"Loonie" Tunes

It seems like birds are everywhere right now. Maybe it's because all of the broods are grown and parents are taking their new families out to learn the ways of the wild. Whatever the case, we've seen more birds, small and large, than we did all spring and early summer. This week there are three loons calling the Hole part of their territory. Their formal name is the Common Loon, but there is nothing common about this stately bird. The three that are traveling past our cabin each morning use a variety of vocalizations (tunes), not just the typical piercing cry. You can tell they are talking to each other, maybe sharing information about when to dive after a tasty fish. Loons are great underwater swimmers, diving in one location and often surfacing a long distance away.

The Loon is immortalized here in Canada on the one dollar coin. Consequently, everyone calls it a "loonie," For me, the cry of the loon means I am in Canada. -- Margy