Loons

Bear Den Lake, Presque Isle County, Michigan. On a nice day such as this, the glacial kettle looks like a bowl of clouds, rimmed by pine, spruce, tamarack, and birch.

Mark Schuler and Nina Harfmann watch a pair of Common Loons, who in turn are watching them. Every decent-sized lake up here - and there are many - has its pair of nesting loons. And loons are quite diligent about monitoring the activities of interlopers. We merely strolled to the lakeshore, and this pair of loons, who were floating along the distant shore, immediately began paddling our way. They came within 20-30 feet of us, peering intently at the two-legged curiosities, before resuming fishing activities.

I'm up here leading birding/natural history outings for NettieBay Lodge, and we've had two awesome back to back days. We've probably found about 125 species of birds so far, many of them nesting. Highlight today: Least Bittern, which is listed as threatened in Michigan.

Much more to follow, as time permits...