Juvenile Loons need leap of faith to avoid winter hazard

This is the first opportunity I’ve had to write down the new year of 2012.

Much has happened since my last column. Winter began, and has come and gone about four times.

There was an eclipse of the moon which unfortunately couldn’t be seen here, but was observed by those in the western part of the country.

Also, birds started coming to my feeder.

There is still a lot of wild food hanging on the trees but some of the birds like Goldfinch, Siskins and Juncos have found easier pickings at the feeder.

One bird that I didn’t report during the Old Forge Christmas count was the Wild Turkey. Now there are about fifty of them hanging around just outside of Inlet.

They can still find beechnuts on the ground but if the snows come they will be eating big time at someone’s feeder.

I mentioned previously that the price of corn and sunflower seeds at $34 per 50 pounds is more than double that of last year.

I haven’t figured out what the Niger seed price difference is but if all the Siskins and Goldfinch hit your feeders they will clean them out in no time.

I have flushed a few Grouse in my romps through the woods and saw a Black-backed Woodpecker at Goose Pond the other day.

There are all kinds of good habitats along the way for them to nest.

There is a Great Blue Heron nest on Goose Pond. There was a small colony of them there when I atlased birds there in the 80’s. When I first moved here there was also a big rookery in back of the Thendara Golf Course, but some locals shot them because they eat fish, I guess.

With this on- and off-again winter there have been several Loons frozen in the ice on several local lakes.

One came down in Route 8 by Speculator and was caught and taken uninjured to Lake Champlain.

Another Loon was iced in on North Lake for several days and two Bald Eagles were sitting on the ice nearby waiting for their meal.

Dick Cox of South Lake couldn’t let the Eagles have the Loon and went out on the ice wearing a jumby suit and caught the bird.

It was one of our adult banded Loons so it probably had a problem or it would have left by now. Dick and his wife, Cindy, took the bird home and put it in their bathtub as I told them it would need a drink.

They made arrangements to have it transported to Green Lake (which doesn’t freeze during the winter) where it was released the day after Christmas.

The bird was found beached the next day but it got back into the water.

I haven’t heard any reports since then. When Loons beach themselves it normally means there is something wrong.

They get on shore if they can’t hold their head up because they know they will drown if they stay in the water.

Another banded Loon was iced in on Bisby Lake but made it to open water by the outlet. After two attempts, it flew out the next day.

There was another Loon out in the middle of Fourth Lake by Dollar Island but the water was still open there yesterday. Many of these late fliers are juvenile birds which have been left by their parents.

They have to make the decision to fly out of their home lake for the first time. This must be a big leap of faith for them as they have never been anywhere but that lake.

Some make the big leap and others become Eagle food. Geese were still flying over on New Years Eve but I haven’t heard any since then.

It was a beautiful pink sunset that night and over one hundred Canada Geese flew right into it.

This is the time of the year when many folks give an end of the year gift to different local and national organizations.

Locally many give to our churches, ambulance squads, fire companies, View, Town Of Webb and Inlet Historical Associations and the local food pantry. Takethe time to share if you can.

The Old Forge Camera Club has an open show at the Old Forge Library, but that’s another story. See ya.