All About Loons
The still of the night was shattered in the early hours of the morning by shrieks and howls. Immediately, lights on the island and those adjoining snapped on. And then there was nothing to again disturb the former tranquility. The islanders returned to their beds with fingers crossed and a silent plea. Unfortunately, the crossed fingers and the silent pleas were to no avail, for there the next morning were the pair of loons, but now with only one babe, when yesterday there had been two visible on the back of one adult. The people were furious and offended, offended as though one of them had been taken, since after all, the loons belonged to them. They had been observing them year after year, cheerfully welcoming them back and watching for them daily. Almost the first words among neighbors each Spring was “Have you seen the loons?” And consternation was expressed if they had not been seen.
All about Lewis
While we watch for them and over them, how do you imagine the loon feels about us? Imagine, if you will, their viewpoint . . .
Hi, my name is, or will be when I am hatched, Lewis. Right now, my parents are building their nest in virtually the same space as last year. I guess you could say that my parents are territorial since they return year after year to the same spot. It’s quite close to the water and consists of pine needles, twigs, grass, moss, and mud. Once completed, one or two eggs will be laid over a three-day period with Mom and Dad sharing the nesting duties, although as usual, Mom did the lion’s share. After 28 – 30 days of incubation, here I am, followed twenty-four hours later by my loon chick sister, Louise. We were fortunate that no scavengers, snapping turtles, raccoons, otters, or foxes found our nest. One day YOU saw our nest and decided to take a closer look. Dad warned you off using his yodel voice. How rude of YOU! My parents wouldn’t dream of walking into your house uninvited.
My sister and I leave the nest riding on one parent’s back, which keeps us warm and safe from those underwater predators. The other parent does the fishing because we are entirely dependent on them until we are about 8 weeks old, but even then, one parent keeps on eye on us. We are getting close to consuming three pounds of fish per day, right up there with Mom and Dad. What is so fascinating to YOU about our riding on the back of Mom or Dad? We don’t gawk at you riding around in what looks like a hollowed-out log.
Speaking of eating, Louise and I are becoming excellent at fishing. While we glide above the surface of the water, we can swim underwater due to our webbed feet. Our parents can dive to depths greater than 200 feet and remain underwater for as much as five minutes. Louise and I will soon be able to swim over 100 miles a day and at speeds of 9 to 20 miles per hour. We get around! But back to fishing; YOU aren’t much good at it because every time YOU dive, you come up empty.
Voila, suddenly we are fledglings, having reached the age of twelve weeks, and now are ready to fly. Oh my, the parents are gone and soon we will be off as well. We will migrate during the fall to the Southern hemisphere, flying solo or occasionally in groups. We take off from the water and require a long runway – as much as 600 feet. Some of us fly long distances, as much as 1600 miles (2575 kilometers) to 2800 miles (4565 kilometers). We must flap continually as we’re not able to soar, but have been clocked at flying 70 miles per hour. Our complete migration ranges between 3-6 months. Why do YOU make such a fuss about us when we return? We never comment when YOU go south!
Back to Mom and Dad, who’ve been together for nine years. Dad’s first mate died. He told us he wasn’t much interested in females until he was six years old, but since he will probably live for more than twenty years, he’s still got some “livin’ to do.” Louise, of course, wanted to know about the courtship. According to Mom, there is a graceful dance consisting of bill dipping, preening, wing flapping, and chasing around in circles until retiring to the nest. I may have some sisters and other brothers whom I’ve never met. Unlike YOU, my parents don’t talk much about their children.
All About Loons
Loons have four distinctive calls. The wail is a long haunting bellow used to signal whereabouts to mates or rivals. The yodel is an undulating, repetitive shriek that is made only be males and means stay out of my territory. The tremolo is a cackle used when feeling threatened or territorial. Finally, the hoot is used by members of the same family.
The loon is the state bird of Minnesota and the official bird of the province of Ontario. Mercer, Wisconsin, calls itself the “Loon Capital of the World.” There are actually five species of loon: in addition to the Common Loon, there are the Red-throated Loon, the Pacific Loon, the Yellow-billed Loon, and the Arctic Loon.
The Common Loon is a large water bird that is 26 – 36 inches long and has a wing span of 50 – 55 inches. They weigh 8.4 to 19 pounds. Loons are water birds who go ashore only to mate and incubate eggs. Loons sleep on the water in short bursts with their heads resting on their own back. Their legs are placed far back on their bodies allowing them to paddle above water and propel them with speed and power below water. They often swim with their heads underwater searching for fish or other prey. They then dive down and spear or grasp the prey with their formidably large, chisel-shaped beak. They also have sharp teeth that protrude from the tops of their mouths to hold on to slippery prey.
Predators of loons include large raptors (eagles and ospreys), marine mammals, and other animals that eat their eggs and chicks. However, the biggest threat to the loon is human disturbance, such as shoreline development and watercraft use, which can cause the loss of adequate nesting habitat, or even of eggs and nests.
Lead is the leading cause of death of loons. Loons dive for fish and to assist in the digestion process consume gravel from the bottom, which in some cases may include small pieces of lead tackle, or they may ingest a fish that has broken a line but ingested the attached tackle. To that end, many tackle shops in the US and Canada now have lead buyback programs. For more information on lead and its deadly effect on loons, do visit the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation, www.adkloon.org. My thanks to Denise Silfee, their Director of Education and Communications, for her help and expertise while researching loons.
The “loonie” came into being in 1986 when the Royal Canadian mint was gearing up to release a new one dollar coin. Queen Elizabeth’s face would be on the front and two voyagers in a canoe would be on the tails side. When making a two-sided coin, each of the images must be engraved into a metallic stamp called a die. When the canoe dies went missing before the coins could be mass produced, a last-minute replacement of a loon was used in place of the voyagers. Thus, the birth of the iconic Canadian “loonie!”
By Allison Burchell-Robinson
Allison Burchell-Robinson's great grandfather built a cottage on Wyoming Island in 1910, and five generations have followed. She spent her childhood summers in the River, on the River or by the River. Eventually, she and her husband moved to an island in Ivy Lea Group. She is happy to return every summer to enjoy, relax and rejuvenate in an area her son referred to as the most beautiful place in the world. Many will recognize Allison for her many years of service to the Thousand Islands Association TIA serving as President then Secretary/Treasurer, and until recently, editor of TIA's "River Talk".
Illustrations by Lini Westland Stevens
Lini was born in the Netherlands, spent her childhood outside of Toronto, ON and resides with her family near Philadelphia, PA. Prolific in landscapes, seascapes, and portraits in the mediums of oil, pencil, pen and ink, Lini pulls much of her inspiration from the rich Pennsylvania countryside as well as the awe-inspiring Thousand Islands region of upstate NY and southern Ontario. Her work appears in many private collections in Holland, Canada, and the US within the international art community.