After a night of heavy rainfall, there was a pair of loons in the flooded stream by our house this morning. I crossed the bridge in the truck, looked to the left, and saw a large gray bird awkwardly waddling from Mrs. Sicotte's field and into the water. Then I saw her mate, an impressively large loon, dark black on the back and shocking white on his breast and underside.
Realizing I didn't have my camera, I pulled the not-so-advisable trick of backing over the bridge to run inside and get my camera. When I came back out with Weather Lad in tow, the loons had swum into the woods, and were bouncing around on the rapids. They seemed to be rafting through the rough spots, then paddling to the slower moving water to make their ways back upstream and do it all over again. My one concern is that the high water will make them think Mrs. Sicotte's field is a good place to nest, and it really isn't. I would love to hear a loon call, just once, tonight. Then they can fly off to a more appropriate place...if they have enough runway.
***Note: after looking up some information on loons, it is likely the gray one is either non-breeding, or juvenile, due to the gray color. Maybe we don't have to worry about little loon chicks being brought up in Mrs. Sicotte's field, though it would sure be cute.
3 comments:
I hope that you got your loon call last night, it's such a haunting sound and so unique to the northern part of the country. Good spotting. Let me know if they are still around so I can pop over for a picture and an addition to my year list.
They apparently flew the coop, so to speak. But it was sure fun while it lasted.
I think that the first loon spotting is always more exciting than the first robin spotting. I saw my first loon the day I got back from the Cape, still haven't heard their cry yet.
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