The Beauty of Common Loons

I aas able to take the boat out yesterday and try out my new Canon 100-400mm II lens at Lac Le Jeune in Logan Lake, BC with my friend Roy Priest. We ended up seeing an adult Northern Goshawk flying right over us and then it perched on the other side of the lake. By the time we got the boat over to the other side it had flown into the woods. We found a loon on the nest and thought she was unfortunately pretty exposed to predation it was wonderful to see her on the nest though. I hope all goes well for her and her brood. We saw a pair of Merlins flying around who obviously had a nest nearby like the Goshawk and there were many Black Swifts in the air. Tons of Swallows as well including a very sick Barn Swallow and a Sora and Virginia Rail calling. Buffleheads were out with their dozens of tiny cute chicks and Yellowthroats and Marsh Wrens were very vocal. The lake was very alive with bird life.

There were at least 8 Loons on the water yesterday and a few in flight, I didn't count them since the lake is large and could have been the same birds. 3 chicks were present on the water and the adults were busy and engaged in feeding them dragonfly nymphs. One funny moment was watching a chick riding on his parents back backwards and then slide off into the water like a water slide. It's pretty magical to see them riding on the parents' back. Also when the babies would flip over you would see their white little tummies which was adorable. The Loons both adult and chicks would kick their feet out sideways which was fun to watch. It was very cold and windy on the boat yesterday but it was nice since no one else was out on the lake and I got some different shots of the birds in the rain.
After the Loons we were able to shoot a few Ruddy Ducks in Quilchena, including this displaying male who was very accommodating and blowing his bubbles. Was pretty great to be so close to him and see his brilliant colours.


Here are some photos from our great day:

Beautiful Common Loons with their chicks - Photos: Melissa Hafting

Male Ruddy Duck in Quilchena - Photos: Melissa Hafting



Comments

  1. John GordonJuly 14, 2017 at 2:13 PM

    Excellent shots especially the Ruddy Duck and the nice light on the loons.

    ReplyDelete

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