Adirondack Chronicles 2023.1 Loon Families

The Adirondack Chronicles are back!  Starting my 2023 set with this brief video of an exciting development at a loon nest I’ve watched before… see the video above.  The nest is miles up a back dirt road on a small outlet near Horseshoe Lake, which is near Tupper Lake in the central Adirondacks.  I’ve watched this nest over the years and just about every other year there are eggs.  Four years ago I even saw the hatchlings!  Not sure how long the eggs in this video have been incubating so it could be days or weeks until we see the chicks.  But what’s so amazing is the fidelity of the parent loons… they are fiercely protective and always watching their surroundings.

Note that the parent loon seen in this video is banded… in the final frames if you look closely at its legs you can see the red band with a white circle…  we usually don’t see loon bands because most of the time they are on the water. Scientists and environmental specialists band loons in order to track their migration and to observe the effects of pollutants on these ducks that are harbingers of larger environmental concerns.

It’s a rare privilege to see this loon parent hop up out of the water to resume brooding the two beautiful eggs.

Watch this space for more on this loon family and other wild things in the Adirondacks!