Well, J and I took of for a few days. Enough of sitting around the house in the rain; at least try a new view. So we did. On Anglin Lake. For those of you not familiar with the geography of Saskatchewan, Canada, the lake is on the border between the southern and northern halves of the province. The north is mostly lakes, rivers, swamps and trees (primarily Trembling Aspen, White Birch, Black Spruce, and White Spruce). Think of it as wall-to-wall trees with a few lakes and clearings (and communities) thrown in for contrast.
We went up to see and hear the Loons. Common Loons. Unfortunately, we didn't get close enough for good pictures. However, I tried to get a few shots.
The most exciting part was to hear them calling. They have four distinct calls; we actually saw and heard them calling when we were on the water.
In terms of pictures, the stained glass windows at the "very rustic" place we stayed are much prettier than what I could get in our camera.
And yes, the chicks (babies) do ride on their parents' backs for about the first week of their lives. It is the most vulnerable time for parent and chick alike, because the adult cannot dive to save itself from predators with the chick on its back.
For the record, Her Ladyship, Miss Sadie, did not come with us on our Loon-seeking adventure. She, being a bird-dog, would probably have wanted to jump in the water and play with them. They would not have been amused, especially when one pair had a chick.
We had a great time (except for our encounters with the mosquitoes).
I'll have more, in due course.
We went up to see and hear the Loons. Common Loons. Unfortunately, we didn't get close enough for good pictures. However, I tried to get a few shots.
The most exciting part was to hear them calling. They have four distinct calls; we actually saw and heard them calling when we were on the water.
In terms of pictures, the stained glass windows at the "very rustic" place we stayed are much prettier than what I could get in our camera.
And yes, the chicks (babies) do ride on their parents' backs for about the first week of their lives. It is the most vulnerable time for parent and chick alike, because the adult cannot dive to save itself from predators with the chick on its back.
For the record, Her Ladyship, Miss Sadie, did not come with us on our Loon-seeking adventure. She, being a bird-dog, would probably have wanted to jump in the water and play with them. They would not have been amused, especially when one pair had a chick.
We had a great time (except for our encounters with the mosquitoes).
I'll have more, in due course.
9 comments:
Glad to see you had a nice break, Rob. :)
Hello Bear.!
What a wonderful trip for you and 'J to have, sounds great fun, although not so great about those Mosquitoes.!
Loved the painting of bird with her chick on it's back, beautiful shade of blue to the pic too.
Loons are fantastic birds. Once, when adolscent, I witnessed a loon attacking a canoe that had come to close to the little family. Dad, mom and ducklings were on an outing on the lake. The charge nearly capsized the canoe that went away swiftly.
Rob, I can see that you all really did have a getaway to a very different part of your province. Please do post more about this trip. Let the loons be the first course.
Cheers!
Thank you, friends.
® Natalie: We should have done this a long time ago!
® Camilla: That picture really depicts, not only the birds, but the surroundings.
® Paul: Thanks for adding your story. I can see it in my head — real surprise for the folks in the canoe!
® Frances: I'll have a few more pictures. Sadly, we couldn't get close enough for good pictures. Short lens on the camera; Paul has explained the rest. (We don't live THAT dangerously.)
Oh, wow!!! I didn't know that about the baby loons riding on their mama's back!! How absolutely fascinating...I think they are my new favorite bird! You must have had a wonderful time...and good thing you left Miss Sadie home. Would have been too great a temptation for her ;-)) Hugs, Janine
It's wonderful to get away every now and again. Hope you had a lovely time!
® Janine: Actually, Her Ladyship went with us on our vacation. She just didn't get out on the water with us, for obvious reasons.
And we did have a wonderful time! Thanks.
® Wendy: We did have a wonderful time, and three days was the right length of time. It's the kind of thing we need to do more often, now that I'm starting to get stronger.
Post a Comment