July 14, 2019: Loon Overload

So many loons, and it is just too hard to ignore them when they come by every day and fish right in front of me.

The chicks are growing quickly now; the family must find the fishing quite productive where the little perch hide out under the dock and the boat as they spend lots of time diving there.  Even Harley and Davidson are working on their skills right under the boat.

Looking for fish hiding in the shadows.

Yesterday I saw the family coming along the shoreline across the cove so I went down to the dock and sat quietly waiting for them to come by, and I got a great look at them as they fished right off the dock. 

Side by side you can see one chick is slightly larger than the other.

Little bird, big foot.

Soon enough dinner time arrived.  A parent brought up a medium size perch and gave it to one chick.

Another time the fish dropped in the lake and the little guy re-caught it himself - they are learning.  I caught it on a video, though it's pretty shaky (click here to see it).

The parents seem to be very proficient this summer as the chicks are growing rapidly and there have been a lot of other loons on the lake from which to protect them.  One morning I saw a group of seven loons together, one of which was possibly one of the chicks' parents as it seemed to be herding the other six along.

Six visiting loons, with one more just outside this picture.

That same morning there was an altercation taking place at the entrance to the cove of the second nest with another set of loons.  This was perhaps the male of the second nest keeping a rogue away, and it was successful in driving it off.

The intruder on retreat.

But it didn't go far, just flying across the lake and setting down again, so the resident will have to maintain sentry at the mouth of the cove.

Coming in for a landing.

Splashdown!

And that morning the family was nowhere to be found, possibly being hidden away from all the intruders by a parent.  All told that morning I counted 11 loons on Lake Wicwas, and that didn't include any chicks and probably at least one of their parents.  And speaking of the second nest, as of yesterday there was still a loon sitting on the nest, refusing to give up.  It is highly improbable a chick will hatch from that nest at this point.

Even with loons getting all the attention there are other things going on around the lake.  On Saturday the Lakes Region Conservation Trust held a guided paddle on Lake Wicwas, and a group of intrepid paddlers kayaked all around the lake.

The LRCT has numerous events - paddles, hikes, work days - in which you can participate.  You can learn about them here.  Thank you to all who participated in the Wicwas Paddle.

A few interesting insects also made an appearance this week, including an unusual moth.

Rosy Maple Moth (Dryocampa rubicunda).   Photo by Nancy Marion.

With a few exceptions such as the tremendous Luna Moth, most moths are rather drab in appearance, being small, brown or gray, but the rosy maple moth is a nice exception.  Thank you for sharing Nancy!

Another neat insect that - in New Hampshire at least - always appears well after its name says it should, is the mayfly. 

Mayfly in July.

I often find these on the window in the morning and they hang out there for hours until their wings dry out enough to fly away, during which time the are very photogenic.

I'll end with one other amazing event that another reader sent me:

Garter snake versus toad.  Photo by John Windyka.

Talk about having eyes bigger than one's stomach.  I wonder if this garter snake was ever able to eventually get the toad into its mouth!  Thanks for the great photo John!

Sorry the post was so long this week, but how can you resist this?