Common Loon - Plongeon huard
Every summer we get to spend a week, maybe two, at a camp in North Frontenac township, next to a beautiful deep lake. The only technology is the camera and an emergency cell phone, and the only real imperative is being outside. The lack of wifi is a huge appeal (though I do try to catch up on Flickr when I get back).
Common Loons have been on the lake since we started coming ten years ago. At least one nesting pair is around most years, and often as many as three nesting pairs. Given the wildness of the lake and the timing of our visits, I am reluctant to pursue them with a camera on the water, as I am not interested in inadvertently threatening or pressuring them.
So when one comes near the shore I try to be ready. They hunt the entire lake, but spend considerable time tracking the shoreline in the early mornings and in the evenings. Available light is often a challenge, as the trees on the shore provide shade to the shallower water, enabling the fish and crayfish to gather. And it is always a trick to try to guess where and when they might come up, as they can stay underwater for several minutes and cover a lot of ground while down there - in the end it is pure luck, as they will follow the food.
I was able to secure this image right as the bird surfaced, and froze for a moment (likely trying to gauge whether a camera shutter sound was hostile or not). It then patrolled briefly with its head underwater, scanning for more food, before diving again. It is always great to see that red eye, so distinctive of the summer Common Loon adult (the eye colour flattens to a dull shade after breeding season, and the young have dull eyes as well - it is thought the red eye is to attract breeding interest).
The most striking thing about these birds is the size - of their bodies, their wingspans, and, for me, their bills: a hunting tool so efficient that it looks designed.
The young Loons from the lake will migrate separately with other young Loons to the southern Atlantic coast to overwinter, and then stay there for a couple of years, before migrating back.
Common Loon - Plongeon huard
Every summer we get to spend a week, maybe two, at a camp in North Frontenac township, next to a beautiful deep lake. The only technology is the camera and an emergency cell phone, and the only real imperative is being outside. The lack of wifi is a huge appeal (though I do try to catch up on Flickr when I get back).
Common Loons have been on the lake since we started coming ten years ago. At least one nesting pair is around most years, and often as many as three nesting pairs. Given the wildness of the lake and the timing of our visits, I am reluctant to pursue them with a camera on the water, as I am not interested in inadvertently threatening or pressuring them.
So when one comes near the shore I try to be ready. They hunt the entire lake, but spend considerable time tracking the shoreline in the early mornings and in the evenings. Available light is often a challenge, as the trees on the shore provide shade to the shallower water, enabling the fish and crayfish to gather. And it is always a trick to try to guess where and when they might come up, as they can stay underwater for several minutes and cover a lot of ground while down there - in the end it is pure luck, as they will follow the food.
I was able to secure this image right as the bird surfaced, and froze for a moment (likely trying to gauge whether a camera shutter sound was hostile or not). It then patrolled briefly with its head underwater, scanning for more food, before diving again. It is always great to see that red eye, so distinctive of the summer Common Loon adult (the eye colour flattens to a dull shade after breeding season, and the young have dull eyes as well - it is thought the red eye is to attract breeding interest).
The most striking thing about these birds is the size - of their bodies, their wingspans, and, for me, their bills: a hunting tool so efficient that it looks designed.
The young Loons from the lake will migrate separately with other young Loons to the southern Atlantic coast to overwinter, and then stay there for a couple of years, before migrating back.