Testy State Bird

These encounters with Minnesota's state bird, began calmly enough as I sneak up on a family with two little chicks.The adults start to look concerned...
and the chicks stay close by...

And then the chattering begins. Actually the loons have four major calls and the one they give in this situation is the distress call to let everyone know they aren't happy or some danger is nearby (a big yellow kayak).

There is a lot of hooting and then the babies dive under the water at some unperceived signal...

and then the fun begins.

In a great display of anger the loons begin scooting across the water with chests pushed out in a show of toughness.

Aren't you scared? They literally run across the water while in this position all the time screaming their distress call.

Both the adults are involved and it is quite a show.

Sometimes they end their run with a splash going directly under water only to surface close by.

They seem totally unafraid of the intrusion and our better discretion makes us quickly move away so as to not upset them further. Soon as if by magic the little ones surface near the parents and they glide away to safety while we go on our way.

On the other hand we tried to make this Great Blue Heron fly but he wasn't budging. Such fun!

Beauty and the Beasts

Terry Town offers a variety of things that some would consider Beautiful and others may think of them as beasts. This lilac is so unique with its white trim on the flowers. Definitely a beauty.While driving through Itasca we saw the yellow lady slippers in bloom. The pink are yet to bloom. Also a beauty.
Some would consider this as a beauty and others might think of it as a beast.
This Cooper's Hawk is a beast, at least in our campground as he has decimated the small bird population. Last year I could feed birds out of my hand. This year there aren't any.

Here he sits with his latest prey. Note the feathers flying and the little feet of the victim.

I call this last one, "Marilyn's eagle" as she told me she spotted an eagle sitting on a dead tree while driving through Itasca. Look closely and you will see it is not an eagle but a vulture. I have to call this final one also a beast in my classification.

Tranquility Base Here

Well, we finally made it to the lake after speaking at Mayville on Sunday. The lake was calm and the kayak worked great after the winter... only one minor adjustment to make it go straight.We were happy to find the loons and their new little ones.

Loons are very interesting birds... their bones are solid instead of hollow like most birds so they can dive under water to catch fish.

Because of their extra weight they take off into the wind and literally run across the water until they can get airborne.
The little family let us get pretty close without much fuss.
Another interesting fact is that they have red eyes... probably from partying too much.

We also caught sight of the Great Blue Heron.

What a magnificent creature. So great to be in God's great creation!

Few Birds at Terry Town

This Bald Eagle and another were creating quite a stir on the lake. The Loons go wild when an Eagle shows up. We have noticed a definite decline in the bird population because a Cooper's Hawk and family are in the campground. Eagles are not threatened by them, but the Hawks can really clean out the small birds.Our neighbor Doug helped me put up a new carport. The old one collapsed under the weight of wet snow this past winter.
I heard a flock of geese the other morning and this flock was heading north. Good thing because the weather has been so cool that when I heard them I wondered if they turning around and going south.

A new neighbor moved into the campground making the rest of us envious of their new Park Model. Very nice!