On a cool, foggy, damp spring morning, a loon yodeled. The sound floated through the mist, causing me to pause in disbelief. Then it yodeled again. And one more time.
The loon was calling from a small lake near my home during a neighborhood walk. It is loon season in northern Illinois.
I could not see the loon through the mist, but I imagined this bird with its dark head and same-colored dagger-like bill, the black neck band interrupted by vertical stripes and the black-and-white spotted body that often seems halfway submerged in the water. And its red eye. In the right light, through binoculars or a spotting scope, you can see its red eye.
It’s called a common loon — a few other loon species migrate through northern Illinois in fall and spring, including the red-throated loon. But the common is the one that’s easiest to find and sends the most shivers down my spine when I hear or see it.
– Original Credit: News-Sun
Hearing the loon inspired me to go looking for them in Lake County with my husband and sister over the weekend. We went to Diamond Lake in Mundelein, where two loons floated in the water along with a sizable number of red-breasted mergansers and other migrating ducks. One loon lifted its foot up above its body and shook it rapidly. Scientists still don’t know why loons engage in this behavior called foot waggling. Is it a form of stretching? A way to change its body temperature? Or something else?
Seeing any kind of loon behavior is exciting. They often nap right in the water for 15 minutes at a time, if not longer. So you need to be patient. When they awaken, they may decide it’s time to catch a fish. They dive suddenly into the water, seemingly never returning to the surface. But if you look toward the other end of the lake, you might see the loon reemerge far from where it dove.
They are able to swim extremely well because their legs are far back on their bodies. This arrangement, however, makes them a bit shaky on land. The loon eats its fish underwater, holding onto the slippery meal with its mouth and tongue.
I’ve also watched loons preening — a lovely sight in which the bird flaps its wings and appears to be ready for takeoff, but then sinks back into the water. Other more frequent signs of preening include rubbing its head on its back and shoulders. Loons preen daily, taking oil from a gland and applying it to their feathers to keep them waterproof.
When a loon takes off, they flap their wings and run across the water like a plane increasing its speed on ground until it becomes airborne. Deep lakes, like the glacial lakes in Lake and McHenry counties, are perfect for loons because they can dive for fish and also have enough space to take off.
Close up of common loon. Photo courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Common loon stretching its wings. Photo by Nat Carmichael
– Original Credit: News-Sun
It makes me sad to think about the fact that this spectacular and haunting bird once nested in Illinois. The last breeding pair was documented in the state in 1892 in Lake County.
For millennia, loons have spent winters along both coasts of the United States, and migrated through the interior to breed, including in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Ohio, among other states. Today, they only breed in Canada, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan in the Midwest, along with some Eastern and Western states. They need deep, undisturbed lakes, often with small islands or coves.
Why have they abandoned many states for breeding? You know the story. Lakes attract people to build houses around them and set boats in them — and loons don’t like that. Now we only see them passing through — and it’s a good thing they come in March and early April, because once the boats are out in full force, a loon would likely bypass that area.
If you want to see a loon, get out there now. They’re usually here from about mid-March through mid-April, with an occasional early May record. Here are some suggestions on where to look: Diamond Lake in Mundelein, Pistakee Lake in Fox Lake, Bangs Lake in Wauconda, Independence Grove in Libertyville, Lake Zurich and of course, Loon Lake in Antioch, among others.
More Top Picks Best Slip Resistant Shoes With Arch Support
Luckily for me, I have experienced loons on their breeding grounds in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, when doing research for a book. It’s there where you can hear a menagerie of loon calls including tremolos, yodels, wails and hoots, each with different meanings as they communicate with their brethren. I long to return there one day to sit along a quiet lake at dusk and listen to one of the most wonderful sounds in the world.
Sheryl DeVore has worked as a full-time and freelance reporter, editor and photographer for the baiduhai and its subsidiaries. She’s the author of several books on nature and the environment. Send story ideas and thoughts to [email protected].