The Common Loon

I must admit this bird has always fascinated me.  J.G. and I were anticipating hearing the call of this beautiful bird.  We were rewarded on a small lake in Minnesota and then again in Montana on a lake near our campground.  In Minnesota on Lake Ojibway we saw a family of Loons. One parent was fishing and carrying the small fish across the lake to its young on the other side of lake. Both parents and the young were eventually seen by us. We enjoyed the sight and hearing them call back and forth to each other.  The young was brown and still fluffy looking, they are called chicks. Loons are powerful agile divers.  They are able to concentrate oxygen in their leg muscles to sustain them while paddling up to 200 feet below the surface. Their eyes can focus both in air and under water.  They are heavier than any other bird (about 9 lbs.) This weight makes them need a long distance to gain momentum to fly. I was sad to know that lead poisoning from ingesting fishing tackle is contributing to Loon mortality.You can get a feel for his difficulty in getting in the air in my last photos. I recorded their call so I could enjoy it whenever my heart wanted to hear it again. Blessings!