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by johan on Sun Apr 10, 2016 1:03 pm
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I have some experience in photographing Common Loons. My experience so far has been in shooting from a kayak, effective 200-800mm focal range. It is possible to get photos of loons and loon chicks on their parents back this way. However, I find that the parents swim away of course and will vocalize a lot. One parent (male?) will also commonly attempt to distract you to follow them away from the other. I have stopped photographing loons for this reason, too stressful for the birds. I am interested in hearing others opinions on this type of photography, which seems to be rather wide spread. Is this acceptable practice, is there a way to do this in a less disruptive manner. Am I missing something here? Thank you. 
 

by Connor Stefanison on Sun Apr 10, 2016 1:37 pm
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It is possible, but you may just need to try a different lake or loon pair. Their levels of human acceptance changes per individual. Find a lake with lots of human activity and they should be pretty tame. When you first boat up to them, don't shoot for the first few minutes. Just stay still, and after some minutes they should be fine with you.
 

by E.J. Peiker on Sun Apr 10, 2016 3:37 pm
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I'm with Connor, it is very dependent on the location and specific birds. A few years back in Alberta a Loon couple was very accepting of me and I even watched two chicks hatch from about 100 feet. They knew I was there and could not care less. Similar I have run onto very accomodating Pacific Loons and then some that freaked if you got within a half mile.
 

by Mike in O on Sun Apr 10, 2016 4:46 pm
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If you have to scare them off the nest to see whether they are accepting or not, you are not being an ethical wildlife photographer.
 

by Greg Downing on Sun Apr 10, 2016 6:56 pm
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Agree with the others but also should note that IME some loons do not like kayaks vs other boats and seem to be especially disturbed by paddles. I would not photograph a loon pair that is vocalizing or under any kind of visible stress.
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by John Guastella on Sun Apr 10, 2016 11:16 pm
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If you have to scare them off the nest to see whether they are accepting or not, you are not being an ethical wildlife photographer.
+1 on this.

Photographers continually try to convince themselves that they are not disturbing birds simply because they don't observe obvious symptoms of stress. There is no way to know whether a bird "could not care less" about a photographer's presence. For nesting birds, and birds with young, the most ethical strategy is to not approach them at all.

John
 

by johan on Mon Apr 11, 2016 12:02 am
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Thank you for your honest advice and suggestions thus far. I think I am going to stick to my decision to just leave loons with young alone.
 

by Scott B on Mon Apr 11, 2016 7:57 am
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I agree with Greg. A kayak often scares birds more than a motor boat, just as a person walking can scare them more than a car or a person on skis can scare animals more easily than a snowmobile. The kayak paddle looks like a really big wing span and can add to the threat, it is best to stow your kayak paddle when photographing along the length of your kayak not across the cockpit to reduce the wing span threat. Some loons are naturally more tolerant and as indicated they are often found in areas of high human traffic. I seriously doubt any nesting loon is ever tolerant. I even find that when I am out exercise paddling I scare birds less and see more natural behavior than when I am out on a slow paddle to observe nature. Don't think I am down on kayaking, I design and build kayaks, have paddled boats of various kinds for more than 40 years, and have paddled over 200,000 miles. The only other advice I have if you want to go slow and take pictures is to try to sit still for some time and occupy yourself with something other than trying to take pictures and let the birds approach you. I see birds exhibiting natural behavior within feet of people that are actively fishing in a boat all of the time.
 

by Tim Zurowski on Mon Apr 11, 2016 10:52 am
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Also having been a serious kayaker for over 35 years, I agree with what Scott is saying. The one thing I have found is to make sure you have a kayak with a foot controlled rudder. That way you can start coasting towards your subjects from some distance away and keep very still by steering with the rudder. This way there is no paddle used and the birds think nothing more of you than if you were a big log floating nearby.

I also agree with your decision Johan. I have been one who has always believed that nesting birds (especially songbirds) should be totally left alone. It is a very important time for them (and for us) where they should not be bothered or stressed. I got my last loon and chick shots by just laying flat on the edge of the lake as they swam by with the young. This way there is no impact at all on them as they are going about their regular routine with no knowledge of you being there.
 

by Scott B on Mon Apr 11, 2016 5:49 pm
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Tim Zurowski wrote: The one thing I have found is to make sure you have a kayak with a foot controlled rudder. That way you can start coasting towards your subjects from some distance away and keep very still by steering with the rudder. This way there is no paddle used and the birds think nothing more of you than if you were a big log floating nearby.
I couldn't agree more with the rudder suggestion.  You can glide a long ways and keeping the paddle down clearly is less stressful for the birds. A rudder is so much more convenient than tilting the kayak to control direction when you are photographing and it works better at lower speeds.   I am also biased about the kind of boat, I use mostly cedar strip and avoid boats with white hulls when I go out to photograph birds.  It may only be in my mind but I think birds like cedar strip best. 
 

by Greg Downing on Tue Apr 12, 2016 8:36 am
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I've witnessed a photographer who had kayak with a petal drive spook the loons on the lake where I photograph them because he could not control the boat in the wind and essentially blew right into them until he was forced to leave (at my urging) because the loons were obviously distressed.

Color makes no difference IME. It's all a matter of what they are used to and something that does not bounce around in the wind like a kayak is more important than color. I have a big white pontoon boat and the adult loons I have been photographing for more than a decade are so accustomed to it that they cache their chicks next to my boat when they go diving for food.
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by OntPhoto on Tue Apr 12, 2016 10:20 am
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Greg Downing wrote: I have a big white pontoon boat and the adult loons I have been photographing for more than a decade are so accustomed to it that they cache their chicks next to my boat when they go diving for food.
This reminds me of a story another photographer told me some years back.  It was a small lake and the loons would nestle the young with them while they went off to do other things.  She used a small rubber inflatable boat with an electric motor attached.  Apparently this worked very well for photographing loons.
 

by Scott B on Tue Apr 12, 2016 12:27 pm
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Greg Downing wrote: Color makes no difference IME. It's all a matter of what they are used to and something that does not bounce around in the wind like a kayak is more important than color. I have a big white pontoon boat and the adult loons I have been photographing for more than a decade are so accustomed to it that they cache their chicks next to my boat when they go diving for food.

I am not sure about color either but I do know the birds start paying attention to me from a much greater distance with a white hull, what I don't know is if it makes any difference at close distance.  I also agree larger boats seem to be much less of a threat to them I think a kayak is probably interpreted to be a predator where larger boats are not.  Familiarity is huge.  I paddle by a nesting island often,  if I paddle on the seaward side it has little effect and the more often I paddle by the less they seem to care.  If I paddle on the side closest to the shore it alerts the birds, I assume they have experienced predation from that side. 
 

by WillN on Fri Apr 15, 2016 12:08 pm
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I was about to suggest you look at the work of Connor Stefanison, but I see he's found you already.
 

by Rich S on Fri Apr 15, 2016 9:14 pm
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OntPhoto wrote:
Greg Downing wrote: I have a big white pontoon boat and the adult loons I have been photographing for more than a decade are so accustomed to it that they cache their chicks next to my boat when they go diving for food.
This reminds me of a story another photographer told me some years back.  It was a small lake and the loons would nestle the young with them while they went off to do other things.  She used a small rubber inflatable boat with an electric motor attached.  Apparently this worked very well for photographing loons.
Similar story here.  Small lake and one pair of loons, same ones I think for at least the last five years.  I try and spend at least an hour with them first thing in the morning in a kayak.  I'll let them approach me and they will get very close.  My kayak doesn't bother them; they detest motorboats, jet skis and sailboats.  When they have young, they'll leave them in the lee of my kayak while they fish - or go off to socialize with transient loons.  I don't approach any closer than 100 feet absolute max, any closer and it's their choice.  We also have herons, bald eagles and osprey and I think they know that none will come close to the chicks when I'm there.  But that's also after hundreds of hours just sitting and watching.  Transient loons, of which we have many, are a very different story.  No chicks.  Some will come within a few feet of my kayak; others appear to want the lake to themselves.
 

by Mike in O on Fri Apr 22, 2016 8:24 pm
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For all you folks claiming that loons flock to you for the care of their babies, how many were terrified and had to abandon their families to escape?
 

by Kari Post on Thu Apr 28, 2016 9:21 am
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I'll chime in to agree with those who stated that all individual birds and pairs are different. I've photographed loons on different ponds and lakes throughout the northeastern United States, always via kayak, and have never observed a bird be kayak shy that didn't hate all boats and visitors equally. It could be because around here quieter people tend to use kayaks and canoes and wilder ones tend to use boats with motors. I have been paddling in areas where the loons were simply not approachable and would shy away from any human presence but also been with birds that are very habituated and/or adjust quickly to changes in their environment. Each individual/pair is different.

All photographers should learn animal behavior of the subjects they wish to follow and back off or stop pursuing as soon as animals show signs of distress. I always start any visit by observing the loons from a distance to watch their behaviors and approaching them slowly over time to see how they adjust to my presence. In some cases, I have had birds approach me fairly closely on their own terms, but many birds have a limit and I am careful to respect their comfort zone. Loons also will have different tolerance levels over the course of the season. They are likely most sensitive when they are nesting or tending to their babies and tend to be far less so when the congregate in rafts before migrating south to open water for the winter. I've had both the best and worst luck with single, lone adults.

For this reason, I do not disclose the location of my loon photographs (except to the local loon conservation group, to which I also submit behavior and observation reports to help with their research and monitoring of loons throughout the state). I am sensitive to their needs and comfort, but not all photographers and spectators are. Many just don't know better and some just don't care.

I respect your decision to not photograph loons if you have observed that they seem uncomfortable with your presence. If you have access to other ponds or lakes with loons on them, you may find individuals that are unfazed by your presence.
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by Tim Zurowski on Thu Apr 28, 2016 9:55 am
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My experiences are similar to Kari's and I agree wholeheartedly with her advice. Around here we only have loons in winter, and they are basically impossible to approach in any boat.
 

by Mark Picard on Thu Apr 28, 2016 10:07 am
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Kari Post wrote:I'll chime in to agree with those who stated that all individual birds and pairs are different. I've photographed loons on different ponds and lakes throughout the northeastern United States, always via kayak, and have never observed a bird be kayak shy that didn't hate all boats and visitors equally. It could be because around here quieter people tend to use kayaks and canoes and wilder ones tend to use boats with motors. I have been paddling in areas where the loons were simply not approachable and would shy away from any human presence but also been with birds that are very habituated and/or adjust quickly to changes in their environment. Each individual/pair is different.

All photographers should learn animal behavior of the subjects they wish to follow and back off or stop pursuing as soon as animals show signs of distress. I always start any visit by observing the loons from a distance to watch their behaviors and approaching them slowly over time to see how they adjust to my presence. In some cases, I have had birds approach me fairly closely on their own terms, but many birds have a limit and I am careful to respect their comfort zone. Loons also will have different tolerance levels over the course of the season. They are likely most sensitive when they are nesting or tending to their babies and tend to be far less so when the congregate in rafts before migrating south to open water for the winter. I've had both the best and worst luck with single, lone adults.

For this reason, I do not disclose the location of my loon photographs (except to the local loon conservation group, to which I also submit behavior and observation reports to help with their research and monitoring of loons throughout the state). I am sensitive to their needs and comfort, but not all photographers and spectators are. Many just don't know better and some just don't care.

I respect your decision to not photograph loons if you have observed that they seem uncomfortable with your presence. If you have access to other ponds or lakes with loons on them, you may find individuals that are unfazed by your presence.
+1
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by ebkw on Mon May 16, 2016 11:25 am
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If Common Loons are continually moving away from you they think you are too close! I have used a kayak for years with the loons on my very small lake. Some people naturally swing their paddle very high and other people much flatter to the water. Trying a flatter stroke might be helpful. I use my 100-400 on a 1.6 crop body and frequently cannot focus as they get too close. Unfortunately the male did not return last year and am waiting to see what happens this year. Avian botulism killed many loons on the Great Lakes in the last few years and that is bound to mean new partners and patterns
eventually.
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