The Story of the Loons on Bell Cove This year again the pair have reunited in May and I
can see they have produced 2 more eggs to care for. On a recent windy day I saw the loon on her familiar platform moving weeds and sticks around her to make her prized nesting space warm and safe.
For 10 or so years, the same pair of loons have come back to a man made floating nesting platform that one
of the neighbers engineered to nest on. It has floating ramps enabling the chicks to climb up to be with their parents from a swim, a protective cover and a comfortable perch for the family to rest. Last year in June, 2018 I witnessed the arrival of two baby loons within a few yards of the shore of 25 Bell Cove Rd, Northwood NH. Mom and dad loons mate for life and share the job of incubating normally two eggs for close to a month. Loon Chicks need to be
Like my ideal life, loons spend their days feeding,
preening & cleaning, resting, and caring for their kids.
The difference is that they seem to have time to do so. Their meals in summer consists primarily of fish, -- mostly perch, suckers, catfish, sunfish, smelt, and minnows. Loons will also eat crayfish, frogs, leeches, and snails. I personally am all for them eating leeches. L oons disappear underwater and you never know
where they will pop up. Under water, they move their heads from side to side to find their next meal. During a dive, loons compress their feathers and force air from between the feathers and from air sacs in the body like a submarine--well sort
able to climb on their backs
of. This ability also allows loons to
to stay warm and dry in the
quietly sink below the water’s sur-
early days. It is for these
face when they feel threatened.
reasons why it is important to keep your distance while the family is growing. Waves from boats can shorten the life of the loon chicks. On April 5, 2019, I saw 14 loons swoop down in their most ungraceful manner and then retreat where the ice was still covering the cove.
Adult loons may fly to different lakes to feed, but the adaptations that make loons such efficient divers also make them heavy and slow to take wing. To see a loon take of and land is quite the spectacle. On a calm day, it could need several hundred meters to take off. To land--well just a few inches. Once in the air, the loon’s relatively small wingspan (130140 cm) carries them at average speeds of up to 80 miles per hour--but looks like it is flapping for dear life. The loon’s legs are positioned at the far back of the body which makes it difficult to walk on land. The challenge for walking may be one reason why a loon’s nest is built next to the water. Loons sleep over deep water or small islands away from the land, for protection from predators.
Tn general, there is nothing
common about the common loon. They are one of the most special creatures with the most magnificent call in the wild. At 25 Bell Cove Road, you will witness this pair in action. Hopefully every year after.