A Season with the Loons: Healing From Loss With A Loon Family

laughs [Music] between May and October of 2022 I spent a season with the common loons in Northern New England as part of a self-directed photography project [Music] thank you [Music] I regularly visited four pairs of nesting loons at different locations and watched the chicks grow up [Music] thanks to the attentive care of their parents and their own growing Independence when I set out on this project I had no predetermined story in mind but as I now reflect upon this season the story is clear change how do you successfully face change how do loons face change foreign [Music] season loons must successfully nest and raise chicks [Music] that will be ready to fly off the lake to the ocean only 70 to 77 days after hatching before the ice closes in and eliminates the long water Runway this heavy poor flying species needs to gain flight would they make it how do they make it I will share some interesting facts about loon biology and behavior that tells the story about how a chick becomes a loon personally I found myself having to face sad and sudden changes what lessons from the loons could I apply to my own life [Music] how do we move forward not just by surviving but by becoming what we are meant to be by observing the loons I came up with an answer in the end I hope you will come along for the ride in Northern New England loons usually return to the Lakes by early May last year I returned with them it was a beautiful time with New Life bursting forth everywhere loons too face a new life much different than the one they lived during the winter freshly molted into their breeding plumage loons seek to reclaim their existing territory and often the same mate other loons may try to displace them and fights can be to the death though the loon's breeding plumage can help avoid violent clashes a loon can expose its Emerald necklace to say this lake is mine the checkered pattern on their backs worn other loons flying over looking for a territory that this lake is already occupied whenever possible loons prefer to Nest on Tiny Islands in coves to avoid Mainland predators [Music] between mid-may and early June loons will typically lay one to two eggs the male and female take equal length turns incubating the eggs which will hatch after 28 days sometime between late June and early July was this a loon nesting Island nope just Canada goose I did not try to photograph loons while they were on their nest because they are very sensitive to disturbance this was the only photo I shot last year of a loon that was still on the nest given that it was mid-july I was beginning to wonder if this egg would ever hatch [Music] on July 19th this chick finally hatched it hatched solely because the parents first Nest was disrupted by an intruder loon whom the male had to kill this chick will have a lot of catching up to do to be ready to fledge and leave the lake before Frieza life will be marked by rapid and constant change loon chicks undergo three visible phases of development thanks to the fact that they molt feathers twice before fledging the only other kind of bird that does that are penguins which is not surprising given that loons evolved from penguins see the resemblance [Music] during what I am calling phase one the chicks will sport black Downy feathers for the first 10 to 14 days of life these dark insulating feathers absorb more heat to keep the chick warm since it has a hard time thermoregulating at this stage during the second phase the chick will mulch into brownish Downy feathers around Day 26 to 30 the chick enters the third phase when it molts a second time replacing the brown feathers with stiffer gray body and flight feathers [Music] so what is life like for our loon families across these three phases of development first phase is marked by dependency during the first two weeks chicks have not fully developed the muscles and coordination to die for food yet parents now must protect their youngs constantly from predators both underwater and in the sky and offer constant rides to provide rest and the chance to warm up course there are the constant feedings the adults must select prey that is the right size I have seen the adults eating bigger fish on their own but now they pick out smaller morsels most of the time the parents and I looked on in concerns this chick was choking on a fish that proved too big but eventually the chick got it down chick got revenge on its parents later that evening but making them work extra hard to accept defeating and waiting until the other parent arrived with a second offering before it would finally eat watching the chicks during this cute phase has been a source of joy for me for many years in a row but this year it was different I had intended on doing this Loon project in 2021. but at the start of it last July while photographing the loons on this my favorite Loon Lake I took a phone call on one of the islands that halted those plans and shattered my peace hi Mom was on this island I found out you were saying you were said first time found out you were sick I hope there was hope here we are May 14th a year later and you're gone carry a lot of pain though losing you and the stress of going through it I'd like to just carry the memories of you and the love you gave us and be at peace now and I hope you're at peace now [Music] maybe the quiet mornings alone foreign nights watching the loons could offer me some way to heal [Music] time always moves on so did my season with the loons [Music] chicks progressed to their second phase of development molting into their Brown Downy feathers and we're gaining in size and getting too big to ride anymore [Music] it was also time to start offering some bigger food [Music] oops maybe that was a bit too big how do I get this thing back there we go [Music] cut it down [Music] as the chicks got older the parents would try to get them to practice fishing on their own at first by scanning the water below [Music] and later letting the chicks dive and try for fish on their own after all if parents don't give their kids graduated Independence they will never make it on their own learning to hunt independently for food was not the only loon adulting skill our chicks would need to learn personal hygiene is of the utmost importance for a loon too preening keeps feathers clean and zipped to maintain waterproofing and often these hygiene sessions would end with a dramatic Wing flap that loons are known for foreign [Music] started to mimic from an early age [Music] awkwardly at first [Music] but gaining in confidence and Grace [Music] another lunar behavior is the foot waggle which other diving ducks Greaves and mergansers also do scientists still aren't entirely sure why loon's foot waggle some think it might be to help with thermoregulation other theories are that the behavior is part of cleaning or it's a comfort move others suggest it might be a sign of anxiety [Music] as July became August and I spent more and more time with the loons I felt my sense of Peace returning balloon shakes too seem perfectly at peace in this life with their parents in this idyllic place loons sleep on the water and typically take 15 minute naps tucked up like this on this peaceful Lake the surprises were mostly magical like this deer that would come out and swim to a particular Island around the same time each evening [Music] who would ever want to leave a place like this [Music] who would ever choose to leave the peace they find so comfortable [Music] the time always moves on and unavoidable changes were coming wishes we might to stay in our place of comfort we couldn't we had to accept the changes both the loons and I and act accordingly we had to move on to the next phase in our lives [Music] oh as it became August and September there was a change in the air nighttime temperatures began dropping creating Misty mornings that added Beauty [Music] adults were beginning to mulch into their winter plumage started like an old man picking up gray in his beard [Music] by October the loons were looking much different [Music] adults change their behavior towards one another too earlier in the breeding season the presence of other adult loons would not be tolerated and would prompt fights but that changes in Late July and August when loons will gather with each other to socialize I saw our resident loons welcoming five others out in the deeper part of the lake and engaging in line swimming Bill dipping [Music] and circling there were changes in the other creatures around too [Music] warblers were sporting their fall plumage fueling up on late blueberries and insects to begin their migration south for the winter [Music] but most importantly for our story The Loon chicks still had to become fully independent [Music] their parents were leaving them on their own for most of the day [Music] but they were not above taking the easy way out continuing to beg biting at their parents neck [Music] who would still die for food and feed them [Music] balloon chick's final task was to be able to fly off the lake even the adults have a difficult time taking off they are heavy with bones that are more dense than typical Birds the long and narrow shape of their wings relative to their weight means they have some of the highest Wing loading value of any bird making it harder to get lift for takeoff and to stay in the air [Music] I saw the chicks take some practice flights but never saw them take off [Music] my last visit to the loons was in October [Music] the youngest chick who had hatched in mid-june was not there anymore neither were its parents I can only hope that means it fledged successfully to be honest I don't know for sure if any of the four loon chicks I observed that year made it two of The Loon families at different lakes including that Late July Hatcher earlier in the video weren't entirely comfortable with my presence and I didn't want to stress them out or push them into motorboat Lanes so I decided not to visit them anymore for their welfare as soon as I noticed that behavior instead I stayed with the two loon pairs at my favorite Lake since they were very tolerant and I knew they were the same wounds I had seen in previous years from their leg bands saying goodbye to learns was hard on that final night in October only the younger chick that attached on July 5th and its parents were left spending quiet nights with them on the lake had been part of my life since May that year violence Island [Music] time for me to go after I said my goodbyes and thank yous out loud I started to paddle back to the boat launch a strange thing happens women's actually following me it's like he doesn't want to say goodbye The Loon started to follow me it was almost as if they knew this was goodbye possible Right this was the same chick I had captured at two days old and of whom I had made some of my favorite photos of this project [Music] The Last Sunset was magical too I reflected on how far I had come and grieving my mother and healing and how much this time had helped I realized that no matter how permanent things can seem in life the truth is that we are all only together for a season I realized that you can't let the fear of the frightening inevitabilities of the future rob you of the joy and beauty of the pressure shared moments you have in the present you need to become who you were meant to be those that you share this life with and ride on together the courage love and gratitude [Music] thank you [Music]

Channel: Nature's Stories by John Welch

Views: 31,093

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Id: mH9Bv1s4Khg

Length: 21min 43sec (1303 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 17 2023