October 23, 2022: Maddie and Mom

I said last week that it looked like both of our loon chick's parents had left the lake, but in fact mom is still here.  I saw two loons far apart during a paddle this week and I could tell one was a juvenile and one was an adult by the plumage and I was confident the juvenile was our chick Maddie.

The chevron pattern on her back is the plumage of a juvenile loon.

It's difficult to tell an adult loon apart from a first year chick at this time of year due to the adults losing their distinguished black and white plumage, but the second bird I saw had remnants of spots on its back indicating it was an adult.

From a distance I couldn't tell this wasn't a juvenile.

But blowing up the pictures revealed a few faint white dots.

I watched to see if I could catch a glimpse of a band but the loon wasn't cooperative so there was no indication it was connected to Maddie.  Until, that is, Amy Wilson was able to collect the proof that in fact, Maddie and her mother are still here and together.  

Maddie and her mom enjoy a peaceful early morning moment.  Photo by Amy Wilson.

I say peaceful, but based on others' reports, Maddie was probably nagging her mother for breakfast.  Though she is perfectly capable of fishing on her own, when mom's around she's more than willing to let her do the meal prep.

It was this moment however, that provided proof of identity:

Photo by Amy Wilson

Our female loon had two feathers clipped during its banding process this summer, and the absence of those feathers is conclusive.  

Now I'm not complaining about the great weather we're having, but we will need some cold to arrive in time to send the loons on their way before they molt their flight feathers and can't leave the lakes.  It probably won't be a problem on the small lakes which freeze early, but the larger lakes sometimes freeze over so late now that loons can get stranded without the ability to fly.

In spite of the warm weather the season is progressing, though it's easy to convince myself it isn't when we have gorgeous days like the past two have been.  They started out cold with a touch of frost forming in areas exposed to the sky and radiational cooling.

Oak leaves tinged with morning frost.

Then the days quickly warmed as the sun rose, and by noon the forest was warm and bright, glowing with October sunlight illuminating vibrant yellow and orange leaves.

Beech trees in their fall glory.

The red maples have dropped much of their foliage, letting the oaks, beech, and aspen have their moment in the spotlight.  On a bike ride in Dorchester on Friday the aspen were the stars of one section of trail even as many of their leaves lay freshly fallen on the trail.

A trail passing through a stand of aspen trees.

A pastel pallet of aspen leaves.

Even the beavers appreciate the fall colors, using them to decorate their homes for the season.

Beaver lodge dressed up for fall.

Frosty, foggy mornings, warm afternoons - I'll take as many of these fall days as mother nature will give us.

We still have two more weeks of daylight savings time!