Loons - a favourite water bird

 Another wonderful photo from friend Mike. (Thanks Mike)

The loon's haunting cry has mesmerized me since I was barely walking and went up to Georgian Bay where my mother's family has a cottage.

These beautiful aquatic birds are the great divers of North American waterfowl. They hunt for fish and other creatures that live in freshwater by sight, diving deeply and not only using their powerful webbed feet but also their wings to help with their underwater searches.

I love trying to guess where they will pop up since they can stay down for quite a long time. They prefer not to walk on land except when nesting, since their legs are well back on their bodies making them unwieldy. And they take off to fly from water, not land except for one species of loon. (Thanks Wikipedia for this information.)

Because of water levels being altered and also the watercraft such as waterski boats, and the "seados" that are now very popular, there is often a wash behind these craft in spring that makes nests vulnerable and easily destroyed by the wake from unknowing or unsuspecting riders and skiers. So the species does better in remote clear water lakes.  They can be seen on occasion with one or two babies riding on an adult's back... many sweet photos have been taken of that sight.

Sent from friend Mike....thanks Mike

Hope you get to enjoy that lovely call this year - it always means summer to me, early morning or evening, often through a rising mist off a lake. Purely romantic.