Loon, Loons and more Loons

[spider solo]

Just got back from a 2 week kayaking trip north of Ottawa & Montreal.
We were in La Verendrye Reserve and in the Cabonga section (lots of navigation.
Hopefully I will write a trip report in a little while, but I wanted to mention the Loons.
A few years ago I noticed that Loons have a tendency to gather in the Fall. Counting myself lucky to see a gathering of 20 + plus one year in Maine.
Over the years I would recount the different voices and yips and yaps that they make aside from the classic yodel we are most all familiar with to most anyone who was somewhat interested.

This year in Verendrye the best was still to come.

Always I give a Loon (huard) a wide berth so as not to pester them esp if they are nesting or with young. So it was with some surprise when they would come over to look at us.
First we notice groups of 10 or 12 esp. at the evenings camp.
They would surely come from across a bay and do an evening cruise by with conversations among themselves about whatever it is Loons do indeed talk about.

Then we would encounter groups of 20 or more over the next few days, some who most certainly came over to look at us as we paddled, some just talking about it but never did any of them take flight like other ducks tend to do when you flush them or come across them by accident.

A day or two later we come across a grouping of about 50..we are quite ecstatic !

This gives us much to talk about as the following days we paddled more intricate waterways with sights of 5 or 6 Loons full of conversations and yodels.

Winding up the trip we head back out to the areas of "big water".
As I paddle somewhat absent mindely and ahead of Philippe who I was doing the trip with,

There was an awareness in the air that something very special was happening
and I await for my friend to catch up. Slowly we hear the voices of many many birds, we stop paddling as we drift into and are surrounded by a "raft"
of birds strung out for maybe a quarter of a mile. I take a quick count while most of them are above the surface, my friend stops counting at 45..... I stop counting after 96...

Not a single loon took flight...It is safe to say
"In all my days never have I seen such a thing"

 

[DougPaul]

In the fall, loons often join into groups before flying out to the ocean where they winter. This may be what you were seeing. While they are still feeding their chicks, a mated pair may fight (to the death, if need be) to defend their pond or portion of a lake.

Loons have 4 basic calls:
* Wail
- long drawn out tone
- meaning: wants to interact with other loons
* Tremelo
- laugh like
- meaning: alarm call, nervous, threatened
* Yodel
- sea gull like...
- meaning: agression, fighting
- uttered only by the male
* Hoot
- very short
- meaning: contact within groups
They may be combined. eg tremelo-wail, tremelo-yodel

The "classic" call is a tremelo-wail... ("This is MY pond!")

Ref: "Voices of the Loon", by William Barklow.


Loons are [under]water birds. They are quite heavy and can only take off with great difficulty by running on the surface of the water for a distance. If the pond freezes over before they migrate, they will die because they will be unable to take off.

Doug

 

[mtnpa]

A couple years back we saw officials counting loon on Umbagog. There was concern about decreased presence in the area. Maybe they like Canada better.

Should've known DougPaul speaks "Loon"

 

[erugs]

Wow! Seems unimaginable. Got pictures for when you do your report, I hope.

 

[DougPaul]

A couple years back we saw officials counting loon on Umbagog. There was concern about decreased presence in the area. Maybe they like Canada better.

Should've known DougPaul speaks "Loon"

I got my language lessons in "Loon" from a Loon Ranger in NY...

(A Loon Ranger is one of those guys who spies on (counts, etc) loons.)

Doug

 

[peakbagger]

Cool, I used to see loon rafts at my friends camp on Panther Pond in Maine generally 10 to 15. Loons definitely have diffferent personalities, some want absolute privacy and some seem to hang out where there is plenty of activity. There was one on the Androscoggin river at the outlet of Umbagog that insisted on nesting on the main boat channel year after year rather than pick a nearby quiet bay.

 

[spider solo]

We might have a picture or two depends how the other fellow made out. I tried my best to make a recording of their voices on 2 separate occasions.

I don't think they are known that much for their curiosity, but they were indeed very curious of us and often we wondered if we were their entertainment from time to time.
Also we wondered if we were bear or moose would they also be equally "entertained" by our activities.

On two occasions we would see a member of a group going about their way somewhat placidly and suddenly go frantic...flailing and squawking along the top of the water. Near as we could figure either something brushed against them or nipped them from below in the water.
In one case the bird went under after flailing for 20 yards or so and I thought it was meeting it's demise. However it quickly resurfaced quite calm and our guess was it went under to see if anything was there and apparently
all was well.

(though loons were by far the main wildlife, that we saw we became pretty well versed in what a bear foot print looks like in sand compared to what it looks like in mud...the same was true of wolf prints)

 

[Elizabeth]

My father had a loon steal a trout off of his line while fly fishing in northern Maine. Apparently the loons there have learned to hang around fishing boats. Although stealing right off the line is perhaps somewhat unusual, it is (he was told) common for them to take advantage of the "catch and release" practice of fishermen to nab newly-released, dazed fish. Your encounter with bold loons coming right up to the boat may be because those loons had developed similar habits.

 

[Puck]

That is a worse case scenerio...fighting a loon on a 5wt with 2# tippet. I don't think I would ever cast out with loons on the water for this fear..

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

I got my language lessons in "Loon" from a Loon Ranger in NY...

(A Loon Ranger is one of those guys who spies on (counts, etc) loons.)

Doug

Here is a link to the "original loon ranger," Herb Cilley, who passed away in May 2005. R.I.P.

http://unhmagazine.unh.edu/sp01/profcilleysp01.html

 

[DougPaul]

We might have a picture or two depends how the other fellow made out.

Here are some small ones:

And a group of four adults (mid-August):

(Taken on Jabes Pond, NY, Aug 2006.)

(I may have better pics, but they are on unscanned film.)

I don't think they are known that much for their curiosity, but they were indeed very curious of us and often we wondered if we were their entertainment from time to time.

In general, loons are very intolerant of humans. My guess is that they were keeping an eye on you in case you turned out to be a threat.

On two occasions we would see a member of a group going about their way somewhat placidly and suddenly go frantic...flailing and squawking along the top of the water. Near as we could figure either something brushed against them or nipped them from below in the water.
In one case the bird went under after flailing for 20 yards or so and I thought it was meeting it's demise. However it quickly resurfaced quite calm and our guess was it went under to see if anything was there and apparently all was well.

Loons swim underwater very well--they catch and eat fish.

In my group picture above, the four loons were interacting with each other very actively--there could be anywhere from 0 to 4 birds on the surface at any time. My professional ornithologist brother, who was also there, didn't seem to know what they were doing. He would only say that they were interacting.

Doug

 

[Andrew]

Thanks for sharing. Experience of a lifetime.

The most I ever saw together was on Rideau Lake, Ontario, maybe 15-20. I also have had many encounters where I noticed how curious they actually could be- and the conflict of feeling like I'm supposed to be trying to get away from them or otherwise be berated by someone who might happen by.

On one occassion Lindsay and I were paddling somewhere in SW NH (maybe Willard Pond, Antrim), and the mom loon came over to us and dropped her chick off with us while she went diving for fish hundreds of feet away from us. We were quite flattered but very uncomfortable with the arrangement. I seem to remember it was well over 5 minutes before she came back. Come to think of it I do have a little loon sticker on the front of the canoe?

 

[spider solo]

Nice to read of some others experiences with Loons.

Doing a bit more home work I read that Loons favor waters with many islands, so Reservoir Cabonga fit the description in abundance, yet I did not find mention of such large numbers of loons usually it was in the 15-20 range. Seeing so many certainly was awesome.
I did find reference of them "talking" amongst themselves, which brought a smile..it's always nice to see the authorities at a loss of words ad say "you know it sounds like they are talking" something that most anyone can relate to.

"Loons swim underwater very well--they catch and eat fish."

Though common knowledge that Loons eat fish and swim in water, perhaps it is less well known that fish swim well and eat birds.
Just a matter of size on who eats whom.
Northern Pike in Canada take enormous numbers of young ducks in June and July. Though initially I as thinking of a fish called Walleye that grow huge up there I didn't find any reference to them in particular.

Other references of Bass eating birds and leaping from the water to take them, anything from Humming Birds to Terns being recorded as eaten.

My guess is that the 2 panicked birds thought their number was up and dove under to see if it was true,... fortunately they were ok. (they have another set of fish predators when in salt water)

We could never tell the juveniles from the adults only a couple of times did we see parents with their young and our guess was they were from a late nesting
and the young would be on the very edge of whether they would be able to make the migration when the time came....but then again we were just a couple of guys who happened to be in the right place at the right time by sheer coincidence.
Mighty lucky we were indeed !

( I usually turn to the Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American BIRDS.
It's a great reference by John K. Terres.
It cost a dollar or two but a mighty fine book actually pretty amazing the amount of effort he put into it.)

 

[DougPaul]

Nice to read of some others experiences with Loons.

It is certainly nice when one spots them... Since they are so intolerant of humans it suggests that the pond is relatively unspoiled.

Doing a bit more home work I read that Loons favor waters with many islands,

Loons do not walk well (their legs are set far back for good swimming--too far for good walking) and nest on the ground within a few feet of shore. Islands have fewer egg and chick predators (eg raccoons).

I did find reference of them "talking" amongst themselves, which brought a smile..it's always nice to see the authorities at a loss of words ad say "you know it sounds like they are talking" something that most anyone can relate to.

I have heard the "hoot" call at night, presumably when an adult was arriving at an occupied nest.


Of course, to hear a loon call (generally the tremelo-wail) all you have to do is watch any movie with a creepy scene. There is sure to be a loon call in the soundtrack even if the location is Antarctica or the desert...

Doug

 

[stopher]

Having worked with loons for the past three years as a biologist with the Loon Preservation Committee (loons are a state-listed threatened species in New Hampshire), I've gotta add my two cents.

Loons are individuals and have a range of personalities. Some of them have a strong curiosity. I've had some swim right up to me, uninvited, whether I was in a kayak or a 15' Boston whaler. There are city loons (e.g, Lake Winnipesaukee) and country loons (e.g. 100 acre ponds a mile or more from any road). City loons will generally tolerantly ignore you unless you get in their face (which we shouldn't). Country loons are apt to be more curious about you, and it depends where they fall in the timid-aggressive continuum.

All loons are incredibly aware of what is happening on their lake. I was monitoring an adult brooding two chicks on Squam recently. Mom (it was banded so I knew it was the female) was ignoring all the kayakers paddling up to gawk and she couldn't care less about the motor boats whizzing past. But when a man standing on a surfboard using a long paddle showed up, she went berserk with tremolos before he was within 300 meters of her and the chicks. That got the attention of the male, who was foraging around the point. He swam right up to the man and gave him an incredible yodel-tremolo tongue lashing that didn't let up until the guy was 100 meters past the chicks. Loons just don't like strange things on their lake. Loons are also the first to know (and announce) that eagles (or float planes) are in the neighborhood.

A trick I use when I'm trying to read bands is to “wave” the loon in. A hat or bandana waved vigorously enough to make a flapping noise arouses a loon's curiosity and maybe 50% of the time it will approach you. Again, it all depends on the loon's personality and mood.

In addition to the four classic vocalizations that DougPaul described very well, loons have a wide range of other calls. When courting, they have a “coo” or “mew” that they use, and during this time I've also heard something similar to what I call the gray squirrel autumn call; it's sort of like a hoarse duck quack. And then there's the “chicken cluck”; it's a close-range distress call they use when they're in a vulnerable situation. I've heard it a few times when I've had to approach a loon that was tangled in fishing line or otherwise impaired (like cowering on land behind a bush because it was chased off the lake by the mated pair).

As far as whether or not a chick will be ready for migration, chicks have pretty much mastered their take-offs and landings at three months. They generally leave their natal lake after the adults have already migrated. They can stay on the lake until just before ice-in and if they are far from their ocean wintering area, they can take their sweet time by staying just ahead of freeze-up as they fly south. If the chicks you saw were fluffy brown, they were probably 2 to 5 weeks old. If they were beginning to look ragged because they were starting their first juvenile molt, they were at least 6 weeks old. A chick hatched on August 1st (not at all uncommon in NH) would be able to leave the lake around November 1st and would be a proficient flyer well before Thanksgiving.

And anytime I talk about loons LPC requires me to make the 3 BIG POINTS:
1.Give the loons room. Learn to identify the signs of stress: squared-off forehead, neck extended low when on the nest, distress calls; or just stay at least 150' away from them (unless they come to you).
2.Don't use lead fishing tackle. Even if it's a legal jig. You hook the fish – the line breaks – the loon catches the impaired fish and ingests the whole package. A GOOD year in NH is when we record fewer than 6 lead-poisoning deaths. And we sure aren't able to record them all.
3.Get involved. I suppose this means you should send gobs of money to LPC. But there are other ways. I think the typical VFTTer is pretty good at figuring out ways of making a positive contribution to all outdoor endeavors.

 

[spider solo]

Stopher, great to hear from you... nice info !

 

[DougPaul]

Loons are individuals and have a range of personalities. Some of them have a strong curiosity. I've had some swim right up to me, uninvited, whether I was in a kayak or a 15' Boston whaler. There are city loons (e.g, Lake Winnipesaukee) and country loons (e.g. 100 acre ponds a mile or more from any road). City loons will generally tolerantly ignore you unless you get in their face (which we shouldn't). Country loons are apt to be more curious about you, and it depends where they fall in the timid-aggressive continuum.

A friend had a country loon swim up quite close to her while she was swimming in a remote pond. An eye-to-eye encounter...

Loons are also the first to know (and announce) that eagles (or float planes) are in the neighborhood.

I've heard loons utter alarm cries when a pair of A-10s (military ground attack aircraft) flew over at 500-1000 ft AGL.

1.Give the loons room. Learn to identify the signs of stress: squared-off forehead, neck extended low when on the nest, distress calls; or just stay at least 150' away from them (unless they come to you).

Another sign of distress is when they rear up at you and flap their wings (when on the water).

2.Don't use lead fishing tackle. Even if it's a legal jig. You hook the fish – the line breaks – the loon catches the impaired fish and ingests the whole package. A GOOD year in NH is when we record fewer than 6 lead-poisoning deaths. And we sure aren't able to record them all.

My ornithologist brother found a dead loon on the above remote pond--he sent it off to the state authorities for analysis and they found both lead and mercury in its body. They concluded that it had died of lead poisoning.

Doug

 

[Andrew]

Stopher,

Any news on the loon from Jericho Lake on Wednesday?

 

[stopher]

Andrew:

I don't know. I'm seasonal and a victim of the economy. Every year they have to let me go earlier. This year I finished up the last week of August. Was it a body recovery, a rescue, or just a report of a loon in distress? John Cooley would be the person to ask at LPC (476-5666 or 1-800-828-0324).

Another sign of distress is when they rear up at you and flap their wings (when on the water).

Yeah, the “penguin dance.” A loon doing the penguin dance is really pissed. The uninitiated should learn to differentiate between that and the “wing stretch.” The wing stretch is just a comfort behavior, done occasionally at any time and invariably after maintenance behavior: preening and/or “bathing.” The loon rears up, spreads its wings, and sometimes gives a shake of its head. A loon doing a wing stretch will always have its bill pointing up toward the sky and the water beneath it will be relatively calm. On the other hand, a loon doing the penguin dance will have its bill pointed directly at whatever/whoever got it riled up (the bill will be either parallel to or slightly below parallel to the water surface) and the water beneath it will be churning and splashing. And if you look close, the white breast will be puffed up as big as possible. I've seen loons make this display toward other loons and other critters – most notably mergansers – but I've yet to see a loon display like this toward humans; although I'm not saying they wouldn't if provoked enough. I'll freely admit that if I were swimming and a loon displayed like this toward me, I'd be pooping my bathing trunks.

And in keeping with the main topic of this forum, some day I hope to make a hike up to Mountain Pond in Chatham. There's a pair of real country loons up there at 1500'. Certainly not the highest loon pond in NH but it's in a nice, remote mountain setting.

 

[DougPaul]

Yeah, the “penguin dance.” A loon doing the penguin dance is really pissed.
<snip>
I've seen loons make this display toward other loons and other critters – most notably mergansers – but I've yet to see a loon display like this toward humans; although I'm not saying they wouldn't if provoked enough.

I have a vague recollection of a loon making this display toward a boat when it approached too close. I can't recall any specifics--it could have been a picture or in the movie shown in a loon lecture.

Doug