Tailing A Loon Doesn't Make You Crazy - #qotw

This post is a in response to the #Ecotrain Community’s Question of the Week and the DreemPort Challenge for May.

I live on a rural piece of land lined with trees and surrounded by farmer’s fields. The homes around me are spread out so I can just step out of my home and have a connection with nature. Some connections evoke more memories than others.

One that comes to mind goes back to when I was a young teenager and my youngest sister was 9 years younger than me. She still is 9 years younger but we’re much older now. Just in case you were wondering.

Family Camping at Sharbot Lake Provincial Park

Many summers our parents would take us camping at one of the many provincial parks in the province of Ontario. This province is blessed with some fantastic vistas and the further north you go, the more pristine they are.

Most summers we’d setup in one park and stay for a few days. Others we’d travel and stop at parks each night. I was really glad we decided to stay at Sharbot Lake Provincial Park located north of Kingston, Ontario.

The Park sits on two beautiful lakes. A smaller one with a mostly forested land surrounding it. The campsites came right down to the water’s edge and we were lucky enough to get one of them. The larger lake was more active. Power boats were drawn there because of its size and more active water.

The Canoe That Made It Happen

My parents let us rent a canoe that summer. I’d been away to Guide camp the summer before and knew how to handle a canoe. I loved taking the canoe out and slowly paddling around the lake. Particularly over to the far side away from the campsites.

The water was clear enough I could watch the fish swimming under the canoe. I was also able to sit and watch birds and small animals around on the shore. Then I caught site of a Loon gliding through the water. A second one appeared from underwater within seconds.

The Loons

Loons are found throughout Canada during the summer. They usually winter further south. They average a length of about 32” and can have a wingspan up to 54”. Their speckled body and black head as they glide through the water make them very distinctive. One of the main sources of food is fish that they will usually catch headfirst and swallow under water.

Their powerful hind legs propel them a high speeds underwater and they can remain submerged on average for 42 seconds and up to a minute. It was this ability to move so far underwater that drew my attention.

Meanwhile Out on the Water

I spent a few hours watching the two of them as they hunted. I would slowly guide the canoe as close as they would allow and then watch for a while as they resumed their fishing. I was thankful they seemed to prefer to do most of their swimming in the shadows of the trees along the shoreline.

It was a bright sunny day. Between the sun and it reflecting off the water I could have gotten myself a very bad burn. I’m very susceptible to sunburns with my fair skin. Sadly as the sun started to go down, I knew I was expected back at the campsite.

At the Crack of Dawn the Next Day

I decided I wanted to go out early the next morning to enjoy the cool and quiet of the day. I’ve always enjoyed the early morning hours when the world hasn’t quite woke up enough to be heard too much. As quiet as the small lake was, the sound of power boats could still be heard from the larger lake.

I woke just as day was breaking the next morning. Moved very quietly to avoid waking the rest of the sleeping family. But, ArtemisNorth as some of you know her was soon awake and at my heals. She wanted to come out on the canoe. I wasn’t sure it was a good idea but, the canoe had been rented for her too, not just me.

My Sister Was Excited to Come Along

I made sure she had her life jacket on right and showed her how to properly get into the canoe and how to move around so she didn’t tip us out in the middle of the lake. I wasn’t sure she’d be quiet enough to be able to fully enjoy the nature we were about to visit.

She did however and we spent a few hours doing what I’d done the day before. She’d never seen loons before, it fascinated her as it had me. I explained to her that we would move toward them to see better, not to scare them, so just closer and stop.

The birds almost seemed to sense we were not going to come to close and soon seemed to be ignoring us as they dived and moved around the lake. Time came we had to return to shore for breakfast. Artemis couldn’t wait to get back out there. The two of us spent the next few days exploring the lake in the canoe.

The Experience Carried Into Adulthood

As an adult, Artemis picked up the hobby of kayaking. She loved getting out on waterways with her camera and catching as many nature shots as she could. She introduced her grandson to pleasures of observing and shooting nature with a camera.

She eventually told me, her love of kayaking had its roots in the hours we spent on that small lake.

NOTES:

1. Header Image from Wikimedia Commons
2. Loons from Pixabay

Shadowspub is a writer from Ontario, Canada. She writes on a variety of subjects as she pursues her passion for learning. She also writes on other platforms and enjoys creating books you use like journals, notebooks, coloring books etc.

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