Quote:
Originally Posted by Ondawada
Saw a Loon flying for the first time the other day at Lee's Mills. Been wanting to see one actually take off. I clearly saw the white bottom side as it passed over, but wasn't 100% that it was a Loon until I heard the tremolo over and over. Ironically, it did a loop over toward the Loon center and then headed back out over the lake.
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The tremolo is often heard when that Loon is in flight; sometimes, they'll circle a portion of a lake more than once. They seem to be trying to encourage other Loons to take off to join them.
I've seen Loons taking off and landing—but landing is more dramatic by far. With their feet far back on their bodies (like a penguin's), they can't "ski" to a landing like ducks and other aquatic birds. Loon landings are sometimes graceful, but most are "a crash". Sometimes, I've seen Loons land in a splashing, rolling, heap, with feet, wings, tail and beak seen at intervals and at various angles.
While there are many photos and videos of Loons taking off, I haven't seen a good video of a landing. But finally yesterday, two Loons decided to land in the middle of Winter Harbor, and I started my video camera to capture this very rare event.
To my eye, one Loon appeared to generate a tremendous splash; unfortunately, the "splashdown" occurred directly into the sun. With some hope, I checked the video and took a snapshot of the exact moment of the event.
Maybe next time?
