A Loon FeedsA loon feeds its hungry chick. (Photo David A. Murray)

The silence broke when a gentle wind churned the pond and produced small ripples that lapped the side of the drifting aluminum canoe. As the early sun of daybreak began to heat the air, the first breeze of the new day transformed the pond's glass-like surface into a pattern of corduroy.

I raised the binoculars to my eyes and began to scan the pond for a loon. It wasn't long before the hauntingly beautiful and melodic yodel, from a distant cove, identified the loon's location. I slipped the canoe paddle into the water and, with a soft stroke, sent the drifting canoe in the direction of the calling loon.

Rounding a bend in the pond revealed the cove from where the loon called, however, there was no loon in sight. After drifting for a couple of minutes, the surface of the water broke and up popped the loon. This particular bird was underwater for a very long time and must have been chasing fish in deep water; the common loon is an excellent swimmer and diver. Seeing any loon is a rewarding experience, however, photographing a single adult loon was not the mission.

There are different types of wildlife images. There is the "record shot," which depicts the subject but is not a publication-quality image, although is valuable for the purposes of identifying a species. Whereas for publication-quality images, there are several categories, such as, portraits, group shots, wildlife landscapes, and behavior shots, to name but a few.

Behavior images are among the most difficult to photograph. Most critters, when they become aware of human presence, are usually then occupied with putting some distance between you and them. Natural behavior only occurs when a subject is completely at ease and essentially forgets that you are there.

My goal was to photograph loon behavior between the adult loon and chick. However, that obviously wasn't going to happen with a single adult loon, so the search was on, although, after a couple of hours of paddling and searching every nook and cranny of the pond, it was apparent that this pond didn't have any other loon residents.

As I considered moving to another pond, off in the distance, another calling loon caught my attention. I'd photographed here before, and knew there was another pond connected to this one by a small brook overgrown with alders. After pulling the canoe up on shore, I walked the one hundred yards of woods that separated the two ponds and discovered an adult loon and chick in the adjacent pond. Now, the task was a portage of all the gear and the canoe. Lugging the sixteen-foot canoe through the woods, in the hot summer sun, was a challenge and a necessity. In a matter of minutes, it seemed as though every mosquito from a hundred-mile radius knew that both of my hands were occupied and the feast was on.

The common loon's feet are located far back on the bird's body; this benefits its diving ability, however, makes it impossible for the bird to walk on land. If there is a need to cross a short stretch of land, the loon propels itself forward onto its breast and slowly "bumps" along. This makes a loon very vulnerable to predators and is why it is rare to see a loon anywhere but in the water or flight.

The loon's principal diet consists of fish. They will also eat frogs, insects, or crayfish, but fish is the food of choice. With this type of diet, the obvious loon summer habitat is lakes, large ponds, or rivers.

The loon's resident body of water needs to be in a forest environment with small islands or land jutting out into the water. This is where a loon will build a nest and start a family. The nest is loosely structured and constructed of dried grass and other vegetation debris.

The common loon usually lays two olive-brown or light green eggs with faint black spots. The eggs are reasonably large, and will normally be about three to four inches long and two to three inches in diameter.

There is no distinguishable difference in the appearance of the male and the female common loon; both parents share equally in the incubation of the eggs and parenting responsibilities. Loons are very protective and attentive parents.

There is nothing easy about getting publication quality images of a loon. Photographing from a canoe is a difficult task, as is proper exposure and other technical problems created by shooting over highly reflective water.

Capturing images of loon behavior requires a huge investment in time and timing. You need to first invest a sufficient amount of time so that the loon develops a trust and comfort level with your presence, and, secondly, be there when it is most likely that specific behavior will occur.

Successfully having all these elements come together, as well as dealing with moving birds and a moving canoe is where the investment of time becomes paramount. The final challenge is anticipating the behavior, and timing your shots to capture the moment.

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