Saw first one here this week (SC)
3 spotted on Hartwell this am.
I rescued? a Loon on Jocassee a few years ago. It took 3 boats to corner him. He was apparently waterlogged and couldn’t fly.
I checked him for entanglement but couldn’t find any. While I was doing that, he was chewing my shoe. I put him back near shore, knowing he probably became a predator’s dinner
.
Waterlogged? Never heard of that. Jocassee is big enough for loons to take off on. They require a whole lot of runway as their bones are heavy and not hollow like most birds… They can’t become waterlogged…they are diving birds and can stay under for several minutes.
Something else was wrong with the bird…
Saw two loons in Sarasota Bay when I was paddling last week.
cool birds
I’ve seen them (rarely) on the St Johns (in winter) near where I live.
Occasionally, also winter, will see (actually hear, sometimes see) on the Atlantic (going around Cumberland I).
I only hear the ‘tremolo’ signal from them down here. (FL area)
When living in MN, they were really part of the paddling experience (particularly in the BWCA).
loon vocalizations:
http://www.loon.org/voice-loon.php
Raisins I have never heard the tremolo in winter… The most I have heard is a hoarse almost dog like bark. It is usually territorial but can be a defensive call
The only one I have seen in Fla was a dead one at the Summer Haven launch.
@Overstreet said:
The only one I have seen in Fla was a dead one at the Summer Haven launch.
they require clean water to fish
@kayamedic said:
@Overstreet said:
The only one I have seen in Fla was a dead one at the Summer Haven launch.they require clean water to fish
Summer Haven is salt water and cleaner than most around here.