Seabirds of Stellwagen: Loons
Monday, Feb 18 2013 05:19 PM
| Cape Cod, whale watching, whale watchers, whale watch, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, birdwatching, seabirds
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Loons
Welcome to our seabird blog series. Our goal is to introduce whale watchers to the types of seabirds that visit Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. These birds are a Cape Cod bonus! Take advantage of the opportunity to study these amazing animals on your next whale watching trip! Today, we meet a group of birds with a proclivity towards fish, and a fondness for Katharine Hepburn/Henry Fonda movies: the loons.
Loons are some of the oldest birds evolutionarily. The name may come from their loony, cacophonous calls, or from the old norse term, loorm (sic), or clumsy person, referring to a loon's movements on land. Whale watchers more often expect to encounter loons on the lakes that dot northern North America than out at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Indeed, loons are famous for the haunting calls and vocalizations they give on their freshwater nesting grounds. Give a listen...
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| Common loon with chick. Photo: Flicker Gallery by icebiker1 |
Loons are some of the oldest birds evolutionarily. The name may come from their loony, cacophonous calls, or from the old norse term, loorm (sic), or clumsy person, referring to a loon's movements on land. Whale watchers more often expect to encounter loons on the lakes that dot northern North America than out at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Indeed, loons are famous for the haunting calls and vocalizations they give on their freshwater nesting grounds. Give a listen...
World-wide there are five species of loons. We generally encounter the common loon, and less commonly, their smaller cousin, the red-throated loon. Loons superficially resemble ducks, but possess a sharp, dagger-like bill, a heavier body, and legs positioned far back on the body, like propellers on a boat. This adaptation means that loons require a lot of room to take flight as they need to get up on plane before lift-off. Common loons that land on small ponds can become imprisoned if their runway of open water is not long enough. Incidentally, red-throated loons are much smaller and lighter than common loons and can actually take flight from land.
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| A red-throated loon sitting on its nest in the Arctic. An elegant dresser, they are smaller cousins of the common loon. Photo: Dave Menke- USFWS |
The positioning of the legs means that loons are unable to walk on land like gulls or ducks. Their terrestrial ambulations more resemble those of a seal than a bird! This limits placement of nests to within a meter of shoreline of large bodies of non-tidal water. Both parents assist in raising the young which will test flight at 12-14 weeks. Loons cannot hover, or take food on the wing; though once airborne, they are strong, if direct, fliers.
What loons lack on land, they make up for in the water. They are expert divers and swimmers, and all their hunting takes place underwater. Loons eat mostly fish, but will also take crayfish and crabs, frogs and salamanders and other marine invertebrates. Loons do not associate with feeding whales.
On dives up to 90 seconds long, they locate their prey through eyesight, and capture it by spearing or jab-grabbing. What's jab-grabbing you ask ? Diver Curtis Lahr shows us in this great footage!
On dives up to 90 seconds long, they locate their prey through eyesight, and capture it by spearing or jab-grabbing. What's jab-grabbing you ask ? Diver Curtis Lahr shows us in this great footage!
Their reliance on eyesight for hunting means loons require bodies of water with good visibility to hunt. Cold northern lakes suit the summer breeding season, while the clear waters of the Gulf of Maine serve in wintertime. The loons we see during our whale watching season are in transit. April thru May, we see both common and red-throated loons in large numbers as they prepare for migration northward and inland. In the fall, common loons may gather in large rafts in Cape Cod Bay to overwinter. Red-throated loons do not arrive until closer to winter and disperse further south.
Next TIme: Gannets!
Next TIme: Gannets!
Our vessel operates in compliance with NOAA's Northeast Whale Watching Guidelines and are active WhaleSENSE participants.