Lovely Loons

     They say loons have their babies around the 4th of July.  While I haven’t seen any babies riding on their parent’s back yet many of our guests and our children have.  The reports of baby loons seemed to come much earlier than normal this year with sightings as early as June 22nd.    

     While most talk about loons revolves around their voice I love to watch them just as much as I like listening to them.  They skip across the water, stretch their necks long and flap their wings in a dancelike way.  It almost looks like they are performing on a stage of water with a backdrop made of trees.  

    One day I had the opportunity to watch a loon teach its chick how to fish.  I spent the afternoon watching as the adult loon dove to catch fish.  Early in the lesson the adult would chew the fish, then place the fish directly into the babie’s mouth.  Once the chick mastered that skill the adult moved on to placing the fish directly in front of the chick.  The chick had to dip it’s beak into the water to retrieve the fish.  The next step was the most difficult and that involved placing a live fish in front of the chick.  The chick had to try to dive into the water after the fish.  The chick would quickly dip it’s head into the water, sometimes coming back with a fish and sometimes without.  I was suppose to be fishing myself but found myself mesmerized by the lesson.

     Loons are beautiful creatures that are fun to listen to and watch.  I’m fortunate to be able to see loons frequently and hear their lovely songs most days and nights.