I have been away for a few days doing some shooting around my cottage on Horseshoe Lake near Parry Sound, Ontario. The weather was less than cooperative as it was raining most of the time. During one downpour I noticed a pair of Common Loons feeding two chicks out in the bay in front of the cottage. The only sign of life on the lake during this storm. When it looked like the storm was letting up, I jumped in the canoe and headed out onto the lake for a few photographs. My approach was very cautious – not wanting to stress the adult pair. I positioned my canoe well ahead of the direction they were heading in, letting the Loons decide how much they would tolerate my presence. It was a treat that they came close for several family portraits with no sign of being agitated. Had they showed any signs of being stressed I would have packed away my gear, left immediately, with no photos. No photograph is worth adding stress to the lives of our wildlife, especially wildlife with babies.
Considering the BP oil spill, I wonder what fate awaits these two chicks when they migrate south for the winter. Common Loons generally migrate along Atlantic and Pacific coasts and follow the Mississippi River to their winter homes along the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coast waters. I hope these two little fellas aren’t headed for the Gulf of Mexico.
Andrew McLachlan 