You may have been enjoying the company of hummingbirds in your yard from spring into summer, but like many other birds, some hummingbirds are now on the move. And there are more of them with a new cohort of fledglings joining the populations that migrated north this spring. But the movements and migrations of late summer and early fall don't have the same intensity as spring, and hummingbirds aren't in a hurry south considering there is a seasonal peak of flowers and tiny insects in mid-continent climes. We can also easily provide supplemental food in a nectar feeder that may help to keep individual hummingbirds returning to your yard a little longer – possibly weeks longer. 

Most birds migrate, some in the most spectacular fashion, and on a special autumn night with a favorable wind there can be more than a billion birds migrating above the United States! Some birds are known to travel tremendous distances: Arctic Terns migrate more than 31,000 miles roundtrip in a single year – from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Bar-tailed Godwits depart nesting areas in Alaska at the end of summer and fly nonstop for 8 days over the Pacific Ocean to New Zealand. And, of course, remarkable numbers of small songbirds and tiny hummingbirds routinely fly 700 miles across the Gulf of Mexico twice each year. 

The call of the wild, or was it the call of a loon – or many loons – must have traveled 200 miles west-southwest to echo in my mind and lure me back to the fertile lakes and woodlands of west-central Minnesota. It happens regularly, but Thursday's time spent in the Northwoods was especially enjoyable as shared with my friends Andy and Linda aboard Andy's loon pontoon. We enjoyed insightful observations of 2 Common Loon pairs, each with 2 growing young, and in the area also observed a soaring pair of Ospreys, a nest with 3 near-fledgling Ospreys, Trumpeter Swans, Wood Ducks, Belted Kingfishers, and Eastern Bluebirds.

Based on top-quality optics and reliability, Zeiss provides such a remarkable variety of binoculars that we wanted to introduce you to our favorite Zeiss 8x42 models – the Zeiss Victory, Conquest, and Terra Binoculars. Lightweight with bright, incredibly sharp views for birders, Zeiss 8x42 Binoculars provide wide fields of view with high-contrast images. Their ergonomic designs provide fatigue-free use and sharp, detailed views, even in low lighting conditions. Ideal for experienced and new birders alike, Zeiss Binoculars help you stay focused on bird after bird when it matters most.

Discover the new arrivals at AllBirds that feature fresh, innovative styles designed with comfort, sustainability, and effortless style in mind. Crafted from eco-friendly materials, each shoe combines lightweight comfort with versatile design to look great. Lightweight, bouncy, and wildly comfortable, AllBirds shoes are great for birding while walking, hiking, and enjoying other outdoor activities, plus they are made for comfort during daily routines, weekend plans, travel, and while relaxing in style.

Providing you with better views of hummingbirds that visit the High Perch Hummingbird Feeder, this popular Wild Birds Unlimited nectar feeder features a high wrap-around perch that allows hummingbirds to comfortably rest while you get better looks at each one as it feeds. This attractive feeder has a red top to attract hummingbirds' attention, along with a clear bottom that allows you to check the nectar level from any angle. With a built-in ant moat to keep crawling bugs from reaching the feeder, it also has raised flower-shaped feeding ports that keep rainwater from running into the ports and diluting the nectar solution. 

Arizona birders are appreciating the appearance of the Second North American Record Blue-black Grassquit at Buenos Aires Refuge in southern Arizona, north of the species' normal range that extends from Mexico to northern Argentina. Birders also documented 2 First State Records recently – a Yellow-billed Loon in Wisconsin and a Lesser Frigatebird in Connecticut. A Second State Record Common Ringed Plover was photographed in Washington, as was a Fourth State Record Brown Pelican in Idaho, plus an Eighth State Record Heermann's Gull in New Mexico – and there are more rare birds to report!

When photographing birds, one of my favorite things is when you get into position a safe distance away from the birds, conscious not to get too close or to disrupt their activities, and the birds approach closer to your position. With most loons that seems to happen over and over again, even during the same photo session. It puts me at ease and adds another level of enjoyment in the moments on the water with loons and other birds. That point came to mind time and time again last Thursday when I returned to Little Pelican Lake near Detroit Lakes, Minnesota to join my friends Andy and Linda for a follow-up mid-season loon cruise. The sunlight was ample but the wind made piloting the pontoon boat more challenging at times for Andy, but fun nonetheless. 

It took a while to find the first pair of Common Loons on the opposite side of the lake, but we were thrilled to see the adults were in the company of 2 nearly full-sized young loons that were partly feathered but still had at least 1/3 of their down feathers in place on their crown, neck, and rear section. This lively family group offered a variety of activities to observe, enjoy, and photograph, with the adults quite vocal to begin with and the young loons exercising their wings repeatedly. But that gave way to searching for food, with the adults diving regularly, and the young loons were diving occasionally too. At one point, an adult had a pretty good-sized fish, which it seemed to be dispatching to a point, before letting the fish go when the young loons approached, seemingly to encourage them to “catch” the fish and swallow it. This took a couple tries, but one young loon received a belly full of fish in time. 

We ventured to the much larger Pelican Lake next, where we hugged the south shore beyond the wind’s reach, until we rounded a point where the full blast of the wind made it clear the rough water was not a place to find a loon family. Andy sped up as we returned toward Little Pelican Lake, but suddenly, out of the blue water an adult Common Loon popped up with a crayfish in its beak! Of course, there are no brakes on a boat, but Andy cut the engine in time for us to coast close to the loon, which was promptly joined by a young loon that popped into view from the water below. It was duly offered the crayfish and swallowed it directly. These loons were joined by another adult and newly feathered near-fledgling to show they were another family with 2 beautiful young loons. 

During that episode, we were rocking and rolling in the wind-driven waves, but made the most of photographing the group. But only later, after reviewing my photographs, did I realize that these young loons had no down feathers and they appeared to be well-feathered and about to fledge – if they weren’t already taking some initial flights. When one of the “fledglings” raised up and flapped its wings, the resulting photos I took showed that the wing feathers were clearly fully developed and ready the young loons were ready to take to the air. This was in stark comparison to the first 2 young loons that were about 3 weeks behind in their development toward being fully feathered and ready to fledge. But I was only able to ascertain this considerable difference via my photographs, and I was quite surprised that it wasn’t more apparent when viewing the more developed young loons on the bouncing boat as I peered through my camera lens (which again emphasizes the importance of taking photos to learn more about the birds we observe). 

The difference in ages of the young loons at the 2 lakes fits into the premise that the loons on the big lake lay eggs almost a month earlier pairs nesting at adjacent Little Pelican. Although there has been a very small study group for us to consider the past 2 summers, the difference is very clear in the photographs I took Thursday and last year. Aside from that, Thursday the 2 lakes also offered different water conditions and photo action, as well as pontoon captaining challenges, although there was ample sunshine and blue sky throughout our 2-hour cruise. In the company of family groups I was using a wide aperture of f-11 in case a couple loons moved close together. During a photo session, I also try to take an occasional look at a couple photos on the LCD mini-screen on the back of my camera to ensure the colors are showing true and to double-check the shutter speed and anything else that stands out.

After a few years of providing excellent pontoon maneuvers, Andy is a master at getting into position with individual loons and family groups, while understanding the importance of giving them ample space so the loons remain at ease and don’t change their behavior. Keeping the sun at our backs and the birds in front of us is second nature for Andy these days, and most of the time he stops the engine while we are photographing – unless he needs to maneuver due to the wind and wave action. We are also aware not to spend too much time with the birds, just in case we are impacting their fishing luck or other factors. 

While it is a 3-hour drive for me to join Andy, Linda will be returning to her Hollywood home next week, so this was a special outing for us to share on the water, and she was excited to show some scenery and loon photos from our outing with California friends and family. It’s always great fun to share time with Andy and Linda, college friends that remain among my favorite people – as well as with other friends that I get to share some birding enlightenment with as they share updates on their fruitful lives – all part of great birding experiences in Lakes Country. 

                        Article and Photographs by Paul Konrad

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