleton had it stuck in his? bill. Should I tell him?

When Littleton had his fill, mom stretched again and the family settled in for a nap as I headed out.

An update on the Eastons coming soon!

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The Middletons Have a Chick – and a Fight

On July 1, 2025 - Loons, Wildlife Photography

Monday morning was clear when I got up, but with some fog hugging the Connecticut River below us. I figured it would lift quickly enough and it was worth a trip to check on the Middletons.

The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s Fair is coming up. I’m already printing and framing new work. Save the dates and plan a trip to the Fair.

The videos of the tree swallows in the nesting box stopped after the chicks came to a sad end. The kestrel returned and took the last two chicks. Tough to watch, but that’s the way nature works. The wrens are raising their chicks in another box about 24 feet away from this one. I was surprised to see a second family of wrens claim the tree swallow’s box within the hour of the kestrel getting the chicks.

When I arrived at the Middletons’ pond, it was still in a thick fog – visibility was limited to something like 100 feet. I set out looking for the loons.

Soon, I found what turned out to be mom, apparently sleeping alone. I’d missed when they laid their egg, I figured we were still waiting. After a few minutes, dad appeared – coming out of the fog from the opposite direction of the nest. And carrying a fish. A chick appeared from under mom’s wing and went to get breakfast.

The chick hatched sometime since last Thursday. My best guess is he? is a couple days old, probably hatching Saturday.

Watching was more enjoyable than trying to get photos through the heavy fog, so I settled in to watch. And was soon fighting dozing off. I heard a swooshing and roused myself in time to see our intruding loon – probably the female that was keeping company with Mr. Middleton earlier in the spring – as she landed near the family. (How the heck does a loon navigate in fog that limits visibility to just a couple hundred feet?)

The Middletons were not about to have her around the chick and mom set out after her. The intruder took off wing rowing across the pond.

With mom in hot pursuit!

Dad hung back with the chick, but yodeled to let the intruder know the home team was ready to fight.

The intruder disappeared down the pond and mom returned to the family, giving a nice stretch.

Dad kept charge of the chick, leading him towards shallow water for more breakfast. Mom was alert and patrolled between the family and where the intruder was last seen.

Mom spotted the intruder again, and set out to send her packing.

Mom and the intruder fought for several minutes. Mom doing the penguin dance between dives, the intruder staying mostly underwater.

Loons do the penguin dance only under extreme stress. Males are more likely than females to dance, but females will too. That mom’s dancing is more evidence that the intruder is female – loons are more likely to fight the same sex loon.

Once again, the intruder went wing rowing away down the pond. Mom gave up pursuit after a bit.

Mom took a moment to stretch before rejoining the family. With the intruder out of the way, it was time to get serious about rustling up some breakfast.


Mom soon came up with what looks like a large mouth bass. That’s going to be a challenge for the chick. The chick gave it a good try before dropping the fish. Mom retrieved it.

Ok, let’s try this again…. easy now, don’t drop it…. Yup, he dropped it and mom retrieved it again.

Third times the charm…. or is it? The chick doesn’t seem to have learned where mom stops and the food begins…. The chick dropped the fish a couple more times before mom gave up and ate it herself.


Dad came in with a much more manageable snack.

Mom is looking for another meal. The chick took matters into his own bill. And tried a pine needle found floating nearby. Pine needles do not make good breakfasts.

Mom is back again with an oversize fish. This time, the chick was able to get it down with some work.

Mom showed up with yet another fish to challenge the chick …

The chick was up for the challenge this time…. going….. going….. gone!

Mom was sticking with what works… here’s another impossibly large fish.

The chick is looking for the handle……

And promptly drops it…..

Mom fetches it again and again hands it off….

The chick looks to have a good hold on it, mom is keeping a close eye on it….
Looks like a good grip, just need to line the fish up to go down head first….. and he drops it! Mom very patiently retrieves it again…..

Mom and the chick are determined to make this work…. trying again…. And he drops it! Mom put her head underwater and the fish wasn’t seen again – most likely mom ate it.

And the intruder reappeared at the far end of the pond!

This time dad is going to head out to join mom in chasing the intruder away. First, he lead the chick up close to my boat – they’re smart enough to know that being close to a boat provides the chick some protection from threats – especially airborne threats. If you’re on a pond and a loon asks you to ‘babysit’ just put your paddles down and sit still. Let the loons do what they need.

The chick sheltered behind my boat, away from the action where the intruder couldn’t see him.

Mom and dad again forced the intruder to retreat… dad’s taking a victory stretch.

The parents returned to collect the chick and headed out to finish breakfast. I lost track and don’t know who I caught stretching.

After a couple minutes for a quick preen, dad took the chick aboard. The chick is checking to see if feathers make good breakfast.

Another round of fish and it looked like the Middletons could settle in for a nap.

They weren’t so lucky – as I was pulling the boat out I heard dad yodeling and lots of wing rowing as the intruder came back.

Intruders will try to kill the chick or a parent if they can. The fight is for the territory. With a chick the home team has great incentive to hold onto the territory. If they lose it or a mate, they may give up and relinquish the territory. I expect we’ll see more skirmishing with the intruder.

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Loon Update June 25, 2025

On June 25, 2025 - Loons, Wildlife Photography

I’ve had a chance to check in with all three loon families since Saturday evening. Good news on all fronts.

I identify the loon families with pseudonyms to protect their privacy. Every year, I get dozens of requests to know where I am. While I usually try to help out responsible photographers, it just wouldn’t be fair to these loons to have hordes visiting them. If you’d like to see loons, you can visit most any lake or pond in northern New Hampshire or Vermont (Thanks Vermont Center for Ecostudies and Loon Preservation Committee). Please be respectful and keep your distance. Expect to spend some time to get good photos – I spend something like 200 hours a year on the loons’ ponds to get the shots I get.

This Saturday, June 28, I’ll be up at the Burklyn Arts Summer Fair at the Fenton Chester Arena, 145 College Rd, Lyndon Center, VT (on the Lyndon Institute campus), 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. I’ll be selling note cards and prints large and small. Come on by and say hello.

Last Saturday morning, I stopped by to visit the Middletons. Mom had taken the overnight shift on the nest. Dad was leisurely cruising his pond.

Dad seems to be enjoying the sunrise.

I love watching the fog lift as the first light hits the pond.

Dad took one last stretch before heading in to relieve mom.

Mom came off the nest and took a couple big stretches.

And another stretch…

Mom settled in for a nap, I wandered off to see who else was out and about.

I passed a Luna moth floating on the water. I turned around to pull him out of the water. He rode comfortably on my knapsack while he dried out.

Eventually, he climbed up the knapsack onto the gunwale – and back into the water. I turned around to pull him out again. I took him to shore and set him on a branch. And he promptly walked back into the water….. I pulled him out again and kept him aboard until I started packing up. This time I walked him a few yards from shore and put him down on some leaves.

Male Luna moths have bigger, bushier antennae than the females. It is thought this helps them detect the pheromones that the ladies give off.

His tail was damaged, he probably couldn’t fly. My bringing him ashore likely postponed the inevitable only briefly. Luna moths live only about a week as moths. They don’t have mouths, their goal is to reproduce before passing on.

Not long after finding the moth, an intruding loon flew in. I’m guessing this is the unbanded female that was seen keeping company with Mr. Middleton earlier in the year. No way to know, but seems a likely guess. After a brief display between Mrs. M and the intruder, the intruder dove. I was a couple hundred yards away from the action and quickly lost track of both loons. After a couple minutes, a submerged loon appeared and swam directly under my boat and popped up on the far side – hidden from Mrs. M.

The intruder looked around for a few seconds before taking off.

And by request, another turtle shot. The Middletons’ pond has a good population of both snapping and painted turtles. This painted turtle was suffering from the bugs. He scooted back and forth on the log and repeatedly swiped a foot over his head to clear the mosquitos away.

Saturday evening was still warm, but relatively still. I headed up to check on the Westons and their chicks. The chicks hatched on June 7 & 8, making the oldest one 14 days old on Saturday.

The Westons live on a quiet pond, I rarely see other boats out on it. When I arrived Saturday night, there were four canoes afloat. I looked and looked for the Westons before discovering they’d retreated to the furthest reaches of the pond. They promptly announced they were uninterested in receiving visitors.

I took a couple quick shots and left to let them be.

Sunday morning I went back up to visit them.

They were back on the main body of the pond, cruising slowly. The parents took turns foraging and providing small meals.

After a time, they found a spot for some serious foraging. Both parents went to work delivering a steady stream of small meals. Eventually, one parent dove and I lost track.

Splashing behind me alerted me to where the parent had gotten to. The loon made a couple of aggressive dives, I thought there was a threat below the surface. But, shortly afterwards, the parent came up with a good-sized horned pout.

The parent making the handoff to the chick….

The chick made a valiant effort…. but putting a half pound of fish into a quarter pound chick is a challenge..

I got this!
Still working on it….
No! Seriously! I got this!

The fish slips away…. When the chicks are very young, the parents swim in and retrieve the lost meal. This time, the parent let the chick do the work to recover the fish.

The chick managed to catch the fish and bring it back to the surface. The chick continued to try to get it down. Eventually the chick dropped it and the parent spent a few moments with his head underwater. The fish wasn’t seen again, I suspect the parent made it a meal.

I poked around the pond some, without finding anyone out and about to be photographed. As I headed in, one of the chicks gave me a nice wing stretch. I like this guy!

Yesterday I was back to visit the Middletons. I didn’t see when they laid their eggs, so I’m not sure when to expect them to hatch. It is likely several more days. They had the first quiet morning I’ve seen this season. Dad was floating not far from the nest when I arrived. He went out for a quick breakfast before returning to take over nest duty.

Mom came off the nest and posed nicely for me. I looked around a bit. The red-winged blackbirds are coming and going with groceries to their nests hidden in the reeds. The kingbirds were busy catching dragonflies. Everyone else seemed to be high in the canopy. I headed out to get some errands done.

This morning the forecast was for a few clouds giving way to sunshine. When I peeked out at 3:15, there was a ribbon of fog over the Connecticut and just a few clouds to the east. I thought I was in luck and headed to check in with the Eastons.

Mom was sleeping in on the nest. I set out the LPC’s sign to warn people away from the nest. She woke briefly to see what I was up to and promptly went back to sleep. The few clouds I’d seen were in perfect position to block the morning sun.

I waited a bit for the sun to break through. After a time, I gave up and headed for the boat launch. And the sun came out. I turned back and headed down the pond in time to see dad show up and take over the nest.

I swung by to get his photo as it started to rain lightly.

I turned to leave again. And the sun came out again, looking like it was out to stay. I paddled to the far end of the pond before it started to rain slightly. Then steadily. I put the boat on the car in a downpour. By the time I got back to the hardtop, I was wearing my sunglasses. Gotta love New England weather!

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10-day-old tree swallow chicks, June 25, 2025

On June 25, 2025 - Tree Swallow Cam, Wildlife Photography

Sad news today, we lost either two or three chicks. Just after last night’s post a kestrel was trying to get into the box. The swallows chased him off, only to have him return. They successfully drove him off and all the chicks were fine when I went to bed last night.

Today, the chicks are hiding under the feathers that the parents brought in to cover the eggs and chicks. I can’t decide if there are two or three chicks left.

The chicks in the box seem to be doing well, they’re moving around under the feathers and pop up when a parent delivers a meal.

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Nine-day-old tree swallow chicks, June 24, 2025

On June 24, 2025 - Tree Swallow Cam, Wildlife Photography

We’re watching our nine-day-old tree swallow chicks in their camera-equipped box. We had another very hot day today, the chicks spent much of it squirming, apparently trying to get comfortable. We just a had a brief thunderstorm which has cooled things down a bit. Several meals were delivered and the chicks have settled in for a nap.

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Eight-day-old tree swallow chicks, June 23, 2025

On June 23, 2025 - Tree Swallow Cam, Wildlife Photography

Our tree swallows had a hot day in the box today. The thermometer in the car said it got to 97° this afternoon. The box is shaded from late morning on, sparing the the worst of the day. All five chicks seem to be doing well.

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Seven-day-old tree swallow chicks, June 22, 2025

On June 22, 2025 - Tree Swallow Cam, Wildlife Photography

A good look at our seven-day-old tree swallow chicks this evening. We’re having a hot afternoon here in West Newbury, the chicks are sprawled out trying to cool off.

The cameras are mounted inside the box letting us watch without disturbing the birds. The cameras have their quirks. They record in color when there’s enough light and switch to black and white and turn on infrared emitters in low light. They’re slow to adapt to the change in light as the swallows come and go.

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