Loonatic

I admit it. I am infatuated with loons. Their color and markings, their diving and fishing abilities, how they transport their babies on their backs, and especially their call, intrigues me. Whenever I am kayaking, it is such a treat to see and hear them. Of course, they are usually quite elusive, especially when it comes to being photographed. In fact I have never been able to get a good picture of a loon, but thanks to Carol on Interim, I have the above pictures to post.

Loons seem to be making a comeback in the Adirondacks, or at least I am noticing them more. We have seen them in Lake Champlain and Lake George. In fact one surfaced right next to me as I was kayaking across the channel at the north end of Lake George. It was a bit rough out and we startled each other. He took one look at me and dove down again, while I took one look at him and paddled quickly to the other side of the channel before any boats ran me down.

Putnam Pond at the top of Chilson Hill, off Rt. 74, is a place that we always see loons. We were there a few days ago and there was a mother and her chick diving in the middle of the pond.

Eagle Lake also never fails to yield a view or sound of loons.

Both this lake and Putnam Pond are normally quiet bodies of water, providing a nice haven for these birds. One day though, I was approaching a loon in my kayak, all set to get a picture, when I heard someone behind me ‘quacking’! A teenage girl in a kayak paddled past me quacking to it, like it was a duck. Naturally, the loon was frightened and headed underwater, resurfacing a long way away from us crazy (aka loony) humans.

The ironic thing about my quest for loon sightings is that I saw one up close in a place I never expected they would frequent, namely the Mohawk River. I had gone to Lock 7 to launch my kayak, but left my camera home thinking that the only nature I would probably see on the muddy Mohawk would be mallard ducks and perhaps a heron. What a surprise to see a loon right at the base of the ramp, swimming and diving all around the dock, catching fish. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Here I am looking all over the Adirondacks for these birds, and there is one almost in my own backyard…and I didn’t have my camera! I watched it for quite awhile, and then left it to hunt for its lunch while I went kayaking. When I came back, I found it still ‘fishing’ at the dock, looking at me with its red eyes and taunting me as I stood on the dock, not three feet away. What a photo opportunity I missed out on. It’s frustrating enough to send me to “the loony bin!”