The life of a little loon

The pair of loons on a pond near me (not my beaver pond) had two chicks about 10 days ago. One did not last long, taken by an eagle or a snapping turtle no doubt. But I photographed this one from about 8 days old.

At 10 days old, it still rides on its mother’s back when it feels like it.

It nestles in between her wings, so it can’t fall out sideways, and she sometimes places a foot behind it, so it can’t slide off her back if she accelerates.

But like any youngster, it gets adventurous. The dismount.

From around three days old, it dives for short periods, and exercises its tiny wings:

Sometimes it tucks its head in and sleeps beside the mother, bobbing happily up and down alongside. She makes sure it doesn’t drift away by gently using her foot as a corral:

Like many loons around here, she is banded, and has bred on this pond before. Experience shows.

The chick gets hungry, so the parents go fishing, leaving the chick alone and vulnerable

but they return with supplies:

It will have to eat a lot if it is to grow up to be as big as its parents:

PS: I am sometimes asked how I get these shots. I kayak out, and sit some distance off, maybe 30 feet away, if possible in a direction where the light is right. I stop paddling, and just watch quietly, taking the odd shot. They are very relaxed, and sometimes swim straight at me and cross just in front of my bow:

If I ever get the impression they are changing their behavior because of me, I back right off. I also never kayak straight towards them, and try not to look them in the eye. These shots came from four sessions, each of an hour or so.