Larry's Loon Blog

MERRY CHRISTMAS To All Of You!

2011-12-25T04:45:04Z

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of you.

Or Happy Hannukah!

And Happy New Year.

May this be the best one ever for you and for your loved ones!

2:32pm Wednesday, November 23, 2011

2011-11-23T20:32:14Z

52 degrees Sunny Wind 3mph SW

Under a brilliant blue sky and warm early winter sun, the scene I am looking at right now is one of so many things to be thankful for at this time of Thanksgiving. There are a few white strands of our snow that we got last Saturday still scattered here and there.

Sitting on the ice of a half frozen lake is a huge mature bald eagle.

Across the lake is a groups of beautiful white swans swimming in the open water.

And also on the blue open water and in moving 'clouds of white' above the lake are thousands of noisy seagulls.

There is a flock of about Canada geese in the water and on the ice yesterday.

But unfortunately no loons in sight.

Just now another eagle landed on the ice a little way from the first eagle. This one is an immature eagle without the white head and tail feathers. I wonder if these are the same two eagles that gave the coots such a scare and such fits a couple weeks ago.

The mature eagle can obviously see something through the thin ice.

He looks down through the ice and lifts one of his feet with talons extended as if he is ready to grab a fish. If only he could figure out what this strange hard glasslike stuff is that keeps him from reaching the fish. It is humorous to watch.

The immature eagle flaps his wings and rises about the ice a foot or two and then settles back down. The behavior is identical to when an immature eagle is testing his wings in the nest. Or can he too see fish through the ice and is trying to figure out how to get them. He looks down as he repeats the behavior several times.

But this scene is just a reminder of how beautiful life is and how much God has placed all around us to be thankful for.

Check out the USGS Loon Migration page at http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/terrestrial/migratory_birds/loons/migrations.html

Most of the loons are now migrating but 5 loons are hanging tough and are still on their home territories. The weather for the next few days is predicted be very mild so that will not be a great encouragement to the loons to move. But as soon as it turns colder, the rest of them will also be on their way. There is always a danger that a fast cool down and freeze up of the lakes could trap a loon who does not leave soon enough.

Already 4 of the loons are on the ocean - three on the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida and one on the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina.

So from under a brilliant blue sunny sky on a half frozen Minnesota lake of ice and skyblue open water - with eagles and swans and geese and seagulls - the best to each of you. Does life get much better than this?

May you stop today to consider the blessings that God has given you and placed all around you if you will just take the time to stop and look. And to be thankful for family and friends.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

And to our friends outside of the United States, may this also be your day and time of thanksgiving.

[Change that. One hour later, FOUR eagles on the ice! One mature eagle and 3 immature eagles. And more swans have arrived also. Now there are more than 50 beautiful swans.]

10:16pm Wednesday, November 9, 2011

2011-11-10T04:16:18Z

34 degrees Clear Wind N 2mph

There have been more swans on the lake but unfortunately I have not seen any loons.

Just a brief update on the migrations on the USGS website. Eight of the 20 loons are now on the Great Lakes. The other 12 are either still on their home lakes or part way in between.

Yesterday the eagles were after the coots again and the sound of the "waterfall of coots" was heard several times. I haven't seen nearly as many of the coots today so I am not sure if they are somewhere else on the lake or if they have moved on.

Most of the seagulls seem to have already migrated south but there are a few that are still hanging around on the lake. They were here in large groups a couple weeks ago. And as usual they were very loud. Maybe not as loud as they are in the spring but loud none the less.

Soon all of them will be forced of the lake as we enter the 'quiet season'.

In only a couple more weeks, the lake will freeze over and none of our waterfowl will be around until next spring.

I promised that I would tell you more about our trips up north and I will try to do that in the next couple weeks.

But tonight I just wanted to give you a heads up on several places where I will be doing presentations on loons that are open to the public.

1. Ramsey, MN Seniors Noon Thursday, November 17, 2011

2. National Eagle Center Wabasha, MN Sunday afternoon, April 1, 2012

3. Sandhill Center for the Arts Bethel, MN 11am Tuesday, April 17, 2012

If you are anywhere near any of these public presentations, it would be fun to see you.

I know several of you were able to make it to the National Eagle Center last year and it was so great to be able to put a face with a name. If you were not able to make it this year, I hope that maybe you can make it next spring. This is a beautiful time of year along the Mississippi River as the ice goes out and the eagles are fishing in the river. Wabasha, MN is the picturesque little townon the banks of the Mississippi that was the setting for the Grumpy Old Men movies!

Hopefully I will see you at one of these presentations. Bring a friend.

11:54pm Sunday, November 6, 2011

2011-11-07T00:39:38Z

39 degrees Clear Wind SE 4mph

The weather here in Minnesota remains relatively mild for this time of year. Today our temperature reached a high of 53 degrees F and yesterday was 60 degrees F.

It can be much colder the first part of November. But these temperatures are not real unusual either.

But it looks like we will be in for a change over the next few days this week.

By Tuesday night, there are predictions for snow flurries across the state but I do not think there are any forecasts of any accumulation. Just enough to remind us that we live in the north and that winter is on its way. Between the snow and the rain predicted for Tuesday and Wednesday, hopefully we will get some much needed moisture. It has been very dry all fall and everything needs more moisture as we go into freeze up for the winter.

I am still amazed that so many of the loons on the USGS website with satellite transmitters are still hanging on in their summer grounds.

http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/terrestrial/migratory_birds/loons/migrations.html

A few of them have begun to move but about half of them or more are still near or on their home territories.

Maybe they do not want to think of leaving their beautiful lakes for the winter either.

With some cooler weather and some snow moving in over the next few days, that may be the motivation that some of them need to start moving. It will be interesting to see what they do this week.

This is in such sharp contrast to "our loons" who have not been around here since August. I keep hoping that they will come back but so far I have not seen them. That is not to say they have not been here. Just that I have not seen them. And of course I have been gone so much as well.

This afternoon there was a very interesting drama that played out on the lake.

For the last week or more we have had huge groups of coots on the lake. Obviously they too are on their migration. But it seems as if they think this lake is a very nice place to rest and relax on their journey south There have to be at least a couple thousand coots in a couple groups.

As I was doing some yard work this afternoon trying to get things ready for winter, there was a loud sound of water. It was like someone had turned on a waterfall right near me it was so loud. That is the best explanation of the sound that I can think of. A large waterfall.

I looked to see what was causing the sound and saw all the coots scampering across the surface of the water as fast as they could go. All of them.

Then I saw the reason for their alarm.

One of the bald eagles was hovering right over where they were.

He dove!

And then he dove again. And again.

Today he was not after fish. It was unmistakable that he was after a coot for dinner.

But I could not see that he came up with a coot.

They high tailed it to the rushes and once in the rushes they seemed to feel they were safe from the eagle.

But the eagle kept diving. Trying to pick off an unlucky coot that had lagged behind the larger group.

I couldn't tell if all the movement of the large group and the splashing worked as a distraction or confused the eagle. Because a few times he dove right into the middle of the flock of coots. But he did not catch one. You would have thought that it would have been very easy pickings for him and that he could have closed his eyes and gotten a coot by just running into it. But he didn't get a coot out of the large group.

So as the main body of coots split up into several smaller groups in the rushes, the eagle kept diving trying to catch a straggler. A couple times he actually landed in the water for a few seconds. I fully expected that he had caught one of the birds and would soon fly away with it.

But when he made his way up out of the water, he had nothing in his talons.

After numerous attempts, the eagle tired of the chase and flew off.

The coots were fully visible to him in the rushes. But he did not try to get them there. Apparently the rushes were enough of a deterence to keep him from swooping down on them.

As I watched the drama, it confirmed in my mind the effectiveness of what I have been doing putting willow branches on the loon nest. The fact that they stick up above the nest by three feet or more seems to deter the eagles from swooping directly down on the nest.

Watching the response of the coots to head directly into the rushes confirmed that they knew something I was only discovering. And the fact that the eagle did not try to snatch them out from the rushes confirmed that it may indeed be an effective deterrent to eagles swooping down on our loons.

All this racket and commotion roused some others. There had been a couple swans swimming further out in the lake. They took flight loudly complaining.

Then another. And another.

I had not initially seen the other swans out there. But there were a total of sixteen huge beautiful white swans with black beaks and black feet that took to the air. I had never thought about describing their call before although I have heard it many times.

It is somewhat similar to the honk of a goose but much less annoying. Softer and more musical. A very pleasant sound.

They rose off the lake, gained altitude and flew away, although I could still hear them. Then they apparently made a u-turn and soon were flying over the lake and they landed again on another part of the lake. They seemingly knew they were safe from the eagle.

A couple hours later, just as it was getting dark, I once again heard the loud 'waterfall'. When I went to look, sure enough there was the eagle once again trying to get a coot for his evening meal. Whether he had gotten one before I cannot say. He did not get one while I was watching.

But the coots made a mad dash from the open water to get to the rushes as fast as they could. They moved as a single group. More like a swarm of bees or a large flock of starlings. The eagle swooped again and again. A couple times I thought he had caught one. But when he rose up higher, there was no coot in his talons which were held low and ready for action.

After numerous attempts at catching a coot, the eagle flew up to a large tree where he could watch the flock of coots.

After maybe half an hour, the coots apparently had lost track of where the eagle was sitting and they became more confident that they were safe.

Gradually the made their way out of the reeds. Now in three large groups. Separate. Instead of the one huge group that had made their way into the weeds.

I saw the eagle take off from his perch.

NOW the coots saw him and there was the loud waterfall sound again as all three groups of birds tried to get into the safety of the weeds as fast as they could.

But it was almost dark by now and the eagle must have felt that he had tried enough for one day. For he flew off in a direction away from the lake.

It did not take the coots long to come out from the rushes in the deepening dark. As darkness fell, they apparently felt much safer. The last I could see of them, they were swimming in open water heading out to the middle of the lake where I assume they are right now, spending the night safe from the eagle.

So much goes on right in front of us that we never see. Unless we take the time to stop and be quiet. And look. And observe.

I do not know what the proper term is for a large group of coots. Whether it is a flock or some other name. Like a group of larks is I think called an "exaltation of larks".

But after today and watching their reaction to the eagle, I have decided that a proper term for a large group of coots is a "waterfall of coots"!

7:56pm Sunday, October 30, 2011

2011-10-31T00:56:09Z

39 degrees Cloudy Calm

The loons are on the move.

After a seemingly delayed start to the migration, many of the loons are now starting to move.

"Our loons" that you watched on the webcam this year departed earlier than almost any year I have seen them depart. They departed sometime back in the latter part of August. Both adults and chicks. I expected to see them back on the lake again but I have not seen them here since about the third week in August.

What was especially surprising is that is about the earliest that they chicks could have taken their first flights.

For those of you who have been following the work of Kevin Kenow and his research at the USGS, 7 or 8 of the loons with newly implanted satellite transmitters have begun their staging on the Great Lakes in preparation for their migration south.

[For those of you who may not be aware of the website, you can find it at http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/terrestrial/migratory_birds/loons/migrations.html .

You will find it a fascinating resources to check throughout the fall as you watch the loons begin to move and then find their way down to their wintering grounds along the Atlantic Coast or along the GUlf of Mexico. Next spring you will also be able to follow them as they make their way back north.]

I apologize for taking so long to update this blog but I have been on a number of trips.

A few weeks ago I was privileged to spend part of the day with Kevin Kenow and the great staff at the USGS facility in La Crosse, Wisconsin. For the first time I met Bob Kratt who is the person who does the hard and tedious work of sifting through satellite data and from that producing the map that shows you exactly where the loons are and also where they have been. It is a massive undertaking and Bob Kratt deserves a lot of thanks from all of us who are able to vicariously be a part of the loon's migration because of his efforts!

Bob has done something wonderful this year that shows all of the loons and their movements on a single page. Check it out if you have not done so already. Just click the "All Migrations Summary" near the bottom of the page.

Yesterday I got an email from Kevin Kenow with an update on "Big John"! Yes, the "Big John" (Loon 55480), the loon that we followed last year from St John's University campus after he had a satellite transmitter attached.

Big John is now on his way and currently is on Lake Michigan, just above Racine, Wisconsin.

Here is Kevin's email from yesterday...

"Big John (loon 55480) reported in from Lake Michigan yesterday, just off Wind Point (N of Racine, WI). This is the same area that he used last fall (18-19 Oct 2010). Big John was near Forest Lake, MN a few days ago. As you may recall, he also stopped at Forest Lake during his 2010 migration. We're getting more time from his transmitter than I expected!"

What is interesting is that he went to exactly the same area of Lake Michigan as he did last year.

What is amazing is that he even stopped at the same lake, Forest Lake, on his way to Lake Michigan! It raises the question of how 'hard wired' their migration routes are or if this was just a coincidence.

Once again, it only serves to point out how little we truly know about these magical birds.

So enjoy the next few weeks as you watch the loons gather and then eventually head south on their long journeys

This last week I was up at the end of the Gunflint Trail in northeastern Minnesota. For those of you in other parts of the country or especially in other parts of the world, this is one of the most wild and beautiful areas in the state if not the country. Much of it is truly wilderness. It is home to the world famous Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness where the only means of travel in the interior is by canoe. We were on a lake called Gunflint Lake which forms part of the border with Canada. The shore on the other side of the lake only a mile away is Canada. This lake was part of a super-highway 200 years ago during the days of the voyageurs. Over this lake flowed millions of dollars of furs that was headed to the markets of Europe, especially beaver skins to make the tophats which were all the rage in England and Europe at the time. (I will maybe say more about this trip at sometime and also tell you about jumping in the frigid lake. Only weeks from ice over. TWICE! On purpose!!)

One night while walking along the lake shore, I was surprised to hear a single loon call from the Canadian side of the lake near the narrows into the adjoining lake. I had especially thought that loons along the Canadian border would have been on their way south.

But what a wonderful, magical moment that was to hear a loon call from the darkness of a far northern lake and to hear that call echo down the lake. To be on the edge of the wilderness. And yet with all the comforts of home.

To walk down a small road through the forest and see a Canadian lynx cross only a few feet in front of us. A VERY rare sighting. People who have lived there most of their lives were very jealous because they have never seen a lynx in the wild. To have a spectacular northern lights display (although unfortunately I missed it!).

But all of that can wait for another time. And another blog entry.

For now we can just be content in the knowledge that, even though we do not see nor hear them right now, loons are out there. Doing well. Being loons. That quintessential, iconic symbol of the great northern wilderness.

And once in a while even calling to us. As if just to remind us that they are there.

Friday, September 10, 2011 11:09am CDT

2011-09-09T16:09:01Z

75 degrees Severe Clear Calm

I received an email from Kevin Kenow this morning about the loons that were implanted with satellite transmitters last year.

Five of them are still transmitting but their batteries may not last beyond October and that is why they are not listed on the the tracking page.

But Kevin is still tracking them and has said he will update me periodically on them. When he does, I will be sure to update you as well. Once again the website tracking the loons this year is http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/terrestrial/migratory_birds/loons/migrations.html

Here is the email from Kevin:

"Friday, September 9, 2011 7:48AM

Hi Larry,

I am still receiving signals from 5 of the loons radiomarked in 2010, including "Big John" [Big John is the surviving loon from St John's University]. The batteries are expected to expire in October, so we did not include these loons on this year's webpage. However, I am keeping track of them and forwarding noteworthy movements to those interested.

Sorry I missed your visit to La Crosse this summer.

Best regards,

Kevin"

Friday, September 9, 2011 12:52am

2011-09-09T05:52:40Z

65 degrees Clear Calm

Where are our loons?

The few times I have been able to check the last week-and-a-half with the binoculars or the telescope, I have not seen them. I am not concerned about their safety or anything. I am just wondering where they are.

Obviously they have moved on to another lake. Or possibly even started their migration. It is possible that I have just missed spotting them and have looked at the wrong time. But they have probably begun moving around.

This is the time of year that loons start to gather in large groups called rafts in preparation for their migration south.

Here in Minnesota, there is a large lake in the central part of the state called Mille Lacs Lake that is a favorite staging ground for loons preparing to fly south for the winter. Five hundred or more loons have been counted on Mille Lacs at one time in prior years. Other large lakes serve the same purpose.

But one of the new pieces of information from the migration studies done last year is how important Lake Michigan is to the migration of Upper Midwest and Central Canadian loons.

This afternoon I got an email from Kevin Kenow of the US Geological Service officially announcing the start of tracking of loons that have had satellite transmitters surgically implanted earlier this summer [although the website actually went live a couple days ago]. There are a total of 20 loons in this new study....13 in Minnesota, 4 in Wisconsin and 3 in Michigan. You can track the new group of loons at http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/terrestrial/migratory_birds/loons/migrations.html

A few of the loons have already started their movement but they are still in their general home range. It will be interesting to see if all of these loons also go to Lake Michigan before they finally head south to the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Coast. Loons from New England and Eastern Canada will head to the upper Atlantic Coast.

You can read the official USGS news release at http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2926

I have asked Kevin about last year's loons but I have not heard anything from him yet. When we did them last year, there was hope that the battery packs in the transmitters might last long enough to give us data on their migration south this fall. Since none of the loons from last year are listed on the map, I assume that the batteries did not last long enough for this fall's migration. If and when I hear something from Kevin, I will let you know.

Our beautiful northern lakes are becoming more silent.

Gone are the middle of the night concerts of loon tremolos and yodels and wails. Once again we begin to realize how blessed and privileged we are to have them with us for those precious months. And how they enrich our lives with their beauty.

There is a sense of loss and sadness about that. Soon we will know that our loons are gone for the winter. Realizing that we will not hear their beautiful calls all winter. A quietness and stillness will settle over the great northern forests and lakes. And it will not be until the ice goes out next spring that we will see them again. And then the excitement of a new cycle starts all over again.

I keep hoping that we might yet see our loons and 'chicks' [they hardly qualify as chicks anymore] make at least one more stop back on the lake to say 'goodbye' before they begin their long journey.

But for now, we can only wonder....where are our loons?

Questions or Comments? LoonCam@yahoo.com

Wednesday, August 28, 2011 11:07pm CDT

2011-09-01T04:07:36Z

68 degrees Partly Cloudy Wind Calm

Summer winds down.

Can it be coming to a close already?

Where did it go?

Wasn't it just yesterday that we were waiting for the ice to go out and listening for that first call that would tell us that they loons are back for the summer?

How quickly it has gone. I am sorry that it has been sometime since I updated you but I have been out of town quite a bit again.

But I am happy to report that our loons are doing well. Or at least they were about a week and a half ago which is the last time I actually saw them.

I got home late last night and today I looked for them on the lake but I could not spot them during the short time I was able to look. They may have been there and I just missed them. As you know, they can dive and disappear out of sight so quickly and stay under for long periods of time. Or they may actually have flown to another lake which they are known to do this time of year.

The chicks should have been able to fly for the last week or two although I have not actually seen them flying. They are now 13 weeks old.

The last time I saw them, all four loons were swimming together and seemed to be doing very well. The chicks were still accepting fish from the parents whenever it was offered but they were also doing diving of their own and so I assume that by now they are also catching a good share of their own fish.

From a distance when you just see the silhouette of the loon, it is hard to tell the chicks from the adults. The chicks are now almost the same size as the adults and they have the classic loon profile. They are only slightly smaller than the adults.

Soon the fall migration south will begin once again.

And the great northern reaches will fall silent from the call of the loon.

There is a certain sadness about that and a piece that is missing in the total picture of the north woods.

But it is as it should be.

And so we are left with the hope for next spring.

The USGS has surgically implanted satellite transmitters in some more loons in addition to the ones we did last year. So by tracking them we will begin to get a clearer picture of exactly where and when the loons migrate. I was not able to be involved in this year's project but will give you any updates as I can when I talk to the USGS and the Minnesota DNR.

Each piece of information adds more to our understanding of loons.

For instance, it has been known for some time that the Great Lakes have been very important to migrating loons in the central part of the US and Canada. But what was a very interesting piece of information from last fall's and this spring's migrations is how important Lake Michigan is.

Every one of the loons that had satellite transmitters flew directly to Lake Michigan. Some of them spent several weeks there before continuing on their journey south to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Coast. That was a new piece of information that every one of the "satellite loons" made their way to Lake Michigan before continuing south.

Now we are faced with the summer rapidly winding down.

This Labor Day weekend is the last great 'hurrah' for the summer.

Within the next month or so, the adults will begin their migration south. It will be interesting to watch if 'last year's" implanted loons will follow the same route again this year. And what will the loons with the new satellite transmitters do this fall? The USGS should start updating the migration map very soon so that you can track the loons as they migrate.

Then about a month later, the 'chicks' will make their way south, never having been there before. I always stand amazed at the miracle of that every time I think about it.

May you be blessed and may you spend time with family and friends this weekend.

Enjoy them.

Hold them close.

Savor every moment with them.

And tell them that you love them.

Questions or Comments? LoonCam@yahoo.com

Wednesday, July 13, 2011 9:56pm CDT

2011-07-14T02:56:18Z

65 degrees Clear Calm

The chicks continue to prosper and thrive.

And grow.

They are now in the process of losing their brown down.

Over their shoulders and wings, they are already getting their feathers and the down is gone. The feathers are not the black and white that we know of loons but are a brownish gray. These are the feathers of a juvenile that they will keep for the next two or three years.

But even though the feathers are brown, they have a little bit of mottling that belies the spotted plumage that they will eventually have when they become adults. However, you have to look closely to see the mottling and the subdued spots.

The chicks are now 6 weeks old.

The other pair of chicks on the lake also seem to be doing well.

A few days ago I was watching the loons through the telescope as they swam directly in front of my place.

It was shortly before sunset and both adults were busily feeding the chicks. They went through their usual routine of dive after dive. Only to surface with a minnow. The chicks would swim toward the adult and hungrily gulp the minnow down. And the adult would make another dive.

Then both adults surfaced at the same time.

And both adults had a sunfish in their beaks.

Once again, the chicks swam to get fed.

The first chick gulped down the sunfish which looked to be about 2 inches across. I didn't know if he could swallow it but he seemed to do it without too much trouble.

The other loon had a bigger sunfish. I would guess that it had to be about 3 inches across.

It presented it to the chick but had some trouble getting it where the chick could take it head first.

Then it dropped it in the water and the chick craned its neck upwards, opened its beak wide and lowered its head on the sunfish. But he could not swallow it.

He tried and tried. The adult picked it up and presented it again. And again the chick had trouble swallowing it.

Then the sunfish must have slightly revived because the adult dove but immediately came up with it in its beak.

No matter how the chick tried, it just could not get that big sunfish down its throat.

After maybe 10 or 12 tries, they just gave up and the adult ate the sunfish.

In one swift gulp, down it went. You could see the bulge in the throat as the loon swallowed.

And then it was on to diving again and bringing up minnows that were more the proper size for the chicks.

The thing that I keep reminding myself, is that for the last 6 weeks, even when I am not watching, the loons have not forgotten their responsibility. They are forever on the lookout for danger.

And the are forever catching fish and feeding 'our' chicks so that they can grow up to be healthy and strong loons.

The wonderful cycle of life goes on. Whether we are watching or aware or not.

Questions or Comments? LoonCam@yahoo.com

Friday, July1, 2011 11:43am CDT

2011-07-01T16:43:21Z

96 degrees Sunny Calm

One loon.

Two chicks.

A calm lake.

But already very busy with boats and skiers and swimmers.

The other adult loon is somewhere. Who knows where. I don't see him right now.

But I am not concerned.

As the chicks grow older, one of the adults often will spend time away. Many times flying off someplace.

To where? I don't know.

Why? I don't know.

So many questions that I would like to know at times of what and why the loons do certain things.

Today is already oppresively hot and humid.

We can't seem to get anything midway this year. It has been cold and windy and rainy most of the spring. And yesterday we went into full blown deep-South summer. I know people from the South probably laugh at us for not liking the heat and humidity. But I for one prefer cooler weather. The heat and especially the humidity just drains me.

I often joke that when it gets cold, you can always put more clothes on to stay warm.

When it gets hot, no matter what YOUR personal limit is, there is a limit to how much you can take off!

But that is not a problem for our loons.

They are in the water and can stay cool all day. In fact, because of the weather this spring, the water is unusually cold for this time of year.

Right now the adult and two chicks are swimming straight out from me. Not too far away from where the nest was.

After not seeing much of them for almost a week, yesterday the spent most of the time in this area. Swimming back and forth. Relaxing. Preening. Doing foot waggles. Feeding on uncounted minnows.

In between sessions of mowing in the heat and humidity, I took time to go for a swim to cool off. Or 'cold off' with as cold as the water is.

One of the loons came flying in with his 'flying tremolo' calls announcing his return. There was a wail in return from the other adult with the chicks. They swam toward each other.

The loons were swimming and feeding not too far away when I went for my swim. I called to them and surprisingly they started to swim towards me. That does not happen often at all.

I remained quietly in the water and they swam up to about 50 to 100 feet away. And they just sat there and went about their business of preening and peering and foot waggling. The chicks copied with their own motions of the parents.

The sun was hanging low in the western sky. A ball of flaming red in the humid haze.

It was a special moment.

Right now the 3 loons are swimming straight out.

The chicks are seeming to have fun practicing their newfound diving skills.

This is the first time I have seen this this year.

I have seen them dive but not this much or this often. They obviously have learned their lessons well since they look much like their parents when they dive. They slightly rise up, then the body curls over and they gracefully slip beneath the surface in one smooth motion.

One chick does it several times. And then the other chick, not to be outdone by its sibling, begins to dive also. Dive. Surface. Dive again. I wish I could see what they are doing below the surface. Are they just practicing their diving skills? Or are they actually attempting to catch minnows? And maybe even actually succeed once in a while.

It is fun to watch them as they seem to be actually enjoying their repeated dives. The adult just sits and watches.

They are diving for up to 20 seconds at a time. So obviously they are swimming fairly deep. And they are surfacing some distance from where they dove.

It is good to see them able to more efficiently dive. It will help protect them on this very busy holiday weekend with all the boats on the lake. The lake is likely to be a zoo! The heat. The first nice weather. And one of the biggest holidays of the year with the 4th of July weekend.

It is a good time for all of us to remind each other to be on the lookout for loons and to give them their space when we are out on the lake. Even though our chicks are starting to dive more and more, that is not the case with all loons this weekend.

Loons farther north and in Canada and also those in New England are just now hatching their chicks. And those chicks are very vulnerable to being hit by speeding boats when they cannot dive to get out of the way.

So whether you are celebrating Canada Day today or the 4th of July this weekend, watch for loons.

Happy 4th and happy Canada Day to all of you! May you enjoy this time with friends and family.

Take time to give thanks for all the blessings that are in your life!

Questions and Comments? LoonCam@yahoo.com