Tag: #AdirondackLoons

Upper St. Regis Loon

“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” 

Winston Churchill

The colour of the water appears to change in minutes when out kayaking on a lake. A lot of things come into play such as cloud cover, sunlight, time of day, what is nearby on land will all affect how the colour of the water appears. If you wait around you just may get to see the water appear to be different hue.

This is a loon from Upper St. Regis in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. In other pictures that day, the water appeared green and different shades of blue etc. Change sometimes is good.

Stuck in the Middle Loons

Clowns to the left of me

jokers to the right

here I am

stuck in the middle with you.

from the song Stuck in the Middle With You written by Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty and performed by Stealer’s Wheel

These Adirondack loons were pausing for passing planes and eagles as well as motor boat and jet ski action on the lake. I am sure the mom was teaching the baby about safely crossing the lake. The baby should be well prepared for life. Other things I saw the mom do this trip were attempt some fish hand offs in the water instead of above water, and having the baby attempt to fish in the buoyed area of the lake that boaters avoid due to boulders near the water’s surface.

We have had a cooler than normal wet summer. It has rained a little to a good amount most days. Get out and dodge those storms. Enjoy what you can.

Stuck in the Middle With You performed by the Steeler’s Wheel

Loons With Orange

I find it fun watching loons. This parent had babysitting duty while the other parent was at another section of the lake in the Adirondack Mountains.

The loon below is power napping. It ate a few fish in the middle of the lake and then it then swam to the side of the lake with the parent. The parent kept watch while the baby napped.

The parent needs to keep watch. After I started kayaking away, the parent started giving a distressed call. I looked up and the eagle circled and landed in a tree nearby. Then it decided to fly off to a tree on the opposite side of the lake. On my few trips to the lake I have now seen the eagle multiple times either chase an adult loon flying or circle and get close to the baby and parent causing the parent to go into alert mode. I hope these loons make it through their time at the lake without the eagles getting one of them.

Loons with Yellow

I made almost a week long trip to the Adirondack Mountains in New York. I am not kayaking as far as I did last year. Luckily I do not have to go far to see loons on the lakes I visited. All the pictures below are from one lake. These were over two days. Some were in the evening and others during the morning.

Parent cut off a piece to give the baby.
Spitting out water
Patiently waiting for someone to bring it a fish.
Riding the waves.

Slow down and enjoy nature. Sometimes you do not have to go as far as you think.

Loons with Colours in Water

Sometimes you lucky out with sunlight, and sometimes you don’t. One this morning after the fog lifted you could witness some great colours on the water. These are just two of many I got that morning.

What is on or near the shore affects what colours you see reflected on the water’s surface. It could be boats, boat covers, kayaks, SUPs, etc. Also if the sun happens to be behind your back or at an angle can affect how you see the colours.

Articles on our near shore can add to the photo in ways you may not have originally expected. Get out and enjoy the summer between the rain. If your weather is like New York, we have downpours almost everyday.

The Hand Off

Not all bad light days make for bad shots. The morning I took these this past clouds were covering the sun and the lighting conditions were not optimal. I got some good feeding shots regardless and shots of the parents with fish.

Will the baby take it or not? Many times I see the baby not accept it and swim in another direction with the parent following.

These pictures were all taken at a distance with zoom lens.

The hand off
Trying to fit it in.
Going down the hatch.

A cloudy day does not always ruin your chance at getting good photos. Go out and enjoy nature even when it is not sunny.