Tag Archives: Common Loon

Farewell To The Lake

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We had a great experience at the camp on Woodbury Lake. I saw nearly 100 bird species and we found many back roads and trails to explore. The foliage made photos tough to get, like this shot of a Hairy Woodpecker.

And we found all sorts of interesting items like this cache of vehicles and boats far from any road.

On one of our last mornings, I took my camera along in the kayak. I joined these Mallards having a breakfast outing.

And had a last encounter with the loon family.

Vermont is a great place to live and summers are special. It was a great July for us.

More Loon Shots

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Recently, our pair of loons apparently lost one of their chicks. We have been hearing a lot of mournful calls for hours at a time at night. Frankly, I have no idea of this is related to a loss or just normal summer Common Loon activity.  

Here is the solo chick about a week ago.


With a parent


Getting a snack right next to our raft.


A week later, it’s easy to  see how fast chicks grow. 

Happy Fourth

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We are staying at a lakeside camp not far from home for this month. The birding is good although most species are buried in the dense tall fir trees that surround us. In the early mornings, there’s no boat activity and lots of bird calls and songs. Good luck with bird shots.

We have a summer resident Common Loon, seemingly unfazed by the party boats. This morning, I watched it doing its bathing, not far from our deck.

The Canada Geese gaggle takes shelter from boaters later on but twenty-four paraded by one the placid pond about six-thirty.

It’s a great time of year in Vermont to get out and enjoy the natural beauty and critters. Diving on a back road yesterday, I came upon a mama bear and two raccoon-sized cubs, smallest I’d ever seen. Between grabbing the camera and controlling a crazy dog, she was long-gone pronto. But, it’s an image I’ll remember – a Happy Fourth of July surprise.

Early May Birds

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New migrants are arriving daily and the trees are just budding — it’s a great time to get out an check things out. Here are a few recent sightings.

This pair have been here for weeks but always nice to see.

Eastern Kingbirds showed up last week, as did Common Loons.

And I’m still sorting out sandpipers — this one, which I saw just up from the house, I’m calling a Solitary Sandpiper, not a Spotted.

Warblers are here but their movement and the dog’s leash make them difficult to photograph. But all the Yellow Warblers and American Goldfinches add lollipops of color to enjoy.

Common Loon Reproductive Success in Canada

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Bird Studies Canada recently published an article in the journal Avian Conservation and Ecology summarizing patterns in Common Loon reproductive success between 1992-2010 across southern Canada, using data collected by participants in BSC’s Canadian Lakes Loon Survey. The reproductive success of the Common Loon is a good indicator of the health of waterways, especially in relation to mercury and acid precipitation. The overall goal of the study was to indirectly describe the health of lakes in southern Canada in relation to these pollutants.

Photo: Frank & Sandra Horvath

Photo: Frank & Sandra Horvath

The authors found that the number of young produced was higher in the western provinces than in Atlantic Canada; was lower in 2010 than it was 19 years earlier; was higher in larger lakes than in smaller ones; and was lower where lake acidity was higher. These relationships are likely linked to mercury exposure and acid-related reductions in food. The results show that citizen science is powerful for monitoring ecosystem health, and indirectly support action to reduce emissions of mercury and the harmful components of acid precipitation.
Visit the ACE website to read the full article by Dr. Doug Tozer, Myles Falconer, and Debbie Badzinski. For a summary of the research from BirdWatch Canada, select this link.