Critter Class

Loons Photo by: New Jersey

September 12, 2011

Comment: MVK, can we do a class on one evening? I just love the idea of being looney!

MVK: You mean like this?

Plate by: Archibald Thorburn (1860-1935)

MVK: The loons (North America) or divers (UK/Ireland) are a group of aquatic birds found in many parts of North America and northern Eurasia (Europe, Asia and debatably Africa). All living of loons are members of the (Gavia), (Gaviidae) and (). Per Wikipedia.com

Pacific

Critter Class – Loons 1 9/12/2011 MVK: The loon, the size of a large duck or small goose, resembles these birds in shape when swimming. Like ducks and geese but unlike coots (which are Rallidae) and grebes (Podicipedidae), the loon's toes are connected by webbing. The may be confused with cormorants (Phalacrocoracidae), not too distant relatives of divers and like them are heavy set birds whose bellies – unlike those of ducks and geese – are submerged when swimming. Flying loons resemble a plump goose with a seagull's wings, relatively small in proportion to the bulky body. The bird holds its head pointing slightly upwards during swimming, but less so than cormorants do. In flight the head droops more than in similar aquatic birds. Per Wikipedia online

Photo by: Johann Dréo

MVK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw1It3AlXmQ

Comment: I think we have lots of loons on this mod chat!

MVK: Male and female loons have identical plumage. Plumage is largely patterned black-and-white in summer, with grey on the head and neck in some species. All have a white belly. This resembles many -ducks (Merginae) – notably the smaller goldeneyes (Bucephala) – but is distinct from most cormorants which rarely have white , and if so usually as large rounded patches rather than delicate patterns. All species of divers have a spear- shaped bill Per Wikipedia online

MVK: Males are larger on average, but relative size is only apparent when the male and female are together. Per Wikipedia online

Comment: Do loons like salt water or fresh water?

MVK: Loons find their prey by sight. They eat mainly , supplemented with amphibians, crustaceans and similar mid-sized aquatic fauna. Specifically, they have been noted to feed on

Critter Class – Loons 2 9/12/2011 crayfish, frogs, snails, salamanders and leeches. They prefer clear lakes because they can more easily see their prey through the water. The loon uses its pointy bill to stab or grasp prey. They eat vertebrate prey headfirst to facilitate swallowing, and swallow all their prey whole. Per Wikipedia online

Comment: ooooooh, hand raised.....do they eat fish????

Comment:uk: ] Plenty of loons over here too, only we call then divers. Various kinds. I wish I could stay up but I am so tired tonight I have to turn in. Will catch up tomorrow. G'night MVK and EN♥♥♥

MVK: To help digestion, loons swallow small pebbles from the bottoms of lakes. Similar to grit eaten by chickens, these gastroliths may assist the loon's gizzard in crushing the hard parts of the loon's food such as the exoskeletons of crustaceans and the bones of frogs and salamanders. The gastroliths may also be involved in stomach cleaning as an aid to regurgitation of indigestible food parts. Per Wikipedia online

MVK: Loons may inadvertently ingest small lead pellets, released by anglers and hunters, that will contribute to lead poisoning and the loon's eventual death. Jurisdictions that have banned the use of lead shot and sinkers include but are not limited to Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, some areas of Massachusetts, Yellowstone National Park, , , Michigan, and Denmark.[3] Per Wikipedia online

Comment: How about some "Loon" calls!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw1It3AlXmQ

Comment: This just in.....their babies like to hitch a ride on mama's back at just one day....and fly at 11 weeks. Wow! They are beautiful

MVK: Gaviidae nest during the summer on freshwater lakes and/or large ponds. Smaller bodies of water (up to 0.5 km²) will usually only have one pair. Larger lakes may have more than one pair, with each pair occupying a bay or section of the lake. Per Wikipedia online

MVK: Despite the roughly equal participation of the sexes in nest building and incubation, analysis has shown clearly that males alone select the location of the nest. This pattern has the important consequence that male loons, but not females, establish significant site-

Critter Class – Loons 3 9/12/2011 familiarity with their territories that allows them to produce more chicks there over time. Sex-biased site-familiarity might explain, in part, why resident males fight so hard to defend their territories.[4] Per Wikipedia online

MVK: Most clutches consist of two eggs, which are laid in May or June, depending upon latitude. Loon chicks are precocial, able to swim and dive right away, but will often ride on their parents' back during their first 2 weeks to rest, conserve heat, and avoid predators. Per Wikipedia online

MVK: Chicks are fed mainly by their parents for about six weeks but gradually begin to feed themselves over time. By 11 or 12 weeks, chicks gather almost all of their own food and have learned to fly. Per Wikipedia online

Comment: And where do these lovely loonies live??

Photo by: National Park Service

National Geographic

MVK: Named for their clumsy, awkward appearance when walking on land, common loons are migratory birds which breed in forested lakes and large ponds in northern North America and parts of and Iceland. They winter all along North America’s Pacific and Atlantic coasts as well as in Europe and Iceland. Per Nationalgeographic.com

Critter Class – Loons 4 9/12/2011 MVK: I don't think I have ever seen or heard one here - but I will try to find out if they are around here. I would love to listen to their calls.

Comment: Now that is a wonderful picture. I was having trouble envisioning the description.

Comment: Are loons in the Northeast? Do they usually hang out by huge bodies of water?

MVK: Looks like around the Great Lakes and the Pacific and Atlantic coast in the winter, near bodies of water.

Comment: Another sweet pic...http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/common-loon/

Comment: Ahh loons, a group of birds familiar to me.From the Eocene eopch (34 million to 56 million years ago) and the Oligocene epoch (23 million to 34 million years ago) the prehistoric species Colymboides and Gaviella have been discovered. These prehistoric inhabitants of Europe and North America could represent very early representatives of the Gaviiformes.

Comment: I feel looney most of the time, so I guess I'm in good company! lol

MVK: You are in the best of company!!!

Comment: Loons or Divers eat small or medium sized fish, which they capture and usually even swallow under water. Usually it is only rare that different types of food provide supplementary nutrition. This can be frogs, crustaceans, worms, mollusks, or water insects. There are however cases, in which Loons breed at lakes which are completely devoid of fish-free, and then occasionally their diet completely changes over to mollusks or insects. (from The Wonder of Birds website)

Comment: In that video, what is that looney riding on??

MVK: I don't think I saw the video you are referring to Shelly - sorry.

Comment: They have such a haunting, beautiful call. I don't think we have them in CA.

Critter Class – Loons 5 9/12/2011 Comment: Where are they found?

MVK: Named for their clumsy, awkward appearance when walking on land, common loons are migratory birds which breed in forested lakes and large ponds in northern North America and parts of Greenland and Iceland. They winter all along North America’s Pacific and Atlantic coasts as well as in Europe and Iceland. Per Nationalgeographic.com

Comment: I love the sound of a loon, and they do it even during the night.

Comment: Hi, MVK! I find the loons beautiful and their call very soothing. Are they found only in the northern regions or all over the States. Thanks. ♥

MVK: Angie - It sounds like they are in the northern regions but winter over around the great lakes and the Pacific and Atlantic coast - I have to go check on them here - have never seen one that I know of.

Comment: Hey I can Google, too. Did you know they dance????When disturbed the loon folds its wings against its body and swims upright in what is called a penguin dance. With its wings tucked against its body it looks kind of like a penguin. This dance is done when the loon is trying to scare enemies away from its chicks. "Dancing" like this takes a lot of energy so it's important that you keep your distance from loons. If you get too close to it and its chicks or nest, the loon will think you're its enemy and start the penguin dance. If you don't leave the area, the loon can dance until it's exhausted and dies. The loon has another dance that it does when it wants to chase away other birds. It splashes the water with its wings and kicks its feet so quickly that it is actually walking on water.♥♥♥♥ As a retired dancer, I gotta appreciate good moves when displayed.

Comment: Their colors & patterns are beautiful! Loons look so gracerful lazing around in the water.

Comment: The center released a loon last spring. The link to the Youtube video is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rES7odsv_s

Comment: Sorry forgot to include the attachment: http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/eek/critter/bird/loon.htm#dance

Critter Class – Loons 6 9/12/2011

Comment: Good evening MVK!! The is the state bird of Minnesota! Have heard them once when I was birding!! Very eerie sounds-but cool!

Comment: How many different varieties of loon are there?

MVK: There are 5 living species.

Comment: I used to see loons on Lake Winnipesaukee in NH and loved to listen to them.

Comment: MVK...that's too funny! There's your loon sighting...lol

Comment: We mid- westerner’s joke that the mosquito is the state bird of Minnesota, but the common loon is actually the state bird. ;-)

Comment:From Randy @ Wildlife Center And ... the Center's 50,000th patient was a Common Loon ... http://www.care2.com/news/member/100041282/742551

Comment: the canadian $1 coin (they no longer used paper $1 bills) has a loon on it, and is nicknamed a "looney". when canada issued a $2 coin, it was quickly nicknamed a "toonie!" (or "twonie")

Comment: Peg @ 9:06....that was really neat to see the release. Thank you for finding that one. It gave a really nice closeup of the Loon, and revealed how fast they can swim underwater.

Comment: I believe the 'loon' is the provincial bird of Ontario ..my 'old home' .. been down south for a long time ..

Comment: I love the call of the loon. There is something around here (I don't think we have loons) that makes a very similar noise at night. Do some owls make calls like that?

Comment: Hello all, The loons are beautiful birds. Do they swim as fast as the video depicts? Also there is a rumor going around about Sept. 30th being a special day. Do you know why? I googled it but did not find an appropriate answer. Thanks

Critter Class – Loons 7 9/12/2011

MVK: Loons are excellent swimmers, using their feet to propel themselves above and under water while their wings provide assistance. Because their feet are far back on the body, loons are poorly adapted to moving on land, and usually avoid going onto land, except when nesting.

Comment: Loons are wonderful to watch. Sometimes we will have them on the lake near our cabin in the Adirondack Mountains of NY. They have the lake pretty much to themselves, except for the beavers.

Comment: So Loons are swimmers & not land lovers. They keep cool that way

MVK: It sounds like they are a little clumsy when walking.

Comment: Unfortunately, one of the more common predators of baby loons...is the bald eagle. In the loon blog I read, a couple of years ago (before I started reading), one of the two chicks that were hatched was swooped up by an eagle. I guess it makes sense since loons and eagles are both prevalent in Minnesota (where the loon blog is set). And I know, nature can be harsh. But it's hard to watch both nests when one is a predator of the other!

Comment: Good evening, MVK. Just tuned in to find you discussing my favorite: the loon. We see them often here on Lake Winnipesaukee. Perhaps an interesting fact: Loons make their glorious calls only during breeding season on the lakes. They can be seen in their winter , but not heard. Thanks so much for an evening with the loons.

Comment: You're absolutely right, the loon is Ontario's provincial bird. The call is unmistakable - especially on a spring evening across a quiet lake with stars reflected in it. The call sounds like an echo and the tone changes, soaring up and down and is absolutely magical. And our Loony is beautiful to look at too. Our one dollar coin has a loon on the reverse and is called the "loonie" while our two-dollar coin is called a "twoonie." Thank you MVK for all the cool information about our very own bird here in Ontario.

Comment: Just to clarify...I believe loons have at least four or five distinctly different calls.

Comment: Hi MVK, hope all is well with you & Sophie this evening. These "classes" are a great, I learn so much (city girl, raised & lived most of my life in NYC. Wildlife there was basically

Critter Class – Loons 8 9/12/2011 roaches, pigeons & squirrels). The Loon is such a beautiful bird! And what a haunting but beautiful call! Thanks to you for these 'classes' and to WCV for all the new things I've been learning.

Comment: @Angela..- the problem with 'loonies & Twoonie' is you have all this change and NO money ... things sure have changed since I lived 'up north' ... LOL

Comment: http://www.ns.ec.gc.ca/wildlife/loons/images.html

Comment: I have that one, too, Lydia. but none of Congo that I know of

Comment: Well phooey! Hit enter too soon. The URL I just sent is a page that has the names of the types of LOON calls and the sounds too.

Critter Class – Loons 9 9/12/2011