Loon Update, Fall Color and Turkey Gangs

Mom and her two chicks are doing well. Below, the two chicks were pestering Mom after she has been preening (thus the feathers on her bill). The water colors in these photos are reflections of fall color on the lake. We hadn’t seen Dad for a while and suspected he has left for the ocean or exploring other lakes as he has done in the past. Yesterday we received a video, taken at the Elkins end, clearly showing Dad with his leg bands.

Phineas (below) is close to adult size, but still tends to remain close to Mom, who is just starting her molt into winter plumage. 

Phyillis (below) is also getting close to adult size.

It is amazing how fast they grow! The photo below was taken on June 20th and you can see the size difference between Phineas (right) and Phyllis. Three and a half months later, they are nearly identical in size.

Both chicks now dive on their own and most likely catch their own food.  Even though they are perfectly capable, they still will pester Mom for food, as Phyllis is doing below.

Phyillis

Technically, the chicks are fledglings even though Mom is still caring for them. We have not seen them flying yet. Due to Jon's shoulder issues and Jen’s recent knee replacement, we have not been out in our kayaks much in the last month. 

If they manage to leave the lake for the ocean before it freezes over, our amazing female (below) will have fledged two chicks for the first time in 9 years and bring her total chicks fledged to 25 in her 20 seasons on Pleasant Lake. You Go Girl!!

If you haven't had a chance to enjoy the fall colors, here is a series from around the lake. Starting with the Strawberry field on Pleasant St.

From the entrance of Turtle Cove.

Canada Geese on a migratory rest stop in the cove.

Even Blueberry bushes have something vibrant to show in the fall.

A view out from the cove.

Kayaking on a cool, quiet morning among the colors, geese, and loons is an absolute treat. Sadly, this trip and others in the past ended in a cacophony of leaf blowers. As a result, Phyllis did not hear the "over here" call of her mother and drifted way out onto the lake.

That was a reminder of two important human impacts on wildlife. Research has shown over and over that  human-generated noise has negative impacts on wildlife, ranging from bacteria to Blue Whales. The second is also related to leaf blowing. Once the leaves fall, it is tempting to get rid of them. Please take a moment to consider other options. Dead leaves are slow-release fertilizer and a fundamental part of a healthy woods. They are also winter shelter for a wide variety of animals. Removing them has a negative impact. Consider spreading them under trees or mulching them so they will take up less space and decompose faster. Whatever you do with them, make sure you do not add them to the lake. It is against the law and an unnecessary addition of nutrients to a lake already showing signs of cyanobacteria blooms. Here’s a link to the National Wildlife Federation information on the importance of leaving leaves. 

We recently had a visit to our yard by ten male turkeys. Groups of adult male Turkeys, called gangs, are most likely all brothers! Turkey mating systems are quite fascinating. Gang brothers form a hierarchy, and only the top brother or two will mate with females that visit their group in the spring. Male turkeys take no role in care of young or the females.

Males are easy to tell by their reddish head and neck flesh. During mating season, they produce a fleshy growth on their bills called a snood. The more red the color of that and the other neck flesh, the less likely they are to carry parasites. We hypothesize that it is a signal to females who choose mates based on their overall fitness and desirability as a mate. 

If you would like more information on these fascinating birds, here is a link to an article by Alan Krakauer, who has done a lot of research on them.