Another Rainy Spring Morning

Rain was falling as in the old rhyme – April showers bring May flowers. Even though there was “stuff” to do at home, there are times when there’s just an inner need to get outside, even if it’s only a ride to the lake to see what there is to see – so off we went.

Naturally, by the time we got to the lake the rain had eased up quite a bit. Oh well, we where there and there were things to see. Among those things were two pairs of blue-winged teal that, frustratingly, wouldn’t come close. No eagle to be seen, ospreys hadn’t arrived, and most waterfowl had already moved on in their northward migration.

As we circled the lake we saw a handful of folks fishing and near one of those boats – a common loon in breeding plumage.

That loon was amazingly unafraid of humans as it repeatedly dove and resurfaced. For a while I thought it might have gotten itself caught by swallowing a hooked fish, but that wasn't the case. Gradually, it moved away from the boat, preening and diving to hunt for food –

When the loon was preening it would roll part way over, sometimes bringing its huge webbed feet above the water –

When it finished preening, the loon moved about, often dipping its head below the surface as it searched for fish –

Emerging with water dripping from its beak –

Frequently, after looking for fish, it would dive and come up some distance away with an empty beak. But once the loon surfaced with large fish that it apparently had trouble swallowing –

When the loon finally got the fish well on its way, the meal made a sizable lump in its neck –

And then the loon seemed to celebrate its success –

Loons are beautiful birds; unfortunately they don’t breed in Pennsylvania. The last verified breeding here was apparently in 1946 and it was a very rare breeder before that. But we do get migrants stopping here to rest and feed. On May 6, 1975 a friend and I found several large groups of loons on this same lake – although they were actively diving and difficult to count, our average of several counts was 112.

Loons face a number of threats: lead fishing sinkers and discarded fishing line, shoreline development, commercial fishing nets, illegal shooting, chemical contaminants, recreational watercraft, disturbance by people and climate change.

But we can still see these beautiful birds in northcentral Pennsylvania –