loon rolling eggs

It would be nice to be there as an egg hatches, but on this day I had to settle for the periodic rolling of the eggs. This loon clearly was at ease with my presence. Cues that a nesting loon is stressed include: It wouldn't show it's eggs; it would hold it's head and neck low in an attempt to look less conspicuous; it's forehead could have a squared appearance (loons will fluff their forehead feathers giving an increasingly squared appearance as they begin to get agitated). These indicators are more subtle than the more extreme yodel or tremolo calls or God forbid, nest abandonment. Loon photography is a lot of fun, but we owe it to these beautiful birds to understand their cummunication if we're to photograph them responsibly. Especially when it comes to nesting loons. I've always vowed to never photograph a nesting loon, as stress factors are cumulative and I don't want to be the factor that tips them over the edge and causes a nest failure. This particular loon nested directly across from an active public boat launch, and I photographed it from an opposing shore bank. It showed no signs of agitation with me; it did show signs whenever a boat approached or someone's dog milled about, even if the dog was several hundred feet away. Watching the loon react to different stimuli was interesting.


Thanks for looking and commenting.


Peter